Green tea discoloration inhibitor, method for preventing discoloration of green tea, and green tea

Abstract

To provide a green color-preventing agent for green food and beverages that can easily prevent the green color from fading, a method for preventing the fading of green food and beverages, and green food and beverages. [Solution] A discoloration inhibitor for green food and beverages containing a compound represented by structural formula (1), a method for preventing discoloration of green food and beverages including applying the discoloration inhibitor to the green food and beverages, and a green food and beverage containing the discoloration inhibitor.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an agent for preventing discoloration of green food and beverages, a method for preventing discoloration of green food and beverages, and green food and beverages. [Background technology]

[0002] Green tea and other green-colored foods and beverages are known to lose their green color (sometimes referred to as "discoloration") during storage due to the effects of ultraviolet light and other factors. Since such discoloration leads to a deterioration of product quality, various studies are being conducted to prevent it.

[0003] For example, a chlorophyll-containing food quality preservative containing a magnesium-containing compound, ascorbic acid and / or its salts, and α-lipoic acid and / or its complex has been proposed, wherein the pH of a 1% by weight aqueous solution of the chlorophyll-containing food quality preservative is 7.5 to 9.5 (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0004] However, the proposed technology does not adequately prevent green discoloration to a satisfactory degree, and further improvements are needed. Furthermore, considering the impact on the taste of food and beverages, a technology that can prevent green discoloration with a simpler configuration is required.

[0005] The compound represented by the following structural formula (1) is named 3-(4-Hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)propionic acid. It is known that this compound can be detected when certain lactic acid bacteria are cultured in a culture medium containing specific components (see, for example, Patent Document 2). [ka]

[0006] The compound represented by the structural formula (1) is an active ingredient such as a dipeptidyl peptidase IV activity inhibitor, and is a very useful ingredient that can be incorporated into foods and beverages for inhibiting dipeptidyl peptidase IV activity (see, for example, Patent Document 3). However, it is not known that the compound represented by the structural formula (1) can prevent discoloration of green food and beverages. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2019-208504 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2014-003929 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-055887 [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0008] The present invention aims to solve the aforementioned conventional problems and achieve the following objectives. Specifically, the present invention aims to provide a discoloration inhibitor for green food and beverages that can easily prevent the green color from fading, a method for preventing discoloration of green food and beverages, and green food and beverages. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to solve the aforementioned problems, the inventors conducted extensive research and found that by applying the compound represented by the following structural formula (1) to green food and beverages, it is possible to prevent the green discoloration caused by light such as ultraviolet rays, thus completing the present invention. [ka]

[0010] The present invention is based on the above findings of the present inventors, and means for solving the above problems are as follows. That is, <1> A green food and beverage discoloration inhibitor characterized by containing a compound represented by the following structural formula (1).

Chemical formula

Effects of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, the above-mentioned various problems in the prior art can be solved, the above-mentioned object can be achieved, and a discoloration inhibitor for green food and beverage, a method for preventing discoloration of green food and beverage, and a green food and beverage that can easily prevent the discoloration of the green color of green food and beverage can be provided.

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0012] (Discoloration Inhibitor for Green Food and Beverage) The discoloration inhibitor for green food and beverage of the present invention (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "discoloration inhibitor") contains at least a compound represented by structural formula (1), and may further contain other components as necessary. In this specification, preventing discoloration of green food and beverage means preventing the discoloration (sometimes also referred to as "color change") of the green color of green food. The discoloration often occurs due to light, particularly ultraviolet light, but is not limited thereto.

[0013] <Compound Represented by Structural Formula (1)> The name of the compound represented by the following structural formula (1) is 3-(4-Hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)propionic acid (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "HMPA"). [Chemical formula]

[0014] The compound represented by the structural formula (1) is a known compound, and a commercially available product may be used, or a product produced by a known method may be used.

[0015] There is no particular limitation on the content of the compound represented by the structural formula (1) in the anti-fading agent, and it can be appropriately selected according to the amount used and the like.

[0016] [Other components] There is no particular limitation on the other components as long as the effects of the present invention are not impaired, and they can be appropriately selected according to the purpose. For example, excipients, moisture-proof agents, preservatives, strengthening agents, thickeners, emulsifiers, antioxidants, sweeteners, acidulants, seasonings, water, components used in food and drink products, etc. can be mentioned. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more. The anti-fading agent preferably further contains ascorbic acids or is used in combination with ascorbic acids. There is no particular limitation on the content of the other components in the anti-fading agent, and it can be appropriately selected according to the purpose.

