Chlorophyll-containing food color retardant

Abstract

To provide a flavonoid-containing food green-color discoloration suppressing agent that can suppress discoloration of green-color colorant which the flavonoid-containing food possesses.SOLUTION: Provided is a chlorophyll-containing food green-color discoloration suppressing agent that contains black ginger extract or citrus extracted essence as an active ingredient. The chlorophyll-containing food preferably is kale green juice. A chlorophyll-containing food green-color discoloration suppressing method that comprises adding black ginger extract or citrus extracted essence to a chlorophyll-containing food by 0.05 to 1.00 mass%. A kale green juice-containing food that contains the black ginger extract or the citrus extracted essence.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an inhibitor for suppressing green discoloration of chlorophyll-containing foods. More specifically, the present invention relates to an inhibitor containing black ginger extract or citrus extract as an active ingredient, which inhibits discoloration of green pigments in chlorophyll-containing foods, an inhibitory method, and a chlorophyll-containing food containing the inhibitor. [Background technology]

[0002] Chlorophyll is a green pigment in chloroplasts contained in the leaves of green-yellow vegetables, and is also called chlorophyll. Foods such as green juice and vegetable juice contain chlorophyll. These foods are produced through processes such as freezing, thawing, and heating, but there is a problem that the green pigment fades little by little and turns yellowish brown with each process. For example, in the production of green juice, the processes of washing the raw materials, crushing, squeezing, concentrating, freezing, thawing, etc. are repeated many times, and the green color fades little by little each time. In addition, fading of the green pigment can be seen even when chlorophyll-containing foods are stored for a long time. Since such fading of the green color of chlorophyll-containing foods affects their commercial value, a method for suppressing the fading is desired. There are a wide variety of conventional technologies for preventing the fading of the green color of chlorophyll-containing foods, and some of them have been reported to include adding food additives such as minerals, ascorbic acid, starch, sugar, and lipids, and adjusting the pH level. In addition to using additives and adjusting the pH level, a review of the manufacturing process is also considered, but this requires extensive study and is costly. In addition, there is a report showing that adding a flavone derivative to green tea extract has the effect of reducing bitterness (Patent Document 1), and the same document also discloses improvement in color tone. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 4774002 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Under these circumstances, the present invention aims to provide a safe discoloration inhibitor that can inhibit the discoloration of green pigments in chlorophyll-containing foods using food ingredients, an inhibition method, and a chlorophyll-containing food containing the inhibitor. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The inventors screened a variety of food ingredients, rather than food additives, for substances that inhibit the fading of green pigments in chlorophyll-containing foods and found that black ginger extract and citrus extract have excellent fading inhibitory effects, thereby completing the present invention.

[0006] That is, the present invention provides the following chlorophyll-containing food green discoloration inhibitor and food containing the same. (1) A chlorophyll-containing food green discoloration inhibitor characterized by having black ginger extract or citrus extract as an active ingredient. (2) The green discoloration inhibitor for chlorophyll-containing foods according to (1) or (2) above, characterized in that the chlorophyll-containing food is kale green juice. (3) A method for inhibiting green discoloration of chlorophyll-containing foods, comprising adding 0.05 to 1.00 mass % of black ginger extract or citrus extract to the chlorophyll-containing food. (4) A kale green juice-containing food, characterized by containing black ginger extract or citrus extract. (5) The kale green juice-containing food according to (4) above, characterized in that the kale green juice-containing food contains 0.05 to 1.00 mass % of black ginger extract or citrus extract. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, there are obtained a safe inhibitor that is effective in inhibiting fading of the green pigment possessed by chlorophyll contained in chlorophyll-containing foods, an inhibition method, and a chlorophyll-containing food containing the inhibitor. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a graph showing the test results of raw materials 1 to 3 in Test Example 1. [Diagram 2] 1 is a graph showing the test results of raw materials 1 to 3 in Test Example 1. [Diagram 3] 1 is a graph showing the test results of reagents 1 to 3 in Test Example 1. [Figure 4] 1 is a graph showing the test results of reagents 1 to 3 in Test Example 1. [Diagram 5] 1 is a graph showing the test results of raw material 1 in Test Example 2. [Figure 6] 1 is a graph showing the test results of Raw Material 2 in Test Example 2. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to examples. Chlorophyll is the green pigment found in the chloroplasts of green and yellow vegetables, and is also called chlorophyll.

[0010] Examples of foodstuffs that contain chlorophyll include green and yellow vegetables, algae, etc. Examples of green and yellow vegetables include kale, young barley leaves, mulberry leaves, angelica tree, spinach, komatsuna, Chinese chives, shiso leaves, parsley, chrysanthemum, cabbage, broccoli, bell peppers, mizuna, bok choy, rape blossoms, lettuce, green beans, basil, chives, sprouts, perilla, zucchini, snow peas, edamame, and asparagus. Examples of algae include nori and wakame seaweed.

