Oily foods

Abstract

To provide an oily food product in which the sweetness level of the carbohydrate raw material is below a certain level, and in which the sweetness is further reduced. [Solution] An oily food that meets all of the following requirements 1) to 4). 1) In the particle size distribution of solid content particles, the particle size of the cumulative distribution of 80% by volume is 60 μm or less, and the median diameter is 5 μm or more and 15 μm or less. 2) The sweetness level of the carbohydrate ingredients is 38 or less. 3) Total content of alkali metals and alkaline earth metals is 150 mg / g or more and 5000 mg / g or less. 4) Contains starches of 3% to 35% by mass. However, sweetness level refers to the relative sweetness of various carbohydrate raw materials, with sucrose being set as 1.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] Related Art This application claims the benefit of priority of Japanese Patent Application No. 2025-058989 filed with the Japan Patent Office on March 31, Reiwa 7. The entire priority application is incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present invention relates to oily food products.

BACKGROUND ART

[0003] Oily food products in which fats and oils such as chocolate form a continuous phase may be eaten as they are, but are also often eaten as composite food products combined with sweet foods such as breads and baked confectioneries. In recent years, composite food products combined with salty foods such as potato chips and rice crackers have also been distributed in the market. Most oily food products such as chocolate well known in the market are sweet oily food products containing a large amount of saccharides such as sugar, but there is a demand from manufacturers to combine salty oily food products imparted with cheese flavor, curry flavor and the like with the aforementioned breads, baked confectioneries, potato chips, rice crackers or the like. Patent Document 1 describes an invention relating to chocolates that use a protein component as a main raw material and have extremely low sugar and salt contents. Patent Document 2 describes a sweetness enhancer containing constituent fatty acids of fats and oils such as α-linolenic acid and oleic acid as active ingredients. Further, Patent Document 3 describes that the sweetness of an oily food product can be enhanced by dispersing an aqueous phase in which sugar is dissolved in an oil phase at a particle size of 50 to 2000 nm.

PRIOR ART DOCUMENTS

PATENT DOCUMENTS

[0004]

PATENT DOCUMENT 1

PATENT DOCUMENT 2

PATENT DOCUMENT 3

[0005] The inventors considered salty oily foods. They found that existing salty oily foods sometimes incorporate salty flavoring ingredients or low-sweetness carbohydrates as substitutes for sugar. However, when a large amount of salty flavoring ingredients were used, the overall flavor of the oily food became too strong, or problems arose in the manufacturing process and the physical properties of the final product. Furthermore, when low-sweetness carbohydrates were used, problems such as poor melt-in-the-mouth texture or increased viscosity occurred in the oily food. Additionally, even with low-sweetness carbohydrates, the oily food sometimes still tasted sweet, indicating that further improvements are needed to create truly salty oily foods. Patent Document 1 describes an invention for imparting a cooking flavor to a chocolate-like food using dairy ingredients, and was not relevant to solving the problem of the present invention. Patent Documents 2 and 3 describe methods for enhancing sweetness, and were not relevant to solving the problem of reducing the sweetness of carbohydrate ingredients. Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide an oily food in which the sweetness level of the carbohydrate raw material is below a certain level, and further, an oily food in which the sweetness is reduced. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] After extensive research, the inventors discovered that the sweetness of oily foods can be reduced by adjusting the particle size distribution of solid particles in oily foods, the sweetness of carbohydrate raw materials, and the total content of alkali metals and alkaline earth metals, and by incorporating a certain amount of starch. This led to the present invention.

[0007] In other words, the present invention encompasses the following: [1] An oily food that satisfies all of the following requirements 1) to 4). 1) In the particle size distribution of solid content particles, the particle size of the cumulative distribution of 80% by volume is 60 μm or less, and the median diameter is 5 μm or more and 15 μm or less. 2) The sweetness level of 100g of carbohydrate ingredients is 38 or less. 3) Total content of alkali metals and alkaline earth metals is 150 mg / g or more and 5000 mg / g or less. 4) Contains starches of 3% to 35% by mass. However, sweetness level refers to the relative sweetness of various carbohydrate ingredients, with the sweetness level of 1g of sucrose being set to 1. [2] The oily food according to [1], wherein the gelatinization temperature of the starches is 65°C or higher. [3] The oily food according to [1] or [2], wherein the alkali metal and the alkaline earth metal are one or more selected from the group consisting of potassium, sodium, magnesium, and calcium. [4] The oily food according to [1] or [2], wherein the alkali metal and the alkaline earth metal are blended as the alkali metal salt and the alkaline earth metal salt. [5] The oily food according to [3], wherein the alkali metal and the alkaline earth metal are blended as the alkali metal salt and the alkaline earth metal salt. [6] The oily food according to [4], wherein the alkali metal salt and the alkaline earth metal salt are chlorides. [7] The oily food according to [5], wherein the alkali metal salt and the alkaline earth metal salt are chlorides. [8] A method for producing an oily food product in which 100g of a carbohydrate raw material has a sweetness level of 38 or less, comprising the step of mixing an alkali metal salt and / or alkaline earth metal salt having a median diameter of 400 μm or less with an oil or fat. [9] The method for producing an oily food according to claim 8, further comprising the step of atomizing the alkali metal salt and / or the alkaline earth metal salt and the oil.

