Food composition and its manufacturing method, and processed grain product and its manufacturing method

Abstract

To provide a technology capable of inhibiting the proliferation of microorganisms that cause deterioration of food and drink. [Solution] A food composition that satisfies all of the following requirements (a) to (d): (a) The moisture content converted to wet mass is 20% by mass or more. (b) pH is greater than 4.0 at 20°C and 1 atmosphere. (c) The food composition has a titratable acidity of 0.1% by mass or more. (d) Meet the following requirements (i) and / or (ii): Requirement(i) When the salt equivalent amount per 100g of water in the food composition is Xg and the undissociated acetic acid content per 100g of water in the food composition is Yg, the following formula is satisfied. 4Y+X≧10 (where X≧3 and Y>0.03) Requirement (ii) The food composition has a salt equivalent of 3.0 g or more per 100 g of water, and an ethanol content of 8.0 g or more per 100 g of water.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a food composition and a method for producing the same, as well as a processed grain product and a method for producing the same. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, there has been an increasing need for improving the shelf life of foods. For example, seasonings are sometimes required to have a seasoning function while also having excellent shelf life. Acetic acid is an example of a component that has a food seasoning effect while also preventing the growth of microorganisms that cause food deterioration. However, acetic acid has a strong sour taste, which limits its applications. For example, in foods such as ready-to-eat prepared meals, an attempt to improve the shelf life of the food has been problematic in that the food becomes overly sour upon consumption. Furthermore, while a technique for adding enzymes during the food production process is known for the purpose of improving the taste and texture of food, the coexistence of acetic acid and enzymes has been problematic in that the enzymes are denatured by the acetic acid. In other words, food compositions containing acetic acid are required to be able to inhibit the growth of microorganisms that cause food deterioration, to avoid excessive sourness, and to maintain enzyme activity. As a technique for maintaining the stability of enzymes in foods, for example, Document 1 (JP-A-03-139278) discloses that the stability of glucose oxidase can be maintained by using a phosphate buffer. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 03-139278 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the technology disclosed in Document 1 cannot be adopted as a technology capable of inhibiting the growth of microorganisms that cause deterioration of food and drink. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] After extensive research, the inventors have found that by adjusting the wet mass equivalent water content, pH, and titratable acidity of a food composition within specified ranges, and by adjusting the salt equivalent amount and undissociated acetic acid content and / or the salt equivalent amount and ethanol content within specified ranges, the growth of microorganisms that cause food deterioration can be suppressed without causing an excessively strong sour taste, and the flavor of the food produced can be maintained.The inventors have also found that the enzymatic activity of the food composition is maintained even when an enzyme is added, and that by adding an enzyme that reacts with a specified substrate, a synergistic effect of sodium, enzyme, and undissociated acetic acid and / or ethanol can be added to improve the texture, particularly in foods and beverages made from grains, thereby achieving the present invention. That is, the gist of the present invention relates to, for example, the following. [1] A food composition that satisfies all of the following requirements (a) to (d): (a) The moisture content converted to wet mass is 20% by mass or more, 25% by mass or more, 30% by mass or more, 35% by mass or more, 40% by mass or more, 43% by mass or more, 45% by mass or more, 47% by mass or more, 50% by mass or more, or 52% by mass or more. The upper limit is not particularly limited, but is, for example, 97% by mass or less, 95% by mass or less, 90% by mass or less, 88% by mass or less, 85% by mass or less, 80% by mass or less, 75% by mass or less, 70% by mass or less, 65% by mass or less, 64% by mass or less, 60% by mass or less, or 58% by mass or less. The range is, for example, 20 to 85% by mass, 25 to 80% by mass, 30 to 75% by mass, 35 to 70% by mass, 40 to 65% by mass, or 45 to 64% by mass. (b) The pH at 20°C and 1 atmosphere is 4.0 or more, 4.2 or more, 4.4 or more, 4.6 or more, 4.7 or more, 4.8 or more, 4.9 or more, 4.95 or more, 5.0 or more, 5.05 or more, 5.1 or more, 5.15 or more, 5.2 or more, 5.3 or more, or 5.4 or more, and the upper limit is not limited, but may be, for example, 8.8 or less, 8.2 or less, 8.0 or less, 7.5 or less, 7.1 or less, or 7.0 or less. It is 6.9 or less, 6.8 or less, 6.5 or less, 6.4 or less, 6.35 or less, 6.3 or less, 6.2 or less, 6.1 or less, 5.9 or less, 5.8 or less, 5.6 or less, or 5.5 or less, and the range is, for example, 4.0 to 7.0, 4.4 to 6.9, 4.7 to 6.8, 4.8 to 6.5, 4.9 to 6.4, 4.95 to 6.35, 5.0 to 6.3, 5.05 to 6.3, or 5.1 to 6.1. (c) The titratable acidity of the food composition, as measured by Measurement Method A, is 0.1% by mass or more, 0.15% by mass or more, 0.2% by mass or more, 0.24% by mass or more, 0.25% by mass or more, 0.28% by mass or more, 0.3% by mass or more, 0.35% by mass or more, 0.4% by mass or more, 0.42% by mass or more, 0.45% by mass or more, 0.50% by mass or more, 0.60% by mass or more, 0.70% by mass or more, 0.80% by mass or more, 0.90% by mass or more, 1.0% by mass or more, 1.2% by mass or more, 1.4% by mass or more, 1.6% by mass or more, 1.8% by mass or more, 2.0% by mass or more, 2.2% by mass or more, 2.4% by mass or more, 2.6% by mass or more, 3.0% by mass or more, 3.2% by mass or more, 3.4% by mass or more, 3.6% by mass or more, 3.8% by mass or more, or 4% by mass or more. The upper limit is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, 10.0% by mass or less, 9.0% by mass or less, 8.5% by mass or less, 8.0% by mass or less, 7.5% by mass or less, 7.0% by mass or less, 6.5% by mass or less, 6.0% by mass or less, 5.5% by mass or less, 5.0% by mass or less, 4.5% by mass or less, 4.0% by mass or less, 3.5% by mass or less, 3.0% by mass or less, 2.7% by mass or less, 2.5% by mass or less, 2.0% by mass or less, 1.5% by mass or less, 1.0% by mass or less, 0.9% by mass or less, 0.8% by mass or less, 0.75% by mass or less, or 0.7% by mass or less, and the range may be, for example, 0.1 to 10.0% by mass, 0.15 to 8.5% by mass, 0.2 to 8.0% by mass, 0.24 to 7.0% by mass, or 0.28 to 5.5% by mass. Measurement method A Accurately collect 10 g of the food composition and dilute it 10 times with ion-exchanged water. To the diluted solution (100 g), add 0.08 ml of 3.1% phenolphthalein solution as an indicator. Neutralize and titrate with a 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution of known potency, and calculate the titratable acidity using the following formula: Titratable acidity of food composition (mass%) = {(60.05 x 0.1 x F x V) x 100} / {sample amount (10 g) x 1000} 60.05: Molecular weight of acetic acid 0.1: Molar concentration of sodium hydroxide solution (mol / L) F: Potency of 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution V: Titration volume of 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution (mL) (d) Meet the following requirements (i) and / or (ii): Requirement(i) When the salt equivalent amount per 100g of water in the food composition is Xg and the undissociated acetic acid content per 100g of water in the food composition is Yg, the following formula is satisfied. 4Y+X≧10, or the value of “4Y+X” is 11 or more, 12 or more, 13 or more, 14 or more, 15 or more, 16 or more, 17 or more, 18 or more, 19 or more, 20 or more, 21 or more, 22 or more, 24 or more, 25 or more, 26 or more, 28 or more, 30 or more, 31 or more, 32 or more, 33 or more, 34 or more, or 35 or more, and the upper limit is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 56 or less, 54 or less, 52 or less, 50 or less, 48 ​​or less, or 46 or less. , 45 or less, 44 or less, 43 or less, 42 or less, 41 or less, 40 or less, 39 or less, 38 or less, 37 or less, 36 or less, 35 or less, 34 or less, 33 or less, 32 or less, 30 or less, 28 or less, 26 or less, 25 or less, 24 or less, 23 or less, or 22 or less, and the range is, for example, 10 to 56, 12 to 50, 14 to 45, 15 to 44, 20 to 43, or 25 to 42 (provided that X≧3 and Y>0.03). Requirement (ii) The salt equivalent per 100g of water in the food composition is 3.0g or more, 4.0g or more, 5.0g or more, 6.0g or more, 7.0g or more, 8.0g or more, 9.0g or more, 10g or more, 11g or more, 12g or more, 13g or more, 14g or more, 16g or more, 18g or more, 20g or more, 22g or more, 24g or more, 26g or more, 27g or more, 28g or more, 30g or more, 32g or more, 33g or more, 34g or more , 35g or more, or 36g or more, and the upper limit is not particularly limited, but is, for example, 54g or less, 50g or less, 45g or less, 40g or less, or 38g or less, and the range is, for example, 3.0 to 54g, 5.0 to 54g, 7.0 to 50g, 8.0 to 45g, 9.0 to 40g, 10 to 40g, 11 to 40g, 12 to 40g, 13 to 40g, 14 to 40g, 16 to 40g, 20 to 40g, and the ethanol content per 100 g of water of the food composition is 8.0 g or more, 8.2 g or more, 8.5 g or more, 8.7 g or more, 9.0 g or more, 9.3 g or more, 9.5 g or more, 10.0 g or more, 10.5 g or more, 11.0 g or more, 12.0 g or more, 13.0 g or more, 14.0 g or more, 15.0 g or more, 16.0 g or more, 17.0 g or more, 18.0 g or more, 19.0 g or more, 20.0 g or more, 21.0 g or more, 22.0 g or more, 24.0 g or more, 27.0 g or more, 30.0 g or more, 32.0 g or more, 33.0 g or more, 34.0 g or more, or 35.0 g or more. The upper limit is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 20.0 g or less, 19.5 g or less, 19.0 g or less, 18.5 g or less, 18.0 g or less, 17.5 g or less, 16.5 g or less, or 15.5 g or less, and the range may be, for example, 8.0 to 20.0 g, 9.0 to 19.0 g, 10.0 to 18.0 g, or 11.0 to 18.0 g. [2] The salt equivalent amount per 100 g of water in the food composition is 4.0 g or more, 5.0 g or more, 6.0 g or more, 7.0 g or more, 8.0 g or more, 9.0 g or more, 10 g or more, 11 g or more, 12 g or more, 13 g or more, 14 g or more, 16 g or more, 18 g or more, 20 g or more, 22 g or more, 24 g or more, 26 g or more, 27 g or more, 28 g or more, 30 g or more, 32 g or more, 33 g or more, 34 g or more, 35 g or more, or 36 g or more, and the upper limit is not particularly limited. The food composition according to [1], wherein the weight of the food product is, for example, 54 g or less, 50 g or less, 45 g or less, 40 g or less, or 38 g or less, and the range is, for example, 8.0 to 45 g, 9.0 to 40 g, 10 to 40 g, 11 to 40 g, 12 to 40 g, 13 to 40 g, 14 to 40 g, 16 to 40 g, 20 to 40 g, 22 to 40 g, 24 to 40 g, 27 to 40 g, 30 to 40 g, 32 to 40 g, 33 to 50 g, 34 to 50 g, or 35 to 50 g. [3] The food composition has a total acetic acid content per 100 g of water of 0.4 g or more, 0.6 g or more, 0.8 g or more, 1.0 g or more, 1.2 g or more, 1.4 g or more, 1.6 g or more, 1.8 g or more, 2.1 g or more, 2.2 g or more, 2.3 g or more, 2.4 g or more, 2.5 g or more, 2.7 g or more, 2.9 g or more, 3.0 g or more, 3.1 g or more, 3.2 g or more, 3.3 g or more, 3.5 g or more, 3.7 g or more, 3.9 g or more, 4.1 g or more, 4.3 g or more, 4.5 g or more, 4.7 g or more, 4.9 g or more, 5.5 g or more, 5.9 g or more, 6.5 g or more, 7.5 g or more, 9.0 g or more, or 10.0 g or more, The upper limit of the amount of the food composition according to [1] or [2] above is not particularly limited, but is, for example, 50.0 g or less, 30.0 g or less, 25.0 g or less, 23.5 g or less, 22.0 g or less, 21.5 g or less, 20.0 g or less, 19.0 g or less, 18.5 g or less, 18.0 g or less, 17.7 g or less, 17.5 g or less, 16.5 g or less, 16.0 g or less, 15.0 g or less, 14.0 g or less, 13.5 g or less, or 13.0 g or less, and the range is, for example, 0.4 to 30.0 g, 1.2 to 25.0 g, 1.4 to 20.0 g, 2.3 to 18.0 g, 2.5 to 17.5 g, or 3.0 to 16.5 g. [4] The optimum pH is 4.0 or more, 4.2 or more, 4.3 or more, 4.4 or more, 4.5 or more, 4.6 or more, 4.7 or more, 4.8 or more, 4.9 or more, 4.95 or more, 5.0 or more, 5.05 or more, 5.10 or more, 5.15 or more, 5.2 or more, 5.3 or more, or 5.4 or more. The upper limit is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 9.5 or less, 9.3 or less, 9.0 or less, 8.8 or less, 8.2 or less, 8.0 or less, 7.5 or less, 7.1 or less, 7.0 or less, 6.0 or less, 7.1 or less, 7.0 or less, 8.0 or less, 8.1 or less, 8.2 or less, 8.0 or less, 8.2 or less, 8.3 or less, 8.4 or less, 8.5 or less, 8.5 or less, 8.6 or less, 8.7 or less, 8.8 or less, 8.9 or less, 8.9 or less, 9.9 or less, 9.1 or less, 9.2 or less, 9.3 or less, 9.0 or less, 9.5 or less, 9.0 or less, 9.1 or less, 9.2 or less, 9.3 or less, 9.0 or less, 9.5 ... The food composition according to any one of [1] to [3] above, containing one or more enzymes having a pH of 0.8 or less, 6.5 or less, 6.4 or less, 6.35 or less, 6.3 or less, 6.2 or less, 6.1 or less, 5.9 or less, 5.8 or less, 5.6 or less, or 5.5 or less, the range being, for example, 4.0 to 7.0, 4.7 to 6.8, 4.8 to 6.5, 4.9 to 6.4, 4.95 to 6.35, 5.0 to 6.3, 5.05 to 6.3, or 5.10 to 6.1. [5] The food composition contains brewed vinegar, and the content thereof is not particularly limited, but for example, the upper limit is 90% by mass or less, 80% by mass or less, 70% by mass or less, 60% by mass or less, 50% by mass or less, 40% by mass or less, 30% by mass or less, 29% by mass or less, 28% by mass or less, 27% by mass or less, 25% by mass or less, 23% by mass or less, 22% by mass or less, 21% by mass or less, 20% by mass or less, 19% by mass or less, 18.5% by mass or less, 18% by mass or less, 17.8% by mass or less, 17.5% by mass or less 17.3% by mass or less, 16.7% by mass or less, 16.5% by mass or less, 16.0% by mass or less, 15.5% by mass or less, 15.0% by mass or less, 14.5% by mass or less, 14.0% by mass or less, 13.0% by mass or less, 12.5% ​​by mass or less Bottom, 12.0 mass% or less, 11.5 mass% or less, 11.0 mass% or less, 10.5 mass% or less, 10.0 mass% or less, 9.5 mass% or less, 9.0 mass% or less, 8.5 mass% or less, 8.0 mass% or less, 7.5 mass% or less, 7.0 mass% % or less, 6.5% or less, 6.0% or less, 5.5% or less, 5.0% or less, 4.5% or less, or 4.0% or less by mass, and the lower limit is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 0.1% or more, 0.2% or more, 0.3% or more, 0.5% or more, 0.7% or more, 0.9% or more, 1.0% or more, 1.1% or more, 1.3% or more, 1.5% or more, 1.7% or more, 1.8% or more, 2.0% or more, 2. The food composition according to any one of [1] to [4] above, wherein the content is 2% by mass or more, 2.4% by mass or more, or 2.6% by mass or more, and the range is, for example, 0.1 to 90% by mass, 0.1 to 30% by mass, 0.1 to 28% by mass, 0.1 to 25% by mass, 0.1 to 20% by mass, 0.1 to 17.5% by mass, 0.1 to 16.5% by mass, 0.1 to 15.5% by mass, 0.5 to 14.5% by mass, 0.7 to 13.0% by mass, 0.9 to 12.0% by mass, or 1.0 to 8.0% by mass. [6] The food composition according to any one of [1] to [5] above, wherein the ratio of the dissociated acetic acid content (mass%) to the total acetic acid content (mass%) of the food composition is 0.10 or more, 0.20 or more, 0.30 or more, particularly 0.40 or more, 0.45 or more, 0.49 or more, 0.50 or more, 0.55 or more, 0.60 or more, 0.65 or more, 0.70 or more, and the upper limit is not particularly limited, but is, for example, less than 1, or less than 0.98, 0.90 or less, 0.85 or less, or 0.75 or less, and the range is, for example, 0.10 or more but less than 0.98, preferably 0.49 or more and 0.80 or less, more preferably 0.49 or more and 0.75 or less, and particularly preferably 0.55 or more and 0.72 or less. [7] The ratio of the chloride ion content (mass%) of the food composition to the sodium content (mass%) of the food composition is 0.1 to 1.5, 0.4 to 1.47, 0.5 to 1.45, 0.6 to 1.45, 0.6 to 1.4, or 0.6 to 1.3, and the upper limit is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 1.5 or less, 1.47 or less, 1.46 or less, 1.45 or less, 1.44 or less, 1.43 or less, 1.4 or less, 1.39 or less, 1.38 or less, 1.37 or less, 1.35 or less, 1.33 or less, 1.3 or less, 1.2 or less, 1.1 or less, 1.05 or less, 1.0 or less, 0.97 or less, 0.95 or less, 0.90 or less, 0.85 or less, 0.8 ... The food composition according to any one of [1] to [6] above, wherein the lower limit is not particularly limited, but is, for example, 0.1 or more, 0.12 or more, 0.14 or more, 0.15 or more, 0.18 or more, 0.20 or more, 0.31 or more, 0.4 or more, 0.5 or more, 0.62 or more, 0.67 or more, 0.75 or more, 0.77 or more, 0.81 or more, 0.84 or more, 0.87 or more, 0.91 or more, 0.93 or more, 0.95 or more, 0.97 or more, 0.99 or more, 1.03 or more, 1.05 or more, 1.07 or more, 1.09 or more, 1.1 or more, 1.11 or more, or 1.12 or more. [8] The Brix value of the food composition is 15 or more, 18 or more, 20 or more, 21 or more, 22 or more, 23 or more, 24 or more, 26 or more, 27 or more, 28 or more, 29 or more, 30 or more, 31 or more, 32 or more, 34 or more, 35 or more, 37 or more, 39 or more, 40 or more, 41 or more, or 43 or more. The upper limit is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 70 or less, 69 or less, 68 or less, 67 or less, 66 or less, 65 or less, or the like. The food composition according to any one of [1] to [7] above, wherein the β-glucan content is 64 or less, 63 or less, 62 or less, 60 or less, 59 or less, 58 or less, 57 or less, 55 or less, 53 or less, 52 or less, 51 or less, 50 or less, 49 or less, 48 ​​or less, 47 or less, or 46 or less, and the range is, for example, 15 to 70, 18 to 68, 24 to 66, 26 to 60, 28 to 55, 30 to 50, or 32 to 48. [9] The carbohydrate content of the food composition per 100 g of water is 4.0 g or more, 4.5 g or more, 5.0 g or more, 5.5 g or more, 8.0 g or more, 10.0 g or more, 13.0 g or more, 15.0 g or more, 18.0 g or more, 20.0 g or more, 22.0 g or more, 25.0 g or more, 28.0 g or more, 30.0 g or more, 31.0 g or more, 33.0 g or more, 35.0 g or more, 37.5 g or more, 39.0 g or more, 40.0 g or more, 42.0 g or more, 43.5 g or more, 45.0 g or more, or 47.0 g or more, and the upper limit is not limited, but is, for example, 70.0 g or less, 68.0 g or less, 66.0 g or more, The food composition according to any one of [1] to [8] above, wherein the average protein content is 6.0 g or less, 65.0 g or less, 64.0 g or less, 63.0 g or less, 61.0 g or less, 60.0 g or less, 59.0 g or less, 58.5 g or less, 58.0 g or less, 57.0 g or less, 56.0 g or less, 55.0 g or less, 54.5 g or less, 53.5 g or less, 52.0 g or less, 50.8 g or less, 50.0 g or less, or 49.0 g or less, and the range is, for example, 4.0 to 70.0 g, 8.0 to 66.0 g, 15.0 to 63.0 g, 20.0 to 60.0 g, 25.0 to 58.0 g, or 30.0 to 55.0 g.

[10] The food composition is the food composition according to any one of [1] to [9] above, wherein the food composition contains a sugar alcohol. The type of sugar alcohol is not particularly limited, but may contain, for example, sorbitol and / or mannitol, and the ratio of the total content (mass%) of sorbitol and mannitol to the total content (mass%) of carbohydrates is, for example, 0.05 or more, 0.08 or more, 0.10 or more, 0.12 or more, 0.14 or more, 0.18 or more, 0.20 or more, 0.24 or more, 0.28 or more, 0.30 or more, 0.40 or more, 0.50 or more, 0.60 or more, 0.70 or more, 0.80 or more, 0.90 or more, or 1.

[11] The food composition is the food composition described in any one of [1] to

[10] above, wherein the food composition contains reduced starch syrup, and the ratio of the content (mass%) of reduced starch syrup to the total content (mass%) of carbohydrates is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 0.40 or more, 0.50 or more, 0.60 or more, 0.70 or more, 0.80 or more, 0.90 or more, or 1.

[12] The food composition according to any one of [1] to

[11] above, wherein the ratio of the maltose content (mass%) to the total carbohydrate content (mass%) of the food composition is 0.80 or less, 0.70 or less, 0.60 or less, 0.50 or less, 0.40 or less, 0.30 or less, 0.20 or less, 0.15 or less, or 0.10 or less.

[13] The food composition according to [4] above, wherein the enzyme comprises a transferase and / or a hydrolase.

[14] The food composition according to

[13] , wherein the enzyme contains at least one transferase selected from 6-α-glucanotransferase, 4-α-glucanotransferase, cyclodextrin glucanotransferase, and α-glucosyltransferase.

[15] The food composition according to

[13] or

[14] , wherein the enzyme comprises at least one hydrolase selected from glutaminase, maltotriohydrolase, β-amylase, phospholipase A1, pullulanase, hemicellulase, α-amylase, pectinase, glucoamylase, transglucosidase, pectin methylesterase, phospholipase A2, protease, α-galactosidase, invertase, cellulase, xylanase, fructosyltransferase, β-glucosidase, and lipase.

[16] The food composition according to any one of

[13] to

[15] above, wherein the enzymes comprise 6-α-glucanotransferase and maltotriohydrolase.

[17] The food composition according to any one of

[13] to

[16] above, wherein the enzymes comprise 4-α-glucanotransferase and β-amylase.

[18] The food composition according to any one of

[13] to

[17] above, wherein the enzymes include a protease and a lipase.

[19] The food composition according to any one of

[13] to

[18] above, wherein the enzymes include cellulase, hemicellulase, and pectinase.

[20] The food composition according to any one of [4] and

[13] to

[19] above, wherein the enzyme comprises at least one enzyme selected from glucose oxidase, polyphenol oxidase, and glucose isomerase. 〔twenty one〕 The food composition according to any one of [1] to

[20] above, for use in a method for producing a processed grain product. 〔twenty two〕 The food composition according to

[21] , wherein the processed grain product is at least one selected from the group consisting of cooked rice, noodles, cereals, and breads. 〔twenty three〕 The food composition according to

[21] , wherein the processed grain product contains rice. 〔twenty four〕 The food composition according to

[21] , wherein the processed grain product is cooked rice. 〔twenty five〕 The food composition according to

[21] above is used so that when the processed grain product is homogenized (homogenized) by adding distilled water in an amount twice the mass (converted to wet mass) of the produced processed grain product, the pH at 20°C under 1 atmosphere is greater than 6.20, 6.30 or greater, 6.35 or greater, 6.40 or greater, 6.45 or greater, 6.50 or greater, or 6.60 or greater. The upper limit of the pH is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 8.0 or less, 7.5 or less, 7.0 or less, or 6.9 or less, and the range is, for example, 6.2 to 8.0, 6.3 to 7.5, or 6.4 to 7.0.

[26] The food composition according to any one of [1] to

[25] above, wherein the food composition is a liquid composition.

[27] The food composition according to

[26] , wherein the food composition is an unsterilized liquid composition.

[28] A method for producing the food composition according to any one of [1] to

[26] above, comprising sterilization at a maximum temperature of less than 124°C.

