Amazake powder, amazake-containing food, and methods for producing same

Abstract

To provide a production method of an amazake powder which can powderize rice malt amazake without causing heat denaturation of a component originally included in the rice malt amazake, and to provide the amazake powder abundant in the component originally included in the rice malt amazake.SOLUTION: A production method of an amazake powder comprises: mixing raw materials including rice, rice malt, and water at an amount of a half or less of the total mass of the rice and the rice malt to obtain a raw material mixture; fermenting the raw material mixture under a temperature condition of 40°C or more and 60°C or less for 15 or more hours to obtain a semi-solid amazake; and dehumidification-drying the semi-solid amazake under a temperature condition of 30°C or more and 40°C or less to obtain the amazake powder.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of amazake, particularly powdered amazake. [Background technology]

[0002] Amazake is highly nutritious and has been gaining attention as a drink that is good for health and beauty, so much so that it is referred to as a "drinkable IV drip" or a "drinkable beauty serum."

[0003] Amazake powder is also known, which is made by drying amazake, which is normally in liquid form, into a powder form.

[0004] For example, a freeze-dried food for amazake has been proposed, which is produced by freeze-drying a composition that contains main ingredients including rice koji and sake lees, a high-sensitivity sweetener, a carbohydrate sweetener, and water, and has a moisture content of 250 to 350 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of dry solids in the composition, a high-sensitivity sweetener content of at least 30 parts by weight in terms of sugar sweetness, and a Brix sugar content of 10 to 25 (Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 3734802 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] Incidentally, the freeze-dried food for amazake described in Patent Document 1 is an amazake powder based on sake lees amazake (amazake made by dissolving sake lees in water and sweetening it with sugar).

[0007] Meanwhile, rice koji amazake, which has been dubbed a "drinkable IV" or "drinkable beauty serum," has been garnering attention. It is made by treating rice with koji mold to convert rice starch into sugar. Rice koji amazake is rich in glucose derived from rice starch. Glucose is not only more naturally sweet than sugar, but is also easily digested and absorbed, and is quickly converted into energy. Rice koji amazake is also rich in amino acids, B vitamins, and enzymes derived from rice koji, making it highly nutritious and giving it a strong umami flavor. Therefore, there is a demand for amazake powder based on rice koji amazake.

[0008] However, when rice koji amazake is heated and dried to produce amazake powder, the components originally contained in rice koji amazake are decomposed and lost due to thermal denaturation, which is an issue.

[0009] The present invention solves the problems of the conventional techniques as described above. That is, the present invention provides a method for producing amazake powder that can powderize rice koji amazake without thermally denaturing the components inherently contained in rice koji amazake; and an amazake powder that is rich in the components inherently contained in rice koji amazake. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The present inventors have conducted extensive research to solve the problems of the conventional technology. They have found that the above problems can be solved by adding as little water as possible when fermenting rice with the koji mold contained in rice koji, fermenting the rice for a longer period of time than usual to obtain semi-solid amazake, and then drying the semi-solid amazake under low-temperature conditions with dehumidification, thereby completing the present invention. That is, the above problems are solved by the present invention described below.

[0011] [1] Manufacturing method of Amazake powder: The present invention is a method for producing amazake powder, comprising: mixing raw materials containing rice, rice koji, and water in an amount equal to or less than half the total mass of the rice and the rice koji to obtain a raw material mixture; fermenting the raw material mixture at a temperature of 40°C or higher and 60°C or lower for 15 hours or more to obtain semi-solid amazake; and dehumidifying and drying the semi-solid amazake at a temperature of 30°C or higher and 40°C or lower to obtain amazake powder.

[0012] The production method of the present invention comprises mixing the rice, the rice koji, and water having a mass that is 0.16 to 0.32 times the total mass of the rice and the rice koji to obtain the mixture; It is a method .