[10] A method for reducing sweetness using oily foods that satisfies all of the following requirements 1) to 4). 1) In the particle size distribution of solid content particles, the particle size of the cumulative distribution of 80% by volume is 60 μm or less, the median diameter is 5 μm or more, and 15 μm or less. 2) The sweetness level of 100g of carbohydrate ingredients is 38 or less. 3) Total content of alkali metals and alkaline earth metals is 150 mg / g or more and 5000 mg / g or less. 4) Contains starches of 3% to 35% by mass. However, sweetness level refers to the relative sweetness of various carbohydrate ingredients, with the sweetness level of 1g of sucrose being set to 1.

[11] A method for evaluating the sweetness reduction effect of oily foods in which the sweetness level of 100g of the contained carbohydrate raw material is 38 or less, by calculating the mass ratio of chloride dissolved in water after a certain period of time has elapsed to the chloride contained in the oily food. However, the mass ratio of chlorides dissolved in water after a certain period of time refers to the one calculated as follows: The mass ratio of chloride dissolved in water after a certain period of time [mass %] = (amount of chloride dissolved in water after a certain period of time [mg]) / (amount of chloride contained in oily food left standing in water [mg]) × 100 [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] The present invention makes it possible to provide oily foods in which the sweetness level of the carbohydrate raw material is below a certain level, and further reduces the sweetness. In addition, it is possible to provide a method for evaluating the sweetness reduction effect, particularly in oily foods containing chlorides. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] In this specification, the "~" symbol indicating a numerical range means a value greater than or equal to a predetermined number (lower limit of the numerical range) and less than or equal to a predetermined number (upper limit of the numerical range). Furthermore, when upper and lower limits are indicated for a numerical range, these limits may be combined as appropriate, and the resulting numerical range will also be disclosed.

[0010] As used herein, the oily food refers to chocolates, butter creams, and spreads, and generally refers to all foods in which fats and oils form a continuous phase. The chocolates referred to in the present invention are not limited to "pure chocolate", "chocolate", "quasi-chocolate" and "chocolate-based food" as defined by the Fair Trade Council of Japan National Chocolate Industry, but refer to foods that contain fats and oils as essential components, and also include processed fat and oil foods using cacao mass, cocoa powder, whole milk powder, dried fruit juice powder, dried vegetable powder, cocoa butter, cocoa butter substitute fat, hard butter and the like. Therefore, the oily food may be a general term for foods in which edible materials are dispersed based on fats and oils, such as matcha-flavored and strawberry-flavored foods obtained by mixing powders derived from vegetables and fruits. The oily food of the present invention is preferably a salty oily food.

[0011] As used herein, the salty oily food is a general term for oily foods having a taste mainly based on salty taste, umami taste, or spice flavor, such as salty taste, cheese taste, sauce taste, soy sauce taste, and curry taste, which are different from commonly known sweet chocolate, milk chocolate, and white chocolate. As used herein, the sweet oily food is a general term for oily foods having a taste mainly based on sweetness, such as commonly known sweet chocolate, milk chocolate, and white chocolate. Therefore, for example, strawberry-flavored chocolate obtained by blending fruit-derived powder with white chocolate is included in the sweet oily food. The sweet oily food is not particularly limited as long as it is an oily food in which sweetness can be perceived, but many of them contain saccharides such as sugar in an amount of 30% by mass or more in the oily food. The sweetness-reducing effect of the oily food disclosed in the present invention can exhibit a more significant effect particularly in salty oily foods.

[0012] The oily food of the present invention allows the particle size distribution of the solid content dispersed in fats and oils to be measured with a particle size distribution analyzer. The particle size corresponding to 80% by volume in the cumulative distribution of solid content particles contained in the oily food as measured by the particle size distribution analyzer is 60 μm or less. The upper limit of the particle size corresponding to 80% by volume in the cumulative distribution of solid content particles is preferably 55 μm, 50 μm, or 45 μm, more preferably 40 μm or 35 μm, and even more preferably 30 μm. In addition, the lower limit of the particle size corresponding to 80% by volume in the cumulative distribution of solid content particles is preferably 5 μm, more preferably 8 μm, and even more preferably 10 μm. By appropriately adjusting the particle size corresponding to 80% by volume in the cumulative distribution of solid content particles, an oily food with reduced sweetness and favorable flavor can be prepared. In the present specification, regarding the particle size corresponding to 80% by volume in the cumulative distribution of solid content particles, if the cumulative distribution cannot be confirmed at 80% by volume, the particle size shall be determined from the first cumulative percentage that exceeds 80% by volume. Further, the median diameter of the solid content particles contained in the oily food as measured by the particle size distribution analyzer is 5 μm or more and 15 μm or less. The preferred upper limit of the median diameter of the solid content particles is 14.7 μm or 14.5 μm, more preferably 14.2 μm, and even more preferably 14 μm. In addition, the preferred lower limit of the median diameter of the solid content particles is 5.5 μm, and more preferably 6 μm. When the median diameter of the solid content particles is appropriate, an oily food with reduced sweetness and favorable flavor can be prepared. The median diameter refers to the particle diameter at which the cumulative frequency, which is the median value when the particle size distribution is measured, is 50% by volume.

[0013] The method for measuring the particle size distribution of the oily food of the present invention is shown below. For the particle size distribution of the solid content particles contained in the oily food, a laser diffraction particle size distribution measuring apparatus is used, and a solvent such as isopropanol exhibiting amphipathic properties can be used. As an example of the particle size distribution analyzer, a laser diffraction particle size distribution measuring apparatus SALD-2300 manufactured by Shimadzu Corporation can be used. As the measurement conditions, isopropanol is used as the solvent, and the particle size distribution of the solid content particles can be measured under the condition of a refractive index of 1.70-0.05i.