[29] A method for producing a food composition according to any one of [1] to

[27] above, which does not include a heat sterilization step during production. The heat sterilization step is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, a heat sterilization treatment at a maximum temperature of 100°C or higher, or a heat sterilization treatment at a maximum temperature of 124°C or higher.

[30] A method for producing a processed grain product, comprising adding the food composition according to any one of [1] to

[27] above.

[31] The manufacturing method according to

[30] above, wherein the processed grain product is at least one selected from the group consisting of cooked rice, noodles, cereals, and breads.

[32] A processed grain product produced using the food composition according to any one of [1] to

[27] above.

[33] The processed grain product according to

[32] , wherein the processed grain product is at least one selected from the group consisting of cooked rice, noodles, cereals, and breads.

[34] A method for inhibiting the growth of spoilage bacteria in a food composition that has not been sterilized by heating at 100°C or higher, wherein the food composition satisfies all of the following requirements (a) to (d): (a) The moisture content converted to wet mass is 20% by mass or more, 25% by mass or more, 30% by mass or more, 35% by mass or more, 40% by mass or more, 43% by mass or more, 45% by mass or more, 47% by mass or more, 50% by mass or more, or 52% by mass or more. The upper limit is not particularly limited, but is, for example, 97% by mass or less, 95% by mass or less, 90% by mass or less, 88% by mass or less, 85% by mass or less, 80% by mass or less, 75% by mass or less, 70% by mass or less, 65% by mass or less, 64% by mass or less, 60% by mass or less, or 58% by mass or less. The range is, for example, 20 to 85% by mass, 25 to 80% by mass, 30 to 75% by mass, 35 to 70% by mass, 40 to 65% by mass, or 45 to 64% by mass. (b) The pH at 20°C and 1 atmosphere is 4.0 or more, 4.2 or more, 4.4 or more, 4.6 or more, 4.7 or more, 4.8 or more, 4.9 or more, 4.95 or more, 5.0 or more, 5.05 or more, 5.1 or more, 5.15 or more, 5.2 or more, 5.3 or more, or 5.4 or more, and the upper limit is not limited, but may be, for example, 8.8 or less, 8.2 or less, 8.0 or less, 7.5 or less, 7.1 or less, or 7.0 or less. It is 6.9 or less, 6.8 or less, 6.5 or less, 6.4 or less, 6.35 or less, 6.3 or less, 6.2 or less, 6.1 or less, 5.9 or less, 5.8 or less, 5.6 or less, or 5.5 or less, and the range is, for example, 4.0 to 7.0, 4.4 to 6.9, 4.7 to 6.8, 4.8 to 6.5, 4.9 to 6.4, 4.95 to 6.35, 5.0 to 6.3, 5.05 to 6.3, or 5.1 to 6.1. (c) The titratable acidity of the food composition, as measured by Measurement Method A, is 0.1% by mass or more, 0.15% by mass or more, 0.2% by mass or more, 0.24% by mass or more, 0.25% by mass or more, 0.28% by mass or more, 0.3% by mass or more, 0.35% by mass or more, 0.4% by mass or more, 0.42% by mass or more, 0.45% by mass or more, 0.50% by mass or more, 0.60% by mass or more, 0.70% by mass or more, 0.80% by mass or more, 0.90% by mass or more, 1.0% by mass or more, 1.2% by mass or more, 1.4% by mass or more, 1.6% by mass or more, 1.8% by mass or more, 2.0% by mass or more, 2.2% by mass or more, 2.4% by mass or more, 2.6% by mass or more, 3.0% by mass or more, 3.2% by mass or more, 3.4% by mass or more, 3.6% by mass or more, 3.8% by mass or more, or 4% by mass or more. The upper limit is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, 10.0% by mass or less, 9.0% by mass or less, 8.5% by mass or less, 8.0% by mass or less, 7.5% by mass or less, 7.0% by mass or less, 6.5% by mass or less, 6.0% by mass or less, 5.5% by mass or less, 5.0% by mass or less, 4.5% by mass or less, 4.0% by mass or less, 3.5% by mass or less, 3.0% by mass or less, 2.7% by mass or less, 2.5% by mass or less, 2.0% by mass or less, 1.5% by mass or less, 1.0% by mass or less, 0.9% by mass or less, 0.8% by mass or less, 0.75% by mass or less, or 0.7% by mass or less, and the range may be, for example, 0.1 to 10.0% by mass, 0.15 to 8.5% by mass, 0.2 to 8.0% by mass, 0.24 to 7.0% by mass, or 0.28 to 5.5% by mass. Measurement method A Accurately collect 10 g of the food composition and dilute it 10 times with ion-exchanged water. To the diluted solution (100 g), add 0.08 ml of 3.1% phenolphthalein solution as an indicator. Neutralize and titrate with a 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution of known potency, and calculate the titratable acidity using the following formula: Titratable acidity of food composition (mass%) = {(60.05 x 0.1 x F x V) x 100} / {sample amount (10 g) x 1000} 60.05: Molecular weight of acetic acid 0.1: Molar concentration of sodium hydroxide solution (mol / L) F: Potency of 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution V: Titration volume of 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution (mL) (d) Meet the following requirements (i) and / or (ii): Requirement(i) When the salt equivalent amount per 100g of water in the food composition is Xg and the undissociated acetic acid content per 100g of water in the food composition is Yg, the following formula is satisfied. 4Y+X≧10, or the value of “4Y+X” is 11 or more, 12 or more, 13 or more, 14 or more, 15 or more, 16 or more, 17 or more, 18 or more, 19 or more, 20 or more, 21 or more, 22 or more, 24 or more, 25 or more, 26 or more, 28 or more, 30 or more, 31 or more, 32 or more, 33 or more, 34 or more, or 35 or more, and the upper limit is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 56 or less, 54 or less, 52 or less, 50 or less, 48 ​​or less, or 46 or less. , 45 or less, 44 or less, 43 or less, 42 or less, 41 or less, 40 or less, 39 or less, 38 or less, 37 or less, 36 or less, 35 or less, 34 or less, 33 or less, 32 or less, 30 or less, 28 or less, 26 or less, 25 or less, 24 or less, 23 or less, or 22 or less, and the range is, for example, 10 to 56, 12 to 50, 14 to 45, 15 to 44, 20 to 43, or 25 to 42 (with the proviso that X≧3 and Y>0.03). Requirement (ii) The salt equivalent per 100g of water in the food composition is 3.0g or more, 5.0g or more, 7.0g or more, 8.0g or more, 9.0g or more, 10g or more, 11g or more, 12g or more, 13g or more, 14g or more, 16g or more, 18g or more, 20g or more, 22g or more, 24g or more, 26g or more, 27g or more, 28g or more, 30g or more, 32g or more, 33g or more, 34g or more, 35g or more, or 3 The upper limit is not particularly limited, but is, for example, 54 g or less, 50 g or less, 45 g or less, 40 g or less, or 38 g or less, and the range is, for example, 3.0 to 54 g, 5.0 to 54 g, 7.0 to 50 g, 8.0 to 45 g, 9.0 to 40 g, 10 to 40 g, 11 to 40 g, 12 to 40 g, 13 to 40 g, 14 to 40 g, 16 to 40 g, 20 to 40 g, 22 to 40 g, and the ethanol content per 100 g of water of the food composition is 8.0 g or more, 8.2 g or more, 8.5 g or more, 8.7 g or more, 9.0 g or more, 9.3 g or more, 9.5 g or more, 10.0 g or more, 10.5 g or more, 11.0 g or more, 12.0 g or more, 13.0 g or more. The upper limit is not particularly limited, but is, for example, 20.0 g or less, 19.5 g or less, 19.0 g or less, 18.5 g or less, 18.0 g or less, 17.5 g or less, 16.5 g or less, or 15.5 g or less, and the range is, for example, 8.0 to 20.0 g, 9.0 to 19.0 g, 10.0 to 18.0 g, or 11.0 to 18.0 g.

[35] The method for inhibiting the growth of spoilage bacteria according to

[34] , wherein the spoilage bacteria include lactic acid bacteria.

[36] The method for inhibiting the growth of spoilage bacteria according to

[34] or

[35] above, wherein the food composition is a food composition that has not been subjected to heat sterilization, and the heat sterilization is, but is not particularly limited to, heat sterilization at a maximum temperature of 100°C or higher, or heat sterilization at a maximum temperature of 124°C or higher.

[37] A method for improving the texture of processed grain products, using the food composition according to any one of [1] to

[27] above.

[38] The optimum pH is 4.0 or higher, 4.2 or higher, 4.3 or higher, 4.4 or higher, 4.5 or higher, 4.6 or higher, 4.7 or higher, 4.8 or higher, 4.9 or higher, 4.95 or higher, 5.0 or higher, 5.05 or higher, 5.10 or higher, 5.15 or higher, 5.2 or higher, 5.3 or higher, or 5.4 or higher, and the upper limit is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 9.5 or lower, 9.3 or lower, 9.0 or lower, 8.8 or lower, 8.2 or lower, 8.0 or lower, 7.5 or lower, 7.1 or lower, 7.0 or lower, 6.8 or lower, 6. A food composition to be added to a composition containing an enzyme having an affinity for 5 or less, 6.4 or less, 6.35 or less, 6.3 or less, 6.2 or less, 6.1 or less, 5.9 or less, 5.8 or less, 5.6 or less, or 5.5 or less, the range being, for example, 4.0 to 7.0, 4.7 to 6.8, 4.8 to 6.5, 4.9 to 6.4, 4.95 to 6.35, 5.0 to 6.30, 5.05 to 6.3, or 5.10 to 6.10, wherein the food composition satisfies the following requirements (a) to (d): (a) The moisture content converted to wet mass is 20% by mass or more, 25% by mass or more, 30% by mass or more, 35% by mass or more, 40% by mass or more, 43% by mass or more, 45% by mass or more, 47% by mass or more, 50% by mass or more, or 52% by mass or more. The upper limit is not particularly limited, but is, for example, 97% by mass or less, 95% by mass or less, 90% by mass or less, 88% by mass or less, 85% by mass or less, 80% by mass or less, 75% by mass or less, 70% by mass or less, 65% by mass or less, 64% by mass or less, 60% by mass or less, or 58% by mass or less. The range is, for example, 20 to 85% by mass, 25 to 80% by mass, 30 to 75% by mass, 35 to 70% by mass, 40 to 65% by mass, or 45 to 64% by mass. (b) The pH at 20°C and 1 atmosphere is 4.0 or more, 4.2 or more, 4.4 or more, 4.6 or more, 4.7 or more, 4.8 or more, 4.9 or more, 4.95 or more, 5.0 or more, 5.05 or more, 5.1 or more, 5.15 or more, 5.2 or more, 5.3 or more, or 5.4 or more, and the upper limit is not limited, but may be, for example, 8.8 or less, 8.2 or less, 8.0 or less, 7.5 or less, 7.1 or less, or 7.0 or less. It is 6.9 or less, 6.8 or less, 6.5 or less, 6.4 or less, 6.35 or less, 6.3 or less, 6.2 or less, 6.1 or less, 5.9 or less, 5.8 or less, 5.6 or less, or 5.5 or less, and the range is, for example, 4.0 to 7.0, 4.4 to 6.9, 4.7 to 6.8, 4.8 to 6.5, 4.9 to 6.4, 4.95 to 6.35, 5.0 to 6.3, 5.05 to 6.3, or 5.1 to 6.1. (c) The titratable acidity of the food composition, as measured by Measurement Method A, is 0.1% by mass or more, 0.15% by mass or more, 0.2% by mass or more, 0.24% by mass or more, 0.25% by mass or more, 0.28% by mass or more, 0.3% by mass or more, 0.35% by mass or more, 0.4% by mass or more, 0.42% by mass or more, 0.45% by mass or more, 0.50% by mass or more, 0.60% by mass or more, 0.70% by mass or more, 0.80% by mass or more, 0.90% by mass or more, 1.0% by mass or more, 1.2% by mass or more, 1.4% by mass or more, 1.6% by mass or more, 1.8% by mass or more, 2.0% by mass or more, 2.2% by mass or more, 2.4% by mass or more, 2.6% by mass or more, 3.0% by mass or more, 3.2% by mass or more, 3.4% by mass or more, 3.6% by mass or more, 3.8% by mass or more, or 4% by mass or more. The upper limit is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, 10.0% by mass or less, 9.0% by mass or less, 8.5% by mass or less, 8.0% by mass or less, 7.5% by mass or less, 7.0% by mass or less, 6.5% by mass or less, 6.0% by mass or less, 5.5% by mass or less, 5.0% by mass or less, 4.5% by mass or less, 4.0% by mass or less, 3.5% by mass or less, 3.0% by mass or less, 2.7% by mass or less, 2.5% by mass or less, 2.0% by mass or less, 1.5% by mass or less, 1.0% by mass or less, 0.9% by mass or less, 0.8% by mass or less, 0.75% by mass or less, or 0.7% by mass or less, and the range may be, for example, 0.1 to 10.0% by mass, 0.15 to 8.5% by mass, 0.2 to 8.0% by mass, 0.24 to 7.0% by mass, or 0.28 to 5.5% by mass. Measurement method A Accurately collect 10 g of the food composition and dilute it 10 times with ion-exchanged water. To the diluted solution (100 g), add 0.08 ml of 3.1% phenolphthalein solution as an indicator. Neutralize and titrate with a 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution of known potency, and calculate the titratable acidity using the following formula: Titratable acidity of food composition (mass%) = {(60.05 x 0.1 x F x V) x 100} / {sample amount (10 g) x 1000} 60.05: Molecular weight of acetic acid 0.1: Molar concentration of sodium hydroxide solution (mol / L) F: Potency of 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution V: Titration volume of 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution (mL) (d) Meet the following requirements (i) and / or (ii): Requirement(i) When the salt equivalent amount per 100g of water in the food composition is Xg and the undissociated acetic acid content per 100g of water in the food composition is Yg, the following formula is satisfied. 4Y+X≧10, or the value of “4Y+X” is 11 or more, 12 or more, 13 or more, 14 or more, 15 or more, 16 or more, 17 or more, 18 or more, 19 or more, 20 or more, 21 or more, 22 or more, 24 or more, 25 or more, 26 or more, 28 or more, 30 or more, 31 or more, 32 or more, 33 or more, 34 or more, or 35 or more, and the upper limit is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 56 or less, 54 or less, 52 or less, 50 or less, 48 ​​or less, or 46 or less. , 45 or less, 44 or less, 43 or less, 42 or less, 41 or less, 40 or less, 39 or less, 38 or less, 37 or less, 36 or less, 35 or less, 34 or less, 33 or less, 32 or less, 30 or less, 28 or less, 26 or less, 25 or less, 24 or less, 23 or less, or 22 or less, and the range is, for example, 10 to 56, 12 to 50, 14 to 45, 15 to 44, 20 to 43, or 25 to 42 (with the proviso that X≧3 and Y>0.03). Requirement (ii) The salt equivalent per 100g of water in the food composition is 3.0g or more, 5.0g or more, 7.0g or more, 8.0g or more, 9.0g or more, 10g or more, 11g or more, 12g or more, 13g or more, 14g or more, 16g or more, 18g or more, 20g or more, 22g or more, 24g or more, 26g or more, 27g or more, 28g or more, 30g or more, 32g or more, 33g or more, 34g or more, 35g or more, or 3 The upper limit is not particularly limited, but is, for example, 54 g or less, 50 g or less, 45 g or less, 40 g or less, or 38 g or less, and the range is, for example, 3.0 to 54 g, 5.0 to 54 g, 7.0 to 50 g, 8.0 to 45 g, 9.0 to 40 g, 10 to 40 g, 11 to 40 g, 12 to 40 g, 13 to 40 g, 14 to 40 g, 16 to 40 g, 20 to 40 g, 22 to 40 g, and the ethanol content per 100 g of water of the food composition is 8.0 g or more, 8.2 g or more, 8.5 g or more, 8.7 g or more, 9.0 g or more, 9.3 g or more, 9.5 g or more, 10.0 g or more, 10.5 g or more, 11.0 g or more, 12.0 g or more, 13.0 g or more. The upper limit is not particularly limited, but is, for example, 20.0 g or less, 19.5 g or less, 19.0 g or less, 18.5 g or less, 18.0 g or less, 17.5 g or less, 16.5 g or less, or 15.5 g or less, and the range is, for example, 8.0 to 20.0 g, 9.0 to 19.0 g, 10.0 to 18.0 g, or 11.0 to 18.0 g.

[39] The food composition according to

[13] , wherein the enzyme contains 4-α-glucanotransferase.

[40] The food composition according to

[13] , wherein the enzyme contains α-amylase.

[41]

[13] or

[40] , wherein the enzyme contains maltotriohydrolase. The food composition according to claim 1.

[42] The food composition according to any one of

[13] ,

[40] , or

[41] , wherein the enzyme contains glutaminase.

[43] The food composition according to any one of

[13] ,

[40] ,

[41] , or

[42] , wherein the enzyme contains at least one selected from cyclodextrin glucanotransferase, xylanase, lipase, and β-glucosidase.

[44] In the food composition according to any one of

[21] to

[24] above, the processed grain product contains miscellaneous grains. The proportion of miscellaneous grains in the total grains contained in the processed grain product is not particularly limited, and is, for example, 1 to 100% by mass, with the lower limit being, for example, 1% by mass or more, 3% by mass or more, 5% by mass or more, 7% by mass or more, 9% by mass or more, 10% by mass or more, 12% by mass or more, 14% by mass or more, 16% by mass or more, 18% by mass or more, 20% by mass or more, 25% by mass or more, 30% by mass or more, 35% by mass or more, 40% by mass or more, or 45% by mass or more, and the upper limit being, for example, 100% by mass or less, 95% by mass or less, 90% by mass or less, 85% by mass or less, 80% by mass or less, 75% by mass or less, 70% by mass or less, 65% by mass or less, 60% by mass or less, or 55% by mass or less.

[45]

[0033] In the food composition according to any one of

[21] to

[24] above, the processed grain product contains brown rice. The proportion of brown rice in the total rice contained in the processed grain product is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, 1 to 100% by mass. The lower limit is, for example, 1% by mass or more, 3% by mass or more, 5% by mass or more, 7% by mass or more, 9% by mass or more, 10% by mass or more, 12% by mass or more, 14% by mass or more, 16% by mass or more, 18% by mass or more, 20% by mass or more, 25% by mass or more, 30% by mass or more, 35% by mass or more, 40% by mass or more, or 45% by mass or more. The upper limit is, for example, 100% by mass or less, 95% by mass or less, 90% by mass or less, 85% by mass or less, 80% by mass or less, 75% by mass or less, 70% by mass or less, 65% by mass or less, 60% by mass or less, or 55% by mass or less.

[46] The method according to

[35] above, wherein the lactic acid bacterium is a lactic acid bacterium belonging to Lactobacillus fructivorans.

[47] The content of the enzyme in the food composition is, for example, 0.001% by mass or more, 0.01% by mass or more, 0.05% by mass or more, 0.1% by mass or more, 0.3% by mass or more, 0.5% by mass or more, 0.7% by mass or more, 0.9% by mass or more, 1.0% by mass or more, 1.2% by mass or more, 1.5% by mass or more, 1.7% by mass or more, 1.8% by mass or more, 2.0% by mass or more, 2.2% by mass or more, 2.5% by mass or more, 2.7% by mass or more, The food composition according to any one of [1] to

[27] or

[40] to

[45] , wherein the content is not particularly limited to 10% by mass or more, or 3.0% by mass or more, and the upper limit is, for example, 10% by mass or less, 8.0% by mass or less, 7.0% by mass or less, 6.0% by mass or less, 5.0% by mass or less, 4.0% by mass or less, or 3.0% by mass or less, and the range is, for example, 0.001 to 10.0% by mass.

[48] The enzymatic activity of the enzyme in the food composition is, for example, 150 U / L or more, 200 U / L or more, 250 U / L or more, 300 U / L or more, 400 U / L or more, 500 U / L or more, 600 U / L or more, 650 U / L or more, 700 U / L or more, 800 U / L or more, 900 U / L or more, 950 U / L or more, 1000 U / L or more, 1200 U / L or more, 1500 U / L or more, 1700 U / L or more, 1800 U / L or more, or 2000 U / L or more, and the upper limit is, in particular, Non-limiting examples include 10,000,000 U / L or less, 9,000,000 U / L or less, 8,000,000 U / L or less, 7,000,000 U / L or less, 6,000,000 U / L or less, 5,000,000 U / L or less, 4,000,000 U / L or less, 3,000,000 U / L or less, 2,000,000 U / L or less, 1,800,000 U / L or less, 1,600,000 U / L or less, 1,400,000 U / L or less, 1,200,000 U / L or less, 1,100,000 U / L or less, 1,000,000 U / L or less / L or less, 900000U / L or less, 800000U / L or less, 700000U / L or less, 600000U / L or less, 500000U / L or less, 400000U / L or less, 300000U / L or less, 200000U / L or less, 100000U / L or less, 90000U / L or less, 80000U / L or less, 70000U / L or less, 60000U / L or less, 50000U / L or less, 40000U / L or less, 30000U / L or less, 20000U / L or less, 1 The food composition according to any one of [1] to

[27] ,

[40] to

[45] , or

[47] , wherein the concentration is 0,000 U / L or less, 5,000 U / L or less, or 1,000 U / L or less, and the range is, for example, 150 U / L to 10,000,000 U / L, 200 U / L to 8,000,000 U / L, 300 U / L to 6,000,000 U / L, 600 U / L to 4,000,000 U / L, 900 U / L to 2,000,000 U / L, or 1,000 U / L to 1,000,000 U / L.

[49] The salt equivalent amount of the food composition is, for example, 1.0% by mass or more, 2.0% by mass or more, 2.5% by mass or more, 3.0% by mass or more, 3.5% by mass or more, 4.0% by mass or more, 4.5% by mass or more, 5.0% by mass or more, 6.0% by mass or more, 7.5% by mass or more, 8 .0 mass% or more, 8.3 mass% or more, 8.7 mass% or more, 9.0 mass% or more, 9.5 mass% or more, 9.6 mass% or more, 9.8 mass% or more, 9.9 mass% or more, 10.2 mass% or more, 10.5 mass% or more, 10.8 mass% or more, 11.1 mass% or more , 11.3% by mass or more, 11.5% by mass or more, 11.6% by mass or more, 11.7% by mass or more, 11.8% by mass or more, 11.9% by mass or more, 12.5% ​​by mass or more, 13.0% by mass or more, 13.5% by mass or more, 14.0% by mass or more, 14.5% by mass or more, 15.0% by mass or more, 15.5% by mass or more, 16.0% by mass or more, 16.5% by mass or more, or 17.0% by mass or more. The upper limit is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, 70.0% by mass or less, 60.0% by mass or less, 50.0% by mass or less, 40.0% by mass or less, mass% or less, 35.0 mass% or less, 30.0 mass% or less, 26.0 mass% or less, 25.0 mass% or less, 24.0 mass% or less, 23.0 mass% or less, 22.0 mass% or less, 21.0 mass% or less, 20.0 mass% or less, 19.8 mass% or less, 19. 0 mass% or less, 18.0 mass% or less, 17.5 mass% or less, 17.0 mass% or less, 16.0 mass% or less, or 15.8 mass% or less, and the range is, for example, 1.0 mass% to 70.0 mass%, 2.0 mass% to 60.0 mass%, 2.5 mass% to 50 mass% The food composition according to any one of [1] to

[27] ,

[40] to

[45] ,

[47] , or

[48] , wherein the total mass of the food composition is 0.0 mass%, 3.0 mass% to 40.0 mass%, 3.5 mass% to 35.0 mass%, 4.0 mass% to 30.0 mass%, 4.5 mass% to 26.0 mass%, 5.0 to 25.0 mass%, 6.0 to 24.0 mass%, 7.0 to 23.0 mass%, 8.0 to 22.0 mass%, 10.0 to 21.0 mass%, 12.0 to 20.5 mass%, 12.1 to 20.5 mass%, or 12.2 to 20.5 mass%.