[0013] [2] Amazake powder: The present invention relates to amazake powder obtained by the production method of the above-mentioned [1]; The amazake powder of the present invention is Amazake powder with an amino acid content of 5,000mg / 100g or more; Amazake powder with a glutamic acid content of 1,000mg / 100g or more; Amazake powder with a total content of vitamin B1, vitamin B2 and vitamin B6 of 0.3 mg / 100 g or more; It is preferred .

[0014] [3] Foods containing amazake: The present invention is an amazake-containing food in which an umami component is further added to the amazake powder described in [2] above. In the amazake-containing food of the present invention, it is preferable that the umami component is inosinic acid derived from fish and shellfish flakes.

[0015] The present invention also provides an amazake-containing food product in which a sweetening component is further added to the amazake powder described in [2] above; A food product containing amazake, which is obtained by adding a food ingredient to the amazake powder according to [2] above; A sweet sake-containing food product in which the sweet sake powder described in [2] above is further supplemented with seafood flakes powder, soy sauce extract, mirin extract, and brown sugar powder.

[0016] [4] Method for producing amazake-containing food; The present invention is a method for producing an amazake-containing food, which comprises obtaining amazake powder by the manufacturing method described in [1] above, mixing soy sauce, mirin and sugar to obtain a seasoning liquid, mixing dried fish flakes powder and the seasoning liquid under heating to allow the dried fish flakes powder to absorb the seasoning liquid, filtering out the dried fish flakes powder that has absorbed the seasoning liquid, and drying the resulting mixture at a temperature of 50°C or less to obtain a moist secondary raw material mixture, and mixing the amazake powder with the secondary raw material mixture to obtain the amazake-containing food. Effect of the Invention

[0017] The method for producing amazake powder of the present invention can powderize rice koji amazake without thermally denaturing the components inherently contained in rice koji amazake. Furthermore, the amazake powder of the present invention is rich in the components inherently contained in rice koji amazake. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] The following provides a more detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention, but the present invention encompasses all embodiments that satisfy the requirements set forth in the claims, and is not limited to the embodiments described below.

[0019] [1] Features of the present invention: The method for producing amazake powder of the present invention comprises mixing raw materials containing rice, rice koji, and a smaller amount of water than the total mass of the rice and the rice koji to obtain a raw material mixture.

[0020] Usually, to ensure that fermentation (saccharification) proceeds sufficiently, fermentation (saccharification) is carried out with the addition of water in an amount equal to or greater than the total mass of rice and rice koji. However, in the present invention, the amount of water in the raw material mixture is reduced as much as possible to obtain semi-solid amazake, rather than liquid amazake. This makes it easier to dry amazake, shortens the heating time during drying, and powders the rice koji amazake without thermally denaturing the components originally contained in the rice koji amazake.

[0021] In addition, the method for producing amazake powder of the present invention involves fermenting the raw material mixture at a temperature of 40°C or higher and 60°C or lower for 15 hours or longer to obtain semi-solid amazake.

[0022] When fermentation (saccharification) is carried out with 1.2 times or more the mass of water added to the total mass of rice and rice koji, the fermentation time is 6 to 8 hours. If the amount of water in the raw material mixture is small, fermentation (saccharification) may not proceed smoothly, but fermentation (saccharification) can be allowed to proceed sufficiently by allowing a sufficient fermentation time. According to the method of the present invention, it is possible to obtain amazake with a sugar content of 30 to 35, as in the conventional method.

[0023] Furthermore, the method for producing amazake powder of the present invention comprises dehumidifying and drying the semi-solid amazake under a temperature condition of 30°C or higher and 40°C or lower to obtain amazake powder.

[0024] Drying at a low temperature of 30°C to 40°C can powderize the rice koji amazake without thermally denaturing the components originally contained in the rice koji amazake. In addition, by drying with dehumidification, the semi-solid amazake can be dried quickly even at low temperatures. If dehumidification drying is performed under reduced pressure, more efficient drying can be achieved.

[0025] [2] Manufacturing method of Amazake powder: The method for producing amazake powder of the present invention will be described below.

[0026] [2-1] Mixing process: In the mixing step, raw materials including rice, rice koji, and water in an amount equal to or less than half the total mass of the rice and the rice koji are mixed to obtain a raw material mixture.