[0014] The particle size of the solid content of the oily food coating of the present invention can be measured using a micrometer in addition to measuring the particle size distribution using a particle size analyzer. The measured particle size of the solid content using a micrometer is preferably 100 μm or less, more preferably 90 μm or less, 80 μm or less, 70 μm or less, and even more preferably 60 μm or less, 50 μm or less, and 40 μm or less. For particle size measurement, one example of a micrometer that can be used is the MDC-M Digimatic standard outside micrometer manufactured by Mitutoyo Corporation. If the particle size measured by the micrometer is appropriate, it is possible to prepare a salty, oily food product with reduced sweetness and a good flavor, which is an advantage in oily foods.

[0015] In this specification, sweetness level refers to the relative sweetness of various sweeteners or carbohydrates, with the sweetness level of 1g of sucrose being set to 1. The sweetness levels of various sweeteners or carbohydrates are well known, but examples include sucrose (1), glucose (0.7), lactose (0.3), starches (0), fructose (1.4), powdered starch syrup (0.4), xylitol (0.8), and sorbitol (0.6). The numbers in parentheses indicate the sweetness level of each sweetener or carbohydrate. Furthermore, when using a new sweetener, the sweetness level provided by the manufacturer or distributor of the sweetener, or the sweetness level obtained through sensory evaluation, may be used. The carbohydrate raw material contained in the oily food of the present invention has a sweetness level of 38 or less per 100g of carbohydrate raw material. Preferably, the upper limit of the sweetness level is 37, more preferably 36. By adjusting the sweetness level of the carbohydrate raw material contained in the oily food, it is possible to prepare an oily food with reduced sweetness and good flavor. The sweetness of 100g of carbohydrate raw material can be calculated using sucrose as the standard. If two or more types of carbohydrate raw materials are included, the value is calculated for each type of carbohydrate raw material as "ratio of that carbohydrate raw material to the total carbohydrate raw materials × sweetness × 100," and the sum of these calculated values ​​is taken as the sweetness of 100g of carbohydrate raw material contained in the oily food of the present invention. For example, if the only carbohydrate raw material contained in the oily food is sucrose, the sweetness of 100g of carbohydrate raw material is 100. In this case, lactose in dairy products and sucrose and glucose contained in processed products can also be calculated similarly from their proportion and sweetness.

[0016] In this specification, carbohydrates refer to carbohydrate raw materials excluding dietary fiber. Specifically, examples include monosaccharides such as glucose and fructose, disaccharides such as sucrose, lactose and maltose, sugar alcohols such as maltitol and erythritol, oligosaccharides, starch hydrolysates, and starches.

[0017] In this invention, starch hydrolysates are obtained by hydrolyzing starch and are classified according to their DE value (Dextrose Equivalent), which is an indicator of the degree of hydrolysis. Products with a DE value of 20 or higher are classified as corn syrup, and those with a DE value of less than 20 are classified as maltodextrin. Furthermore, products with a DE value of 10 or less are sometimes further classified as dextrin. The starch hydrolysates used in this invention refer collectively to all products obtained by hydrolyzing the starch described above, and include dextrin, powdered starch syrup, starch hydrolysates, maltodextrin, powdered starch syrup, etc. In this invention, the DE value of the starch hydrolysates is not particularly limited.

[0018] In this specification, "starchs" refers collectively to starches and modified starches that can be used in food. Starches include unprocessed starch, pregelatinized starch, and beta-gelatinized starch. Modified starches produced by chemical treatment of starch include phosphate-crosslinked starch, phosphorylated starch, oxidized starch, acetate starch, adipic acid-crosslinked starch, hydroxypropyl starch, sodium octenyl succinate starch, and sodium starch glycolate. The source raw materials for starches and modified starches are not particularly limited. Examples of source raw materials include corn, potatoes, cassava, rice, wheat, peas, sweet potatoes, kudzu, and sago palm.

[0019] The oily food of the present invention contains 3% by mass or more and 35% by mass or less of starches. The lower limit of the preferred starch content is 4% by mass. The upper limit of the preferred starch content is 33% by mass, 32% by mass, and 31% by mass, more preferably 30% by mass, 29% by mass, and 28% by mass, and even more preferably 27% by mass, 26% by mass, and 25% by mass. If the amount of starch added is appropriate, it is possible to prepare oily foods with reduced sweetness, good flavor, and a smooth melt-in-the-mouth texture, which is an advantage.

[0020] In one embodiment, the oily food of the present invention preferably contains starches with a gelatinization temperature of 65°C or higher. More preferably, the gelatinization temperature of the starches is 66°C or higher, and even more preferably 67°C or higher. By including starches with appropriate gelatinization temperatures, it is possible to prepare oily foods with reduced sweetness and good melt-in-the-mouth texture, which is a significant advantage. On the other hand, if the gelatinization temperature is low, it can result in an oily food that doesn't melt easily in the mouth.

[0021] The gelatinization temperature of the starches used in the oily food of the present invention can be confirmed by performing differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) using a differential scanning calorimeter under the following conditions. In this specification, the gelatinization temperature of the starches refers to the peak top temperature of the endothermic curve obtained by DSC. The measurement conditions for differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) to confirm the gelatinization temperature of starches are as follows: A sample pan for measurement is prepared by filling it with 5.0 mg of starch and 10.0 mg of deionized water and sealing it. The sample pan is placed in a furnace for measurement and maintained at 20°C. Then, it is heated from 20°C to 100°C at a rate of 2.0°C / min, and the gelatinization temperature of the starch can be determined from the peak of the resulting endothermic curve. For DSC, a general differential scanning calorimeter can be used as the instrument; for example, the TA Instruments DSC2500 can be used.