[0017] [-Ascorbic acids-] The ascorbic acids may be in the form of salts or in the form of hydrates. There are no particular restrictions on the ascorbic acid compounds, and they can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose. Examples include L-ascorbic acid, erythorbic acid (D-isoascorbic acid), sodium L-ascorbate, potassium L-ascorbate, ammonium L-ascorbate, monoethanolamine L-ascorbic acid, diethanolamine L-ascorbic acid, sodium erythorbate, potassium erythorbate, ammonium erythorbate, monoethanolamine erythorbic acid, and diethanolamine erythorbic acid. These may be used individually or in combination of two or more. There are no particular restrictions on the content of ascorbic acid in the aforementioned color-fastening agent, and it can be appropriately selected depending on the amount used.

[0018] <Mode> The anti-fading agent may be provided in the same packaging material as the compound represented by structural formula (1) and, if necessary, the other components, or each component may be provided in separate packaging materials and used in combination at the time of use. The form of the aforementioned colorfastness inhibitor is not particularly limited and can be selected as appropriate. Examples include solids such as powders and granules, and liquids dissolved in a solvent such as water.

[0019] <Use> There are no particular restrictions on the method of using the aforementioned color-fading inhibitor, and it can be appropriately selected according to the purpose. Examples include adding it to manufactured green food and beverages, or adding it during the manufacturing process of green food and beverages. These methods may be used individually or in combination.

[0020] There are no particular restrictions on the amount of the aforementioned colorfastness inhibitor used, and it can be appropriately selected considering the amount of the compound represented by structural formula (1) and, if necessary, the amount of other components used.

[0021] There are no particular restrictions on the amount of the compound represented by structural formula (1) used, and it can be appropriately selected depending on the type of green food or beverage being targeted. For example, if the target green food or beverage is a beverage such as green tea, it is preferable to use 1 mg or more per 100 mL of beverage, more preferably 2 mg or more, and even more preferably 4 mg or more. Using the compound within these preferred ranges is advantageous in that it provides a better effect in preventing discoloration of the green food or beverage. There are no particular restrictions on the upper limit of the amount of the compound represented by structural formula (1) used, as long as it does not impair the effects of the present invention, and it can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose.

[0022] There are no particular restrictions on the amount of ascorbic acid used, and it can be appropriately selected depending on the type of green food and beverage being targeted. However, the mass ratio of the compound represented by structural formula (1) to the ascorbic acid (compound represented by structural formula (1):ascorbic acid) is preferably 1:0.01 to 1:20, more preferably 1:0.1 to 1:10, and particularly preferably 1:0.5 to 1:5. Being within this preferred range is advantageous in that it provides a better effect in preventing discoloration of green food and beverages.

[0023] The aforementioned color-fastening agent may be used alone or in combination with other color-fastening agents.

[0024] <Green food and drinks> The aforementioned green food and beverages are not particularly limited as long as they have a green color, and can be appropriately selected according to the purpose. Examples include green tea, green vegetables, chlorella, euglyna, and spirulina. These may be single food or beverages, or mixtures containing two or more food ingredients. The aforementioned green food and beverage can be manufactured by conventional methods, except for the application of the aforementioned colorfastness-preventing agent.

[0025] The aforementioned green tea consists of the buds, leaves, and stems of the tea tree of the Camellia family, and there are no particular restrictions on the variety or origin, which can be appropriately selected according to the purpose. The aforementioned green tea may be raw, or it may have undergone pre-processing for drinking (fermentation, semi-fermentation, etc.) as long as the green color remains. There are no particular restrictions on the type of green tea, which can be appropriately selected according to the purpose, and examples include sencha, gyokuro, kabusecha, bancha, tamaryokucha, matcha, hojicha, kamairicha, and tencha.

[0026] The aforementioned matcha is also called hikicha, and is generally made by grinding the above-mentioned tencha into a powder using a millstone. However, in this specification, matcha includes not only tencha powder but also a wide range of green tea that has been powdered.

[0027] There are no particular restrictions on the green vegetables mentioned above, and they can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose. Examples include green peas, broccoli, green asparagus, edamame, spinach, green beans, bracken, cabbage, bell peppers, komatsuna, snow peas, okra, and barley grass. The green vegetables may be the whole vegetable or just a part of it.

[0028] The aforementioned green food and beverages include, for example, processed foods and beverages using green tea or matcha. Specifically, these include tea beverages (so-called "tea"), snacks, nutritional foods, carbonated drinks, functional beverages, alcoholic beverages, frozen desserts such as ice cream and sherbet, desserts such as jelly, pudding, and yokan, sweets such as cookies, cakes, chocolates, chewing gum, and manju, breads such as steamed buns, sweet buns, and sliced ​​bread, ramune candy, tablets, and loaf candies.

[0029] A preferred example of the aforementioned green food or beverage is green tea.

[0030] (Methods to prevent discoloration of green food and beverages) The present invention's method for preventing discoloration of green food and beverages (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the "discoloration prevention method") involves applying the discoloration inhibitor of the present invention to the green food and beverage.

[0031] There are no particular restrictions on the method of applying the anti-fading agent to the green food or beverage, and any method can be selected as appropriate. For example, it can be done in the same manner as described in the <Use> section of the anti-fading agent of the present invention described above, and the amount used can also be the same.