[0027] The amount of water is preferably 0.16 to 0.32 times the total mass of the rice and the rice koji. By adding water in an amount of 0.16 or more times the total mass of the rice and the rice koji, moisture is supplied to the rice koji and the enzymes in the rice koji are activated.

[0028] It is preferable to use steamed rice as the rice. When steamed rice is used as the rice, the "mass of rice" refers to the mass of rice before steaming, that is, the mass of rice in a dry state.

[0029] [2-2] Fermentation process: In the fermentation step, the raw material mixture is fermented at a temperature of 40° C. to 60° C. for 15 hours or more to obtain semi-solid amazake.

[0030] The term "semi-solid" refers to a state in which, unlike a highly fluid liquid, the material has shape retention properties such that it can maintain its shape for a certain period of time once molded.

[0031] The upper limit of the fermentation time is not particularly limited, but it is preferable to keep it at 20 hours or less.

[0032] [2-3] Drying process: In the drying step, the semi-solid amazake is dehumidified and dried under a temperature condition of 30°C or higher and 40°C or lower to obtain amazake powder.

[0033] "Dehumidification drying" is a method in which air to be dried is cooled with a refrigerator or a cooler unit, and moisture in the air is condensed and removed (dehumidified) to obtain dry air, which is then used for drying. Dehumidification drying can be performed, for example, using a commercially available low-temperature dehumidification dryer.

[0034] [3] Amazake powder: The amazake powder of the present invention will be described below.

[0035] The amazake powder of the present invention can be obtained by the method for producing amazake powder of the present invention.

[0036] In addition, the amazake powder of the present invention has an amino acid content of 5,000 mg / 100 g or more.

[0037] This "amino acid content" refers to the total content of the 17 amino acids listed in the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan: aspartic acid, glutamic acid, serine, threonine, arginine, glycine, alanine, proline, valine, methionine, isoleucine, leucine, phenylalanine, cystine, lysine, histidine, and tyrosine.

[0038] While the amino acid content of typical sake lees amazake is about 1,000 mg / 100 g and the amino acid content of conventional rice koji amazake is about 2,000 mg / 100 g, the amazake powder of the present invention is characterized by a significantly higher amino acid content.

[0039] Furthermore, the amazake powder of the present invention has a glutamic acid content of 1,000 mg / 100 g or more.

[0040] The glutamic acid content of typical sake lees amazake is about 200 mg / 100 g, and the glutamic acid content of conventional rice koji amazake is about 500 mg / 100 g, whereas the amazake powder of the present invention has a significantly higher glutamic acid content.

[0041] The amino acid content and glutamic acid content refer to values ​​measured by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) in accordance with the analytical method for proteinogenic amino acids described in the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan.

[0042] Furthermore, the amazake powder of the present invention has a total content of vitamin B1 (thiamine), vitamin B2 (riboflavin) and vitamin B6 of 0.3 mg / 100 g or more.

[0043] While the total content of vitamin B1, vitamin B2 and vitamin B6 in typical amazake is 0.1 mg / 100 g or more, the amazake powder of the present invention is characterized by a significantly high total content of vitamin B1, vitamin B2 and vitamin B6.

[0044] The contents of vitamin B1 (thiamine) and vitamin B2 (riboflavin) refer to values ​​measured by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) in accordance with the analytical method described in the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan. The content of vitamin B6 refers to values ​​measured by a microbial assay in accordance with the analytical method described in the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan.

[0045] The particle size of the amazake powder is not particularly limited and may be adjusted to a desired size depending on the purpose. When amazake powder is dissolved in water to make amazake, the particle size is preferably 0.2 mm or more and 0.5 mm or less to prevent the powder from floating or settling and becoming difficult to dissolve.

[0046] In addition, when amazake powder is mixed with a powder, it is easier to use if the particle size is the same as that of the powder. For example, when amazake powder is mixed with wheat flour (e.g., for baking bread), it is preferable to match the particle size of the wheat flour.