[0022] The oily food of the present invention contains alkali metals and / or alkaline earth metals. Alkali metals include, for example, sodium, potassium, lithium, and rubidium, and alkaline earth metals include, for example, calcium, magnesium, strontium, and barium. In one embodiment, the alkali metals and / or alkaline earth metals contained in the oily food of the present invention are preferably one or more selected from the group consisting of potassium, sodium, magnesium, and calcium. If the alkali metals and / or alkaline earth metals contained in the oily food are one or more selected from the group, the oily food is superior in that it is possible to prepare a salty oily food with reduced sweetness and good flavor.

[0023] The oily food of the present invention has a total content of alkali metals and alkaline earth metals of 150 mg / g or more and 5000 mg / g or less. Preferably, the lower limit of the total content of these metals is 170 mg / g, 180 mg / g, more preferably 190 mg / g, 200 mg / g, 230 mg / g, and even more preferably 250 mg / g. Preferably, the upper limit of the total content of these metals is 2800 mg / g, 2500 mg / g, more preferably 2300 mg / g, and even more preferably 2000 mg / g. By adjusting the total content of alkali metals and alkaline earth metals in the oily food, an oily food with reduced sweetness and good flavor can be prepared.

[0024] In certain embodiments, these metals are preferably included in the oily food of the present invention in the form of alkali metal salts or alkaline earth metal salts. For example, they may be included in the form of sodium salts, potassium salts, calcium salts, magnesium salts, etc. More preferably, these metals may be included in the oily food in the form of chlorides. Examples of chlorides include sodium chloride, potassium chloride, calcium chloride, and magnesium chloride. Sodium chloride and potassium chloride are preferred as chlorides to be included in the oily food of the present invention. The total content of alkali metal salts or alkaline earth metal salts contained in the oily food of the present invention is preferably 0.3% by mass or more, the lower limit of the more preferable total content is 0.4% by mass, even more preferably 0.5% by mass, 0.6% by mass, 0.7% by mass, 0.8% by mass, and 0.9% by mass, and most preferably 1% by mass. Furthermore, the upper limit of the more preferable total content is 20% by mass, and even more preferably 15% by mass. If the alkali metal salt or alkaline earth metal salt is present in an appropriate total content, it is superior in that it can be used to prepare oily foods that have reduced sweetness and a good flavor, resulting in a salty oily food. Furthermore, when alkali metal salts or alkaline earth metal salts are included as chlorides containing chloride ions, this method is superior not only in that it can prepare oily foods with reduced sweetness and a good flavor, but also in that the effect of reducing the sweetness of oily foods can be evaluated by the diffusion rate of chloride ions.

[0025] The oils and fats used in the oily foods of the present invention are not particularly limited, but examples of usable oils and fats include vegetable oils such as soybean oil, sunflower seed oil, high oleic sunflower oil, cottonseed oil, rapeseed oil, high erucic acid rapeseed oil, peanut oil, rice oil, rice bran oil, corn oil, olive oil, kapok oil, sesame oil, safflower oil, evening primrose oil, linseed oil, palm oil, palm kernel oil, coconut oil, shea butter, sal fat, etc., as well as animal oils such as milk fat, beef tallow, lard, fish oil, algae oil, oils and fats derived from microbial fermentation, medium-chain triglyceride (MCT), and processed oils and fats such as hydrogenated oils, fractionated oils, hydrogenated fractionated oils, fractionated hydrogenated oils, transesterified oils, etc., and mixed oils and fats thereof.

[0026] In the present invention, the oil content in the oily food is preferably 20 to 70% by mass, more preferably 25 to 68% by mass, and even more preferably 30 to 65% by mass, relative to the oily food. By adjusting the oil content to an appropriate range, it is possible to prepare an oily food with physical properties that make it easy to coat or knead it into other foods. If the oil content is less than 20% by mass, it may be difficult to coat or mix it with other foods. If it exceeds 70% by mass, the viscosity may be too low, making it difficult to adjust to the ideal coating amount. Also, the oily texture may become too strong. The oil content in oily foods refers to the total mass percentage of all oils and fats contained in the raw materials, such as cocoa-derived ingredients or whole milk powder.

[0027] In this specification, non-fat cocoa solids refer to the portion of cocoa-derived raw materials such as cocoa mass and cocoa powder that has been excluding cocoa butter and water. In the oily food of the present invention, the preferred content of non-fat cocoa solids is 10% by mass or less, more preferably 8% by mass or less, 5% by mass or less, 3% by mass or less, and most preferably 1% by mass or less.

[0028] In the oily food of the present invention, it is more preferable to blend carbohydrate raw materials consisting of monosaccharides and / or disaccharides, starch hydrolysates, and starches in equal mass proportions. By blending the carbohydrate raw materials in this proportion, it is possible to prepare an oily food with good melt-in-the-mouth properties even with a lower sweetness level. Therefore, it is superior in that the flavor and texture of the oily food with reduced sweetness are improved. Furthermore, it is superior in that the flavor expression of the flavoring ingredients blended into the oily food is favorable.

[0029] The oily food product of the present invention can be manufactured using the manufacturing process of chocolate (mixing process, micronization process by rolling, conching process, molding, cooling and solidification process, etc.). Other general methods for manufacturing chocolate can also be used, such as manufacturing methods that involve mixing and micronization using a ball mill or bead mill. One example of a manufacturing method involves using oils and fats, carbohydrates, dairy products, flavorings, emulsifiers, etc., as raw materials, and includes a mixing process, a micronization process (rolling), a refining process (conching), and a cooling process. Another example involves using the same raw materials as above, and including a mixing process, a micronization process (pulverization using a ball mill or bead mill), a stirring process, and a cooling process.

