Method for producing tomatidine-containing extract
By soaking tomato plants in sugar to facilitate osmotic extraction and subsequent fermentation, the complexity of existing tomatoidine production methods is reduced, resulting in a high-yield, high-tomato-content extract.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- JP2023121002
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2023-07-25
- Publication Date
- 2025-04-02
- Estimated Expiration
- 2043-07-25
AI Technical Summary
Existing methods for producing tomatoidine from tomato plants are complex and involve multiple steps, including the use of acid and alkaline solutions, which complicates the extraction and conversion process.
A method involving soaking tomato plants in brown sugar or sucrose to utilize osmotic pressure for extraction, followed by fermentation to convert tomatin into tomatoidine, simplifying the process and increasing the tomato content in the extract.
This method allows for the efficient production of a tomatoidine-containing extract with high tomato content in a simpler manner, effectively utilizing discarded tomato plant parts and ensuring a high yield of tomatoidine.
Smart Images
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Abstract
Description
[Technical field]
[0001] The present invention relates to a method for producing a tomatidine-containing extract. [Background technology]
[0002] Tomatidine is a compound formed when the four sugars bound to tomatine are separated, and is known to be non-toxic and have various physiological activities. On the other hand, tomatine is toxic and is not found in ripe tomatoes, but is found in green tomatoes, leaves, stems, axillary shoots, roots, etc. Therefore, in order to obtain tomatidine, it was necessary to obtain tomatine from tomato plants other than ripe tomatoes and convert the tomatine to tomatidine.
[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 describes a method for producing tomatidine, which comprises adding 3 to 15 times the weight of tomato leaves, stems, axillary buds, inflorescences, immature fruits, and roots (excluding ripe fruits) cut or dried and pulverized, adding an acid solution to adjust the pH to 2 to 5, and stirring and mixing for 30 to 120 minutes at room temperature to 80°C to extract tomatine containing dehydrotomatine, adding an alkali solution to the extract to adjust the pH to 8 or more and less than 10 at room temperature to precipitate tomatine, collecting the tomatine precipitate, dissolving it in a 0.5 to 2N acid solution, and heating it at 60 to 80°C for 1 to 4 hours to convert the tomatine to tomatidine, adjusting the pH to 8 or more and less than 10 using an alkali solution again to precipitate tomatidine, and dissolving the precipitate in an ethanol solution with a concentration of 70% or more to precipitate and remove impurities present therein, followed by evaporating the ethanol. According to this, it is said that tomatine, a type of glucoalkaloid contained in tomato plants, can be efficiently converted into tomatidine, which is non-toxic and is expected to have a preventive effect against age-related muscular atrophy. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]
[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-184394 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]
[0005] However, in the method described in Patent Document 1, when extracting tomatine, it is necessary to use an acid solution with an adjusted pH, and then purify the tomatine by precipitating it with an alkaline solution. Furthermore, when converting the obtained tomatine to tomatidine, it is necessary to use an acid solution and an alkaline solution again, as well as purify it using ethanol with a concentration of 70% or more and evaporate the ethanol, making the production method complicated.
[0006] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing a tomatidine-containing extract having a high tomatidine content from tomato plant bodies such as unripe tomato fruits, tomato leaves, stems, axillary shoots, and roots in a simple manner. [Means for solving the problem]
[0007] The above-mentioned problems are solved by providing a method for producing a tomatidine-containing extract, which is characterized by soaking a tomato plant body excluding ripe tomato fruits in at least one sugar selected from the group consisting of brown sugar and sucrose, and extracting and fermenting an extract from the tomato plant body by utilizing osmotic pressure.
[0008] In this case, it is preferable that the weight ratio of the tomato plant body to the sugar (sugar / tomato plant body) is 1 / 5 to 5 / 1, and the period of extraction and fermentation is 2 weeks or longer. It is also preferable that the water content of the tomato plant body is 50 to 90% by weight, and that the sugar is brown sugar. Effect of the Invention
[0009] According to the present invention, a tomatidine-containing extract with a high tomatidine content can be obtained by a simple method from tomato plant bodies such as unripe tomato fruits, tomato leaves, stems, axillary shoots, and roots, etc. This makes it possible to effectively utilize tomato leaves, stems, etc. that have been discarded after harvesting mature tomato fruits. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0010] The method for producing a tomatidine-containing extract of the present invention is characterized in that a tomato plant body excluding ripe tomato fruits (hereinafter, may be simply abbreviated as "tomato plant body") is soaked in at least one sugar selected from the group consisting of brown sugar and sucrose, and an extract is extracted from the tomato plant body by utilizing osmotic pressure, followed by fermentation.