[50] The content of undissociated acetic acid in the food composition is, for example, 0.015% by mass or more, 0.02% by mass or more, 0.025% by mass or more, 0.03% by mass or more, 0.035% by mass or more, 0.04% by mass or more, 0.045% by mass or more, 0.048% by mass or more, 0.05% by mass or more, 0.053% by mass or more, 0.055% by mass or more, 0.100% by mass or more, 0.150% by mass or more, 0.180% by mass or more, 0.200% by mass or more, 0.210% by mass or more, 0.230% by mass or more, 0.240% by mass or more, The upper limit is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 20.0 mass% or less, 15.0 mass% or less, 12.0 mass% or less, 10.0 mass% or less, 9.0 mass% or less, 8.0 mass% or less, 7.0 mass% or less, 6.0 mass% or less, 5.0 mass% or less, 4.5 mass% or less, 4.0 mass% or less, 3.0 mass% or less, 4.0 mass% or less, 5.0 mass% or less, 5.0 mass% or less, 6.0 mass% or less, 7.0 mass% or less, 8.0 mass% or less, 9.0 mass% or less, 9.0 mass% or less, 10 ... .5 mass% or less, 3.0 mass% or less, 2.5 mass% or less, 2.0 mass% or less, 1.900 mass% or less, 1.800 mass% or less, 1.700 mass% or less, 1.650 mass% or less, 1.600 mass% or less, 1.580 mass% or less, 1.510 mass% % or less, 1.450 mass% or less, 1.380 mass% or less, 1.280 mass% or less, 1.200 mass% or less, 1.150 mass% or less, 1.100 mass% or less, 1.050 mass% or less, 1.005 mass% or less, 0.980 mass% or less, 0.940 quality The food composition according to any one of [1] to

[27] ,

[40] to

[45] , or

[47] to

[49] , wherein the content of the hydroxybenzoates is 0.01 to 20.0 mass%, 0.01 to 18.0 mass%, 0.01 to 15.0 mass%, 0.01 to 10.0 mass%, 0.03 to 5.0 mass%, 0.05 to 3.0 mass%, 0.07 to 2.5 mass%, 0.100 to 1.550 mass%, 0.15 to 1.450 mass%, or 0.200 to 1.300 mass%.

[51] The total acetic acid content of the food composition is, for example, 2.1% by mass or more, 2.2% by mass or more, 2.3% by mass or more, 2.4% by mass or more, 2.7% by mass or more, 2.9% by mass or more, 3.1% by mass or more, 3.2% by mass or more, 3.3% by mass or more, 3.5% by mass or more, 3.7% by mass or more, 3.9% by mass or more, 4.1% by mass or more, 4.3% by mass or more, 4.5% by mass or more, 4.7% by mass or more, or 4.9% by mass or more. The upper limit is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, 50.0% by mass or less, 25.0% by mass or less, 20.0% by mass or less, 18.0% by mass or less, 17.0% by mass or less, 16.0% by mass or less, 15.0% by mass or less, 13.0% by mass or less, 12.0% by mass or less, 11.5% by mass or less, 12.0% by mass or less, 13.5% by mass or less, 14.0% by mass or less, 14.0% by mass or less, 15.0% by mass or less, 15.0% by mass or less, 16.0% by mass or less, 16.0% by mass or less, 17.0% by mass or less, 17.0% by mass or less, 18.0% by mass or less, 18.0% by mass or less, 19.0% by mass or less, 19.0% by mass or less, 20.0% by mass or less, 20.0% by mass or less, 21.0% by mass or less, 21.0% by mass or less, 2 The food composition according to any one of [1] to

[27] ,

[40] to

[45] , or

[47] to

[50] , wherein the content of the soluble fiber is 0.0% by mass or less, 10.5% by mass or less, 9.3% by mass or less, 9.1% by mass or less, 8.9% by mass or less, 8.7% by mass or less, 8.3% by mass or less, 7.7% by mass or less, 7.3% by mass or less, 7.2% by mass or less, 6.9% by mass or less, 6.8% by mass or less, or 6.7% by mass or less, and the range is, for example, 2.0 to 25.0% by mass, 2.1 to 20.0% by mass, 2.2 to 18.0% by mass, 2.3 to 15.0% by mass, 2.4 to 9.0% by mass, 2.6 to 8.8% by mass, 2.8 to 8.5% by mass, 3.0 to 8.0% by mass, 4.0 to 7.5% by mass, or 4.3 to 7.0% by mass.

[52] When the salt equivalent amount of the food composition is X2% by mass and the undissociated acetic acid content is Y2% by mass, the following formula is used: 4Y2+X2≧10, or the value of “4Y2+X2” is 11 or more, 12 or more, 13 or more, 14 or more, 15 or more, 16 or more, 17 or more, 18 or more, 19 or more, 20 or more, 21 or more, 22 or more, 24 or more, 26 or more, 28 or more, 30 or more, 31 or more, 32 or more, 33 or more, 34 or more, or 35 or more, and the upper limit is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 56 or less, 54 or less, 52 or less, 50 or less, 48 ​​or less, 46 or less, 44 or less, 42 or less, 41 or less, 40 or less, 39 or less, 38 or less, 37 or less, 36 or less, 35 or less, 34 or less, 33 or less, 32 or less, 30 or less, 28 or less, 26 or less, 25 or less, 24 or less, 23 or less, or 22 or less, and the range is, for example, 10 to 56, 12 to 50, 14 to 45, 15 to 44, 20 to 43, or 25 to 42 (with the proviso that X2≧3 and Y2>0.03). The food composition according to any one of [1] to

[27] ,

[40] to

[45] , or

[47] to

[51] , which satisfies the above.

[53] The ethanol content of the food composition is, for example, 5.0% by mass or more, 5.2% by mass or more, 5.5% by mass or more, 5.7% by mass or more, 6.0% by mass or more, 6.3% by mass or more, 6.5% by mass or more, 7.0% by mass or more, 7.1% by mass or more, 7.3% by mass or more, 7.5% by mass or more, 7.8% by mass or more, 8.0% by mass or more, or 9.0% by mass or more. The upper limit is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 20.0% by mass or less, 18.0% by mass or less, or 20.0% by mass or less. The food composition according to any one of [1] to

[27] ,

[40] to

[45] , or

[47] to

[52] , wherein the content of citric acid is 0.0% by mass or less, 17.5% by mass or less, 17.0% by mass or less, 16.5% by mass or less, 15.5% by mass or less, 14.5% by mass or less, or 13.0% by mass or less, and the range is, for example, 4.5 to 19.0% by mass, 5.3 to 17.0% by mass, 6.8 to 15.0% by mass, or 7.5 to 14.0% by mass.

[54] The chloride ion content of the food composition is, for example, 2% by mass or more, 2.5% by mass or more, 3.5% by mass or more, 4.2% by mass or more, 5.3% by mass or more, 5.5% by mass or more, 5.7% by mass or more, 6% by mass or more, 6.2% by mass or more, 6.8% by mass or more, or 7% by mass or more. The upper limit is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 15.3% by mass or less, 14.5% by mass or less, 13.5% by mass or less, 12.7% by mass or less, 12.5% ​​by mass or less, 11.8% by mass or less, 11.5% by mass or less, 12.5% ​​by mass or less, 13.5% by mass or less, 14.5% by mass or less, 14.5% by mass or less, 14.5% by mass or less, 15.5% by mass or less, 15.7% by mass or more ... The food composition according to any one of [1] to

[27] ,

[40] to

[45] , or

[47] to

[53] , wherein the content of citric acid is 1.8 to 15.5% by mass or less, 11.3% by mass or less, 11% by mass or less, 10.8% by mass or less, 10.5% by mass or less, 10.3% by mass or less, 10% by mass or less, 9.8% by mass or less, or 9.5% by mass or less, and the range is, for example, 1.8 to 15.5% by mass, 3 to 15% by mass, 4 to 14% by mass, 5 to 13% by mass, 6.5 to 12.5% ​​by mass, or 7.3 to 12% by mass.

[55] The carbohydrate content of the food composition is, for example, 0.5% by mass or more, 1.0% by mass or more, 1.5% by mass or more, 2.0% by mass or more, 2.5% by mass or more, 3.0% by mass or more, 3.5% by mass or more, 4.0% by mass or more, 6.0% by mass or more, 7.0% by mass or more, 7.5% by mass or more, 8.0% by mass or more, 9.0% by mass or more, 10.0% by mass or more, 11.5% by mass or more, 12.0% by mass or more, 12.5% ​​by mass or more, 13.0% by mass or more, 13.5% by mass or more, 14.0% by mass or more, 16.0% by mass or more, 17.0% by mass or more, 17.5% by mass or more, or 18.0% by mass or more. The upper limit is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 45.0% by mass or more. % or less, 40.0% or less, 36.0% or less, 35.0% or less, 34.0% or less, 33.0% or less, 31.0% or less, 29.0% or less, 28.5% or less, 27.5% or less, 27.0% or less, 26.8% or less, or 26.3% or less by mass, and the range is, for example, 0.5 to 50.0% by mass, 1.0 to 40.0% by mass, 2.0 to 36.0% by mass, 3.0 to 29.0% by mass, 4.0 to 27.0% by mass, 5.0 to 25.0% by mass, or 13.0 to 25.0% by mass. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] The food composition of the present invention can suppress the growth of microorganisms that cause food deterioration, while suppressing the sourness of the food produced by using the food composition. Furthermore, even when an enzyme is added to the food composition of the present invention, it is possible to provide foods and beverages that maintain enzymatic activity. Furthermore, by adding an enzyme that reacts with a specific substrate, the synergistic effect of sodium, the enzyme, and undissociated acetic acid and / or ethanol can be achieved to improve the texture, particularly in foods and beverages that use grains as ingredients. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0007] In this specification, when multiple upper and / or lower limits are indicated for a numerical range, it is assumed that the numerical range, which combines at least the maximum value of the upper limit and the minimum value of the lower limit, is directly stated even if not otherwise specified. Furthermore, all numerical ranges obtained by combining any upper limit among the upper limits with any lower limit among the lower limits, are included in one embodiment of the present invention. Furthermore, in this specification, a numerical range connected by "to" means a numerical range that includes the numbers before and after "to" as the lower and upper limits. When multiple lower limits and multiple upper limits are indicated separately, it is assumed that any lower limit and upper limit can be selected and connected by "to".

[0008] In the present invention, the percentage expressed in "% by mass" refers to the percentage "converted to wet mass." "Converted to wet mass" refers to the content ratio of a target component in a sample, calculated using the wet mass of the sample including water as the denominator and the mass of the target component in the sample as the numerator, and can also be read as w / w%.

[0009] As used herein, the term "comprising" encompasses the terms "consisting essentially of" and "consisting of." When the term "comprising" is used, the listed steps or options need not be exhaustive.

[0010] In this specification, the expression "and / or" includes both "and" and "or." For example, "A and / or B" includes both A and B and A or B, and indicates three cases: A alone, B alone, and both A and B.

[0011] In the present invention, the expression "content of each component per 100 g of water in a food composition" refers to the ratio of the content (% by mass) of each component in a food composition to the wet-weight moisture content (% by mass) of the food composition, expressed in % by mass. For example, if the wet-weight moisture content of a food composition is 50% by mass and the salt equivalent content of the food composition is 5% by mass, the salt equivalent content of the food composition per 100 g of water is calculated to be 10 g. Furthermore, in the present invention, the expression "ratio of the content of an XX component (▲▲) to the content of a ◆◆ component (△△)" refers to the ratio of the content of a ◆◆ component specified by the unit △△ in a food composition of the present invention to the content of an XX component specified by the unit ▲▲ in a food composition of the present invention. For example, in an embodiment in which the sodium content of a food composition of the present invention is 10% by mass and the chloride ion content is 5% by mass, the "ratio of the chloride ion content (% by mass) to the sodium content (% by mass)" is calculated to be 0.5.

[0012] According to one aspect of the present invention, the above-mentioned problem does not preclude the existence of other problems disclosed in this specification. That is, in one aspect of the present invention, for example, one of the problems may be to inhibit the growth of spoilage bacteria in a food composition that has not been heat-sterilized at 100°C or higher, to inhibit the generation of spoilage odors due to the growth of microorganisms that cause food deterioration, to maintain the enzymatic activity of an enzyme-containing food composition, to improve the shelf life of a food composition that has not been heat-sterilized at 100°C or higher, to improve the texture of processed grain products, or to inhibit the growth of microorganisms that cause food deterioration without impairing the flavor of the food produced. It is not necessary for one aspect of the present invention to solve all of these problems.

[0013] <Microorganism> The food composition of the present invention can inhibit the growth of microorganisms that cause food deterioration (sometimes referred to as spoilage bacteria in the present invention). Microorganisms include viruses, bacteria, yeast, mold, actinomycetes, etc. Examples of microorganisms that cause food deterioration include lactic acid bacteria, acetic acid bacteria, yeast, Bacillus subtilis (e.g., Bacillus subtilis natto), koji mold, Escherichia coli, etc. More specifically, for example, Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium botulinum (type A, proteolytic types B and F, type E, nonproteolytic types B and F), Bacillus cereus, Clostridium perfringens, pathogenic strains of Escherichia coli, Vibrio cholerae, Salmonella spp., Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Aeromonas, Listeria monocytogenes, Campylobacter jejuni, Yersinia Examples of spoilage bacteria capable of growing in acetic acid-containing compositions include food poisoning bacteria such as S. enterocolitica, Shigella spp., and Vibrio vulnificus, as well as spoilage bacteria capable of growing in acetic acid-containing compositions. Examples of spoilage bacteria capable of growing in acetic acid-containing compositions include halotolerant spore-forming bacteria, acetic acid-resistant spore-forming bacteria, acidophilic spore-forming bacteria, heat-resistant mold, heat-resistant lactic acid bacteria, acetic acid-resistant lactic acid bacteria, acetic acid-resistant mold, acetic acid-resistant yeast, and salt-tolerant yeast. In particular, the food composition of the present invention exhibits an excellent growth inhibitory effect against the spoilage bacteria, particularly at least one selected from halotolerant spore-forming bacteria, acetic acid-resistant spore-forming bacteria, acidophilic spore-forming bacteria, heat-resistant mold, heat-resistant lactic acid bacteria, acetic acid-resistant mold, and salt-tolerant yeast, which are spoilage bacteria capable of growing in acetic acid-containing compositions. In particular, it exhibits an excellent growth inhibitory effect against at least one selected from halotolerant spore-forming bacteria and heat-resistant lactic acid bacteria.More specifically, the food composition of the present invention can exhibit an excellent growth inhibitory effect against heat-resistant lactic acid bacteria, and even more specifically, can exhibit an excellent growth inhibitory effect against lactic acid bacteria belonging to the heat-resistant lactic acid bacterium "Lactobacillus fructivorans."

[0014] When lactic acid bacteria grow in a food composition, compounds such as diacetyl are produced by lactic acid fermentation, which causes a stagnant odor.

[0015] First Embodiment A first embodiment of the present invention relates to a food composition having a moisture content converted to wet mass, a pH at 20° C. and 1 atmosphere, and a titratable acidity that are at least predetermined values. The first embodiment will be described below.

[0016] In a first embodiment, the food composition of the present invention is a food composition that satisfies all of the following requirements (a) to (d): (a) The moisture content converted to wet mass is 20% by mass or more. (b) pH is 4.0 or higher at 20°C and 1 atmosphere. (c) The food composition has a titratable acidity of 0.1% by mass or more when measured by Measurement Method A. Measurement method A Accurately collect 10 g of the food composition and dilute it 10 times with ion-exchanged water. To the diluted solution (100 g), add 0.08 ml of 3.1% phenolphthalein solution as an indicator. Neutralize and titrate with a 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution of known potency, and calculate the titratable acidity using the following formula: Titratable acidity of food composition (mass%) = {(60.05 x 0.1 x F x V) x 100} / {sample amount (10 g) x 1000} 60.05: Molecular weight of acetic acid 0.1: Molar concentration of sodium hydroxide solution (mol / L) F: Potency of 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution V: Titration volume of 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution (mL) (d) Meet the following requirements (i) and / or (ii): Requirement(i) When the salt equivalent amount per 100g of water in the food composition is Xg and the undissociated acetic acid content per 100g of water in the food composition is Yg, the following formula is satisfied. 4Y+X≧10 (where X≧3 and Y>0.03) Requirement (ii) The food composition has a salt equivalent of 3.0 g or more per 100 g of water, and an ethanol content of 8.0 g or more per 100 g of water.

[0017] <Moisture content converted to wet mass> In the present invention, the moisture content of a food composition, calculated by wet mass, refers to the percentage of water in the food composition relative to the total weight of the food composition. This value is measured by heating to 90°C using a vacuum heating and drying method in accordance with the 2015 edition (7th revision) of the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan. Specifically, an appropriate amount of sample is placed in a weighing container (W0) previously adjusted to constant weight, weighed (W1), and placed in a vacuum electric constant temperature dryer adjusted to a predetermined temperature (more specifically, 90°C) at atmospheric pressure, with the lid off or with the mouth open. The door is closed, and the vacuum pump is activated to dry the sample at the predetermined reduced pressure for a certain period of time. The vacuum pump is then stopped, dry air is pumped in to return the sample to atmospheric pressure, the weighing container is removed, the lid is replaced, and the sample is allowed to cool in a desiccator. The sample is then weighed. This drying, cooling, and weighing process (W2) is repeated until a constant weight is reached, and the moisture content (moisture content calculated by wet mass) (% by mass) is calculated by (W1 - W2) / (W1 - W0). The dry weight of the sample can also be determined by calculating (W2 - W0).

[0018] The food composition of the present invention preferably has a moisture content equivalent to a predetermined value or higher. This stabilizes the pH of the food composition. Furthermore, when the food composition is added to ingredients, the ingredients in the food composition are uniformly exposed to the ingredients. The moisture content equivalent to a wet weight of the food composition of the present invention is typically 20% by mass or higher, preferably 25% by mass or higher, more preferably 30% by mass or higher, even more preferably 35% by mass or higher, even more preferably 40% by mass or higher, particularly preferably 43% by mass or higher, and particularly preferably 45% by mass or higher, 47% by mass or higher, 50% by mass or higher, or 52% by mass or higher. The upper limit of the moisture content is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, 97% by mass or lower, 95% by mass or lower, 90% by mass or lower, 88% by mass or lower, 85% by mass or lower, 80% by mass or lower, 75% by mass or lower, 70% by mass or lower, 65% by mass or lower, 64% by mass or lower, 60% by mass or lower, or 58% by mass or lower. Furthermore, from the viewpoint of ensuring that the components in the food composition are evenly exposed to the raw materials and inhibiting the growth of spoilage bacteria when the food composition is added to the raw materials, the moisture content of the food composition of the present invention, calculated on a wet mass basis, is preferably within a specified range. This range is preferably 20 to 85% by mass, more preferably 25 to 80% by mass, even more preferably 30 to 75% by mass, even more preferably 35 to 70% by mass, particularly preferably 40 to 65% by mass, and especially preferably 45 to 64% by mass. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limits are also disclosed in the present invention.

[0019] As mentioned above, the food composition of the present invention preferably has a moisture content equivalent to a predetermined value or higher based on wet mass. However, the food composition of the present invention may be in any form. Specifically, it may be a solid composition prepared by adding a coagulant under 1 atmosphere and 20°C, a gel (semi-solid) composition prepared by adding a gelling agent, or a liquid composition, or even a liquid composition in which an enzyme is dissolved in water. However, a liquid or gel composition is preferred, and a liquid composition is particularly preferred, in that it allows the ingredients in the food composition to be evenly exposed to the ingredients when the food composition is added to the ingredients. Furthermore, the food composition of the present invention is more preferably liquid under 1 atmosphere and 0°C, and may also be liquid under 1 atmosphere and -20°C (this allows, for example, if the food composition of the present invention contains an enzyme, to be distributed in cold regions while maintaining enzymatic activity). In order for the food composition of the present invention to be liquid under 1 atmosphere and 0°C or 1 atmosphere and -20°C, for example, it may be adjusted to satisfy the specifications regarding the carbohydrate content and salt equivalent amount described below. Furthermore, the food composition of the present invention may be an unsterilized composition that can be filled into a container and stored at 20°C under 1 atmosphere for 1 month, 2 months, 3 months, 4 months, 5 months, 6 months, 7 months, or 8 months without being subjected to heat sterilization (for example, heat sterilization at a maximum temperature of 100°C or higher, particularly heat sterilization at a maximum temperature of 124°C or higher), without generating a microbially derived deterioration odor. In particular, when the composition of the present invention is an unsterilized liquid composition, the production process can be simplified, and, for example, when the food composition of the present invention contains an enzyme, this is more preferable because it prevents the enzyme activity from decreasing due to heat sterilization and maintains the enzyme activity during storage.

[0020] The food composition of the present invention preferably has a water activity of not more than a predetermined value. Water activity refers to the ratio of free water to the water content in a food product. From the viewpoint of inhibiting the growth of spoilage bacteria, the water activity of the food composition of the present invention may be preferably 0.98 or less, 0.97 or less, 0.96 or less, 0.95 or less, 0.94 or less, 0.93 or less, 0.92 or less, 0.91 or less, 0.90 or less, 0.89 or less, 0.88 or less, 0.87 or less, 0.86 or less, 0.85 or less, 0.84 or less, 0.83 or less, 0.82 or less, 0.81 or less, 0.80 or less, 0.79 or less, or 0.78 or less, 0.77 or less, 0.75 or less, 0.74 or less, 0.73 or less, 0.72 or less, 0.71 or less, 0.70 or less, 0.69 or less, or 0.68 or less. The lower limit is not particularly limited, but may be preferably 0.50 or more, 0.52 or more, 0.55 or more, 0.57 or more, 0.58 or more, 0.60 or more, 0.61 or more, 0.62 or more, 0.63 or more, 0.64 or more, 0.65 or more, or 0.67 or more. The water activity range of the food composition of the present invention may be preferably 0.50 to 0.94 or 0.60 to 0.93. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limit values ​​are also disclosed in the present invention.

[0021] The food composition of the present invention preferably has a pH of 4.0 or higher, as this provides the effects of the present invention. For example, when the food composition of the present invention contains an enzyme, a pH of at least a predetermined value allows the enzyme activity to be maintained. Furthermore, although the underlying mechanism is unclear, when the food composition of the present invention is added directly to a food product (e.g., a seasoning used to extend the shelf life of ready-to-eat meals), the acetic acid can enhance various flavors. Note that, in the present invention, the "pH" value refers to the value measured at 20°C under 1 atmosphere. Specifically, the upper limit is not limited, but can be, for example, 8.8 or less, 8.2 or less, 8.0 or less, 7.5 or less, 7.1 or less, 7.0 or less, 6.9 or less, 6.8 or less, 6.5 or less, 6.4 or less, 6.35 or less, 6.3 or less, 6.2 or less, 6.1 or less, 5.9 or less, 5.8 or less, 5.6 or less, or 5.5 or less. On the other hand, the lower limit is not limited, and can be, for example, 4.0 or more, 4.2 or more, 4.4 or more, 4.6 or more to 4.7 or more, 4.8 or more, 4.9 or more, 4.95 or more, 5.0 or more, 5.05 or more, 5.1 or more, 5.15 or more, 5.2 or more, 5.3 or more, or 5.4 or more. More specifically, the pH of the food composition of the present invention may generally be 4.0 to 7.0 or 4.4 to 6.9, preferably 4.7 to 6.8, more preferably 4.8 to 6.5, even more preferably 4.9 to 6.4, still more preferably 4.95 to 6.35, particularly preferably 5.0 to 6.3, and particularly preferably 5.05 to 6.3 or 5.1 to 6.1. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limits are also disclosed in the present invention.

[0022] In order to ensure that the effects of the present invention are significantly achieved, the food composition of the present invention preferably has a "titratable acidity" determined by neutralization titration within a predetermined range. The titratable acidity of the food composition of the present invention can be calculated by the following measurement method A.