[0030] The food to be combined with the oily food in this invention is not particularly limited as long as it is a confectionery or bakery product. Examples of confectionery include manju, steamed yokan, castella, dorayaki, imagawayaki, taiyaki, kintsuba, waffles, chestnut manju, mooncakes, bolo, yatsuhashi, senbei, karinto, sponge cake, roll cake, angel cake, pound cake, baumkuchen, fruit cake, madeleine, cream puff, mille-feuille, apple pie, tart, biscuits, cookies, crackers, steamed bread, potato chips, vegetable chips, pretzels, wafers, snack foods, pizza pie, crepes, soufflé, beignets, etc., and examples of fruit include bananas, apples, strawberries, etc. Examples of bakery products include sliced ​​bread, hot dog buns, fruit bread, cornbread, butter rolls, hamburger buns, donuts, baguettes, rolls, sweet buns, sweet dough, hardtack, muffins, bagels, croissants, Danish pastries, and naan. The method of combining the oily food of the present invention with the aforementioned food is not particularly limited, but combinations such as coating, spreading, drawing lines, kneading, and wrapping can be selected.

[0031] In one embodiment, the oily food of the present invention is preferably used as a salty oily food in combination with the aforementioned confectionery or bakery products. Salty oily foods have a continuous phase of oil and fat and have superior shelf life compared to similar flavored foods that contain a lot of moisture. Therefore, they are excellent in that they can be combined with confectionery such as potato chips, vegetable chips, pretzels, wafers, and snack foods to produce products that can be distributed for a long period of time. Furthermore, coating bakery products and confectionery with salty, oily foods is superior to coating them with similar-flavored foods that contain a lot of moisture, as it reduces surface stickiness, minimizes adhesion to packaging materials, and prevents deterioration of appearance.

[0032] In one embodiment, the oily food of the present invention preferably contains one or more selected from the group consisting of alkali metal salts and alkaline earth metal salts. When these metal salts are included in the oily food, the effect of reducing sweetness is better if the median diameter of the metal salt is 400 μm or less. This is thought to be because, when the oily food melts in the mouth and its flavor develops, the alkali metal salt or alkaline earth metal salt dissolves into moisture such as saliva and diffuses, masking the sweetness of the carbohydrates contained in the oily food. The median diameter of the metal salt is more preferably 300 μm or less, 200 μm or less, or 100 μm or less, and even more preferably 80 μm or less, 50 μm or less, 30 μm or less, or 20 μm or less, and most preferably 15 μm or less, the same as the median diameter of the solid particles in oily foods. By appropriately adjusting the median diameter of the metal salt, the effect of reducing sweetness is further improved.

[0033] As disclosed herein, it has become clear that the effect of alkali metal salts and alkaline earth metal salts, particularly chlorides, on reducing sweetness can be evaluated by the time-dependent change in the mass ratio of chlorides dissolved in water. Being able to evaluate the sweetness-reducing effect is beneficial for providing oily foods with reduced sweetness. In this specification, the change in the mass ratio of chloride dissolved in water over time refers to the change in the amount of chloride dissolved into water when an oily food is left standing in water. More specifically, it refers to evaluating the proportion of the total chloride contained in the oily food to the amount of chloride dissolved in water after a certain period of time has elapsed. The mass ratio of chlorides dissolved in water after a certain period of time can be calculated using the following formula. The method for confirming the amount of chloride dissolved in water after a certain period of time will be described later. <Expression 1> TIFF2026167607000001.tif28128 In one embodiment of the oily food of the present invention, if the median diameter of the chloride contained in the oily food is 400 μm or less, the mass ratio of chloride dissolved in water after a certain period of time increases compared to when the median diameter is greater than 400 μm. The inventors have found that the sweetness reduction effect of the oily food can be evaluated by evaluating the mass ratio of chloride dissolved in water after a certain period of time. In the oily food of this specification, it was suggested that a correlation with the sweetness reduction effect can be obtained by checking the mass ratio of chloride dissolved in water after 1 minute in particular. In conventional salty oily foods, even when chlorides are present, the sweetness of the sugars added to the food is sometimes felt immediately after putting it in the mouth, followed by the saltiness and the flavor of the added flavoring ingredients. Such conventional salty oily foods can sometimes be perceived as having an unbalanced overall flavor. The problem with such conventional salty oily foods, as disclosed herein, is thought to be that even if they contain chloride, it takes time for the chloride to dissolve in moisture such as saliva.

[0034] This specification describes a method for evaluating the sweetness reduction effect by confirming the amount of chloride dissolved into water when an oily food is left standing in water. To confirm the amount of chloride dissolved into water when an oily food is left standing in water, first, the chloride concentration in the aqueous solution is checked after a certain period of time has elapsed. To confirm the chloride concentration, a potentiometric titration method using silver nitrate can be employed. The basic principle of a potentiometric titration method using silver nitrate is to use a silver nitrate solution of known concentration as the titrator and determine the chloride ion concentration from the amount of silver nitrate solution added dropwise until all the chloride ions in the sample solution become silver chloride. Furthermore, by immersing a reference electrode and an indicator electrode in the sample solution and checking the change in potential difference during titration, the equivalence point can be determined. More specifically, when all the chloride ions are consumed by the reaction with silver ions in silver nitrate, the silver ions dissolved in the sample solution accumulate, and the potential rises. This rise in potential is defined as the equivalence point, and the chloride concentration can be calculated from the chloride ion concentration. In this specification, the chloride concentration after 1 minute, 2 minutes, and 3 minutes is confirmed using potentiometric titration in the following manner. 1. A cylindrical plastic container with a base diameter of 60 mm and a height of 30 mm is filled with 10 g of molten oily food, solidified at 5°C, and then kept at 20°C. 10g of ion-exchanged water at 2.40℃ is poured into the plastic container. 3. The plastic container containing the oily food and deionized water is left to stand, and the chloride concentration of the sample solution after 1 minute, 2 minutes, and 3 minutes is calculated by potentiometric titration. There are no particular restrictions on the titration apparatus used in potentiometric titration, but one example is the TP-70 manufactured by Toa DKK Corporation. By calculating the mass of chloride dissolved in 10g of water from the obtained chloride concentration, the amount of chloride dissolved in the water after each time period can be determined.