[0047] The particle size of the amazake powder can be adjusted by appropriately grinding and classifying the amazake powder.

[0048] [4] Foods containing amazake: The amazake-containing food of the present invention is an amazake-containing food in which umami components are further added to the amazake powder of the present invention.

[0049] "Umami components" are mainly amino acids and nucleic acids. Examples of amino acid-based umami components include glutamic acid, etc.; examples of nucleic acid-based umami components include inosinic acid and guanylic acid. The umami component is preferably inosinic acid derived from fish and shellfish flakes, and particularly preferably inosinic acid derived from bonito flakes. The amazake powder of the present invention is rich in glutamic acid. Adding inosinic acid, which is a different umami component, is preferable in that it can provide a synergistic effect of umami.

[0050] The umami component does not need to be added as a pure substance. For example, a food material containing the umami component can be crushed and powdered before being added. Suitable food materials containing the umami component include, for example, kelp, tomato, etc., which contain glutamic acid; dried bonito flakes, etc., which contain inosinic acid; and dried shiitake mushrooms, etc., which contain guanylic acid.

[0051] The amazake-containing food of the present invention is an amazake-containing food in which a sweet component is further added to the amazake powder of the present invention.

[0052] The "sweetening ingredient" is mainly sugar. The sugar may be a monosaccharide or an oligosaccharide, and examples thereof include glucose, sugar (sucrose), fructose, maltose, lactose, etc. Among sugars, sugar (sucrose) and brown sugar, which is rich in B vitamins, are preferred.

[0053] The amazake-containing food of the present invention is an amazake-containing food in which food ingredients are further added to the amazake powder of the present invention.

[0054] The term "food component" is a concept that encompasses all components derived from food, regardless of whether they have the umami or sweetness mentioned above.

[0055] Examples of foods include seafood, seaweed, meat, eggs, dairy products, vegetables, fruits, grains (rice, wheat, beans, potatoes, etc.), mushrooms, tea, fermented foods (soy sauce, miso, mirin, etc.), etc. These foods may be added in the form of powder, extract, etc. More specifically, soy protein powder, etc. may be added as a "food ingredient".

[0056] It is also preferable that the amazake-containing food of the present invention is prepared by adding the above-mentioned umami component, the above-mentioned sweet component, and the above-mentioned food component in combination to the amazake powder of the present invention.

[0057] For example, a food containing amazake in which fish and shellfish powder, soy sauce extract, mirin extract, and sugar are further added to the amazake powder of the present invention is one of the preferred forms.

[0058] "Flakes" does not necessarily have to be dried bonito flakes, but may be dried mackerel, etc. "Soy sauce extract" and "hon mirin extract" refer to the concentrated umami components that have been obtained by volatilizing the water and alcohol contained in soy sauce and hon mirin. These may be added in the form of an extract, or soy sauce and hon mirin may be added as is, and the water and alcohol may be volatilized during the manufacturing process of the amazake-containing food.

[0059] In this form, the amazake-containing food is made by adding a fish flake powder containing the umami component inosinic acid, soy sauce containing the umami component amino acid (especially glutamic acid), and sugar, which is a sweet component. By combining multiple umami components and sweet components in this way, the umami is dramatically improved by the synergistic effect of each component. This form of amazake-containing food can be used as a seasoning, for example.

[0060] [5] Manufacturing method of amazake-containing food: The amazake-containing food of the present invention can be produced, for example, by the following method.

[0061] (1) Amazake powder is obtained by the manufacturing method of the present invention. (2) Mix soy sauce, mirin and sugar to obtain the seasoning liquid. (3) The dried fish powder and the seasoning liquid are mixed under heating to allow the dried fish powder to absorb the seasoning liquid, and the dried fish powder that has absorbed the seasoning liquid is filtered and dried at a temperature of 50°C or less to obtain a moist auxiliary raw material mixture. (4) The amazake powder is mixed with the mixture of secondary raw materials to obtain an amazake-containing food.