[0011] The inventors' investigations have revealed that a tomatidine-containing extract can be obtained by soaking a tomato plant in at least one sugar selected from the group consisting of brown sugar and sucrose. That is, when the tomato plant is brought into contact with the sugar, an extract is gradually extracted from the tomato plant by osmotic pressure, and fermentation proceeds, converting tomatine to tomatidine to obtain a tomatidine-containing extract.
[0012] In a preferred embodiment, the weight ratio of the tomato plant body to the sugars (sugars / tomato plant body) is 1 / 5 to 5 / 1. If the weight ratio (sugars / tomato plant body) is less than 1 / 5, the amount of the tomato plant body to be contacted with the sugars may be insufficient, and the weight ratio is more preferably 1 / 4 or more, even more preferably 1 / 3 or more, particularly preferably 1 / 2 or more, and most preferably about 1 / 1. On the other hand, if the weight ratio (sugars / tomato plant body) exceeds 5 / 1, the cost may be high, and the weight ratio is more preferably 4 / 1 or less, even more preferably 3 / 1 or less, particularly preferably 2 / 1 or less, and most preferably about 1 / 1.
[0013] The method for soaking the tomato plant in the sugar is not particularly limited, and the tomato plant and the sugar may be placed in a container such as a barrel, but a preferred embodiment is to alternately place the tomato plant and the sugar so that they are arranged in layers in the container. The extract is gradually extracted in the container and fermentation proceeds, which may be natural fermentation or may be fermented by adding yeast, lactic acid bacteria, etc. separately. As the fermentation proceeds, tomatine is converted to tomatidine to obtain a tomatidine-containing extract. As the yeast and lactic acid bacteria to be added, known ones may be appropriately adopted. In a preferred embodiment, the sugar is brown sugar, from the viewpoint of facilitating natural fermentation due to the inclusion of wild yeast.
[0014] In particular, in the case of natural fermentation, since the surface of the mixture of the tomato plant body and the sugars placed in the container is subject to the proliferation of various bacteria in addition to yeast, it is also a preferred embodiment to appropriately perform stirring during the initial period during which the extract is extracted from the tomato plant body and fermented. The stirring operation is not particularly limited as long as it is a means that does not cause an imbalance between the tomato plant body and the sugars in the container, and it is preferred to perform stirring at least once a day. The initial period is preferably one week, more preferably two weeks, even more preferably three weeks, particularly preferably one month, and most preferably two months after the tomato plant body and the sugars are placed in the container. After the initial period has elapsed, it is a preferred embodiment to allow the mixture to stand and proceed with fermentation without performing any stirring operation.
[0015] As the tomato plant body in the present invention, unripe tomato fruits other than mature tomato fruits, tomato leaves, stems, side shoots, roots, etc. can be preferably used. That is, at least one type of tomato plant body selected from the group consisting of unripe tomato fruits, tomato leaves, stems, side shoots, and roots is preferable. Since green tomato fruits, which are immature fruits, can be harvested as mature fruits in the future, it is desirable to use tomato plants other than tomato fruits, and from this viewpoint, at least one type of tomato plant body selected from the group consisting of tomato leaves, stems, side shoots, and roots is more preferable. Among them, tomato leaves and / or stems that have been discarded after harvesting mature tomato fruits are preferable from the viewpoint of effective utilization. The tomato plant body used in the present invention preferably has a moisture content of 50 to 90% by weight. According to the study by the present inventors, it was confirmed that when a dried tomato plant body with a low moisture content is used, mold such as filamentous fungi grows during the process of extracting and fermenting an extract from the tomato plant body. Therefore, a preferred embodiment is a tomato plant body with a moisture content of 50 to 90% by weight. The water content of the tomato plant body is more preferably 60% by weight or more, further preferably 70% by weight or more, and particularly preferably 80% by weight or more.