[0035] In one embodiment, the oily food of the present invention preferably has a mass ratio of chloride dissolved in water after 1 minute of 0.2% by mass or more. More preferably, the mass ratio of chloride dissolved in water after 1 minute of 0.25% by mass or more, 0.3% by mass or more, and even more preferably, 0.35% by mass or more, 0.4% by mass or more. Furthermore, it is preferable that the mass ratio of chloride dissolved in water after 2 minutes of 0.4% by mass or more. More preferably, the mass ratio of chloride dissolved in water after 2 minutes of 0.5% by mass or more, 0.55% by mass or more, and even more preferably, 0.6% by mass or more. Furthermore, it is preferable that the mass ratio of chloride dissolved in water after 3 minutes of 0.5% by mass or more. More preferably, the mass ratio of chloride dissolved in water after 3 minutes of 0.55% by mass or more, 0.6% by mass or more, and even more preferably, 0.65% by mass or more. If the mass ratio of chlorides dissolved in water from oily foods is appropriate, it is possible to prepare salty oily foods with reduced sweetness and a good flavor, which is an advantage. Furthermore, this evaluation method can be used to evaluate the effect of reducing the sweetness of oily foods.

[0036] In other words, this invention can be described as an invention for a method of reducing the sweetness of oily foods. It can also be described as an invention for a method of evaluating the sweetness reduction effect. [Examples]

[0037] The present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to examples of the present invention. In the examples, unless otherwise specified, % and parts all refer to mass.

[0038] ●Experiment 1 Alkali metals or alkaline earth metals The raw materials listed in Table 1 were used as salts containing alkali metals or alkaline earth metals. The soy sauce powder used was "Powdered White Soy Sauce" (manufactured by Sato Foods Industry Co., Ltd.). The pickled plum powder used was "FD Plum Powder" (manufactured by Ikeda Sugar Refining Co., Ltd.). For particle size distribution measurement, a Shimadzu Corporation SALD-2300 laser diffraction particle size distribution analyzer was used with isopropanol as the solvent. From the measurement results, the median diameter and the particle size at 80% cumulative volume were determined. If the particle size at 80% cumulative volume could not be determined, the particle size was determined from the first cumulative percentage exceeding 80%. Micrometer particle size measurements were performed using a Mitutoyo MDC-M Digimatic standard outside micrometer with chloride dispersed in salad oil. Five measurements were taken, and the average value is shown.

[0039] [Table 1]

[0040] ·Starches The following starches were used as starches in the preparation of oily foods. The gelatinization temperature of starches was derived from the peak top temperature obtained by DSC, as described above. Starch 1: Corn starch, gelatinization temperature 69°C Starch 2: Pea starch, gelatinization temperature 63℃

[0041] • Oily foods According to the formulations in Tables 2, 3, or 4, the powdered ingredients were mixed in a mixer with some of the melted vegetable oil. After the mixed dough was ground in a roll refiner, the remaining vegetable oil and lecithin were added and mixed to prepare oily foods that did not contain fat-free cocoa solids. The prepared oily foods were low-sweet, salty oily foods. Note that in Comparative Example 1, Example 2, Example 10, and Example 12, which are marked with an asterisk (*) in the table, refined salt, sodium chloride, or potassium chloride was not added to the dough, but rather added to an oily food product that was melted at 50°C and mixed with lecithin. The resulting oily food product was tempered using a seed material, cooled at 5°C for 1 hour, and then left to stand overnight at 20°C. For the preparation of the oily food product, "Melano NEW.SS-7" (manufactured by Fuji Oil Co., Ltd.), a cocoa butter substitute, was used as the vegetable oil. The particle size distribution of oily foods was measured using the same method as that used for measuring the particle size distribution of chlorides. A Mitutoyo MDC-M Digimatic standard outside micrometer was used to measure the micrometer particle size. Five measurements were performed, and the average value is shown. The types of alkali metals and alkaline earth metals, and their content, were calculated from the amounts contained in the raw materials of oily foods and their respective proportions.