[0062] To mix the dried fish powder with the seasoning liquid, put finely chopped dried fish (dried bonito flakes, etc., can also be used) into a pot, then add the seasoning liquid and mix while heating over medium to low heat. When the dried fish has absorbed about 80% of the seasoning liquid, stop heating and filter the dried fish powder through a sieve or similar, and remove any excess seasoning liquid.

[0063] Drying can be done by heating at a low temperature of 50° C. or less. It is not necessary for the dried fish powder that has absorbed the seasoning liquid to be completely dried in the dehumidifying drying process; it is sufficient to semi-dry it to a moist state (a wet state with no droplets of seasoning liquid adhering to the surface).

[0064] The drying conditions are not particularly limited, but drying at a temperature of 40°C to 50°C for 3 to 5 hours using a low-temperature dehumidifying dryer is sufficient. By setting the drying temperature at 50°C or less and the drying time at 5 hours or less, the fish and shellfish powder can be kept in a wet state, and the amazake powder does not remain attached to the surface of the fish and shellfish powder but penetrates into the inside of the fish and shellfish. In addition, the texture of the amazake-containing food (furikake) can be kept soft.

[0065] Finally, the amazake powder of the present invention can be mixed with the wet mixture of auxiliary raw materials to obtain an amazake-containing food. Such an amazake-containing food has the effect of amazake to suppress the fishy smell of the seafood flakes, making it easy to eat and excellent in taste.

[0066] The ratio of each ingredient is not particularly limited, but it is preferable to use 25 to 50 parts by weight of mirin, 50 to 80 parts by weight of soy sauce, 25 to 50 parts by weight of sugar, and approximately 20 parts by weight of amazake powder per 100 parts by weight of bonito flakes. EXAMPLES

[0067] Example 1 120g of steamed rice, 130g of rice malt, and 50g of hot water at 60°C (0.2 times the total mass of the steamed rice and rice malt) were mixed to obtain a raw material mixture. This raw material mixture was fermented at a temperature of 40°C to 60°C for 15 hours to obtain semi-solid amazake. Specifically, the preparation temperature was set to 50°C to 60°C, and the mixture was fermented at 50°C for 12 hours and at 60°C for 3 hours to obtain semi-solid amazake. This semi-solid amazake was dehumidified and dried in a low-temperature dehumidifying dryer under a temperature condition of 30°C to obtain amazake powder. The results of the analysis of the components contained in this amazake powder are shown in Tables 1 and 2. The samples of Example 1, Comparative Example 1, and Comparative Example 2 were submitted to the Inspection Center of the Saitama Prefecture Food Hygiene Association, a general incorporated association, and the protein-constituting amino acids were analyzed.

[0068] Comparative Example 1 A raw material mixture was obtained by mixing 150g of steamed rice, 100g of rice koji, and 300g of hot water at 60°C (1.2 times the total mass of the steamed rice and rice koji). This raw material mixture was fermented at 60°C for 6 hours to obtain liquid amazake. This liquid amazake was heated and dried at normal pressure to obtain amazake powder. The results of the analysis of the components contained in this amazake powder are shown in Tables 1 and 2.

[0069] Comparative Example 2 The results of analyzing the ingredients contained in commercially available powdered sake lees amazake are shown in Tables 1 and 2. This commercially available powdered sake lees amazake is thought to be a mixture of sake lees, sugars, koji powder, dextrin, etc. In this type of manufacturing method, the resulting mixture is generally not dried.

[0070] [Table 1]

[0071] [Table 2]

[0072] In Reference Example 1, the values ​​for Amazake listed in the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan are shown.

[0073] The values ​​of calorie, moisture, protein, lipid, ash, carbohydrate, sodium, and salt equivalent were all measured according to the analysis method described in the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan. The sample of Example 1 was submitted to the Saitama Prefecture Food Hygiene Association Inspection Center, and the above items were analyzed. The energy conversion factors for calorie were set as 4 for protein, 9 for lipid, and 4 for carbohydrate. Moisture was analyzed by the normal pressure heating and drying method, protein by the Kjeldahl method (conversion factor 6.25), lipid by the acid decomposition method, and ash by the direct ashing method. Carbohydrate was calculated by subtracting the masses of moisture, protein, lipid, and ash from the total mass. Sodium was calculated by ICP atomic emission spectroscopy, and salt equivalent was calculated by multiplying the mass of sodium by 2.54.