[0023] <Measurement method A> First, accurately sample 10 g of the food composition of the present invention and dilute it 10 times with ion-exchanged water. To the diluted solution (100 g), add 0.08 ml of 3.1% phenolphthalein solution as an indicator. Neutralization titration is then performed with a 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution of known potency, and the titratable acidity of the food composition of the present invention is calculated using the following formula. Titratable acidity (mass%) of the food composition of the present invention = {(60.05 × 0.1 × F × V) × 100} / {amount collected (10 g) × 1000} 60.05: Molecular weight of acetic acid 0.1: Molar concentration of sodium hydroxide solution (mol / L) F: Potency of 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution V: Titration volume of 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution (mL)

[0024] The titratable acidity of the food composition of the present invention is preferably a predetermined value or higher. Although the mechanism behind this is unclear, a pH of 4.0 or higher and a titratable acidity of a predetermined value or higher tend to enhance the flavor of the food material to be seasoned, for example, in an embodiment in which the food composition of the present invention is added directly to food as a seasoning (for example, a seasoning used to improve the shelf life of ready-to-eat meals). The lower limit of the titratable acidity of the food composition of the present invention is preferably 0.1% by mass or more, 0.15% by mass or more, 0.2% by mass or more, 0.24% by mass or more, 0.25% by mass or more, 0.28% by mass or more, 0.3% by mass or more, 0.35% by mass or more, 0.4% by mass or more, 0.42% by mass or more, 0.45% by mass or more, 0.50% by mass or more, 0.60% by mass or more, 0.70% by mass or more, 0.80% by mass or more, 0.90% by mass or more, 1.0% by mass or more, 1.2% by mass or more, 1.4% by mass or more, 1.6% by mass or more, 1.8% by mass or more, 2.0% by mass or more, 2.2% by mass or more, 2.4% by mass or more, 2.6% by mass or more, 3.0% by mass or more, 3.2% by mass or more, 3.4% by mass or more, 3.6% by mass or more, 3.8% by mass or more, or 4.0% by mass or more. The upper limit is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, 10.0% by mass or less, 10.0% by mass or less, 9.0% by mass or less, 8.5% by mass or less, 8.0% by mass or less, 7.5% by mass or less, 7.0% by mass or less, 6.5% by mass or less, 6.0% by mass or less, 5.5% by mass or less, 5.0% by mass or less, 4.5% by mass or less, 4.0% by mass or less, 3.5% by mass or less, 3.0% by mass or less, 2.7% by mass or less, 2.5% by mass or less, 2.0% by mass or less, 1.5% by mass or less, 1.0% by mass or less, 0.9% by mass or less, 0.8% by mass or less, 0.75% by mass or less, or 0.7% by mass or less. The range may be, for example, 0.1 to 10.0% by mass, 0.15 to 8.5% by mass, 0.2 to 8.0% by mass, 0.24 to 7.0% by mass, or 0.28 to 5.5% by mass. The present invention also discloses a range of values ​​specified by combining the above upper and lower limit values.The types of ready-to-eat foods (e.g., prepared foods) are not particularly limited, but examples include main dishes and side dishes. More specific examples include hamburger steak, fried chicken, steak, omelet, braised pork, meatballs, ham, bacon, boiled tofu, grilled fish, boiled fish, double cooked pork, green pepper and pork stir-fry, bang bang chicken, stir-fried vegetables with meat, cabbage rolls, deep-fried meat or seafood (tempura, fries, cutlet, etc.), stuffed bell peppers, salad, steamed vegetables, stir-fried vegetables without meat, boiled vegetables, vegetables with sesame dressing (e.g., spinach with sesame dressing), simmered kiriboshi daikon radish, stir-fried burdock, vegetable tempura, pickled vegetables, marinated vegetables, etc.

[0025] <Sodium> The sodium content in the food composition of the present invention is measured using atomic absorption spectrometry in accordance with the "sodium" section of the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan, 2015 (7th edition). In the present invention, the value obtained by multiplying the sodium content measured by the above method by 2.54 is defined as the salt equivalent.

[0026] The food composition of the present invention preferably has a salt equivalent content per 100 g of water in the food composition of a predetermined value or more. This allows for a synergistic effect with undissociated acetic acid and / or ethanol to inhibit the growth of spoilage bacteria. Furthermore, in embodiments in which the food composition of the present invention contains an enzyme and is used to produce processed grain products, the simultaneous action of sodium, the enzyme, and undissociated acetic acid and / or ethanol results in processed grain products that are easy to loosen. Although the mechanism behind this is unclear, it is possible that in addition to the synergistic effect of sodium's inhibitory effect on starch swelling and the effect of the enzyme, undissociated acetic acid and / or ethanol may promote the release of components that serve as substrates for various enzymes while inhibiting the growth of spoilage bacteria in food ingredients. The salt equivalent content per 100 g of water in the food composition of the present invention is usually 3.0 g or more, or 4.0 g or more, preferably 5.0 g or more, or 6.0 g or more, more preferably 7.0 g or more, 8.0 g or more, or 9.0 g or more, even more preferably 10 g or more, or 11 g or more, still more preferably 12 g or more, or 13 g or more, particularly preferably 14 g or more, and particularly preferably 16 g or more, 18 g or more, 20 g or more, 22 g or more, 24 g or more, 26 g or more, 27 g or more, 28 g or more, 30 g or more, 32 g or more, 33 g or more, 34 g or more, 35 g or more, or 36 g or more. The upper limit is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, 54 g or less, 50 g or less, 45 g or less, 40 g or less, or 38 g or less. The salt equivalent amount per 100 g of water in the food composition of the present invention may be, for example, 3.0 to 54 g, 5.0 to 54 g, 7.0 to 50 g, 8.0 to 45 g, 9.0 to 40 g, 10 to 40 g, 11 to 40 g, 12 to 40 g, 13 to 40 g, 14 to 40 g, 16 to 40 g, 20 to 40 g, 22 to 40 g, 24 to 40 g, 27 to 40 g, 30 to 40 g, 32 to 40 g, 33 to 50 g, 34 to 50 g, or 35 to 50 g. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limits are also disclosed in the present invention. Incidentally, by using sodium chloride in combination with another sodium salt (e.g., sodium acetate) as the source of sodium, it is possible to incorporate a salt equivalent amount exceeding the saturated solubility of sodium chloride per 100 g of water (approximately 35 g of salt equivalent).If the salt equivalent amount per 100 g of water in the food composition is less than 3.0 g, a sufficient inhibitory effect on the growth of spoilage bacteria may not be obtained. Furthermore, for the food composition of the present invention, the value disclosed as the salt equivalent amount (g) per 100 g of water in the food composition may be divided by 2.54, and the resulting value may be used as the sodium content (g) per 100 g of water in the food composition.

[0027] Furthermore, for the same reasons as for the preferred range of salt equivalent content per 100 g of water, the food composition of the present invention preferably has a salt equivalent content within a specific range. The upper limit of the salt equivalent content in the food composition of the present invention is not limited, and may be, for example, 70.0% by mass or less, 60.0% by mass or less, 50.0% by mass or less, 40.0% by mass or less, 35.0% by mass or less, 30.0% by mass or less, 26.0% by mass or less, 25.0% by mass or less, 24.0% by mass or less, 23.0% by mass or less, 22.0% by mass or less, 21.0% by mass or less, 20.0% by mass or less, 19.8% by mass or less, 19.0% by mass or less, 18.0% by mass or less, 17.5% by mass or less, 17.0% by mass or less, 16.0% by mass or less, or 15.8% by mass or less. On the other hand, the lower limit is not limited, and may be, for example, 1.0 mass% or more, 2.0 mass% or more, 2.5 mass% or more, 3.0 mass% or more, 3.5 mass% or more, 4.0 mass% or more, 4.5 mass% or more, 5.0 mass% or more, 6.0 mass% or more, 7.5 mass% or more, 8.0 mass% or more, 8.3 mass% or more, 8.7 mass% or more, 9.0 mass% or more, 9.5 mass% or more, 9.6 mass% or more, 9.8 mass% or more, 9.9 mass% or more, 10.2 mass% or more, 10. 5% by mass or more, 10.8% by mass or more, 11.1% by mass or more, 11.3% by mass or more, 11.5% by mass or more, 11.6% by mass or more, 11.7% by mass or more, 11.8% by mass or more, 11.9% by mass or more, 12.5% ​​by mass or more, It may be 13.0% by mass or more, 13.5% by mass or more, 14.0% by mass or more, 14.5% by mass or more, 15.0% by mass or more, 15.5% by mass or more, 16.0% by mass or more, 16.5% by mass or more, or 17.0% by mass or more.Furthermore, the salt equivalent content in the food composition of the invention may be preferably 1.0 to 70.0% by mass, 2.0 to 60.0% by mass, 2.5 to 50.0% by mass, 3.0 to 40.0% by mass, 3.5 to 35.0% by mass, 4.0 to 30.0% by mass, 4.5 to 26.0% by mass, or 5.0 to 25.0% by mass, more preferably 6.0 to 24.0% by mass, even more preferably 7.0 to 23.0% by mass, still more preferably 8.0 to 22.0% by mass, particularly preferably 10.0 to 21.0% by mass, and particularly preferably 12.0 to 20.5% by mass, 12.1 to 20.5% by mass, or 12.2 to 20.5% by mass. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limits are also disclosed in the present invention.

[0028] <Undissociated acetic acid content> In aqueous solution, acetic acid molecules coexist in dissociated and undissociated forms in equilibrium, as shown in Equation 2. CH3COOH⇔H + +CH3COO - (Formula 2) Here, if the dissociated acetic acid content is [A-], the proton content is [H+], and the undissociated acetic acid content is [AH], the undissociated acetic acid content [AH] can be calculated from the pH and the total acetic acid content (i.e., [A-] + [AH]) using the following calculation formula (Equation 3): The total acetic acid content (total acetic acid content) in the present invention is measured by high-performance liquid chromatography in accordance with the measurement method for "organic acids" in the 2015 edition (7th revision) of the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan. That is, when a large amount of acetate salts, such as sodium acetate, is contained, a value greater than the "titratable acidity" determined by neutralization titration may be obtained. pH=4.76+log10 [A-] / [AH] (Formula 3)

[0029] The food composition of the present invention preferably contains a predetermined amount of undissociated acetic acid. This enhances the growth inhibitory effect on halotolerant spore-forming bacteria and heat-resistant lactic acid bacteria. Furthermore, when the food composition of the present invention contains an enzyme, a synergistic effect with the enzyme can be expected when the food composition is added to a raw material. Specifically, the upper limit of the undissociated acetic acid content per 100 g of water in the food composition of the present invention is, for example, 20 g or less, 15 g or less, 12 g or less, 10 g or less, 8.000 g or less, 7.000 g or less, 6.000 g or less, 5.500 g or less, 5.000 g or less, 4.800 g or less, 4.700 g or less, 4.600 g or less, 4.500 g or less, 4.0 ... However, if the content of undissociated acetic acid per 100 g of water in the food composition of the present invention exceeds 15.0 g, the sour taste or sour odor due to the acetic acid in the food composition itself may be too strong. The lower limit may usually be more than 0.03 g, more specifically, 0.035 g or more, 0.04 g or more, 0.045 g or more, 0.05 g or more, 0.07 g or more, 0.15 g or more, 0.20 g or more, 0.25 g or more, 0.35 g or more, 0.40 g or more, 0.45 g or more, 0.55 g or more, 0.60 g or more, 0.65 g or more, 0.75 g or more, 0.8 g or more, 0.85 g or more, 0.90 g or more, 0.95 g or more, 1.00 g or more, 1.05 g or more, 1.10 g or more, 1.15 g or more, 1.20 g or more, 1.25 g or more. If the content of undissociated acetic acid per 100 g of water in the food composition of the present invention is 0.03 g or less, a sufficient inhibitory effect on the growth of spoilage bacteria may not be obtained. Furthermore, the content of undissociated acetic acid per 100 g of water in the food composition of the present invention may be preferably 0.03 to 10,000 g, 0.03 to 8,000 g, 0.03 to 4,000 g, more preferably 0.05 to 3,000 g, even more preferably 0.1 to 2,700 g, still more preferably 0.15 to 2,400 g, particularly preferably 0.3 to 2,000 g, and particularly preferably 0.4 to 1,800 g.The present invention also discloses a range of values ​​specified by combining the above upper and lower limit values.

[0030] For the same reason that the content of undissociated acetic acid per 100 g of water in the food composition of the present invention is preferably a predetermined amount, the content of undissociated acetic acid in the food composition of the present invention is preferably a predetermined amount. The upper limit of the content of undissociated acetic acid in the food composition of the present invention is not limited, but may be, for example, 20.0% by mass or less, 15.0% by mass or less, 12.0% by mass or less, 10.0% by mass or less, 9.0% by mass or less, 8.0% by mass or less, 7.0% by mass or less, 6.0% by mass or less, 5.0% by mass or less, 4.5% by mass or less, 4.0% by mass or less, 3.5% by mass or less, 3.0% by mass or less, 2.5% by mass or less, 2.0% by mass or less, 1.900% by mass or less, 1.8 00 mass% or less, 1.700 mass% or less, 1.650 mass% or less, 1.600 mass% or less, 1.580 mass% or less, 1.510 mass% or less, 1.450 mass% or less, 1.380 mass% or less, 1.280 mass% or less , 1.200 mass% or less, 1.150 mass% or less, 1.100 mass% or less, 1.050 mass% or less, 1.005 mass% or less, 0.980 mass% or less, 0.940 mass% or less, 0.920 mass% or less. The lower limit is not limited, but may be 0.015% by mass or more, 0.02% by mass or more, 0.025% by mass or more, 0.03% by mass or more, 0.035% by mass or more, 0.04% by mass or more, 0.045% by mass or more, 0.048% by mass or more, 0.05% by mass or more, 0.053% by mass or more, 0.055% by mass or more, 0.100% by mass or more, 0.150% by mass or more, 0.180% by mass or more, 0.200% by mass or more, 0.210% by mass or more, 0.230% by mass or more, 0.240% by mass or more, 0.270% by mass or more, 0.300% by mass or more, 0.350% by mass or more, 0.400% by mass or more, 0.450% by mass or more, 0.500% by mass or more, 0.550% by mass or more, or 0.600% by mass or more.Furthermore, the content of undissociated acetic acid in the food composition of the present invention may be, for example, 0.01 to 20.0% by mass, 0.01 to 18.0% by mass, 0.01 to 15.0% by mass, or 0.01 to 10.0% by mass, more preferably 0.03 to 5.0% by mass, more preferably 0.05 to 3.0% by mass, even more preferably 0.07 to 2.5% by mass, still more preferably 0.100 to 1.550% by mass, particularly preferably 0.15 to 1.450% by mass, and particularly preferably 0.200 to 1.300% by mass. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limits are also disclosed in the present invention.

[0031] <Total acetic acid content> The food composition of the present invention may have a total acetic acid content per 100 g of water within a predetermined range. Specifically, the upper limit of the total acetic acid content per 100 g of water in the food composition of the present invention is not limited, and may be, for example, 50.0 g or less, 30.0 g or less, 25.0 g or less, 23.5 g or less, 22.0 g or less, 21.5 g or less, 20.0 g or less, 19.0 g or less, 18.5 g or less, 18.0 g or less, 17.7 g or less, 17.5 g or less, 16.5 g or less, 16.0 g or less, 15.0 g or less, 14.0 g or less, 13.5 g or less, or 13.0 g or less. On the other hand, the lower limit is not limited, and may be, for example, 0.4 g or more, 0.6 g or more, 0.8 g or more, 1.0 g or more, 1.2 g or more, 1.4 g or more, 1.6 g or more, 1.8 g or more, 2.1 g or more, 2.2 g or more, 2.3 g or more, 2.4 g or more, 2.5 g or more, 2.7 g or more, 2.9 g or more, 3.0 g or more, 3.1 g or more, 3.2 g or more, 3.3 g or more, 3.5 g or more, 3.7 g or more, 3.9 g or more, 4.1 g or more, 4.3 g or more, 4.5 g or more, 4.7 g or more, 4.9 g or more, 5.5 g or more, 5.9 g or more, 6.5 g or more, 7.5 g or more, 9.0 g or more, or 10.0 g or more. Furthermore, the total acetic acid content per 100 g of water in the food composition of the present invention may be, for example, in the range of 0.4 to 30.0 g, more preferably 1.2 to 25.0 g, even more preferably 1.4 to 20.0 g, still more preferably 2.3 to 18.0 g, particularly preferably 2.5 to 17.5 g, and particularly preferably 3.0 to 16.5 g. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limits are also disclosed in the present invention.

[0032] The food composition of the present invention may also have a total acetic acid content within a specified range. The upper limit of the total acetic acid content in the food composition of the present invention is not limited, and may be, for example, 50.0% by mass or less, 25.0% by mass or less, 20.0% by mass or less, 18.0% by mass or less, 17.0% by mass or less, 16.0% by mass or less, 15.0% by mass or less, 13.0% by mass or less, 12.0% by mass or less, 11.5% by mass or less, 11.0% by mass or less, 10.5% by mass or less, 9.3% by mass or less, 9.1% by mass or less, 8.9% by mass or less, 8.7% by mass or less, 8.3% by mass or less, 7.7% by mass or less, 7.3% by mass or less, 7.2% by mass or less, 6.9% by mass or less, 6.8% by mass or less, or 6.7% by mass or less. On the other hand, the lower limit is not limited, and may be, for example, 2.1 mass% or more, 2.2 mass% or more, 2.3 mass% or more, 2.4 mass% or more, 2.7 mass% or more, 2.9 mass% or more, 3.1 mass% or more, 3.2 mass% or more, 3.3 mass% or more, 3.5 mass% or more, 3.7 mass% or more, 3.9 mass% or more, 4.1 mass% or more, 4.3 mass% or more, 4.5 mass% or more, 4.7 mass% or more, or 4.9 mass% or more. Furthermore, the total acetic acid content of the food composition of the present invention may be, for example, 2.0 to 25.0% by mass, more preferably 2.1 to 20.0% by mass, 2.2 to 18.0% by mass, 2.3 to 15.0% by mass, even more preferably 2.4 to 9.0% by mass, still more preferably 2.6 to 8.8% by mass, particularly preferably 2.8 to 8.5% by mass, and particularly preferably 3.0 to 8.0% by mass, or 4.0 to 7.5% by mass, or 4.3 to 7.0% by mass. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limits are also disclosed in the present invention.

[0033] The food composition of the present invention preferably satisfies the following formula, where the salt equivalent amount per 100 g of water in the food composition is Xg and the undissociated acetic acid content per 100 g of water in the food composition is Yg. Formula 1: 4Y + X ≧ 10 (where X ≧ 3 and Y > 0.03) By satisfying the above-mentioned relationship, the growth of microorganisms in the food composition that cause food deterioration, particularly the aforementioned spoilage bacteria (particularly lactic acid bacteria, particularly the heat-resistant lactic acid bacterium "Lactobacillus fructivorans"), can be suppressed. Furthermore, when the food composition of the present invention contains an enzyme, the synergistic effect with the enzyme can improve the texture of the food or beverage. Although the mechanism behind this is unclear, it is possible that sodium and undissociated acetic acid act on the cell membrane or cell wall to suppress microbial growth, while promoting the elution of enzyme substrate components from the raw materials when the food composition of the present invention is added to the raw materials. Furthermore, the value of "4Y + X" in the above-mentioned formula 1 may be 10 or more, 11 or more, 12 or more, 13 or more, 14 or more, 15 or more, 16 or more, 17 or more, 18 or more, 19 or more, 20 or more, 21 or more, 22 or more, 24 or more, 25 or more, 26 or more, 28 or more, 30 or more, 31 or more, 32 or more, 33 or more, 34 or more, or 35 or more. The upper limit of "4Y+X" in Formula 1 is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, 56 or less, 54 or less, 52 or less, 50 or less, 48 ​​or less, 46 or less, 45 or less, 44 or less, 43 or less, 42 or less, 41 or less, 40 or less, 39 or less, 38 or less, 37 or less, 36 or less, 35 or less, 34 or less, 33 or less, 32 or less, 30 or less, 28 or less, 26 or less, 25 or less, 24 or less, 23 or less, or 22 or less. Furthermore, from the viewpoint of exhibiting a microbial growth inhibitory effect even after long-term storage, the value of "4Y+X" in Formula 1 may be preferably 10 to 56, more preferably 12 to 50, even more preferably 14 to 45, even more preferably 15 to 44, particularly preferably 20 to 43, and particularly preferably 25 to 42. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limits are also disclosed in the present invention. In this relational expression, the preferred value of X (the amount of salt equivalent per 100 g of water in the food composition) can be the same upper limit, lower limit, or numerical range as specified for the amount of salt equivalent per 100 g of water in the food composition described above. Furthermore, the preferred value of Y (the amount of undissociated acetic acid in the food composition per 100 g of water) can be the same upper limit, lower limit, or numerical range as specified for the amount of undissociated acetic acid in the food composition described above.

[0034] Furthermore, because formula 1 holds even for compositions with a sufficiently high wet mass equivalent water content, the food composition of the present invention also encompasses an embodiment in which formula 1 is satisfied when the salt equivalent of the food composition is X2% by mass and the undissociated acetic acid content of the food composition is Y2% by mass (in this case, X2 should be read as X and Y2 should be read as Y). In this embodiment, the preferred numerical range, upper limit, or lower limit of the value of "4Y + X" in formula 1 may be the same as the value described in the embodiment in which "the salt equivalent of the food composition per 100 g of water is Xg and the undissociated acetic acid content of the food composition per 100 g of water" is Yg. Furthermore, when the salt equivalent of the food composition is X1% by mass and the undissociated acetic acid content of the food composition is Y2% by mass, the preferred value of X2 (the salt equivalent of the food composition) in this relational formula can be the same upper limit, lower limit, or numerical range as specified above for the salt equivalent of a food composition. Furthermore, the preferred value of Y2 (content of undissociated acetic acid in the food composition) can be the same upper limit, lower limit, or numerical range as the above-mentioned specification regarding the content of undissociated acetic acid in the food composition.

[0035] The food composition of the present invention may have a salt equivalent of 3.0 g or more per 100 g of water in the food composition, and an ethanol content of 8.0 g or more per 100 g of water in the food composition.

[0036] The ethanol content in the food composition of the present invention is calculated by determining the ratio of the ethanol peak area in a sample with a known ethanol content to the ethanol peak area in a sample with an unknown ethanol content, based on the gas chromatography method described in the "Alcohol" section of the Analysis Manual for the 2015 Edition (7th revision) of the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan. To achieve the effects of the present invention, the food composition of the present invention may have a salt equivalent of 3.0 g or more per 100 g of water and an ethanol content of 8.0 g or more per 100 g of water. While the mechanism behind this is unclear, ethanol, together with sodium, in the food composition may inhibit the growth of the aforementioned spoilage bacteria. Furthermore, if the food composition of the present invention contains an enzyme, it may promote the elution of components that serve as substrates for the enzyme from the raw materials. The ethanol content per 100 g of water in the food composition of the present invention is preferably 8.0 g or more, 8.2 g or more, 8.5 g or more, 8.7 g or more, 9.0 g or more, 9.3 g or more, 9.5 g or more, 10.0 g or more, 10.5 g or more, 11.0 g or more, 12.0 g or more, 13.0 g or more, 14.0 g or more, or 15.0 g or more. The upper limit is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, 20.0 g or less, 19.5 g or less, 19.0 g or less, 18.5 g or less, 18.0 g or less, 17.5 g or less, 16.5 g or less, or 15.5 g or less. Furthermore, the ethanol content per 100 g of water in the food composition of the present invention may be in the range of, for example, 8.0 to 20.0 g, 9.0 to 19.0 g, 10.0 to 18.0 g, or 11.0 to 18.0 g. The present invention also discloses a range of values ​​specified by combining the above upper and lower limit values.

[0037] The ethanol content of the food composition of the present invention is preferably at least a predetermined value, for the same reasons as those for which the salt equivalent per 100 g of water in the food composition is preferably at least 3.0 g and the ethanol content per 100 g of water in the food composition is preferably at least 8.0 g. The ethanol content in the food composition of the present invention may be at least 5.0% by mass, 5.2% by mass, 5.5% by mass, 5.7% by mass, 6.0% by mass, 6.3% by mass, 6.5% by mass, 7.0% by mass, 7.1% by mass, 7.3% by mass, 7.5% by mass, 7.8% by mass, 8.0% by mass, or 9.0% by mass. The upper limit may be, for example, at most 20.0% by mass, 18.0% by mass, 17.5% by mass, 17.0% by mass, 16.5% by mass, 15.5% by mass, 14.5% by mass, or 13.0% by mass. Furthermore, the ethanol content in the food composition of the present invention may be 4.5 to 19.0% by mass, 5.3 to 17.0% by mass, 6.8 to 15.0% by mass, or 7.5 to 14.0% by mass. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limit values ​​are also disclosed in the present invention.

[0038] In an embodiment in which the ethanol content per 100 g of water in the food composition of the present invention is 8.0 g or more, the salt equivalent amount per 100 g of water in the food composition of the present invention can be the same as the value described above.

[0039] <Enzyme> The food composition of the present invention preferably contains an enzyme having an optimum pH of 4.0 or higher. The enzyme may be a single type or a combination of two or more types. The optimum pH of the enzyme of the present invention is not limited to an upper limit, but may be, for example, 9.5 or lower, 9.3 or lower, 9.0 or lower, 8.8 or lower, 8.2 or lower, 8.0 or lower, 7.5 or lower, 7.1 or lower, 7.0 or lower, 6.8 or lower, 6.5 or lower, 6.4 or lower, 6.35 or lower, 6.3 or lower, 6.2 or lower, 6.1 or lower, 5.9 or lower, 5.8 or lower, 5.6 or lower, or 5.5 or lower. On the other hand, the lower limit can be, for example, 4.0 or more, 4.2 or more, 4.3 or more, 4.4 or more, 4.5 or more, 4.6 or more, 4.7 or more, 4.8 or more, 4.9 or more, 4.95 or more, 5.0 or more, 5.05 or more, 5.10 or more, 5.15 or more, 5.2 or more, 5.3 or more, or 5.4 or more. More specifically, the optimal pH of the enzyme in the food composition of the present invention may usually be 4.0 to 7.0, preferably 4.7 to 6.8, more preferably 4.8 to 6.5, even more preferably 4.9 to 6.4, even more preferably 4.95 to 6.35, particularly preferably 5.0 to 6.3, and particularly preferably 5.05 to 6.3, or 5.1 to 6.1. In the present invention, the optimal pH refers to the pH at which the enzyme activity is highest, and usually refers to the pH at 30°C at which the enzyme activity is highest. When the optimum pH for any enzyme is determined to be a specific pH, the value needs to satisfy the above-mentioned requirement (e.g., 4.0 or higher); when the optimum pH has a range, part or all of the range needs to satisfy the above-mentioned requirement (e.g., 4.0 or higher).