[0042] Flavor evaluation was confirmed by having five taste panelists, experts in the field of oily foods, conduct sensory evaluations of the obtained oily foods. The sensory evaluation scores were assigned from 1 to 5 points by consensus of the panelists, according to the evaluation criteria below. The items and criteria for flavor evaluation are shown below. • Reduced sweetness effect Each oily food product was evaluated based on the following criteria: 1 point for products that did not contain alkali metals or alkaline earth metals, 5 points for products that had no sweetness and a pleasant salty taste, and 3 points for products that had a sweet taste but it was within an acceptable range. • Initial (top) saltiness, mid-season (middle) saltiness, late (last) saltiness The saltiness of oily foods was evaluated in three stages: early, middle, and late, from the start of chewing and dissolving in the mouth until swallowing and removal from the mouth. Oily foods with no refined salt added were scored on a scale of 1 point for saltiness, 5 points for strongly salty foods, and 3 points for foods with a noticeable saltiness. Each oily food was evaluated on this scale. • Melts in your mouth Oily foods were evaluated based on the following criteria: 1 point for oily foods that felt gritty or stuck to the mouth and took a long time to swallow after being chewed and dissolved in the mouth; 5 points for oily foods that melted in the mouth at a similar rate to typical chocolates; and 3 points for oily foods that felt slightly gritty or sticky but within an acceptable range. The overall flavor evaluation was as follows: if all flavor evaluation items scored 4 points or higher, it was rated "Good"; if all flavor evaluation items scored 3 points or higher but did not qualify as "Good," it was rated "Appropriate"; and if any item scored 2 points or lower, it was rated "Unsuitable." The gelatinization temperature, sweetness level of 100g of carbohydrate raw material, and the types and content of alkali metals or alkaline earth metals are shown in Tables 5, 6, and 7, along with the flavor evaluation results. Note that the sweetness level of 100g of carbohydrate raw material is referred to as "carbohydrate sweetness level" in the tables.

[0043] [Table 2]

[0044] [Table 3]

[0045] [Table 4]

[0046] [Table 5]

[0047] [Table 6]

[0048] [Table 7]

[0049] The oily food in the example had reduced sweetness and a pleasant salty taste, and melted easily in the mouth. On the other hand, the oily food in the comparative example had insufficient reduction of sweetness and did not melt easily in the mouth.

[0050] ●Experiment 2 Evaluation of the effect of reducing the sweetness of oily foods containing chlorides. As explained in the detailed description, when oily foods are left standing in water, the mass ratio of chlorides dissolved in the water after a certain period of time is calculated, and the sweetness reduction effect determined in the flavor evaluation performed earlier is compared with the mass ratio of chlorides dissolved in the water. As mentioned above, the mass ratio of chlorides dissolved in the water was calculated by checking the chloride concentrations after 1 minute, 2 minutes, and 3 minutes using potentiometric titration in the following manner. 1. A cylindrical plastic container with a base diameter of 60 mm and a height of 30 mm was filled with 10 g of molten oily food, solidified at 5°C, and then kept at 20°C. 10g of deionized water at 2.40℃ was poured into the plastic container. 3. The plastic containers containing oily food and deionized water were left standing, and the chloride concentrations of the sample solutions after 1 minute, 2 minutes, and 3 minutes were calculated by potentiometric titration. The titration apparatus used was the TP-70 manufactured by Toa DKK Corporation. Since this apparatus derives the sodium chloride concentration from the chloride ion concentration, in Example 12, where potassium chloride was added, the potassium chloride concentration was calculated from the difference in molecular weight between sodium and potassium. The results are shown in Tables 8 and 9.

[0051] [Table 8]

[0052] [Table 9]

[0053] In the example, the oily food product showed chloride leaching into the water after 1 minute, and the sweetness reduction effect was confirmed in the flavor evaluation. In Comparative Example 3, the chloride dissolved properly in water, but the sweetness reduction effect, as determined by flavor evaluation, was insufficient due to the high sweetness of the sugars contained in the oily food. In Comparative Example 4, the sweetness reduction effect was confirmed, but the melt-in-the-mouth quality was insufficient. The study suggested that if the sweetness level of the carbohydrates contained in oily foods is below a certain level, the effect of chlorides in reducing the sweetness of oily foods can be evaluated. This suggests that an evaluation method for providing oily foods with reduced sweetness can be proposed.

[0054] ●Experiment 3 Combination with potato chips According to the formulations in Table 10, the powdered ingredients were mixed in a mixer with some of the melted vegetable oil. After the mixed dough was ground in a roll refiner, the remaining vegetable oil and lecithin were added and mixed to prepare savory oily foods with a dashi soy sauce flavor, each containing no fat-free cocoa solids. The metal content shown in the table represents the total content of sodium, an alkali metal found in soy sauce powder and amino acid-based seasonings. A tempered dashi soy sauce flavored oily food product was applied in a 2g line on one side of approximately 3g potato chips, and then left to stand at 20°C for 2 hours to solidify. As comparative example A, 0.1g of soy sauce powder was sprinkled on one side of approximately 3g of potato chips and left to stand at 20°C for 2 hours. The amount of soy sauce powder sprinkled was matched to the amount of soy sauce powder contained in the oily food described earlier. As comparative example B, 2g of dashi soy sauce (always fresh, umami-rich dashi soy sauce: manufactured by Kikkoman Corporation) was applied to one side of approximately 3g of potato chips, and similarly, it was left to stand at 20°C for 2 hours. The potato chips used were made from potatoes that had been thinly sliced ​​with a slicer, dried, and then deep-fried in vegetable oil at 180°C for 3 minutes.

[0055] [Table 10]

[0056] The potato chips with a dashi soy sauce flavored oily food drawn on them had a good dashi soy sauce flavor that was noticeable from the beginning (top), and this flavor persisted. The texture of the potato chips was also good, and there was no stickiness. On the other hand, the potato chips of Comparative Example A, which had seasoning sprinkled on them, had a strong soy sauce flavor at the beginning (top), but it quickly disappeared, and by the end (last), the soy sauce flavor was hardly noticeable. Furthermore, the potato chips of Comparative Example B, which had dashi soy sauce applied to them, did not have a uniform application because some of the dashi soy sauce was repelled by the oil. In addition, the applied parts of the potato chips were softened by the moisture of the dashi soy sauce, and the original texture of the potato chips was felt to be weaker.