[0016] In the present invention, the period for extracting and fermenting an extract from a tomato plant is preferably 2 weeks or more. If the period is less than 2 weeks, the conversion of tomatine contained in the tomato plant to tomatidine may be insufficient. The period is more preferably 1 month or more, even more preferably 2 months or more, particularly preferably 3 months or more, and most preferably 5 months or more. On the other hand, the period is usually 10 years or less, preferably 8 years or less, more preferably 6 years or less, and even more preferably 5 years or less. The temperature for extracting and fermenting an extract from a tomato plant is not particularly limited, and is preferably 15 to 40°C, more preferably 20 to 37°C, and even more preferably around room temperature (25°C).
[0017] The tomatidine-containing extract obtained by the present invention is preferably in the form of a paste containing solids. That is, the tomatidine-containing extract is in the form of a paste containing not only the liquid components extracted from the tomato plant body by the above-mentioned fermentation but also the solids obtained by decomposing the tomato plant body, and does not require a purification operation if the residue of the tomato plant body remaining after fermentation is removed. In the tomatidine-containing extract obtained by the present invention, the tomatidine content is preferably 25 to 300 mg per 1 kg of fresh leaves, more preferably 30 to 250 mg, and even more preferably 50 to 200 mg. The present inventors have confirmed that the tomatidine-containing extract obtained by the present invention contains not only tomatidine but also γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA). The GABA content is preferably 1 to 50 mg, more preferably 5 to 30 mg, and even more preferably 10 to 25 mg per 100 g of the tomatidine-containing extract.
[0018] The tomatidine-containing extract obtained by the present invention is highly safe, and may be administered orally or parenterally. Tomatidine is known to have various physiological activities such as antidepressant action, anti-inflammatory action, intestinal regulation action, sleep improvement action, and motor function improvement action. From this viewpoint, it can be suitably used for various applications that are administered orally, such as ordinary foods and beverages, nutritional supplements, functional foods, foods for specified health uses, health foods, drinks, and supplements. In this case, the tomatidine-containing extract can be used for oral administration as it is, or the tomatidine-containing extract can be added together with other ingredients and used for oral administration. Among them, the tomatidine-containing extract is preferably used for oral administration as it is. The form of oral administration is not particularly limited, and various forms such as paste, liquid, gel, powder, and solid are suitably adopted. EXAMPLES
[0019] The present invention will now be described in more detail with reference to examples.
[0020] (1) Moisture content The analytical sample was heated to 120° C. using a halogen moisture meter (Model HM1105, manufactured by AS ONE Corporation) to measure the moisture content.
[0021] (2) Tomatine and tomatidine content The tomatine and tomatidine contents of the analytical samples were measured using a high-performance liquid chromatograph mass spectrometer (HPLC-MS / MS) at Masis Food and Drug Safety Evaluation and Analysis Center, Inc., using the reagent as a standard.
[0022] (3) Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) content The gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) content of the analytical samples was measured using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis method L38 of Masys Food and Drug Safety Evaluation and Analysis Center.
[0023] Example 1 [Washing tomato leaves and stems] The tomato leaves and stems remaining after harvesting mature tomato fruits were washed with tap water while still fresh, placed in freezer bags and frozen (hereafter referred to as "fresh leaves"). Fresh leaves (100 g) were placed in a container, 1 L of water was added and heated, brought to a boil and held for 5 minutes, then filtered through a 30-mesh wire screen. The resulting extract (with evaporated water corrected) was used as the fresh leaf sample. The moisture content of the fresh leaf sample was measured using the method described above (1), and was found to be 86% by weight.
[0024] [Production of tomatidine-containing extract using brown sugar] Fresh leaves (1 kg) and brown sugar (1 kg) were alternately placed in a barrel so as to form layers, and the mixture was left to soak at room temperature (25°C) for 6 months to extract the extract from the tomato leaves and stems using osmotic pressure, which allowed the mixture to ferment, yielding a tomatidine-containing extract. The mixture was manually stirred once a day for the first month after soaking. The tomatidine-containing extract obtained by soaking for 6 months was in a paste-like state. Residues of the tomato plant body remaining after fermentation were removed. A predetermined amount of the obtained tomatidine-containing extract was diluted 5 times with water, heated to boiling, and the liquid was kept for 5 minutes after boiling (with the evaporated water corrected) to obtain a post-fermentation sample. Fresh leaves and an equal amount of brown sugar were also diluted 5 times with water, heated to boiling, and the liquid was kept for 5 minutes after boiling (with the evaporated water corrected) to obtain a pre-fermentation sample. The tomatine and tomatidine contents of the pre-fermentation sample and the post-fermentation sample were measured according to (2) above. The results are summarized in Table 1. The tomatine and tomatidine contents in Table 1 are those per 1 kg of fresh leaves. The γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) content was measured as described above in (3), and the γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) content in 100 g of the tomatidine-containing extract was 18.8 mg.