[0040] The enzyme is not particularly limited, but the food composition of the present invention preferably contains at least one enzyme selected from transferase and hydrolase. Transferase is an enzyme classified in EC group 2 and is also called a transferase. Hydrolase is an enzyme classified in EC group 3 and is also called a hydrolase. When the food composition of the present invention contains a transferase, the processed grain product can maintain a moderate elasticity, particularly when used in processed grain products. When the food composition of the present invention contains a hydrolase, the processed grain product can maintain its softness, particularly when used in processed grain products. Furthermore, when the food composition of the present invention contains both a transferase and a hydrolase, the processed grain product can maintain both softness and elasticity, maintaining a chewy texture, particularly when used in processed grain products. That is, the food composition of the present invention preferably contains a transferase and / or a hydrolase.

[0041] The food composition of the present invention preferably contains one or more hexosyltransferases as the transferase. Hexosyltransferases are enzymes identified by "EC Number 2.4.1.○" (○ is a number). More specifically, the food composition of the present invention particularly preferably contains at least one hexosyltransferase selected from 6-α-glucanotransferase, 4-α-glucanotransferase, cyclodextrin glucanotransferase, and α-glucosyltransferase, and may contain two, three, or four hexosyltransferases. Of these, the food composition of the present invention preferably contains 6-α-glucanotransferase or 4-α-glucanotransferase. On the other hand, when the food composition of the present invention contains cyclodextrin glucanotransferase as the transferase, the crumbly texture of processed grain products containing brown rice and / or millet can be improved, making it suitable for use in processed grain products containing brown rice and / or millet.

[0042] In the present invention, the 6-α-glucanotransferase can be a 6-α-glucanotransferase classified under EC number 2.4.1.18. The 4-α-glucanotransferase can be a 4-α-glucanotransferase classified under EC number 2.4.1.25. The cyclodextrin glucanotransferase can be a cyclodextrin glucanotransferase classified under EC number 2.4.1.19. The α-glucosyltransferase can be an α-glucosyltransferase classified under EC number 2.4.1.18.

[0043] Furthermore, it is particularly preferred that the food composition of the present invention contains at least one hydrolase selected from glutaminase, maltotriohydrolase, β-amylase, phospholipase A1, pullulanase, hemicellulase, α-amylase, pectinase, glucoamylase, transglucosidase, pectin methylesterase, phospholipase A2, protease, α-galactosidase, invertase, cellulase, xylanase, fructosyltransferase, β-glucosidase, and lipase, and may contain two, three, four, or five or more hydrolases.

[0044] In the present invention, the glutaminase may be a glutaminase classified under EC number 3.5.1.35. The maltotriohydrolase may be a maltotriohydrolase classified under EC number 3.2.1.1. The β-amylase may be a β-amylase classified under EC number 3.2.1.2. The phospholipase A1 may be a phospholipase A1 classified under EC number 3.1.1.32. The pullulanase may be a pullulanase classified under EC number 3.2.1.41. The hemicellulase may be a hemicellulase classified under EC number 3.2.1.8. The α-amylase may be an α-amylase classified under EC number 3.2.1.1, or may be a maltogenic α-amylase classified under EC number 3.2.1.133. The pectinase may be a pectinase classified under EC number 3.2.1.15. The glucoamylase may be a glucoamylase classified under EC number 3.2.1.3. The transglucosidase may be a transglucosidase classified under EC number 3.2.1.20. The pectin methylesterase may be a pectin methylesterase classified under EC number 3.1.1.11. The phospholipase A2 may be a phospholipase A2 classified under EC number 3.1.1.4. The protease may be any protease classified under EC number 3.4.○.○ (○ is a number), but may be, for example, a protease classified under EC number 3.4.23.21. The α-galactosidase may be an α-galactosidase classified under EC number 3.2.1.22. The invertase can be an invertase classified under EC number 3.2.1.26. The cellulase can be a cellulase classified under EC number 3.2.1.4. The xylanase can be a xylanase classified under EC number 3.2.1.8. The fructosyltransferase can be a fructosyltransferase classified under EC number 3.2.1.7.The β-glucosidase may be a β-glucosidase classified under EC number 3.2.1.21. The lipase may be a lipase classified under EC number 3.1.1.3. Furthermore, when the food composition of the present invention contains at least one enzyme selected from xylanase, β-glucosidase, and lipase as a hydrolase, the gritty texture of processed grain products containing brown rice and / or miscellaneous grains can be improved, and therefore the food composition can be suitably used for processed grain products containing brown rice and / or miscellaneous grains.

[0045] The food composition of the present invention may also contain at least one enzyme selected from glucose oxidase, polyphenol oxidase, and glucose isomerase.

[0046] In the present invention, the glucose oxidase may be a glucose oxidase classified under EC number 1.1.3.4, the polyphenol oxidase may be a polyphenol oxidase classified under EC number 1.10.3.2, and the glucose isomerase may be a glucose isomerase classified under EC number 5.3.1.5.

[0047] The food composition of the present invention may contain any combination of the above-mentioned enzymes, i.e., at least one, two, three, four, or five or more enzymes selected from glutaminase, 6-α-glucanotransferase, maltotriohydrolase, 4-α-glucanotransferase, β-amylase, phospholipase A1, pullulanase, hemicellulase, α-amylase, cyclodextrin glucanotransferase, pectinase, glucose oxidase, polyphenol oxidase, glucoamylase, transglucosidase, pectin methylesterase, phospholipase A2, protease, α-galactosidase, invertase, cellulase, glucose isomerase, α-glucosyltransferase, xylanase, fructosyltransferase, β-glucosidase, and lipase. Among these, the food composition of the present invention may contain 6-α-glucanotransferase and maltotriohydrolase, 4-α-glucanotransferase and β-amylase, protease and lipase, cellulase, hemicellulase, and pectinase, or glutaminase and α-amylase. Furthermore, the food composition of the present invention may not contain at least one, two, three, four, or five or more enzymes selected from the above-mentioned enzymes.

[0048] The food composition of the present invention preferably contains at least one enzyme whose substrate is at least one selected from amino acids, peptides, starch, phospholipids, hemicellulose, pectin, phospholipids, oligosaccharides, glycolipids, cellulose, glucose, xylan, sucrose, proteins, and simple lipids, and may contain two, three, four, five, six, seven, or eight or more enzymes whose substrate is at least one selected from amino acids, peptides, starch, hemicellulose, pectin, phospholipids, oligosaccharides, glycolipids, cellulose, glucose, xylan, sucrose, proteins, and simple lipids. The amino acid preferably has a substrate of at least one selected from histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, valine, arginine, cysteine, glutamine, glycine, proline, tyrosine, alanine, aspartic acid, asparagine, glutamic acid, and serine. The amino acid generally refers to at least one selected from histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, valine, arginine, cysteine, glutamine, glycine, proline, tyrosine, alanine, aspartic acid, asparagine, glutamic acid, and serine. The term "amino acid" as used herein encompasses D-, L-, and DL-isomers.

[0049] Furthermore, the food composition of the present invention may not contain glucose oxidase, or may not contain α-amylase and glucose oxidase.

[0050] The enzyme contained in the food composition of the present invention may be, for example, a commercially available enzyme (for example, β-amylase such as β-amylase F "Amano" manufactured by Amano Enzyme Co., Ltd.).

[0051] The commercially available enzymes can be added to the food composition in a predetermined amount. The content of the enzyme (e.g., the commercially available enzyme) in the food composition of the present invention is not particularly limited to a lower limit, but may be, for example, 0.001% by mass or more, 0.01% by mass or more, 0.05% by mass or more, 0.1% by mass or more, 0.3% by mass or more, 0.5% by mass or more, 0.7% by mass or more, 0.9% by mass or more, 1.0% by mass or more, 1.2% by mass or more, 1.5% by mass or more, 1.7% by mass or more, 1.8% by mass or more, 2.0% by mass or more, 2.2% by mass or more, 2.5% by mass or more, 2.7% by mass or more, or 3.0% by mass or more. The upper limit may be, for example, 10% by mass or less, 8.0% by mass or less, 7.0% by mass or less, 6.0% by mass or less, 5.0% by mass or less, 4.0% by mass or less, or 3.0% by mass or less. The range may be, for example, 0.001 to 10.0% by mass. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limit values ​​are also disclosed in the present invention. According to one aspect of the present invention, the various enzymes contained in the food composition of the present invention may be contained in a state where the enzyme activity is within a predetermined range. The range of the enzyme activity of the various enzymes in the food composition of the present invention may be, for example, 100 U / L or more and 10,000,000 U / L or less. More specifically, the lower limit may be 150 U / L or more, 200 U / L or more, 250 U / L or more, 300 U / L or more, 400 U / L or more, 500 U / L or more, 600 U / L or more, 650 U / L or more, 700 U / L or more, 800 U / L or more, 900 U / L or more, 950 U / L or more, 1000 U / L or more, 1200 U / L or more, 1500 U / L or more, 1700 U / L or more, 1800 U / L or more, or 2000 U / L or more.On the other hand, the upper limits are 10,000,000 U / L or less, 9,000,000 U / L or less, 8,000,000 U / L or less, 7,000,000 U / L or less, 6,000,000 U / L or less, 5,000,000 U / L or less, 4,000,000 U / L or less, 3,000,000 U / L or less, 2,000,000 U / L or less, 1,800,000 U / L or less, 1,600,000 U / L or less, 1,400,000 U / L or less, 1,200,000 U / L or less, 1,100,000 U / L or less, 1,000,000 U / L or less, 900,000 U / L or less, 80,000 It may be 0 U / L or less, 700,000 U / L or less, 600,000 U / L or less, 500,000 U / L or less, 400,000 U / L or less, 300,000 U / L or less, 200,000 U / L or less, 100,000 U / L or less, 90,000 U / L or less, 80,000 U / L or less, 70,000 U / L or less, 60,000 U / L or less, 50,000 U / L or less, 40,000 U / L or less, 30,000 U / L or less, 20,000 U / L or less, 10,000 U / L or less, 5,000 U / L or less, or 1,000 U / L or less. The enzymatic activity of the various enzymes in the food compositions of the present invention may be preferably 150 U / L to 10,000,000 U / L, more preferably 200 U / L to 8,000,000 U / L, even more preferably 300 U / L to 6,000,000 U / L, even more preferably 600 U / L to 4,000,000 U / L, particularly preferably 900 U / L to 2,000,000 U / L, and particularly preferably 1,000 U / L to 1,000,000 U / L. Regarding the enzymatic activity of various enzymes, one unit (1 U / L) is the amount of enzyme that converts 1 μmol of substrate per minute at 30°C in 1 L of sample under optimal conditions. 1 U (μmol / min) can also be converted to the SI unit kat (mol / sec). For example, glutaminase enzyme activity can be measured by adding 2.0 mL of 30 mM L-glutamine solution to 0.1 mL of enzyme solution appropriately diluted with 10 mM phosphate buffer (pH 7.0), reacting at 30°C for 30 minutes, and quantifying the glutamic acid produced by a known method (for example, using a glutamic acid measurement kit (manufactured by Seikagaku Corporation)). The amount of enzyme that produces 1 μmol of glutamic acid per minute can be defined as 1 unit (1 U = 1000 mU).Furthermore, for example, amylase activity can be measured by a known method using starch (soluble) as a substrate, and the activity of decomposing 1 ml of a 1% starch solution in 30 minutes at 40°C and pH 5.0 until the iodine color index reaches a transmittance of 66% at a wavelength of 670 nm and an optical path length of 10 mm is defined as 1 unit (1 U = 1000 mU) (see, for example, https: / / www.jfrl.or.jp / storage / file / 222.pdf or https: / / web.archive.org / web / 20220918072602 / https: / / www.jfrl.or.jp / storage / file / 222.pdf).

[0052] In addition, the acetic acid in the food composition of the present invention may be contained in part in the form of an acetate salt. Specifically, the ratio of the total acetic acid content measured by the high-performance liquid chromatography method of the present invention to the titratable acidity determined by neutralization titration (total acetic acid content / titratable acidity determined by neutralization titration) may be 1.1 or more, 1.2 or more, 1.3 or more, 1.4 or more, 1.5 or more, 1.6 or more, 1.7 or more, 1.8 or more, 1.9 or more, 2.0 or more, 2.5 or more, 3.0 or more, 3.5 or more, 4.0 or more, 4.5 or more, 5.0 or more, 5.5 or more, 6.0 or more, 6.5 or more, 7.0 or more, 7.5 or more, 8.0 or more, 8.5 or more, 9.0 or more, 9.5 or more, or 10.0 or more. The upper limit may be, for example, 20.0 or less, 18.0 or less, 16.0 or less, 14.0 or less, 12.0 or less, or 11.0 or less. Furthermore, the range may be, for example, 2.0 to 18.0. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limit values ​​are also disclosed in the present invention. By satisfying these requirements, it is possible to easily obtain the effect of enhancing the flavor of the food material to be seasoned, for example, in an embodiment in which the food composition of the present invention is added directly to a food as a seasoning (for example, a seasoning used to improve the shelf life of ready-to-eat meals).

[0053] Another preferred feature of the food composition of the present invention is that it contains a predetermined amount of dissociated acetic acid. This makes it possible to suppress the excessive sourness of the food to which it is added, particularly in embodiments in which the food composition of the present invention is added directly to a food (e.g., a seasoning used to improve the shelf life of ready-to-eat meals). Therefore, according to one aspect of the present invention, the food composition of the present invention can be a seasoning, more specifically, a seasoning used to improve the shelf life of ready-to-eat meals, and even more specifically, a seasoning used to improve the shelf life of ready-to-eat meals. The content of dissociated acetic acid in the food composition of the present invention can be calculated by subtracting the content of undissociated acetic acid from the total acetic acid content. In particular, the ratio of the dissociated acetic acid content (mass%) to the total acetic acid content (total acetic acid content) (mass%) of the food composition of the present invention may typically be 0.10 or greater, or may be 0.20 or greater, 0.30 or greater, 0.40 or greater, 0.45 or greater, 0.49 or greater, 0.50 or greater, 0.55 or greater, 0.60 or greater, 0.65 or greater, or 0.70 or greater. The upper limit is not particularly limited, and may typically be less than 1, less than 0.98, 0.90 or less, 0.85 or less, 0.80 or less, 0.75 or less, or 0.72 or less. The range may be, for example, 0.10 or greater but less than 0.98, preferably 0.49 or greater but less than 0.80, more preferably 0.49 or greater but less than 0.75, and particularly preferably 0.55 or greater but less than 0.72. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limits are also disclosed in the present invention. In particular, in an embodiment in which the food composition of the present invention is used as a seasoning by adding it directly to food, the ratio of the dissociated acetic acid content (mass%) to the total acetic acid content (total acetic acid content) (mass%) is 0.49 or more and 0.75 or less, so that, for example, in an embodiment in which the food composition of the present invention is used as a seasoning by adding it directly to food (for example, a seasoning used for the purpose of improving the shelf life of ready-to-eat meals), the flavor of the food material to be seasoned can be enhanced.Although the mechanism is unclear, it is assumed that the inclusion of a certain amount of dissociated acetic acid suppresses the sourness of undissociated acetic acid while exerting the flavor-enhancing effect of undissociated acetic acid on food ingredients, thereby enhancing the flavor of the food ingredients. Furthermore, if the ratio of the dissociated acetic acid content (mass%) to the total acetic acid content (total acetic acid content) (mass%) is less than 0.49, the sourness may be perceived as being too strong. On the other hand, if the ratio of the dissociated acetic acid content (mass%) to the total acetic acid content (total acetic acid content) (mass%) exceeds 0.75, the effect of enhancing the flavor of the food ingredients is not obtained, and an unpleasant taste may be perceived as being too strong. Dissociated acetic acid can be supplied by sodium acetate, potassium acetate, etc., and for example, the ratio of the content (mass%) of dissociated acetic acid derived from sodium acetate to the content (mass%) of dissociated acetic acid in the food composition of the present invention may be in the range of 0.5 or more and 1 or less, with the lower limit being 0.6 or more, 0.7 or more, 0.8 or more, or 0.9 or more, and the upper limit being 1 or less, 0.97 or less, or 0.95 or less.

[0054] Furthermore, the acetic acid in the food composition of the present invention may be that contained in a food material, extracted from a food material, added as a compound, or a combination thereof. However, the food composition of the present invention preferably contains vinegar, more preferably contains vinegar and sodium acetate, and even more preferably contains brewed vinegar as defined by the JAS Law, which will come into effect on October 1, 2022. This is because the aroma of foods obtained using the food composition of the present invention is improved. The content of brewed vinegar is not particularly limited, but, for example, the upper limit may be 90% by mass or less, 80% by mass or less, 70% by mass or less, 60% by mass or less, 50% by mass or less, 40% by mass or less, 30% by mass or less, 29% by mass or less, 28% by mass or less, 27% by mass or less, 25% by mass or less, 23% by mass or less, 22% by mass or less, 21% by mass or less, 20% by mass or less, 19% by mass or less, 18.5% by mass or less, 18% by mass or less, 17.8% by mass or less, 17.5% by mass or less, 17.3 mass% or less, 16.7 mass% or less, 16.5 mass% or less, 16.0 mass% or less, 15.5 mass% or less, 15.0 mass% or less, 14.5 mass% or less, 14.0 mass% or less, 13.0 mass% or less, 12.5 mass% % or less, 12.0 mass% or less, 11.5 mass% or less, 11.0 mass% or less, 10.5 mass% or less, 10.0 mass% or less, 9.5 mass% or less, 9.0 mass% or less, 8.5 mass% or less, 8.0 mass% or less, 7.5 mass% or less The lower limit is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 0.1 mass% or more, 0.2 mass% or more, 0.3 mass% or more, 0.5 mass% or more, 0.7 mass% or more, 0.9 mass% or more, 1.0 mass% or more, 1.1 mass% or more, 1.3 mass% or more, 1.5 mass% or more, 1.7 mass% or more, 1.8 mass% or more, 1.9 ... % by mass or more, 2.0% by mass or more, 2.2% by mass or more, 2.4% by mass or more, or 2.6% by mass or more, and the range is, for example, 0.1 to 90% by mass, 0.1 to 30% by mass, 0.1 to 28% by mass, 0.1 to 25% by mass, 0.1 to 20% by mass, 0.1 to 17.5% by mass, 0.1 to 16.5% by mass, 0.1 to 15.5% by mass, 0.5 to 14.5% by mass, 0.7 to 13.0% by mass, 0.9 to 12.0% by mass, or 1.0 to 8.0% by mass.

[0055] Furthermore, the food composition of the present invention preferably has a predetermined content of dissociated acetic acid, although the upper limit is not limited, and may be, for example, 25.0% by mass or less, 22.0% by mass or less, 20.0% by mass or less, 18.0% by mass or less, 15.0% by mass or less, 12.0% by mass or less, 11.5% by mass or less, 11.0% by mass or less, 10.5% by mass or less, 9.3% by mass or less, 9.1% by mass or less, 8.9% by mass or less, 8.7% by mass or less, 8.3% by mass or less, 7.7% by mass or less, 7.3% by mass or less, 7.2% by mass or less, 6.9% by mass or less, 6.8% by mass or less, or 6.7% by mass or less. On the other hand, the lower limit is not limited, and may be, for example, 1.0 mass% or more, 1.5 mass% or more, 2.1 mass% or more, 2.2 mass% or more, 2.3 mass% or more, 2.4 mass% or more, 2.7 mass% or more, 2.9 mass% or more, 3.1 mass% or more, 3.2 mass% or more, 3.3 mass% or more, 3.5 mass% or more, 3.7 mass% or more, 3.9 mass% or more, 4.1 mass% or more, 4.3 mass% or more, 4.5 mass% or more, 4.7 mass% or more, or 4.9 mass% or more. Furthermore, the range may be, for example, 1.0 to 25.0 mass%, 1.5 to 18.0 mass%, or 1.9 to 11.9 mass%, more preferably 2.1 to 11.0 mass%, more preferably 2.2 to 10.0 mass%, more preferably 2.3 to 9.5 mass%, even more preferably 2.4 to 9.0 mass%, still more preferably 2.6 to 8.8 mass%, particularly preferably 2.8 to 8.5 mass%, and particularly preferably 3.0 to 8.0 mass%, or 4.0 to 7.5 mass%, or 4.3 to 7.0 mass%. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limits are also disclosed in the present invention.

[0056] Furthermore, the ratio of the content (mass%) of acetic acid derived from vinegar to the total acetic acid content (mass%) of the food composition of the present invention may typically be less than 0.50, particularly less than 0.40, or less than 0.30, or less than 0.20, or less than 0.15, or less than 0.10. The lower limit is not particularly limited and is typically greater than 0, or greater than 0.02, or greater than 0.05. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limit values ​​are also disclosed in the present invention.

[0057] When the food composition of the present invention contains vinegar, the content of vinegar is preferably within a predetermined range from the viewpoint of improving the aroma of the food obtained when using the food composition while ensuring the stability of quality. The upper limit of the content is, for example, 90% by mass or less, 80% by mass or less, 70% by mass or less, 60% by mass or less, 50% by mass or less, 40% by mass or less, 30% by mass or less, 29% by mass or less, 27% by mass or less, 25% by mass or less, 23% by mass or less, 22% by mass or less, 21% by mass or less, 19% by mass or less, 18.5% by mass or less, 18% by mass or less, 17.8% by mass or less, 17.3% by mass or less, 16.7% by mass or less, or 16.0% by mass or less. , 15.0 mass% or less, 14.0 mass% or less, 12.5 mass% or less, 11.5 mass% or less, 11.0 mass% or less, 10.5 mass% or less, 10.0 mass% or less, 9.5 mass% or less, 9.0 mass% or less, It can be 8.5% by mass or less, 7.5% by mass or less, 7.0% by mass or less, 6.5% by mass or less, 6.0% by mass or less, 5.5% by mass or less, 5.0% by mass or less, 4.5% by mass or less, and 4.0% by mass or less. Furthermore, the lower limit of the vinegar content in the food composition of the present invention can be, for example, 0.1% by mass or more, 0.2% by mass or more, 0.3% by mass or more, 0.5% by mass or more, 0.7% by mass or more, 0.9% by mass or more, 1.1% by mass or more, 1.3% by mass or more, 1.5% by mass or more, 1.7% by mass or more, 1.8% by mass or more, 2.0% by mass or more, 2.2% by mass or more, 2.4% by mass or more, or 2.6% by mass or more. Furthermore, the range of the vinegar content in the food composition of the present invention may be, for example, 0.1 to 90% by mass, 0.1 to 80% by mass, 0.1 to 70% by mass, 0.1 to 60% by mass, 0.1 to 50% by mass, 0.1 to 40% by mass, 0.1 to 90% by mass, 0.1 to 30% by mass, 0.1 to 28% by mass, 0.1 to 25% by mass, or 0.1 to 20% by mass, preferably 0.1 to 17.5% by mass, more preferably 0.1 to 16.5% by mass, even more preferably 0.1 to 15.5% by mass, even more preferably 0.5 to 14.5% by mass, even more preferably 0.7 to 13.0% by mass, particularly preferably 0.9 to 12.0% by mass, and particularly preferably 1.0 to 8.0% by mass. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limits are also disclosed in the present invention. The food composition of the present invention may also contain brewed vinegar as the vinegar within the above numerical range.

[0058] The food composition of the present invention preferably contains a sodium salt. Examples of the "sodium salt" include sodium chloride, sodium acetate, sodium citrate, disodium citrate, trisodium citrate, sodium gluconate, monosodium succinate, disodium succinate, sodium DL-tartrate, sodium L-tartrate, sodium lactate, monosodium fumarate, and sodium DL-malate. These sodium salts may be used alone or in any combination of two or more. The food composition of the present invention preferably contains at least one selected from the group consisting of sodium chloride, sodium acetate, sodium citrate, disodium citrate, trisodium citrate, and sodium lactate, and particularly preferably contains sodium chloride and sodium acetate. The sodium citrate content of the food composition of the present invention is preferably less than 8.5% by mass, more preferably less than 8.0% by mass, less than 7.5% by mass, even more preferably less than 7.0% by mass, even more preferably less than 6.5% by mass, less than 6.0% by mass, less than 5.5% by mass, or even 0% by mass. Furthermore, the food composition of the present invention may contain sodium citrate in an amount less than the above-mentioned upper limit.