[0057] ●Experiment 4 Similar to Experiment 1, according to the formulations in Table 11, carbohydrate raw materials consisting of three groups—disaccharides, starch hydrolysates, and starches—were each blended in equal mass proportions to prepare an oily food product that did not contain fat-free cocoa solids. The prepared oily food product was a salty oily food product with a low sweetness level. Table 11 shows the composition, median diameter, cumulative distribution 80% volume particle size, and micrometer-measured particle size of the obtained oily food products.

[0058] Similar to Experiment 1, flavor evaluations included sweetness reduction effect, melt-in-the-mouth texture, and an overall evaluation. Table 12 shows the sweetness level of 100g of carbohydrate raw materials, the types of alkali metals or alkaline earth metals, and their content, along with the results of the flavor evaluation. Note that the sweetness level of 100g of carbohydrate raw materials is referred to as "carbohydrate sweetness level" in the table.

[0059] [Table 11]

[0060] [Table 12]

[0061] Compared to Example 1, Example 14 was surprisingly superior, maintaining good melt-in-the-mouth properties while having a lower sweetness level. Furthermore, Example 15, which was formulated by adding pickled plum powder to a mixture of three types of carbohydrate raw materials consisting of disaccharides, starch hydrolysates, and starches, each in equal mass proportions, was superior to Example 9 in that it exhibited a better plum flavor.

[0062] ●Experiment 5 Evaluation of the effect of reducing the sweetness of oily foods containing chloride (2) Using a similar procedure to that used in Experiment 2, when oily foods were left standing in water, the mass ratio of chlorides dissolved in the water after a certain period of time was calculated, and this was compared with the sweetness reduction effect determined in the flavor evaluation conducted earlier. The results are shown in Table 13.

[0063] [Table 13]

[0064] ●Experiment 6 Combinations with oily foods like potato chips (2) Similar to Experiment 3, a savory, oily food with a dashi soy sauce flavor, free of fat-free cocoa solids, was prepared according to the formulations in Table 14, with varying ratios of carbohydrate ingredients. The metal content shown in the table represents the total content of sodium, an alkali metal found in soy sauce powder and amino acid-based seasonings. A tempered dashi soy sauce flavored oily food product was applied in a 2g line on one side of approximately 3g potato chips, and then left to stand at 20°C for 2 hours to solidify.

[0065] [Table 14]

[0066] Compared to Example 13, the potato chips with the outline drawn on them had a lower sweetness level from the carbohydrate ingredients, but the oily food melted better in the mouth, and the soy sauce flavor was more pronounced. The overall flavor was better when combined with the potato chips. [Industrial applicability]

[0067] The present invention makes it possible to provide an oily food in which the sweetness level of the carbohydrate raw material is below a certain level, and further reduces the sweetness of the oily food.

Claims

1. An oily food that meets all of the following requirements 1) to 4). 1) In the particle size distribution of solid content particles, the particle size of the cumulative distribution of 80% by volume is 60 μm or less, and the median diameter is 5 μm or more and 15 μm or less. 2) The sweetness level of 100g of carbohydrate ingredients is 38 or less. 3) Total content of alkali metals and alkaline earth metals is 150 mg / g or more and 5000 mg / g or less. 4) Contains starches in an amount of 3% to 35% by mass. However, sweetness level refers to the relative sweetness of various carbohydrate ingredients, with the sweetness level of 1g of sucrose being set to 1.

2. The oily food according to claim 1, wherein the gelatinization temperature of the starches is 65°C or higher.

3. The oily food according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the alkali metal and the alkaline earth metal are one or more selected from the group consisting of potassium, sodium, magnesium, and calcium.

4. The oily food according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the alkali metal and the alkaline earth metal are blended as the alkali metal salt and the alkaline earth metal salt.

5. The oily food according to claim 3, wherein the alkali metal and the alkaline earth metal are blended as the alkali metal salt and the alkaline earth metal salt.

6. The oily food according to claim 4, wherein the alkali metal salt and the alkaline earth metal salt are chlorides.

7. The oily food according to claim 5, wherein the alkali metal salt and the alkaline earth metal salt are chlorides.

8. A method for producing an oily food product in which 100g of a carbohydrate raw material has a sweetness level of 38 or less, comprising the step of mixing an alkali metal salt and / or alkaline earth metal salt having a median diameter of 400 μm or less with an oil or fat.

9. A method for producing an oily food according to claim 8, further comprising the step of atomizing the alkali metal salt and / or the alkaline earth metal salt and the oil.

10. A method for reducing sweetness using oily foods that satisfies all of the following requirements 1) to 4). 1) In the particle size distribution of solid content particles, the particle size of the cumulative distribution of 80% by volume is 60 μm or less, the median diameter is 5 μm or more, and 15 μm or less. 2) The sweetness level of 100g of carbohydrate ingredients is 38 or less. 3) Total content of alkali metals and alkaline earth metals is 150 mg / g or more and 5000 mg / g or less. 4) Contains starches in an amount of 3% to 35% by mass. However, sweetness level refers to the relative sweetness of various carbohydrate ingredients, with the sweetness level of 1g of sucrose being set to 1.

11. A method for evaluating the sweetness reduction effect of oily foods with a sweetness level of 38 or less per 100g of carbohydrate raw material, by calculating the mass ratio of chloride dissolved in water after a certain period of time to the chloride contained in the oily food. However, the mass ratio of chlorides dissolved in water after a certain period of time refers to the one calculated as follows: The mass ratio of chloride dissolved in water after a certain period of time [mass %] = (amount of chloride dissolved in water after a certain period of time [mg]) / (amount of chloride contained in oily food left standing in water [mg]) × 100

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