[0025] Comparative Example 1 [Production of tomatidine-containing extract by enzyme treatment] Fresh leaves were mixed with 10 times the amount of water, heated to 100℃, and held for 5 minutes. 0.5% (w / v) sugar was added to the liquid obtained by hot water extraction (evaporated water was corrected), cooled to room temperature (25℃), adjusted to pH 4.5 with acetic acid, and 0.25% (w / v) dry yeast (Dry Yeast Camellia, Nisshin Flour Milling) was added. The mixture was cultured in an incubator at 25℃ for 30 hours as an enzyme treatment to break down the glycosides of tomatine, and a tomatidine-containing extract was obtained. The tomatidine-containing extract obtained was heat sterilized and filtered through a 30-mesh wire screen, and the resulting liquid (evaporated water was corrected) was used as the post-enzyme treatment sample. In addition, 10 times the amount of water was added to fresh leaves, the pH was adjusted to 4.5 with acetic acid, 0.5% (w / v) sugar and 0.25% (w / v) dry yeast (Dry Yeast Camellia, Nisshin Flour Milling) were added, and the mixture was immediately sterilized by heating, filtered through a 30-mesh wire screen, and the resulting liquid (with evaporated water corrected) was used as the pre-enzyme treatment sample. The tomatine and tomatidine contents of the pre-enzyme treatment sample and the post-enzyme treatment sample were measured as described above in (2). The results are shown in Table 1. The tomatine and tomatidine contents in Table 1 are expressed per 1 kg of fresh leaves.
[0026] [Table 1]
[0027] As can be seen from the results in Table 1, in both Example 1 and Comparative Example 1, the tomatine content tended to decrease and the tomatidine content to increase. This is believed to be because the four sugars bound to tomatine were cleaved and converted to tomatidine. However, the enzyme treatment in Comparative Example 1 only increased the tomatidine content slightly compared to before the enzyme treatment, and was insufficient because it also contained a large amount of tomatine. In contrast, in the fermentation using brown sugar in Example 1, the tomatidine content increased significantly compared to before fermentation, and the tomatine content also decreased significantly.
[0028] Reference example 1 [Comparison of tomatine and tomatidine content by sun drying] Tomato leaves and stems remaining after harvesting mature tomato fruits were washed with tap water while still fresh, spread on a mat, dried in the sun for several days, and then stored in a freezer bag in a freezer (hereafter referred to as "dried leaves"). Dried leaves (50 g) were placed in a container, 1 L of water was added, and the mixture was heated. After boiling, the mixture was kept for 5 minutes and then filtered through a 30-mesh wire screen. The resulting extract (with the evaporated water corrected) was used as the dried leaf sample. The moisture content of the dried leaf sample was measured as described above in (1), and was found to be 23% by weight. The tomatine and tomatidine contents in the dried leaf sample and fresh leaf sample were also measured as described above in (2). The results are summarized in Table 2.
[0029] [Table 2]
[0030] As can be seen from the results in Table 2, a decrease in the tomatine content was confirmed by drying in the sun, but there was almost no change in the tomatidine content.
Claims
1. A method for producing a tomatidine-containing extract, comprising immersing a tomato plant body excluding ripe tomato fruits in at least one sugar selected from the group consisting of brown sugar and sucrose, and extracting and fermenting an extract from the tomato plant body by utilizing osmotic pressure.
2. 2. The method for producing a tomatidine-containing extract according to claim 1, wherein a weight ratio of the tomato plant body to the sugars (sugars / tomato plant body) is 1 / 5 to 5 / 1.
3. 3. The method for producing a tomatidine-containing extract according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the period of extraction and fermentation is two weeks or more.
4. The method for producing a tomatidine-containing extract according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the water content of the tomato plant body is 50 to 90% by weight.
5. The method for producing a tomatidine-containing extract according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the sugar is brown sugar.
Citation Information
Patent Citations
Production method of tomatidine
JP2018184394A
Soy sauce composition usign tomato
KR1020180127072A
Method for producing α-tomatine
WO2022264975A1