[0011] In the present invention, the food containing chlorophyll is not particularly limited, but green juice or vegetable juice containing the above-mentioned chlorophyll-containing ingredients is preferred. Ingredients for green juice include, but are not limited to, kale, angelica tree leaves, young barley leaves, mulberry leaves, etc., with kale being particularly preferred. Ingredients for vegetable juice include, but are not limited to, bell peppers, parsley, kale, cabbage, broccoli, spinach, angelica tree, asparagus, etc.

[0012] In the present invention, the addition of black ginger extract or citrus extract can suppress the green discoloration of chlorophyll-containing foods. Black ginger extract or citrus extract contains a large amount of polymethoxyflavonoids having a methoxy group. The black ginger extract is not particularly limited, but is preferably one manufactured by Maruzen Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. The standard components of the black ginger extract (manufactured by Maruzen Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.) are six polymethoxyflavones, namely, 5,7-dimethoxyflavone, 5,7,4'-trimethoxyflavone, 3,5,7-trimethoxyflavone, 3,5,7,4'-tetramethoxyflavone, 3,5,7,3',4'-pentamethoxyflavone, and 5,7,3',4'-tetramethoxyflavone, and the content of these is 8 to 12 mass%.

[0013] In addition, the citrus extract is not particularly limited, but citrus extract powder-PMF30 (manufactured by Taiyo Kagaku Co., Ltd.) is preferable. Citrus extract powder-PMF30 (manufactured by Taiyo Kagaku Co., Ltd.) has nobiletin and tangeretin, which are types of polymethoxyflavone, as standard ingredients, and contains 18% by mass or more of nobiletin and 5% by mass or more of tangeretin.

[0014] When black ginger extract and citrus extract are added to foods containing chlorophyll, a significant effect of inhibiting green discoloration can be seen even with the naked eye.

[0015] In the present invention, it is preferable to add black ginger extract or citrus extract to a chlorophyll-containing food in an amount of 0.05 to 1.00 mass %, particularly 0.05 to 0.50 mass %. When converted into a polymethoxyflavonoid having a methoxy group, the amount added is preferably 0.001 to 0.25 mass %, and particularly preferably 0.01 to 0.15 mass %.

[0016] There are no limitations on the method for adding the green discoloration inhibitor of the present invention to a chlorophyll-containing food or the method for producing a chlorophyll-containing food.

[0017] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to Test Examples and Examples. In the Test Examples and Examples, all the terms "%" simply mean "% by mass". (Test Example 1) In this test example, food ingredients 1 to 3 and reagents 1 to 3 shown in Table 1 below were added to a frozen green juice product, and the effect of inhibiting fading of the green pigment in the green juice was examined.

[0018] [Table 1]

[0019] ·method A frozen green juice product (freshly squeezed kale green juice (frozen): FANCL Corporation) was used as the chlorophyll-containing food. The amount of food ingredients 1 to 3 added was 0.5% and the amount of reagents 1 to 3 added was 0.1% relative to the frozen green juice product. After the addition, the mixture was stored at 30°C for 3 days, and then the L * a * b * Chromaticness index of color space (a * , b * ) was measured. * : A large value indicates red, and a small value indicates green. * : Larger values ​​indicate yellow, smaller values ​​indicate blue.

[0020] Evaluation criteria 1)-a * / b * Comparison by value: -a * / b * The closer to 1, the brighter the green color. 2) Evaluation by green color retention rate: Green color retention rate = (after storage - a * / b * )÷(-a before saving * / b * ) indicates that the closer to 1 the color is, the brighter the green color. 3) Visual comparison The results of calculation and evaluation based on these evaluation criteria are shown in Table 2, Figs. 1 and 2 for Materials 1 to 3, and in Table 3, Figs. 3 and 4 for Reagents 1 to 3.

[0021] [Table 2]

[0022] [Table 3]

[0023] ·result From the results shown in Table 2, Figures 1 and 2, it was found that the fading of green pigments could be suppressed by adding raw material 1 (citrus extract powder - PMF30) or raw material 2 (black ginger extract), which contain polymethoxyflavones having methoxy groups. However, the addition of Raw Material 3, which contains quercetin, a flavonoid that does not have a methoxy group, was unable to suppress the fading of the green pigment. These results demonstrated that the fading of green pigments can be suppressed by using citrus extracts and black ginger extracts, which are raw materials containing flavonoids with methoxy groups.

[0024] Furthermore, from the results shown in Table 3, Figures 3 and 4, the addition of nobiletin (reagent 1), a flavonoid having a methoxy group, was effective in suppressing the fading of the green pigment, but the addition of luteolin (reagent 2) or myricetin (reagent 3), which are flavonoids not having a methoxy group, was unable to suppress the fading of the green pigment. These results demonstrated that the fading of the green pigment in green juice can be suppressed by using a flavonoid having a methoxy group.