[0074] (evaluation) The amazake powder of Example 1 had significantly higher amino acid content, glutamic acid content, and total content of vitamin B1, vitamin B2, and vitamin B6 than the amazake powder of Comparative Example 1 and the powdered sake lees amazake of Comparative Example 2. That is, according to the manufacturing method of the present invention, it is possible to powder rice koji amazake without thermally denaturing the components originally contained in the rice koji amazake, and it can be said that the amazake powder of the present invention is richer in amino acids and vitamin B group than conventional amazake.

[0075] Example 2 A seasoning liquid was obtained by mixing 75 g of soy sauce, 45 g of mirin, and 30 g of sugar.

[0076] In a pot, finely chopped dried bonito powder with a width of 5 to 10 mm was added, and the seasoning liquid was added and stirred while heating over low heat. When about 80% of the seasoning liquid was absorbed by the dried bonito powder, the heating was stopped, and the dried bonito powder was filtered through a sieve and the excess seasoning liquid was removed.

[0077] The filtered dried bonito powder was dried for 3 hours at 40°C to obtain a semi-dried secondary raw material mixture. The amazake-containing food (furikake) of Example 2 was obtained by mixing 20 g of the amazake powder of Example 1 with the secondary raw material mixture.

[0078] (evaluation) The amazake-containing food of Example 2 had a reduced fishy smell of dried bonito flakes, was moist and soft, and was easy to eat and had excellent taste. [Industrial Applicability]

[0079] The method for producing amazake powder and amazake powder of the present invention can be suitably used, for example, for producing amazake-containing foods having high nutritional value and beauty effects.

Claims

1. A raw material containing rice, rice koji, and water having a mass that is 0.16 to 0.32 times the total mass of the rice and the rice koji is mixed to obtain a raw material mixture; The raw material mixture is fermented for 15 hours or more under a temperature condition of 40 ° C. or more and 60 ° C. or less to obtain a semi-solid sweet sake. The semi-solid amazake is dehumidified and dried under a temperature condition of 30° C. or higher and 40° C. or lower to obtain amazake powder.

2. Amazake powder obtained by the manufacturing method described in claim 1.

3. The amazake powder according to claim 2, having an amino acid content of 5,000 mg / 100 g or more.

4. The amazake powder according to claim 2, having a glutamic acid content of 1,000 mg / 100 g or more.

5. The amazake powder according to claim 2, wherein the total content of vitamin B1, vitamin B2 and vitamin B6 is 0.3 mg / 100 g or more.

6. A sweet sake-containing food product obtained by further adding a flavor component to the sweet sake powder according to claim 2.

7. The amazake-containing food according to claim 6, wherein the umami component is inosinic acid derived from seafood flakes.

8. A sweet sake-containing food product obtained by further adding a sweet component to the sweet sake powder according to claim 2.

9. A sweet sake-containing food product comprising the sweet sake powder according to claim 2 and further comprising a food ingredient.

10. The sweet sake-containing food according to claim 2, further comprising a seafood powder, a soy sauce extract, a mirin extract, and sugar.

11. Obtaining amazake powder by the manufacturing method according to claim 1, Soy sauce, mirin and sugar are mixed together to obtain a seasoning liquid; The dried fish powder and the seasoning liquid are mixed under heating to allow the dried fish powder to absorb the seasoning liquid, and the dried fish powder absorbing the seasoning liquid is filtered and dried at a temperature of 50° C. or less to obtain a wet auxiliary raw material mixture; A method for producing a sweet sake-containing food, comprising mixing the sweet sake powder and the secondary raw material mixture to obtain a sweet sake-containing food.

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