[0059] When the food composition of the present invention contains sodium acetate, the sodium acetate content in the food composition is preferably 1.0% by mass or more, more preferably 1.5% by mass or more, even more preferably 2.0% by mass or more, even more preferably 2.5% by mass or more, particularly preferably 3.0% by mass or more, particularly preferably 3.5% by mass or more, 4.0% by mass or more, 4.5% by mass or more, 5.0% by mass or more, 5.5% by mass or more, 6.0% by mass or more, 6.5% by mass or more, 7.0% by mass or more, or 7.5% by mass or more. The upper limit of the sodium acetate content can be, for example, 30% by mass or less, 25.0% by mass or less, 22.0% by mass or less, 20.0% by mass or less, 18.0% by mass or less, 16.0% by mass or less, 15.0% by mass or less, 14.0% by mass or less, 12.0% by mass or less, 10.0% by mass or less, 9.0% by mass or less, or 8.0% by mass or less. The range may be, for example, 1.0 to 30.0% by mass, preferably 1.0 to 20.0% by mass, more preferably 2.0 to 18.0% by mass, even more preferably 3.0 to 16.0% by mass, still more preferably 3.5 to 14.0% by mass, particularly preferably 4.0 to 10.0% by mass, and particularly preferably 4.5 to 8.0% by mass. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limits are also disclosed in the present invention.

[0060] When the food composition of the present invention contains sodium chloride, the upper limit of the sodium chloride content in the food composition is not limited, and may be, for example, 22.0% by mass or less, 21.0% by mass or less, 20.5% by mass or less, 19.5% by mass or less, 18.5% by mass or less, 18.0% by mass or less, 17.5% by mass or less, 17.0% by mass or less, 16.7% by mass or less, 16.2% by mass or less, 15.5% by mass or less, 15.0% by mass or less, 14.5% by mass or less, or 14.0% by mass or less. On the other hand, the lower limit is not limited, and may be, for example, 4.3 mass% or more, 4.7 mass% or more, 4.9 mass% or more, 5.5 mass% or more, 6.0 mass% or more, 6.5 mass% or more, 7.0 mass% or more, 7.5 mass% or more, 8.0 mass% or more, 8.3 mass% or more, 8.7 mass% or more, 9.0 mass% or more, 9.5 mass% or more, 9.6 mass% or more, 9.8 mass% or more, 9.9 mass% or more, 10.2 mass% or more, 10.5 mass% or more, 10.8 mass% or more, 11.1 mass% or more, 11.3 mass% or more, or 11.5 mass% or more. Furthermore, the sodium chloride content in the food composition of the present invention may be preferably 4.0 to 23.0% by mass, more preferably 5.0 to 22.0% by mass, even more preferably 6.0 to 20.0% by mass, still more preferably 7.0 to 19.0% by mass, particularly preferably 8.0 to 18.0% by mass, and particularly preferably 10.0 to 17.0% by mass, 10.5 to 16.5% by mass, or 11.0 to 16.0% by mass. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limit values ​​are also disclosed in the present invention.

[0061] <Chloride ions> The chloride ion content in the food composition of the present invention is measured by the Mohr method. The food composition of the present invention preferably has a ratio of chloride ion content (mass%) to sodium content (mass%) within a specified range. This further enhances the effects of the present invention. Although the mechanism is unclear, it is presumed that the effects of the present invention are further enhanced because the synergistic effect of sodium ions and chloride ions inhibits the growth of spoilage bacteria, and the pH change is small even when the food composition of the present invention is added to food ingredients. Preferably, the ratio of chloride ion content (mass%) to sodium content (mass%) in the food composition of the present invention is relatively higher than the ratio in sodium chloride (1.54) (since the molar mass of chloride ion is 35.45 g / mol and the molar mass of sodium ion is 23 g / mol, the ratio of chloride ion content (mass%) to sodium content (mass%) in sodium chloride is calculated to be approximately 1.54). The balance between chloride ions and sodium ions can be adjusted by using sodium chloride in combination with other sodium salts (e.g., sodium acetate) as the source of sodium, thereby producing a composition with a lower ratio than that of sodium chloride. Specifically, the upper limit is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, 1.5 or less, 1.47 or less, 1.46 or less, 1.45 or less, 1.44 or less, 1.43 or less, 1.4 or less, 1.39 or less, 1.38 or less, 1.37 or less, 1.35 or less, 1.33 or less, 1.3 or less, 1.2 or less, 1.1 or less, 1.05 or less, 1.0 or less, 0.97 or less, 0.95 or less, 0.90 or less, 0.85 or less, 0.8 or less, 0.7 or less, 0.6 or less, or 0.5 or less. Furthermore, the lower limit is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, 0.1 or more, 0.12 or more, 0.14 or more, 0.15 or more, 0.18 or more, 0.20 or more, 0.31 or more, 0.4 or more, 0.5 or more, 0.6 or more, 0.62 or more, 0.67 or more, 0.75 or more, 0.77 or more, 0.81 or more, 0.84 or more, 0.87 or more, 0.91 or more, 0.93 or more, 0.95 or more, 0.97 or more, 0.99 or more, 1.03 or more, 1.05 or more, 1.07 or more, 1.09 or more, 1.1 or more, 1.11 or more, or 1.12 or more.Furthermore, the ratio of the chloride ion content (% by mass) to the sodium content (% by mass) in the food composition of the present invention may be in the range of preferably 0.1 to 1.5, more preferably 0.4 to 1.47, even more preferably 0.5 to 1.45, still more preferably 0.6 to 1.45, particularly preferably 0.6 to 1.4, and particularly preferably 0.6 to 1.3. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limits are also disclosed in the present invention.

[0062] The chloride ion content per 100 g of water in the food composition of the present invention is preferably a predetermined amount, and the upper limit may be, for example, 28 g or less, 27 g or less, 26 g or less, 24.5 g or less, 23.5 g or less, 23 g or less, 21.5 g or less, 20.5 g or less, 19.5 g or less, 19 g or less, 18.5 g or less, 18 g or less, 17.5 g or less, 17 g or less, 16.5 g or less, 15.5 g or less, 14.5 g or less, 13.5 g or less, 12.5 g or less, 12.0 g or less, 11.5 g or less, 11.0 g or less, or 10.5 g or less. The lower limit of the chloride ion content in the food composition of the present invention may be, for example, 1.0 g or more, 2.0 g or more, 3.0 g or more, 4.0 g or more, 4.5 g or more, 5.0 g or more, 5.5 g or more, 6 g or more, 8 g or more, 8.5 g or more, 9 g or more, 10.5 g or more, 11 g or more, 11.5 g or more, 12.5 g or more, 13 g or more, 13.5 g or more, or 14.5 g or more. Furthermore, the chloride ion content per 100 g of water in the food composition of the present invention may be preferably 2 to 30 g, more preferably 4 to 25 g, even more preferably 7 to 24 g, even more preferably 8 to 22 g, particularly preferably 9 to 21 g, and particularly preferably 10 to 20 g. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limits are also disclosed in the present invention.

[0063] The chloride ion content (% by mass) in the food composition of the present invention is preferably a predetermined amount, and the upper limit may be, for example, 15.3% by mass or less, 14.5% by mass or less, 13.5% by mass or less, 12.7% by mass or less, 12.5% ​​by mass or less, 11.8% by mass or less, 11.5% by mass or less, 11.3% by mass or less, 11% by mass or less, 10.8% by mass or less, 10.5% by mass or less, 10.3% by mass or less, 10% by mass or less, 9.8% by mass or less, or 9.5% by mass or less. The lower limit of the chloride ion content (% by mass) in the food composition of the present invention may be, for example, 1.0% by mass or more, 1.5% by mass or more, 2.0% by mass or more, 2.5% by mass or more, 3.5% by mass or more, 4.2% by mass or more, 5.3% by mass or more, 5.5% by mass or more, 5.7% by mass or more, 6% by mass or more, 6.2% by mass or more, 6.8% by mass or more, or 7% by mass or more. Furthermore, the chloride ion content (% by mass) in the food composition of the present invention may be preferably in the range of 1.8 to 15.5% by mass, more preferably 3 to 15% by mass, even more preferably 4 to 14% by mass, even more preferably 5 to 13% by mass, particularly preferably 6.5 to 12.5% ​​by mass, and particularly preferably 7.3 to 12% by mass. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limits are also disclosed in the present invention.

[0064] The food composition of the present invention preferably contains a predetermined amount of chloride ions derived from sodium chloride. Specifically, the ratio of the chloride ion content (mass%) derived from sodium chloride to the chloride ion content (mass%) in the food composition of the present invention may be, for example, 0.30 or more, 0.40 or more, 0.50 or more, 0.60 or more, 0.70 or more, 0.80 or more, 0.90 or more, or 0.95 or more. The upper limit is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, 1 or less, 0.99 or less, 0.98 or less, 0.95 or less, or 0.92 or less. The range may be, for example, 0.30 to 1. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limits are also disclosed in the present invention.

[0065] The Brix value (refractive index sugar content) of the food composition of the present invention is preferably within a predetermined range. The upper limit of the Brix value of the food composition of the present invention is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, 70 or less, 69 or less, 68 or less, 67 or less, 66 or less, 65 or less, 64 or less, 63 or less, 62 or less, 60 or less, 59 or less, 58 or less, 57 or less, 55 or less, 53 or less, 52 or less, 51 or less, 50 or less, 49 or less, 48 ​​or less, 47 or less, or 46 or less. Furthermore, the lower limit may be, for example, 15 or more, 18 or more, 21 or more, 22 or more, 23 or more, 24 or more, 26 or more, 27 or more, 28 or more, 29 or more, 30 or more, preferably 31 or more, 32 or more, more preferably 34 or more, even more preferably 35 or more, even more preferably 37 or more, particularly preferably 39 or more, and particularly preferably 40 or more, 41 or more, or 43 or more. The Brix value of the food composition of the present invention can also be in the range of, for example, 15 to 70, preferably 18 to 68, more preferably 24 to 66, even more preferably 26 to 60, still more preferably 28 to 55, particularly preferably 30 to 50, and particularly preferably 32 to 48. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper or lower limit values ​​are also disclosed in the present invention.

[0066] <Carbohydrates> "Carbohydrates" refers to the mass of a food product excluding protein, lipids, dietary fiber, ash, and water, as defined in the Food Labeling Standards based on Article 4, Paragraph 1 of the Food Labeling Act (Act No. 70 of 2013). The carbohydrates contained in the food composition of the present invention are preferably contained as soluble carbohydrates. "Soluble carbohydrates" in the present invention refers to carbohydrates soluble in water, and is a general term for monosaccharides and oligosaccharides (sugars composed of 2 to 10 monosaccharides bonded together), as well as sugar alcohols. Therefore, starch, which has a much larger number of sugars bonded to it, is not included. Examples of soluble carbohydrates include glucose, fructose, galactose, sucrose, maltose, lactose, trehalose, sorbitol, etc. These may be contained as compounds alone, or as sweeteners containing them, such as brown sugar, honey, and starch syrup.

[0067] The inclusion of carbohydrates in the food composition of the present invention can inhibit the growth of spoilage bacteria in the food composition. Furthermore, when the food composition of the present invention contains a sugar alcohol, the present invention is useful because it can inhibit burning even when producing food by adding the food composition of the present invention and then heating it (for example, when adding the food composition of the present invention and then cooking rice to produce cooked rice, or when adding the food composition of the present invention and then baking dough to produce bread).

[0068] The carbohydrate content (total carbohydrate content) per 100 g of water in the food composition of the present invention is preferably within a predetermined range. Specifically, the upper limit is not limited, and may be, for example, 70.0 g or less, 68.0 g or less, 66.0 g or less, 65.0 g or less, 64.0 g or less, 63.0 g or less, 61.0 g or less, 60.0 g or less, 59.0 g or less, 58.5 g or less, 58.0 g or less, 57.0 g or less, 56.0 g or less, 55.0 g or less, 54.5 g or less, 53.5 g or less, 52.0 g or less, 50.8 g or less, 50.0 g or less, or 49.0 g or less. On the other hand, the lower limit is not limited, and may be, for example, 4.0 g or more, 4.5 g or more, 5.0 g or more, 5.5 g or more, 8.0 g or more, 10.0 g or more, 13.0 g or more, 15.0 g or more, 18.0 g or more, 20.0 g or more, 22.0 g or more, 25.0 g or more, 28.0 g or more, 30.0 g or more, 31.0 g or more, 33.0 g or more, 35.0 g or more, 37.5 g or more, 39.0 g or more, 40.0 g or more, 42.0 g or more, 43.5 g or more, 45.0 g or more, or 47.0 g or more. Furthermore, the carbohydrate content per 100 g of water in the food composition of the present invention may be preferably in the range of 4.0 to 70.0 g, more preferably 8.0 to 66.0 g, even more preferably 15.0 to 63.0 g, still more preferably 20.0 to 60.0 g, particularly preferably 25.0 to 58.0 g, and particularly preferably 30.0 to 55.0 g. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limits are also disclosed in the present invention.

[0069] The carbohydrate content (total carbohydrate content) in the food composition of the present invention is preferably a predetermined amount. Specifically, the upper limit is not limited, and may be, for example, 45.0% by mass or less, 40.0% by mass or less, 36.0% by mass or less, 35.0% by mass or less, 34.0% by mass or less, 33.0% by mass or less, 31.0% by mass or less, 29.0% by mass or less, 28.5% by mass or less, 27.5% by mass or less, 27.0% by mass or less, 26.8% by mass or less, or 26.3% by mass or less. On the other hand, the lower limit is not limited, and may be, for example, 0.5% by mass or more, 1.0% by mass or more, 1.5% by mass or more, 2.0% by mass or more, 2.5% by mass or more, 3.0% by mass or more, 3.5% by mass or more, 4.0% by mass or more, 6.0% by mass or more, 7.0% by mass or more, 7.5% by mass or more, 8.0% by mass or more, 9.0% by mass or more, 10.0% by mass or more, 11.5% by mass or more, 12.0% by mass or more, 12.5% ​​by mass or more, 13.0% by mass or more, 13.5% by mass or more, 14.0% by mass or more, 16.0% by mass or more, 17.0% by mass or more, 17.5% by mass or more, or 18.0% by mass or more. Furthermore, the carbohydrate content in the food composition of the present invention may be preferably 0.5 to 50.0% by mass, more preferably 1.0 to 40.0% by mass, even more preferably 2.0 to 36.0% by mass, even more preferably 3.0 to 29.0% by mass, particularly preferably 4.0 to 27.0% by mass, and particularly preferably 5.0 to 25.0% by mass or 13.0 to 25.0% by mass. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limit values ​​are also disclosed in the present invention.

[0070] Furthermore, the food composition of the present invention may preferably contain reduced starch syrup as the source of carbohydrates, from the viewpoints of suppressing deterioration of the taste of foods produced by the taste of sugar itself and preventing burning in embodiments in which the food composition of the present invention is added and then heated. Reduced starch syrup is a sugar produced by reducing starch syrup, which is obtained by hydrolyzing starch with acid or enzymes. When the food composition of the present invention contains carbohydrates in the form of reduced starch syrup, the ratio of the content (mass%) of reduced starch syrup to the total content (mass%) of carbohydrates is preferably 0.40 or more, more preferably 0.50 or more, even more preferably 0.60 or more, even more preferably 0.70 or more, particularly preferably 0.80 or more, and particularly preferably 0.90 or more, or even 1. Furthermore, according to one aspect of the present invention, the content of reduced starch syrup in the food composition of the present invention may be 0.0 to 50.0% by mass, and may further satisfy the above-mentioned upper and lower limits of the carbohydrate content.

[0071] Furthermore, the food composition of the present invention may preferably contain a sugar alcohol, from the viewpoints of suppressing deterioration of the taste of the food produced by the sugar itself and preventing burning in the case of heating after the addition of the food composition of the present invention. Sugar alcohols refer to compounds in which the reducing group (aldehyde group, carbonyl group) of a sugar is converted to an alcohol group by hydrogenation, and examples include sorbitol, iditol, xylitol, mannitol, lactitol, maltitol, palatinite, maltotriitol, and isomalt. The sugar alcohol content is measured according to the high-performance liquid chromatography method (monosaccharides, disaccharides, and sugar alcohols) described in Appendix 1 of the Supplement to the Analysis Manual for the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan, 2015 Edition (7th Edition). Specifically, the food composition of the present invention may contain sorbitol and / or mannitol, and the ratio of the combined sorbitol and mannitol content (% by mass) to the total carbohydrate content (% by mass) may be, for example, 0.05 or more, 0.08 or more, preferably 0.10 or more, 0.12 or more, 0.14 or more, 0.18 or more, 0.20 or more, more preferably 0.24 or more, even more preferably 0.28 or more, still more preferably 0.30 or more, 0.40 or more, particularly preferably 0.50 or more, especially preferably 0.60 or more, 0.70 or more, 0.80 or more, 0.90 or more, or 1. Furthermore, according to one aspect of the present invention, the combined sorbitol and mannitol content in the food composition of the present invention may be 0.0 to 50.0% by mass, and may further satisfy the above-mentioned upper and lower limits of the carbohydrate content.

[0072] Furthermore, the food composition of the present invention preferably has a ratio of carbohydrate content (% by mass) to salt equivalent content (% by mass) within a specified range. This embodiment is useful in that the effects of the present invention are further enhanced and the taste balance between sodium and carbohydrates is improved. Specifically, the upper limit of this ratio is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 8.0 or less, 7.0 or less, 6.0 or less, 5.0 or less, 4.5 or less, or 4.0 or less. The lower limit may be 0.1 or more, 0.2 or more, 0.3 or more, 0.4 or more, 0.5 or more, 0.6 or more, 0.7 or more, 0.8 or more, 0.9 or more, 1.0 or more, 1.5 or more, 2.0 or more, 2.5 or more, or 3.0 or more. Furthermore, in the food composition of the present invention, the ratio of the carbohydrate content (% by mass) to the salt equivalent amount (% by mass) in the food composition of the present invention may be preferably 0.5 to 8, more preferably 0.5 to 7, even more preferably 0.5 to 6, even more preferably 0.5 to 5, particularly preferably 0.5 to 4, and especially preferably 1 to 3. Furthermore, the ratio of the soluble carbohydrate content (% by mass) to the salt equivalent amount (% by mass) in the food composition of the present invention may satisfy the above-mentioned regulation. Furthermore, the ratio of the reduced starch syrup content (% by mass) to the salt equivalent amount (% by mass) in the food composition of the present invention may satisfy the above-mentioned regulation.

[0073] Furthermore, from the viewpoint of improving the taste of foods obtained using the food composition of the present invention, it is preferable that the ratio (by mass) of the content of at least one selected from fructose, glucose, and maltose to the total carbohydrate content (by mass) of the food composition of the present invention is not more than a predetermined value. This value may be preferably 0.90 or less, 0.80 or less, 0.70 or less, 0.60 or less, 0.50 or less, 0.40 or less, 0.30 or less, 0.20 or less, 0.15 or less, or 0.10 or less. Furthermore, the ratio of the content (by mass) of maltose to the total carbohydrate content (by mass) of the food composition of the present invention may be 0.80 or less, 0.70 or less, 0.60 or less, 0.50 or less, 0.40 or less, 0.30 or less, 0.20 or less, 0.15 or less, or 0.10 or less. The ratio of the total content of at least two sugars selected from fructose, glucose, and maltose to the total carbohydrate content of the food composition of the present invention may be within the above-mentioned range, and the ratio of the total content (% by mass) of fructose, glucose, and maltose to the total carbohydrate content (% by mass) of the food composition of the present invention may be within the above-mentioned range. The contents of fructose, glucose, and maltose in the food composition of the present invention are measured by high-performance liquid chromatography (monosaccharides, disaccharides) in accordance with the Analysis Manual for "Starch, Monosaccharides, Disaccharides" of the 2015 Edition (7th Edition) of the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan.

[0074] The food composition of the present invention is preferably used for producing processed grain products. Processed grain products refer to foods and drinks that use at least one type of grain as a raw material.

[0075] In this specification, the term "cereal" refers to at least one selected from pulses (legumes), cereals (grass), and pseudocereals. Specifically, the cereal in the present invention may be at least one pulse selected from the genus Pisum, Phaseolus, Pigeonpea, Vigna, Vicia, Chickpea, Glycine, and Lentil, or at least one cereal or pseudocereal selected from rice, wheat, barley, foxtail millet, barnyard millet, millet, sorghum, rye, oats, Job's tears, corn, buckwheat, amaranth, and quinoa.

[0076] The processed grain product of the present invention may contain at least one, two, or three or more pulses selected from the genera Pisum, Phaseolus, Pigeonpea, Vigna, Vicia, Chickpea, Glycine, and Lentil, or may contain at least one, two, three, four, five, six, or seven or more cereals or pseudocereals selected from rice, wheat, barley, foxtail millet, barnyard millet, millet, sorghum, rye, oats, Job's tears, corn, buckwheat, amaranth, and quinoa. Among these, the processed grain product of the present invention preferably contains at least one cereal selected from rice, wheat, barley, yellow pea, and corn. The processed grain product of the present invention may contain, in its entirety, pulses, cereals, or pseudocereals described above as raw grains.

[0077] Furthermore, when the processed grain product of the present invention contains rice, the rice may be polished rice or brown rice. In the processed grain product of the present invention, all of the grains used as raw materials may be polished rice, all of the grains used as raw materials may be brown rice, or the raw materials may consist of brown rice and polished rice. When the processed grain product of the present invention contains brown rice, the proportion of brown rice in the total rice contained in the processed grain product may be, for example, 1 to 100% by mass. The lower limit of this proportion may be, for example, 1% by mass or more, 3% by mass or more, 5% by mass or more, 7% by mass or more, 9% by mass or more, 10% by mass or more, 12% by mass or more, 14% by mass or more, 16% by mass or more, 18% by mass or more, 20% by mass or more, 25% by mass or more, 30% by mass or more, 35% by mass or more, 40% by mass or more, or 45% by mass or more. The upper limit may be 100% by mass or less, 95% by mass or less, 90% by mass or less, 85% by mass or less, 80% by mass or less, 75% by mass or less, 70% by mass or less, 65% by mass or less, 60% by mass or less, or 55% by mass or less. When the processed grain product of the present invention contains brown rice, it is particularly preferable for the food composition of the present invention to contain at least one enzyme selected from the group consisting of cyclodextrin glucanotransferase, xylanase, lipase, and β-glucosidase, among the enzymes described above, in order to improve the gritty texture that may occur during long-term storage. While the mechanism underlying this is unclear, it is possible that the inclusion of such enzymes contributes in some way to the retention of moisture in the brown rice. When the processed grain product of the present invention contains polished rice, the proportion of polished rice in the total rice may be, for example, 1 to 100% by mass. The lower limit may be, for example, 1% by mass or more, 3% by mass or more, 5% by mass or more, 7% by mass or more, 9% by mass or more, 10% by mass or more, 12% by mass or more, 14% by mass or more, 16% by mass or more, 18% by mass or more, 20% by mass or more, 25% by mass or more, 30% by mass or more, 35% by mass or more, 40% by mass or more, or 45% by mass or more. The upper limit may be 100% by mass or less, 95% by mass or less, 90% by mass or less, 85% by mass or less, 80% by mass or less, 75% by mass or less, 70% by mass or less, 65% by mass or less, 60% by mass or less, or 55% by mass or less.

[0078] Furthermore, according to one aspect of the present invention, when the processed grain product of the present invention contains rice, the processed grain product may contain rice with a predetermined polishing rate, where polished rice is defined as rice with a 100% polishing rate and brown rice is defined as rice with a 0% polishing rate. The polishing rate can be, for example, 70% or less, 50% or less, or 30% or less. Examples of rice with a predetermined polishing rate include "70% polished rice" with a 70% polishing rate, "50% polished rice" with a 50% polishing rate, and "30% polished rice" with a 30% polishing rate. That is, according to one aspect of the present invention, the processed grain product of the present invention may contain 70% polished rice, 50% polished rice, or 30% polished rice. When the processed grain product of the present invention contains rice with the predetermined polishing rate (e.g., 70% polished rice, 50% polished rice, or 30% polished rice), the proportion of the rice with the predetermined polishing rate (e.g., 70% polished rice, 50% polished rice, or 30% polished rice) in the total rice may be, for example, 1 to 100% by mass. The lower limit may be, for example, 1% by mass or more, 3% by mass or more, 5% by mass or more, 7% by mass or more, 9% by mass or more, 10% by mass or more, 12% by mass or more, 14% by mass or more, 16% by mass or more, 18% by mass or more, 20% by mass or more, 25% by mass or more, 30% by mass or more, 35% by mass or more, 40% by mass or more, or 45% by mass or more. The upper limit may be 100% by mass or less, 95% by mass or less, 90% by mass or less, 85% by mass or less, 80% by mass or less, 75% by mass or less, 70% by mass or less, 65% by mass or less, 60% by mass or less, or 55% by mass or less. In addition, when the processed grain product of the present invention contains rice with a specified polishing ratio (e.g., 70-minute polished rice, 50-minute polished rice, or 30-minute polished rice), it is particularly preferable that the food composition of the present invention contain at least one enzyme selected from the above-mentioned enzymes: cyclodextrin glucanotransferase, xylanase, lipase, or β-glucosidase, from the viewpoint of improving the gritty texture that occurs during long-term storage. Although the mechanism behind this is unclear, it is possible that the inclusion of the enzyme contributes in some way to the retention of moisture in rice with the specified polishing ratio (e.g., 70-minute polished rice, 50-minute polished rice, or 30-minute polished rice).