[0032] There are no particular restrictions on the aforementioned green food and beverages, and they can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose. For example, the same as those described in the <green food and beverages> section of the anti-fading agent of the present invention described above can be included.

[0033] According to the present invention's anti-fading agent and anti-fading method, the fading of the green color of green food and beverages can be easily prevented.

[0034] (green food and drink) The green food and beverage of the present invention contains at least the color-fading inhibitor of the present invention, and optionally other components.

[0035] There are no particular restrictions on the amount of the aforementioned color-fastening agent contained in the green food and beverage, and it can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose. For example, it can be the same as the amount used as described in the <Usage> section of the color-fastening agent of the present invention described above.

[0036] There are no particular restrictions on the aforementioned green food and beverages, and they can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose. For example, the same as those described in the <green food and beverages> section of the anti-fading agent of the present invention described above can be included. [Examples]

[0037] The following describes some test examples, but the present invention is not limited in any way to these test examples. The HMPA used in the following test examples was manufactured by Tokyo Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.

[0038] (Test Example 1) The effect of HMPA in preventing green color fading was tested as follows.

[0039] <Specimen Preparation> Green tea was used as an example of a green food or beverage. Specifically, a green tea tea bag (manufactured by Ito En Co., Ltd.) was added to 150g of boiling water, steeped for 30 seconds, shaken up and down 10 times, and then HMPA was added (HMPA concentration: 23mg / 50mL, 23mg / 150mL, 23mg / 500mL, or 23mg / 2,000mL) and mixed to create the sample. In addition, an HMPA-free sample was prepared in the same manner except that HMPA was not added.

[0040] <UV light therapy> 50W / m 2 The sample was irradiated with ultraviolet light for 3 hours at the specified amount of ultraviolet light.

[0041] <Color difference measurement> The color tone of the samples was measured using a spectrophotometer (SE6000, manufactured by Nippon Denshoku Industries Ltd.) in transmission colorimeter mode at the start of UV irradiation (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "initial irradiation"), and at 1 hour, 2 hours, and 3 hours after the start of irradiation. a * Measured value and initial a * The difference from the value (hereinafter referred to as "Δa") * The results of the calculations (sometimes referred to as "values") are shown in Table 1.

[0042] [Table 1]

[0043] As shown in Table 1, compared to the product without HMPA, the product containing HMPA showed a higher percentage of a * The rise in value was suppressed. a * The values ​​indicate that a more positive value indicates a stronger reddish tint, while a more negative value indicates a stronger greenish tint. Therefore, it was confirmed that incorporating HMPA provides an effect that prevents green discoloration.

[0044] (Test Example 2) The effect of using HMPA in combination with ascorbic acid derivatives to prevent green discoloration was tested as described below. In this test, L-ascorbic acid was used as an example of ascorbic acid derivatives.

[0045] <Sample Preparation> As an example of a green food or drink, green tea was used. Specifically, a green tea tea bag (manufactured by Ito En, Ltd.) was added to 150 g of hot water, immersed for 30 seconds, shaken up and down 10 times, and then each raw material was added and mixed to reach the concentration shown in Table 2 to obtain a sample. In addition, a sample without HMPA and L-ascorbic acid was prepared in the same manner except that HMPA and L-ascorbic acid were not added.

[0046] <UV Irradiation> 50 W / m 2 The sample was irradiated with ultraviolet light for 3 hours at an ultraviolet dose of.

[0047] <Color Difference Measurement> For the sample at the start of UV irradiation (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "initial"), and 3 hours after the start of irradiation, the color tone was measured in the transmission colorimetric mode using a spectrophotometric color difference meter (SE6000, manufactured by Nippon Denshoku Industries Co., Ltd.). a * The measured value of the value and the difference between the initial a * value (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "Δa * value") are summarized in Table 2.

[0048]

Table 2

[0049] As shown in Table 2, it was shown that the increase in the a * value was suppressed by using HMPA in combination with ascorbic acids. Therefore, it was confirmed that by using HMPA in combination with ascorbic acids, a more excellent green color fading prevention effect can be obtained.

Claims

1. A green tea discoloration inhibitor containing a compound represented by the following structural formula (1), The aforementioned green tea discoloration inhibitor further contains ascorbic acid compounds, or is used in combination with ascorbic acid compounds. A green tea discoloration inhibitor characterized in that the mass ratio of the compound represented by structural formula (1) to the ascorbic acid derivatives used (compound represented by structural formula (1):ascorbic acid derivatives) is 1:0.5 to 1:

5. 【Chemistry 1】

2. A method for preventing discoloration of green tea, characterized by applying the green tea discoloration inhibitor described in claim 1 to the green tea.

3. Green tea characterized by containing the green tea discoloration inhibitor described in claim 1.

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