[0025] (Test Example 2) In this test example, raw material 1 (citrus extract powder - PMF30) and raw material 2 (black ginger extract), which showed an effect of inhibiting fading of green pigment in test example 1, were added to green juice in amounts of 0 mass%, 0.06 mass%, 0.13 mass%, 0.25 mass%, 0.50 mass%, and 1.00 mass%, and their effect of inhibiting fading of green pigment was investigated. In the case of raw material 1, these amounts of addition correspond to 0 mass%, 0.01 mass%, 0.03 mass%, 0.06 mass%, 0.12 mass%, and 0.23 mass%, respectively, when converted into concentrations of flavonoids having a methoxy group (Table 4). In addition, in the case of raw material 2, the concentrations of flavonoids having a methoxy group are equivalent to 0 mass%, 0.01 mass%, 0.02 mass%, 0.03 mass%, 0.06 mass%, and 0.12 mass%, respectively (Table 5). The test method was the same as in Test Example 1, except that the storage period was 2 days. The results for raw material 1 are shown in Table 4 and Figure 5, and the results for raw material 2 are shown in Table 5 and Figure 6. The horizontal axis of Figures 5 and 6 shows the additive concentration of each raw material.

[0026] [Table 4]

[0027] [Table 5]

[0028] ·result As shown in Table 4 and FIG. 6, Raw Material 1 (Citrus extract powder-PMF30: containing nobiletin and tangeretin) which exhibited a green color fading effect in Test Example 1, was concentration-dependent, and the greater the amount added, the greater the effect of inhibiting fading of the green pigment. When raw material 1 was used, even at a concentration of 1.00 mass% (0.23 mass% in terms of PMF) in green juice, the effect of inhibiting fading of the green pigment was sufficient; however, the color of raw material 1 itself emerged, resulting in a slightly yellowish color.

[0029] Furthermore, as shown in Table 5 and FIG. 6, raw material 2 (black ginger extract: not containing nobiletin or tangeretin), which showed a green color fading effect in Test Example 1, also had concentration dependency, and the effect of inhibiting fading of the green pigment increased as the amount added increased. When raw material 2 was used, even at a concentration of 1.00 mass% (0.12 mass% in terms of PMF) relative to the green juice, the effect of inhibiting fading of the green pigment was sufficient; however, the color of raw material 2 itself emerged, resulting in a slightly blackish color.

[0030] Example 1 A chlorophyll-containing food product of the present invention was produced by adding 0.10% by mass of black ginger extract (Maruzen Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.) to a frozen green juice product (freshly squeezed kale green juice (frozen): (FANCL Corporation)). The obtained chlorophyll-containing food showed no fading of the green pigment during the production process or storage, and had a beautiful green color. [Industrial Applicability]

[0031] The green discoloration inhibitor for chlorophyll-containing foods of the present invention uses safe food ingredients as active ingredients and can inhibit the discoloration of green pigments during the manufacturing process of chlorophyll-containing foods and during storage after production, and is therefore expected to be widely used in foods and beverages such as green juice, pharmaceuticals, health foods, and the like.

Claims

1. A green discoloration inhibitor for chlorophyll-containing foods, characterized in that the active ingredient is a polymethoxyflavonoid (provided that the chlorophyll-containing foods are not those treated with an alkaline aqueous solution).

2. 2. The green discoloration inhibitor for chlorophyll-containing foods according to claim 1, characterized in that the chlorophyll-containing food is kale green juice (excluding the kale green juice treated with an alkaline aqueous solution).

3. A green discoloration inhibitor for chlorophyll-containing foods as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the active ingredient is a black ginger extract containing polymethoxyflavonoids (excluding those in which the chlorophyll-containing foods have been treated with an alkaline aqueous solution).

4. A method for inhibiting green discoloration of chlorophyll-containing foods, comprising adding 0.001 to 0.25% by mass of polymethoxyflavonoid to the chlorophyll-containing foods (excluding those in which the chlorophyll-containing foods have been treated with an alkaline aqueous solution).

5. A method for inhibiting green discoloration of chlorophyll-containing foods, comprising adding 0.05 to 1.00 mass% of a black ginger extract containing polymethoxyflavonoids to the chlorophyll-containing foods (excluding those in which the chlorophyll-containing foods have been treated with an alkaline aqueous solution).

6. A kale juice-containing food, characterized in that it contains 0.001 to 0.25 mass % of polymethoxyflavonoid (however, the kale juice-containing food does not include those that have been treated with an alkaline aqueous solution).

7. The kale green juice-containing food according to claim 6, characterized in that it contains 0.05 to 1.00 mass% of black ginger extract containing polymethoxyflavonoids (excluding said kale green juice-containing food that has been treated with an alkaline aqueous solution).

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