[0079] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the processed grain product of the present invention may contain miscellaneous grains. In the present invention, "miscellaneous grains" generally refers to grains other than the major grains of rice, wheat, and barley, and is a concept that includes so-called pseudo-miscellaneous grains (Chenopodiaceae, Amaranthaceae) other than grass family grains. When the processed grain product of the present invention contains miscellaneous grains, the type of miscellaneous grain contained is not limited, but preferably, for example, one or more types of miscellaneous grains selected from the Poaceae, Chenopodiaceae, and Amaranthaceae families, and more preferably, grass family grains. Specific examples include, but are not limited to, foxtail millet, barley, millet, sorghum, rye, oats, Job's tears, corn, buckwheat, amaranth, and quinoa. It is particularly preferable to use one or more of oats, amaranth, quinoa, and millet, with oats containing a high amount of soluble dietary fiber being particularly preferable. Furthermore, it is preferable that the millet does not substantially contain gluten (specifically, a gluten content of less than 10 ppm by mass), and more preferably does not contain gluten. When the processed grain product of the present invention contains millet, the proportion of millet in the total grains contained in the processed grain product may be, for example, 1 to 100% by mass. The lower limit may be, for example, 1% by mass or more, 3% by mass or more, 5% by mass or more, 7% by mass or more, 9% by mass or more, 10% by mass or more, 12% by mass or more, 14% by mass or more, 16% by mass or more, 18% by mass or more, 20% by mass or more, 25% by mass or more, 30% by mass or more, 35% by mass or more, 40% by mass or more, or 45% by mass or more. The upper limit may be 100% by mass or less, 95% by mass or less, 90% by mass or less, 85% by mass or less, 80% by mass or less, 75% by mass or less, 70% by mass or less, 65% by mass or less, 60% by mass or less, or 55% by mass or less. When the processed grain product of the present invention contains two or more types of minor grains, the content of the minor grains refers to the total content of the two or more types of minor grains. In this case, the content of each minor grain individually may be, for example, 1 to 90% by mass.The lower limit may be, for example, 1% by mass or more, 3% by mass or more, 5% by mass or more, 7% by mass or more, 9% by mass or more, 10% by mass or more, 12% by mass or more, 14% by mass or more, 16% by mass or more, 18% by mass or more, 20% by mass or more, 25% by mass or more, or 30% by mass or more. The upper limit may be, for example, 90% by mass or less, 85% by mass or less, 80% by mass or less, 75% by mass or less, 70% by mass or less, 65% by mass or less, 60% by mass or less, or 55% by mass or less. When the processed grain product of the present invention contains miscellaneous grains, it is particularly preferred that the food composition of the present invention contain at least one enzyme selected from the group consisting of cyclodextrin glucanotransferase, xylanase, lipase, and β-glucosidase, among the enzymes described above, in order to improve the gritty texture that occurs during long-term storage. Although the mechanism behind this is unclear, it is possible that the inclusion of the enzyme contributes in some way to the moisture retention of grains.

[0080] The processed grain product of the present invention may further contain raw materials of animal or plant origin in addition to the above-mentioned grains. Examples of raw materials of animal or plant origin include meat (e.g., beef, pork, chicken, lamb, horse meat, etc.), seafood (e.g., tuna, sea bream, bonito, flying fish, squid, octopus, scallop, shrimp, crab, etc.), dairy products (e.g., cow's milk, goat's milk, etc.), eggs (e.g., chicken eggs, duck eggs, quail eggs, etc.), or vegetables, fruits, herbs or spices, or nuts and seeds described below. That is, the processed grain product of the present invention may contain the grain disclosed herein and at least one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, or ten or more types selected from the meat, seafood, dairy products, eggs, vegetables, fruits, herbs or spices, or nuts and seeds disclosed herein.

[0081] Furthermore, the processed grain product of the present invention is preferably at least one selected from the group consisting of cooked rice, noodles, cereals, and breads, and may be particularly preferably cooked rice. Therefore, according to one aspect of the present invention, the food composition of the present invention can be at least one manufacturing composition selected from the group consisting of cooked rice, noodles, cereals, and breads. Also, according to one aspect of the present invention, the food composition of the present invention can be at least one improving composition selected from the group consisting of cooked rice, noodles, cereals, and breads.

[0082] When the food composition of the present invention is used for cooked rice, the timing of adding the food composition of the present invention may be either before or after cooking. Specifically, depending on the type of enzyme, the timing described in the Examples of this specification (before or after cooking) or the timing described in Tables 4 to 9 (before or after cooking) can be selected. In the present invention, cooked rice includes, for example, plain rice, sushi rice (vinegared rice), red rice, pilaf, fried rice, seasoned rice, steamed rice, paella, doria, dry curry, rice porridge, rice balls, barley rice, mixed grain rice, brown rice, etc. In addition, the cooked rice of the present invention may have a rice ratio within a predetermined range as a percentage of the total grains contained in the cooked rice. Specifically, the lower limit may be 30% by mass or more, 40% by mass or more, 50% by mass or more, 60% by mass or more, 70% by mass or more, or 80% by mass or more, and the upper limit is not particularly limited, but can be, for example, 100% by mass, 98% by mass or less, 95% by mass or less, 93% by mass or less, 90% by mass or less, or 85% by mass or less, and the range can be, for example, 30 to 100% by mass.

[0083] Furthermore, the food composition of the present invention can improve the shelf life of foods obtained by using the food composition while maintaining a relatively high pH, ​​thereby providing foods in which flavor deterioration due to a drop in pH is suppressed. From this perspective, the food composition of the present invention may be added so that the pH of foods produced by adding the food composition of the present invention falls within a predetermined range. The pH of foods produced by adding the food composition refers to the pH measured at 20°C under 1 atmosphere. The pH of a sample produced by adding distilled water in an amount twice the mass (wet mass) of the food can be measured, followed by homogenization (homogenization). (For example, in an embodiment in which the food is cooked rice and the food composition of the present invention is added before cooking, the pH of a sample produced by homogenizing the cooked rice can be measured by adding distilled water in an amount twice the mass of the cooked rice.) Specifically, the food composition of the present invention may be added so that the pH of a food or beverage produced by adding the food composition of the present invention is preferably greater than 6.20, more preferably 6.30 or higher, even more preferably 6.35 or higher, even more preferably 6.40 or higher, particularly preferably 6.45 or higher, and particularly preferably 6.50 or higher, 6.60 or higher. The upper limit of the pH of a food produced by adding the food composition of the present invention is not particularly limited, and the food composition may be added so that the pH of the food produced by adding the food composition of the present invention is, for example, 8.0 or lower, 7.5 or lower, 7.0 or lower, or 6.9 or lower. Furthermore, the food composition of the present invention may be added so that the pH of the food produced by adding the food composition of the present invention is within the range of, for example, 6.2 to 8.0, 6.3 to 7.5, or 6.4 to 7.0. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limits are also disclosed in the present invention. The food may preferably be a processed grain product, more preferably cooked rice, bread, cereal, or noodles, particularly preferably cooked rice or noodles, and particularly preferably cooked rice.

[0084] When the food composition of the present invention is added, the amount added may be, for example, 0.0005 to 10% by mass relative to the mass of the raw material (converted to wet mass). The lower limit is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, 0.001% by mass or more, 0.005% by mass or more, 0.01% by mass or more, 0.05% by mass or more, 0.1% by mass or more, 0.15% by mass or more, 0.2% by mass or more, 0.25% by mass or more, 0.3% by mass or more, 0.35% by mass or more, 0.4% by mass or more, 0.45% by mass or more, 0.5% by mass or more, 0.55% by mass or more, 0.6% by mass or more, 0.65% by mass or more, 0.7% by mass or more, 0.75% by mass or more, 0.8% by mass or more, 0.85% by mass or more, 0.9% by mass or more, 0.95% by mass or more, 0.95% by mass or more, 1.0% by mass or more, 1.5% by mass or more, 2.0% by mass or more, 3.0% by mass or more, 4.0% by mass or more, 5.0% by mass or more, or 5.5% by mass or more. Furthermore, the upper limit is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, 6.0 mass% or less, 5.0 mass% or less, 4.0 mass% or less, 3.0 mass% or less, 2.0 mass% or less, 1.0 mass% or less, 0.8 mass% or less, 0.6 mass% or less, 0.5 mass% or less, 0.3 mass% or less, 0.2 mass% or less, 0.1 mass% or less, 0.05 mass% or less, 0.03 mass% or less, or 0.01 mass% or less.

[0085] The raw material refers to the substance to which the food composition of the present invention is added. Specifically, in the case where the food composition of the present invention is used to produce cooked rice, the raw material refers to the mass of raw rice before soaking and before cooking (if ingredients other than rice are included, the total mass of the raw rice and the ingredients), in the case where the food composition of the present invention is used before baking bread, the raw material refers to the mass of bread dough, and in the case where the food composition of the present invention is used for noodle dough, the raw material refers to the mass of noodle dough.

[0086] <Second embodiment> The present invention also relates to a method for producing the food composition according to the first embodiment (second embodiment), which will be described below.

[0087] For example, for the purpose of simplifying production or, in embodiments where the food composition of the present invention contains an enzyme, maintaining enzymatic activity, the food composition of the present invention is preferably sterilized at a maximum temperature of less than 124°C during production, and preferably does not include a heat sterilization step (e.g., heat sterilization at a maximum temperature of 100°C or higher, particularly heat sterilization at a maximum temperature of 124°C or higher). Specifically, for example, if the Z value of an indicator bacterium is 10 minutes, it is preferable not to perform a sterilization step equivalent to 1.5925 minutes at 124°C. Furthermore, for the purpose of simplifying production or maintaining enzymatic activity in embodiments where the food composition of the present invention contains an enzyme, the food composition of the present invention may not include a pressure sterilization step in which pressure is applied above atmospheric pressure, and specifically, may not include a step of pressure sterilization under a pressure of 0.01 MPa or higher. The second embodiment also encompasses a method for preparing a food composition that satisfies the aspects disclosed in the first embodiment.

[0088] <Third embodiment> The present invention also relates to a method for producing a processed grain product using the food composition of the present invention disclosed in the first embodiment. A third embodiment will now be described.

[0089] The food composition of the present invention can improve the shelf life of processed grain products while maintaining a relatively high pH, ​​thereby providing processed grain products in which flavor deterioration due to a drop in pH is suppressed. Therefore, when producing processed grain products using the food composition of the present invention, it is preferable to produce the processed grain products so that their pH is within a predetermined range. The pH may satisfy the requirements disclosed in the first embodiment, preferably greater than 6.20, more preferably at least 6.30, even more preferably at least 6.35, even more preferably at least 6.40, particularly preferably at least 6.45, and particularly preferably at least 6.50 or 6.60. The upper limit may be adjusted to, for example, 8.0 or less, 7.5 or less, 7.0 or less, or 6.9 or less. Furthermore, the pH may be adjusted to, for example, 6.2 to 8.0, 6.3 to 7.5, or 6.4 to 7.0.

[0090] In the third embodiment, the specific types of processed grain products can be the same as those disclosed in the first embodiment.

[0091] Furthermore, in the third embodiment, the food composition disclosed in the first embodiment may be added to the raw material, followed by a step of heating the raw material to 90°C or higher at a heating rate of 6.0°C / min or higher, followed by a step of maintaining the raw material at 90°C or higher for 15 minutes or longer. This embodiment can be actively implemented, for example, when the processed grain product is cooked rice. Furthermore, when the processed grain product is cooked rice, this embodiment can be implemented by adding the food composition disclosed in the first embodiment to raw rice before cooking, and then cooking the rice.

[0092] Furthermore, the third embodiment may include a step of adding the food composition disclosed in the first embodiment to raw materials and then carrying out an enzymatic reaction at a temperature of 80°C or less for 30 minutes or more. This embodiment can be actively implemented, for example, when the processed grain product is cooked rice. Furthermore, when the processed grain product is cooked rice, this embodiment can be implemented by adding the food composition disclosed in the first embodiment to raw rice before cooking, and then cooking the rice.

[0093] <Fourth embodiment> The present invention also relates to processed grain products obtained by using the food composition according to the first embodiment. Specific types of processed grain products obtained by using the food composition of the present invention are as disclosed in the first embodiment. For example, when the processed grain product is produced by adding the food composition of the present invention to raw materials and then heating, the enzymes in the processed grain product may be inactivated.

[0094] <Fifth embodiment> The present invention also relates to a method for inhibiting the growth of spoilage bacteria in a food composition that is not subjected to heat sterilization at 100° C. or higher. A fifth embodiment will be described below.

[0095] According to the aspect disclosed in the first embodiment, the food composition of the present invention can inhibit the growth of microorganisms (particularly lactic acid bacteria, particularly the thermotolerant lactic acid bacterium "Lactobacillus fructivorans") that cause food spoilage. That is, the present invention encompasses a method for inhibiting the growth of, for example, the microorganisms disclosed in the first embodiment (particularly lactic acid bacteria, particularly the thermotolerant lactic acid bacterium "Lactobacillus fructivorans") in a food composition by preparing or using the food composition disclosed in the first embodiment. Specifically, the present invention encompasses a method for inhibiting the growth of microorganisms in a food composition by preparing a food composition that satisfies all of the following requirements (a) to (d): Furthermore, as described in the first embodiment, the food composition of the present invention may be an unsterilized composition that can be filled into a container, stored at 20°C under 1 atmosphere for 1 month, 2 months, 3 months, 4 months, 5 months, 6 months, 7 months, or 8 months without being subjected to heat sterilization (for example, heat sterilization at a maximum temperature of 100°C or higher, particularly heat sterilization at a maximum temperature of 124°C or higher), and still be usable without generating a deterioration odor derived from microorganisms. From this perspective, the present embodiment also encompasses a "method for improving the shelf life of a food composition that is not subjected to heat sterilization at 100°C or higher." (a) The moisture content converted to wet mass is 20% by mass or more. (b) pH is 4.0 or higher at 20°C and 1 atmosphere. (c) The food composition has a titratable acidity of 0.1% by mass or more when measured by Measurement Method A. Measurement method A Accurately collect 10 g of the food composition and dilute it 10 times with ion-exchanged water. To the diluted solution (100 g), add 0.08 ml of 3.1% phenolphthalein solution as an indicator. Neutralize and titrate with a 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution of known potency, and calculate the titratable acidity using the following formula: Titratable acidity of food composition (mass%) = {(60.05 x 0.1 x F x V) x 100} / {sample amount (10 g) x 1000} 60.05: Molecular weight of acetic acid 0.1: Molar concentration of sodium hydroxide solution (mol / L) F: Potency of 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution V: Titration volume of 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution (mL) (d) Meet the following requirements (i) and / or (ii): Requirement(i) When the salt equivalent amount per 100g of water in the food composition is Xg and the undissociated acetic acid content per 100g of water in the food composition is Yg, the following formula is satisfied. 4Y+X≧10 (where X≧3 and Y>0.03) Requirement (ii) The food composition has a salt equivalent of 3.0 g or more per 100 g of water, and an ethanol content of 8.0 g or more per 100 g of water.

[0096] The preferred numerical ranges, upper and lower limits for the above requirements (a) to (d) can be the values ​​disclosed in the first embodiment. The food composition of the fifth embodiment may contain the enzyme disclosed in the first embodiment in the manner disclosed in the first embodiment. Furthermore, the food composition of the fifth embodiment can also be the food composition disclosed in the first embodiment, and therefore, even if the requirements are not specified, the manner disclosed in the first embodiment can be adopted. For example, the method may be a method for inhibiting the growth of spoilage bacteria in a food composition that is filled without heat sterilization, or a method for inhibiting the growth of spoilage bacteria when the food composition is stored at 20°C under 1 atmosphere for 1 month, 2 months, 3 months, 4 months, 5 months, 6 months, 7 months, or 8 months. The method may also be a method of inhibiting the growth of putrefactive bacteria by adjusting the water activity of the food composition to satisfy the aspect disclosed in the first embodiment, a method of inhibiting the growth of putrefactive bacteria by adjusting the salt equivalent amount of the food composition to the aspect disclosed in the first embodiment, a method of inhibiting the growth of putrefactive bacteria by adjusting the sodium salt content (sodium acetate, sodium citrate, sodium chloride, etc.) of the food composition to the aspect disclosed in the first embodiment, a method of inhibiting the growth of putrefactive bacteria by adjusting the Brix value (refractive index sugar content) of the food composition to the aspect disclosed in the first embodiment, or a method of inhibiting the growth of putrefactive bacteria by adjusting the ratio of the chloride ion content (mass%) to the sodium content (mass%) of the food composition to the aspect disclosed in the first embodiment. a method of suppressing the growth of spoilage bacteria by adjusting the chloride ion content of a food composition to the aspect disclosed in the first embodiment; a method of suppressing the growth of spoilage bacteria by adjusting the non-dissociated acetic acid content of a food composition to the aspect disclosed in the first embodiment; a method of suppressing the growth of spoilage bacteria by adjusting the total acetic acid content of a food composition to the aspect disclosed in the first embodiment; a method of suppressing the growth of spoilage bacteria by adjusting the brewed vinegar content of a food composition to the aspect disclosed in the first embodiment; or a method of suppressing the growth of spoilage bacteria by adjusting the ratio of the dissociated acetic acid content (mass%) to the total acetic acid content (mass%) of a food composition to the aspect disclosed in the first embodiment.The method may be a method of suppressing the growth of putrefactive bacteria by adjusting the ratio of the total acetic acid content to the titratable acidity of the food composition (total acetic acid content / titratable acidity determined by neutralization titration) to the mode disclosed in the first embodiment, a method of suppressing the growth of putrefactive bacteria by adjusting the carbohydrate content of the food composition to satisfy the regulation disclosed in the first embodiment, a method of suppressing the growth of putrefactive bacteria by adjusting the ratio of the carbohydrate content (mass%) to the salt equivalent amount (mass%) of the food composition to satisfy the regulation disclosed in the first embodiment, or a method of suppressing the growth of putrefactive bacteria by adjusting the content of reduced starch syrup (mass%) to the carbohydrate content (mass%) of the food composition to satisfy the regulation disclosed in the first embodiment. %) to satisfy the requirement disclosed in the first embodiment, or a method for suppressing the growth of spoilage bacteria by adjusting the ratio of the total content (mass%) of sorbitol and mannitol to the carbohydrate content (mass%) of the food composition to satisfy the requirement disclosed in the first embodiment, or a method for suppressing the growth of spoilage bacteria by adjusting the ratio of the content (mass%) of at least one selected from fructose, glucose, and maltose to the carbohydrate content (mass%) of the food composition to satisfy the requirement disclosed in the first embodiment.

[0097] Sixth Embodiment The present invention also relates to a method for improving the texture of processed grain products by using the food composition of the first embodiment. The use of the food composition of the present invention improves the texture of processed grain products through the synergistic effect of the enzyme, sodium, and undissociated acetic acid and / or ethanol. Furthermore, the food composition of the present invention can maintain a relatively high pH in the food or drink (particularly processed grain products) obtained by use thereof while inhibiting the growth of spoilage bacteria in the food or drink (particularly processed grain products), thereby reducing the flavor deterioration of the processed grain products due to a decrease in pH. Examples of textures in the sixth embodiment can be those disclosed in the first embodiment. Specific types of processed grain products can be those disclosed in the first embodiment. The pH of foods and drinks produced by adding the food composition of the present invention can be the same as that disclosed in the first embodiment.

[0098] Seventh Embodiment The food composition of the present invention also relates to a food composition to be added to a composition containing an enzyme having an optimum pH of 4.0 or higher. A seventh embodiment will be described below.

[0099] The seventh embodiment is a food composition that satisfies all of the requirements (a) to (d) disclosed in the first embodiment and is to be added to a composition containing an enzyme having an optimum pH of 4.0 or higher.

[0100] In the seventh embodiment, the preferred numerical ranges, upper and lower limits of the requirements (a) to (d) may be the values ​​disclosed in the first embodiment. Furthermore, the optimum pH of an enzyme having an optimum pH of 4.0 or higher and specific examples of the enzyme may be the same as those disclosed in the first embodiment. Furthermore, even for matters not specified by the above requirements, the food composition-related specifications disclosed in the first embodiment may be used. For example, the food composition is preferably liquid at 1 atmosphere and 20°C, more preferably at 1 atmosphere and 0°C, and may be liquid at 1 atmosphere and -20°C. Furthermore, the food composition may be filled without heat sterilization and stored at 20°C at 1 atmosphere for 1 month, 2 months, 3 months, 4 months, 5 months, 6 months, 7 months, or 8 months, and still be usable under the Food Sanitation Act (corresponding to the Act amending the Food Sanitation Act, etc., which came into effect on June 1, 2021).Furthermore, the water activity of the food composition may satisfy the specification disclosed in the first embodiment, the salt equivalent amount of the food composition may satisfy the specification disclosed in the first embodiment, the sodium salt content (sodium acetate, sodium citrate, etc.) of the food composition may be in the form disclosed in the first embodiment, the Brix value (refractive index sugar content) of the food composition may satisfy the specification disclosed in the first embodiment, the ratio of the chloride ion content (mass%) to the sodium content (mass%) of the food composition may satisfy the specification disclosed in the first embodiment, the chloride ion content of the food composition may satisfy the specification disclosed in the first embodiment, the undissociated acetic acid content of the food composition may satisfy the specification disclosed in the first embodiment, the total acetic acid content of the food composition may satisfy the specification disclosed in the first embodiment, the brewed vinegar content of the food composition may satisfy the specification disclosed in the first embodiment, and the ratio of dissociated acetic acid to the total acetic acid content (mass%) of the food composition may satisfy the specification disclosed in the first embodiment. The ratio of the content (mass%) may satisfy the specifications disclosed in the first embodiment, the ratio of the total acetic acid content to the titratable acidity of the food composition (total acetic acid content / titratable acidity determined by neutralization titration) may satisfy the specifications disclosed in the first embodiment, the carbohydrate content of the food composition may satisfy the specifications disclosed in the first embodiment, the ratio of the carbohydrate content (mass%) to the salt equivalent amount (mass%) of the food composition may satisfy the specifications disclosed in the first embodiment, the ratio of the content (mass%) of reduced starch syrup to the carbohydrate content of the food composition may satisfy the specifications disclosed in the first embodiment, the ratio of the total content (mass%) of sorbitol and mannitol to the carbohydrate content (mass%) of the food composition may satisfy the specifications disclosed in the first embodiment, and the ratio of the content (mass%) of at least one selected from fructose, glucose, and maltose to the carbohydrate content (mass%) of the food composition may satisfy the specifications disclosed in the first embodiment.

[0101] In the seventh embodiment, the "composition containing the enzyme having an optimum pH of 4.0 or higher" is not particularly limited as long as it contains an enzyme having a pH of 4.0 or higher, and may be, for example, an enzyme preparation containing the enzyme and other mineral salts, meat, seafood, eggs, milk, or plants containing the enzyme, or the "enzyme having an optimum pH of 4.0 or higher" itself.

[0102] The plant may be preferably a grain, vegetable, fruit, herb, spice, or nut, particularly preferably a grain. When the plant is a grain, the preferred types of grain are as disclosed in the first embodiment.

[0103] Examples of the vegetables include tomatoes, bell peppers, paprika, cucumbers, eggplants, red bell peppers, pumpkins, ginger, garlic, radishes, corn, carrots, beets, onions, cabbage, lettuce, spinach, Chinese cabbage, celery, komatsuna (Japanese mustard spinach), bok choy, mulukhiyah (mulukhiya), kale, shiso (perilla), chives, parsley, green onions, asparagus, bamboo shoots, broccoli, and cauliflower.

[0104] Examples of fruits include apples, peaches, grapes, acerola, blueberries, pears, apricots, citrus fruits (oranges, lemons, yuzu, kabosu, sudachi, limes, mandarins, grapefruit, pink grapefruit, hassaku persimmons, calamansi, etc.), strawberries, pineapples, bananas, melons, kiwifruit, black currants, apricots, guavas, plums, mangoes, papayas, lychees, plums, pomegranates, acai, raspberries, white grapes, bergamot, and passion fruit.

[0105] Examples of the herbs or spices include roselle, watercress, arugula, artichoke, calendula, tarragon, chicory, stevia, dandelion, basil, perilla, oregano, shiso, savory, sage, thyme, mint, lemon balm, rosemary, parsley, anise, angelica, cumin, coriander, water parsley, chervil, hawthorn, allspice, lemon myrtle, Japanese pepper, nasturtium, laurel, hops, rooibos, chamomile, safflower, elderflower, pepper, cinnamon, and plantain.

[0106] Examples of the nuts and seeds include almonds, cashew nuts, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts, walnuts, chestnuts, and chestnuts. [Example]

[0107] The present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to examples. However, these examples are merely examples shown for the convenience of explanation, and the present invention is not limited to these examples in any sense.

[0108] <Test 1: Verification of the microbial growth inhibitory effect of the food composition of the present invention> Sodium acetate, rice vinegar (manufactured by Mitsukan Co., Ltd.), sodium chloride, sucrose, reduced starch syrup, water, and ethanol were appropriately mixed to prepare food compositions for each test product (Test Examples 1 to 45). 10 lactic acid bacteria (Lactobacillus fructivorans) were added to each test product. 5The inoculated test samples were sealed and incubated at 25°C for 3 days to prepare two groups: an inoculated test sample and an uninoculated test sample, both of which were refrigerated. The odor of the inoculated test sample after incubation was compared with that of the uninoculated test sample to evaluate the degree of inhibition of food-deteriorating microbial growth. Evaluations were conducted by 10 expert panelists as follows. The sensory panelists for each sensory test were trained in identifying food taste, odor, texture, and appearance. They were selected based on their outstanding performance, product development experience, and extensive knowledge of food quality, including taste, odor, texture, and appearance, and their ability to provide absolute evaluations for each sensory test item. For each of the above evaluation items, all panelists evaluated Test Example 1 in advance, standardizing the scores for each evaluation criterion, and then conducting an objective sensory test. The average scores of the 10 panelists were then calculated and rounded to the nearest decimal place to obtain the final score. The results are shown in Tables 1 and 2. The figures for each provision in the table are rounded to the nearest third or second decimal place.

[0109] <Evaluation of deterioration odor> 1: The smell of deterioration is very strong and undesirable 2: Strong odor of deterioration, somewhat undesirable 3: Weak odor of deterioration, somewhat preferable 4: Very weak odor of deterioration, preferable

[0110] [Table 1-1] [Table 1-2]

[0111] [Table 2]

[0112] As shown in Tables 1 and 2, it was shown that the deterioration odor can be suppressed by adjusting the salt equivalent amount and the undissociated acetic acid content, or the salt equivalent amount and the ethanol content, and it was found that the growth of microorganisms that cause food deterioration can be suppressed.

[0113] <Test 2: Verification of the effect when the food composition of the present invention is used in the production of food and beverages> <Preparation of each test sample> Brewed vinegar, sodium acetate, sucrose, reduced starch syrup, sodium chloride, water, ethanol, and commercially available enzymes or mixtures of commercially available enzymes (enzyme samples 1 to 31) listed in Table 3 were appropriately blended to prepare test food compositions (compositions for producing cooked rice) with the compositions listed in Tables 4 to 9 (Test Examples 46 to 104). Each test product was placed in a container with a lid and left to stand at 20°C for 2 weeks. After confirming that there was no deterioration odor, it was subjected to the following Test 2-1 or Test 2-2.

[0114] <Test 2-1: Evaluation of the taste of cooked rice when the test product is used before cooking> Polished rice (apparent amylose content 17.3%) was weighed and washed. After the rice was soaked, water was added to the raw rice so that it was completely submerged, and the rice was soaked at room temperature (20°C) for 60 minutes. After soaking, the water used for soaking was discarded, and each test product (any of Test Examples 46 to 104) was added to the soaked raw rice at a concentration of 1% by mass relative to the weight of the raw rice before water addition. Water was then added so that the hydration ratio was 1.4 times the weight of the raw rice before water addition. Cooking was started within 30 minutes after the addition of water using an induction heating rice cooker (JKT-G101, manufactured by Tiger Corporation) in the quick-cook mode, and the resulting cooked rice was used as the test group. In addition, a control solution with the same composition as each test product, but without the enzyme, was added instead of each test product, and cooked in the same manner. This cooked rice was used as a negative control. Additionally, cooked rice was prepared in the same manner as the positive control, except that the commercial enzymes contained in each test product were added in place of the test products, with the enzyme content relative to the weight of raw rice before water addition being equal to that of the test products. The cooked rice was cooled to 45°C in a vacuum cooler (Miura Industries Co., Ltd.: GMJ-20QE) and then molded into 20g sushi rice balls using a rice ball molding machine (Suzumo Machinery Co., Ltd.: SSN-FRA). The rice balls prepared as described above were stored at 4°C for 24 hours and then subjected to the following sensory evaluation test. The sensory evaluation was conducted by 10 expert panelists to determine whether the enzyme activity of each test product was maintained by storage at 20°C, depending on the type of enzyme added during cooking. Specifically, for enzymes involved in inhibiting cooked rice staling, the softness of the positive control and test group was evaluated compared to the negative control. In addition, the enzymes involved in improving cooked rice elasticity were evaluated for elasticity in the positive control and test group compared to the negative control. The final score was calculated by calculating the average of the scores of the 10 sensory panelists and rounding to the nearest decimal place. Any comments other than those listed in the evaluation items were also noted as remarks. As with Test 1, the sensory panelists who performed each sensory test were selected based on their outstanding performance, product development experience, extensive knowledge of food quality such as taste, odor, texture, and appearance, and the ability to make absolute evaluations of each sensory test item.Furthermore, for all of the above evaluation items, all the inspectors evaluated Test Example 46 in advance, and after standardizing the scores for each evaluation criterion, an objective sensory test was conducted. The results are shown in Tables 4 to 9. Note that the numerical values ​​for each specification in the tables are rounded to two or three decimal places.

[0115] <Evaluation of softness after 24 hours of storage at 4°C> 1: Softness is impaired to the same extent as the negative control, and it is undesirable. 2: Although it is an improvement over the negative control, the softness is impaired and it is somewhat undesirable 3: Softness improved compared to negative control, slightly preferable 4: Much softer than the negative control, and preferable <Evaluation of elasticity after 24 hours storage at 4℃> 1: Elasticity is impaired to the same extent as the negative control, which is undesirable 2: Although it is an improvement over the negative control, the elasticity is impaired and it is somewhat undesirable. 3: Elasticity is improved compared to the negative control, and is somewhat preferable 4: Much more resilient and preferable than the negative control

[0116] <Test 2-2: Evaluation of the taste of cooked rice when the test product is used after cooking> Polished rice (apparent amylose content 17.3%) was weighed and washed. After the rice was completely submerged in water, it was soaked at room temperature (20°C) for 60 minutes. After soaking, the water used for soaking was discarded, and water was added to the soaked raw rice so that the hydration ratio was 1.4 times the weight of the raw rice before adding water. Within 30 minutes after adding the water, rice cooking was started using the quick-cook mode of an induction heating rice cooker (JKT-G101, manufactured by Tiger Corporation) to obtain cooked rice. The entire cooked rice was transferred to a tub and allowed to cool for 10 minutes at 20°C. Each test product (any of Test Examples 46 to 104) was added at a concentration of 1% by mass relative to the weight of the raw rice before adding water. The cooked rice was stirred with a rice paddle and allowed to cool for another 30 minutes to allow the enzyme reaction to occur. This cooked rice was used as the test group. In addition, cooked rice prepared by adding a control test solution similar to each test product except that it did not contain enzymes was used as a negative control. Furthermore, cooked rice prepared by adding the commercially available enzymes contained in each test product in place of each test product so that the amount of enzyme added relative to the weight of raw rice before water addition was equal to that of each test product was used as a positive control. After cooling, the cooked rice was cooled to 45°C in a vacuum cooler (Miura Kogyo Co., Ltd.: GMJ-20QE) and then molded into 20g rice balls using a rice ball molding machine (Suzumo Machinery Co., Ltd.: SSN-FRA). The rice balls prepared as described above were stored at 4°C for 24 hours, and then subjected to the same sensory evaluation as in Test 2-1 to evaluate softness and elasticity.

[0117] [Table 3]

[0118] [Table 4]

[0119] [Table 5]

[0120] [Table 6]

[0121] [Table 7]

[0122] [Table 8]

[0123] [Table 9]

[0124] Test 2 demonstrated that the food composition of the present invention maintains enzyme activity while inhibiting the growth of microorganisms that cause food deterioration. Furthermore, some test plots showed superior effects compared to the positive control, demonstrating the usefulness of adding enzymes to the food composition of the present invention. Furthermore, for test examples in which the pH of the food composition was 5.3 or higher, the resulting cooked rice was homogenized with distilled water in an amount twice the mass of the cooked rice, and the pH was measured at 20°C and 1 atmosphere. The results showed that the pH of the cooked rice in all cases was above 6.2. Tests 2-1 and 2-2 were also conducted under the same conditions, except that 30% by mass of the total amount of polished rice was replaced with brown rice. Results similar to those obtained with polished rice were obtained. Similarly, in Tests 2-1 and 2-2, tests were conducted under the same conditions except that 30% by mass of the total amount of polished rice was replaced with soybeans (5% by mass), barley (5% by mass), adzuki beans (5% by mass), brown rice (5% by mass), foxtail millet (5% by mass), and barnyard millet (5% by mass). Results were similar to those obtained with polished rice. In addition, in Test Examples 63, 64, 67, 81, 85, 99, and 104, when 30% by mass of the total amount of polished rice was replaced with brown rice, and when 30% by mass of the total amount of polished rice was replaced with soybeans (5% by mass), barley (5% by mass), adzuki beans (5% by mass), brown rice (5% by mass), foxtail millet (5% by mass), and barnyard millet (5% by mass), an improvement in the gritty texture of cooked rice was observed.

[0125] <Test 3: Evaluation of the effect of adjusting the ratio of the dissociated acetic acid content (mass%) to the total acetic acid content (total acetic acid content) (mass%)> In this study, we focused on the ratio of the dissociated acetic acid content (% by mass) to the total acetic acid content (% by mass) in the food composition, and by adjusting this value, we investigated the effect of suppressing the development of excessive sourness in the food or the effect of enhancing the flavor of the food material to be seasoned, particularly in embodiments in which the food composition of the present invention is added to food as a seasoning used to improve the shelf life of ready-to-eat prepared meals. Specifically, brewed vinegar (total acetic acid content 15% by mass), glacial acetic acid, grain vinegar (manufactured by Mitsukan Co., Ltd.), sodium acetate, sucrose, reduced starch syrup, sodium chloride, water, monosodium fumarate, monosodium succinate, and sodium hydroxide were appropriately mixed to prepare test products (Test Examples 105 to 111) that either met or did not meet the following requirements (a) to (d) so as to obtain the composition shown in Table 10. (a) The moisture content converted to wet mass is 20% by mass or more. (b) pH is 4.0 or higher at 20°C and 1 atmosphere. (c) The food composition has a titratable acidity of 0.1% by mass or more when measured by Measurement Method A. Measurement method A Accurately take 10 g of the food composition and dilute it 10 times with ion-exchanged water. To the diluted solution (100 g), add 0.08 ml of 3.1% phenolphthalein solution as an indicator. Neutralize with a 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution of known potency, and calculate the titratable acidity using the following formula: Titratable acidity of food composition (mass%) = {(60.05 x 0.1 x F x V) x 100} / {sample amount (10 g) x 1000} 60.05: Molecular weight of acetic acid 0.1: Molar concentration of sodium hydroxide solution (mol / L) F: Potency of 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution V: Titration volume of 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution (mL) (d) Meet the following requirements (i) and / or (ii): Requirement(i) When the salt equivalent amount per 100g of water in the food composition is Xg and the undissociated acetic acid content per 100g of water in the food composition is Yg, the following formula is satisfied. 4Y+X≧10 (where X≧3 and Y>0.03) Requirement (ii) The food composition contains 3.0 g or more of salt equivalent per 100 g of water, and 8.0 g or more of ethanol per 100 g of water. The titratable acidity (% by mass; the value measured by (c) above), total acetic acid content (% by mass), undissociated acetic acid content (% by mass), dissociated acetic acid content (% by mass), the ratio of dissociated acetic acid content (% by mass) to total acetic acid content (% by mass), pH (20°C, 1 atmosphere), and sodium content (% by mass) for each test example are shown in Table 10.

[0126] The obtained test products (Test Examples 105 to 111) were used as seasonings to be added to ready-to-eat meals (prepared dishes). Specifically, a stew of dried daikon radish was prepared, and any of Test Examples 105 to 111 was added to the stew of dried daikon radish so that the non-dissociated acetic acid content (mass%) in the stew of dried daikon radish was 0.08% by mass (this improves shelf life compared to when no test example was added). The stew of dried daikon radish to which various test examples were added was left at 20 ° C. for 24 hours and then eaten. The effect of enhancing the sourness, unpleasant taste, and flavor of the food material to be seasoned was evaluated on a 5-point scale. The evaluation was performed by sensory evaluation according to the following evaluation criteria, and a comprehensive evaluation was performed by taking the average score (rounded down to the nearest whole number) for each evaluation item. As in Test 1, the sensory testers for each sensory test were 10 expert panelists who had previously undergone training in identifying the taste, smell, texture, and appearance of food. They were selected based on their outstanding performance, product development experience, and extensive knowledge of the quality of food, such as taste, smell, texture, and appearance. They were also able to perform absolute evaluations of each sensory test item. Furthermore, for each of the above evaluation items, all the inspectors evaluated the sample in advance, in which Test Example 105 was added to boiled dried radish. After standardizing each score on the evaluation criteria, an objective sensory test was performed. In this test, the flavor of the food material was evaluated as "the fresh and refreshing flavor unique to radish." The results are shown in Table 10.

[0127] <Sourness of side dishes> 1: The side dish has a very strong sour taste, which is undesirable 2: The side dish has a strong sour taste, which is somewhat undesirable 3: The sourness of the side dish is a little strong, but it is mild and somewhat pleasant. 4: The sourness of the side dishes is slightly mild, which is preferable. 5: The sourness of the side dishes is very mild, which is very pleasant.

[0128] <Slight off-flavors of side dishes> 1: The side dish has a very strong off-flavor, which is undesirable 2: The side dish has a strong off-flavor, which is somewhat undesirable 3: The off-flavor of the side dish is a little strong, but it is toned down and somewhat pleasant. 4: The side dishes have a mild, unpleasant taste. 5: The side dishes have very little off-flavor and are very pleasant.

[0129] <Ingredient flavor (effect of enhancing the flavor of the food ingredients being seasoned)> 1: The flavor of the food material is significantly impaired and is undesirable. 2: The flavor of the food ingredients is lost and it is somewhat undesirable. 3: The flavor of the food ingredients can be slightly sensed, which is somewhat preferable. 4: The flavor of the food ingredients can be felt, which is desirable. 5: The flavor of the food ingredients can be clearly felt, which is very desirable.

[0130] [Table 10]

[0131] Table 10 shows that, particularly in the case where the food composition of the present invention is used as a seasoning by adding it to a food material, the development of excessive sourness can be suppressed by adjusting the ratio of the dissociated acetic acid content (mass%) to the total acetic acid content (total acetic acid content) (mass%). Furthermore, it was found that when the ratio of the dissociated acetic acid content (mass%) to the total acetic acid content (total acetic acid content) (mass%) is 0.49 or more and 0.75 or less, the flavor of the food material to be seasoned can be enhanced. Note that the same effect was obtained when a similar test was performed using kinpira gobo (stir-fried burdock) instead of boiled kiriboshi daikon radish.

Claims

1. A food composition that satisfies all of the following requirements (a) to (d): (a) The moisture content converted to wet mass is 20% by mass or more. (b) pH at 20°C and 1 atmosphere is 4.0 or more (c) The food composition has a titratable acidity of 0.1% by mass or more when measured by measurement method A. Measurement method A Accurately sample 10 g of the food composition and dilute it 10 times with ion-exchanged water. To the diluted solution (100 g), add 0.08 ml of 3.1% phenolphthalein solution as an indicator. Neutralization titration is performed with a 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution of known potency, and the titratable acidity is calculated using the following formula: Titratable acidity of food composition (mass%)={(60.05×0.1×F×V)×100} / {sample amount (10 g)×1000} 60.05: Molecular weight of acetic acid 0.1: Molar concentration of sodium hydroxide solution (mol / L) F: Potency of 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution V: Titration volume (mL) of 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution (d) Satisfy the following requirements (i) and / or (ii): Requirement (i) When the salt equivalent amount per 100 g of water in the food composition is X g and the undissociated acetic acid content per 100 g of water in the food composition is Y g, the following formula is satisfied: 4Y + X ≧ 10 (where X ≧ 3 and Y > 0.03) Requirement (ii) The food composition has a salt equivalent of 3.0 g or more per 100 g of water, and an ethanol content of 8.0 g or more per 100 g of water.

2. 2. The food composition according to claim 1, wherein the salt equivalent amount per 100 g of water in the food composition is 4.0 g or more.

3. 3. The food composition according to claim 1, wherein the total acetic acid content of the food composition is 0.4 g or more per 100 g of water.

4. The food composition according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which contains one or more enzymes having an optimum pH of 4.0 or higher.

5. The food composition according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the food composition contains brewed vinegar.

6. The food composition according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the ratio of the dissociated acetic acid content (% by mass) to the total acetic acid content (% by mass) of the food composition is 0.10 or more.

7. The food composition according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the ratio of the chloride ion content (mass%) of the food composition to the sodium content (mass%) of the food composition is 0.1 to 1.

5.

8. The food composition according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the Brix value of the food composition is 15 or more.

9. The food composition according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the carbohydrate content of the food composition per 100 g of water is 4.0 g or more.

10. The food composition according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the food composition contains a sugar alcohol.

11. The food composition according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the food composition contains reduced starch syrup.

12. The food composition according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the ratio of the maltose content (% by mass) to the total carbohydrate content (% by mass) of the food composition is 0.80 or less.

13. 5. The food composition of claim 4, wherein the enzyme comprises a transferase and / or a hydrolase.

14. The food composition according to claim 13, wherein the enzyme contains at least one transferase selected from 6-α-glucanotransferase, 4-α-glucanotransferase, cyclodextrin glucanotransferase, and α-glucosyltransferase.

15. The food composition according to claim 13 or 14, wherein the enzyme comprises at least one hydrolase selected from glutaminase, maltotriohydrolase, β-amylase, phospholipase A1, pullulanase, hemicellulase, α-amylase, pectinase, glucoamylase, transglucosidase, pectin methylesterase, phospholipase A2, protease, α-galactosidase, invertase, cellulase, xylanase, fructosyltransferase, β-glucosidase, and lipase.

16. The food composition according to any one of claims 13 to 15, wherein the enzymes comprise 6-α-glucanotransferase and maltotriohydrolase.

17. The food composition according to any one of claims 13 to 16, wherein the enzymes comprise 4-α-glucanotransferase and β-amylase.

18. The food composition according to any one of claims 13 to 17, wherein the enzymes include a protease and a lipase.

19. The food composition according to any one of claims 13 to 18, wherein the enzymes include cellulase, hemicellulase, and pectinase.

20. The food composition according to any one of claims 4 and 13 to 19, wherein the enzyme comprises at least one selected from glucose oxidase, polyphenol oxidase, and glucose isomerase.

21. The food composition according to any one of claims 1 to 20, for use in a method for producing a processed grain product.

22. The food composition according to claim 21, wherein the processed grain product is at least one selected from the group consisting of cooked rice, noodles, cereals, and breads.

23. The food composition of claim 21 , wherein the processed grain product contains rice.

24. The food composition according to claim 21, wherein the processed grain product is cooked rice.

25. The food composition according to claim 21, wherein the food composition is used so that when the processed grain product is homogenized by adding distilled water in an amount twice the mass (wet mass equivalent) of the produced processed grain product, the pH at 20°C under 1 atmosphere is greater than 6.

20.

26. The food composition according to any one of claims 1 to 25, wherein the food composition is a liquid composition.

27. 27. The food composition of claim 26, wherein the food composition is an unpasteurized liquid composition.

28. A method for producing the food composition according to any one of claims 1 to 26, comprising sterilization at a maximum temperature of less than 124°C.

29. A method for producing the food composition according to any one of claims 1 to 27, wherein the production does not include a heat sterilization treatment step.

30. A method for producing a processed grain product, comprising adding the food composition according to any one of claims 1 to 27.

31. The method for producing a processed grain product according to claim 30, wherein the processed grain product is at least one selected from the group consisting of cooked rice, noodles, cereals, and breads.

32. A processed grain product produced using the food composition according to any one of claims 1 to 27.

33. The processed grain product according to claim 32, wherein the processed grain product is at least one selected from the group consisting of cooked rice, noodles, cereals, and breads.

34. A method for inhibiting the growth of spoilage bacteria in a food composition that has not been sterilized by heating at 100°C or higher, wherein the food composition satisfies all of the following requirements (a) to (d): (a) The moisture content converted to wet mass is 20% by mass or more. (b) pH at 20°C and 1 atmosphere is 4.0 or more (c) The food composition has a titratable acidity of 0.1% by mass or more when measured by measurement method A. Measurement method A Accurately sample 10 g of the food composition and dilute it 10 times with ion-exchanged water. To the diluted solution (100 g), add 0.08 ml of 3.1% phenolphthalein solution as an indicator. Neutralization titration is performed with a 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution of known potency, and the titratable acidity is calculated using the following formula: Titratable acidity of food composition (mass%)={(60.05×0.1×F×V)×100} / {sample amount (10 g)×1000} 60.05: Molecular weight of acetic acid 0.1: Molar concentration of sodium hydroxide solution (mol / L) F: Potency of 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution V: Titration volume (mL) of 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution (d) Meet the following requirements (i) and / or (ii): Requirement (i) When the salt equivalent amount per 100 g of water in the food composition is X g and the undissociated acetic acid content per 100 g of water in the food composition is Y g, the following formula is satisfied: 4Y + X ≧ 10 (where X ≧ 3 and Y > 0.03) Requirement (ii) The food composition has a salt equivalent of 3.0 g or more per 100 g of water, and an ethanol content of 8.0 g or more per 100 g of water.

35. The method for inhibiting the growth of spoilage bacteria according to claim 34, wherein the spoilage bacteria include lactic acid bacteria.

36. 36. The method for inhibiting the growth of spoilage bacteria according to claim 34 or 35, wherein the food composition is a food composition that has not been subjected to heat sterilization.

37. A method for improving the texture of processed grain products, comprising using the food composition according to any one of claims 1 to 27.

38. A food composition to be added to a composition containing an enzyme having an optimum pH of 4.0 or higher, which satisfies the following requirements (a) to (d): (a) The moisture content converted to wet mass is 20% by mass or more. (b) pH at 20°C and 1 atmosphere is 4.0 or more (c) The food composition has a titratable acidity of 0.1% by mass or more when measured by measurement method A. Measurement method A Accurately sample 10 g of the food composition and dilute it 10 times with ion-exchanged water. To the diluted solution (100 g), add 0.08 ml of 3.1% phenolphthalein solution as an indicator. Neutralization titration is performed with a 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution of known potency, and the titratable acidity is calculated using the following formula: Titratable acidity of food composition (mass%)={(60.05×0.1×F×V)×100} / {sample amount (10 g)×1000} 60.05: Molecular weight of acetic acid 0.1: Molar concentration of sodium hydroxide solution (mol / L) F: Potency of 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution V: Titration volume (mL) of 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution (d) Meet the following requirements (i) and / or (ii): Requirement (i) When the salt equivalent amount per 100 g of water in the food composition is X g and the undissociated acetic acid content per 100 g of water in the food composition is Y g, the following formula is satisfied: 4Y + X ≧ 10 (where X ≧ 3 and Y > 0.03) Requirement (ii) The food composition has a salt equivalent of 3.0 g or more per 100 g of water, and an ethanol content of 8.0 g or more per 100 g of water.

39. The food composition according to claim 13, wherein the enzyme comprises 4-α-glucanotransferase.

40. 14. The food composition of claim 13, wherein the enzyme comprises α-amylase.

41. 14. The food composition of claim 13, wherein the enzyme comprises maltotriohydrolase.

42. The food composition of claim 13, wherein the enzyme comprises glutaminase.

43. 14. The food composition of claim 13, wherein the enzyme comprises at least one selected from cyclodextrin glucanotransferase, xylanase, lipase, or β-glucosidase.

44. The food composition according to any one of claims 21 to 24, wherein the processed grain product contains miscellaneous grains.

45. The food composition according to any one of claims 21 to 24, wherein the processed grain product contains brown rice.

46. The method according to claim 35, wherein the lactic acid bacterium is a lactic acid bacterium belonging to the genus Lactobacillus fructivorans.

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