Bitterness inhibitor

Abstract

To provide a technology capable of inhibiting an unpleasant taste such as a bitter taste without harming a flavor originally imparted in a food, in a food composition including naringin and / or cucurbitacin.SOLUTION: A bitter taste inhibiting agent includes epigallocatechin gallate as an active principle and is derived from at least one of naringin and cucurbitacin. The cucurbitacin is preferably momordicin. The bitter taste inhibiting agent can inhibit a bitter taste by adding a food composition containing a bitter taste component including at least one of the naringin and the cucurbitacin.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a bitterness inhibitor.

Background Art

[0002] During meals, sometimes one may feel tastes such as bitterness and astringency that have a negative impact on eating. Among them, foods containing plant components that are said to have beneficial effects on human health often have such tastes. Such unpleasant tastes can sometimes hinder the large intake of foods or the production and intake of foods containing plant components at high concentrations. For example, naringin is mainly a flavonoid (a glycoside of naringenin) contained in citrus fruits such as grapefruits, has an anti-allergic effect, and has the effects of alleviating hay fever symptoms and improving immunity, but has a bitter taste. Cucurbitacin is a triterpene and its derivatives contained in cucurbitaceae plants, and momordicin among them is contained in bitter gourd, has a blood sugar-lowering effect, a blood pressure-lowering effect, and an analgesic effect, but also has a bitter taste.

[0003] As a masking technique for controlling unpleasant tastes and making foods more delicious and easier to eat, for example, Patent Document 1 describes that by containing a flavonoid-cyclodextrin inclusion compound in a food instead of a flavonoid, the bitterness of the flavonoid can be reduced. Patent Document 2 describes that by adding the leaves of Camellia sinensis consisting of matcha and sencha and honey-containing sugar to a plant dry matter, the flavor of the resulting powdered food is improved. Patent Document 3 describes that a dry solid of a colloidal solution containing a gallate-type catechin and a protein having an average molecular weight of 4000 or more in a predetermined ratio can mask pungency and bitterness.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

PROBLEMS TO BE SOLVED BY THE INVENTION

[0005] However, the technology of Patent Document 1 can suppress the unpleasant flavor derived from flavonoids, but does not improve the flavor of foods containing flavonoids. Further, when the technologies of Patent Documents 2 and 3 are added to foods containing naringin and cucurbitacin, there is a high risk of impairing the original flavor of the foods. An object of the present invention is to provide a technique capable of suppressing unpleasant flavors such as bitterness without impairing the original flavor of a food composition containing naringin and / or cucurbitacin.

MEANS FOR SOLVING THE PROBLEMS

[0006] The present invention provides the following [1] to [8]. [1] A bitterness inhibitor derived from at least one of naringin and cucurbitacin, having epigallocatechin gallate as an active ingredient. [2] The bitterness inhibitor according to [1], wherein the cucurbitacin is momordicin. [3] The bitterness inhibitor according to [1] or [2], and a food composition containing a bitter component, wherein the bitter component contains at least one of naringin and cucurbitacin, a food composition in which the bitterness derived from at least one of naringin and momordicin is suppressed. [4] The food composition according to [3], wherein the content of the bitterness inhibitor is 0.1 to 1.5 mM as the content of epigallocatechin gallate. [5] The food composition according to [3] or [4], wherein the ratio of the content of epigallocatechin gallate to the content of naringin is 0.1 to 8. [6] The food composition according to [3] or [4], wherein the ratio of the content of epigallocatechin gallate to the content of cucurbitacin is 0.0001 to 0.01. [7] A step of adding the bitterness inhibitor according to [1] or [2] to a food raw material or a food composition containing a bitter component, The bitter component contains at least one of naringin and cucurbitacin, A method for producing a food composition in which the bitterness derived from at least one of naringin and cucurbitacin is suppressed. [8] A step of adding the bitterness inhibitor according to [1] or [2] to a food raw material or a food composition containing a bitter component, The bitter component contains at least one of naringin and cucurbitacin, A method for suppressing the bitterness of a food derived from at least one of naringin and cucurbitacin. [Advantages of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, there is provided a bitterness inhibitor that can suppress the bitterness derived from these components without impairing the original flavor of the food in a food composition containing naringin and / or cucurbitacin. [Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention]

[0008] [Bitterness Inhibitor] -Epigallocatechin gallate- The bitterness inhibitor contains epigallocatechin gallate (hereinafter sometimes abbreviated as EGCg) as an active ingredient. EGCg can be obtained, for example, by extraction and purification from plants (for example, plants of the genus Camellia), and its origin and production method are not particularly limited as long as EGCg that can be orally ingested such as in pharmaceuticals and foods is produced.

[0009] As a method for producing plant-derived EGCg, for example, there is a method of extracting tea leaves (for example, green teas, black teas, oolong teas) obtained by making tea from the leaves of plants of the genus Camellia (for example, C. sinensis) with an aqueous solvent such as water and purifying using a solvent, a column, etc. During extraction, stirring may be performed as necessary.

[0010] The bitterness inhibitor preferably does not substantially contain catechins other than EGCg (gallocatechin, epigallocatechin, catechin, epicatechin, gallocatechin gallate, epicatechin gallate, and catechin gallate). In this specification, "not substantially containing" means that the content is 15% by weight or less based on the weight of the agent, preferably 13% by weight or less, more preferably 10% by weight or less. The fact of not containing catechins other than EGCg can be confirmed by 1 1H-NMR. The bitterness inhibitor preferably contains epicatechin gallate isolated from other catechins.

[0011] -Bitterness inhibition- In this specification, "inhibiting bitterness" refers to the effect of reducing or eliminating the bitterness of food. The inhibition of bitterness can be confirmed, for example, in a sensory evaluation test when the bitterness of a sample without a bitterness additive is reduced compared to a sample with a bitterness additive added.

[0012] -Bitterness components- The bitterness inhibitor can inhibit the bitterness derived from at least one of naringin and cucurbitacin, and can inhibit the bitterness of foods containing at least one of naringin and cucurbitacin as a bitterness component. Naringin is a bitterness component contained in citrus fruits (for example, foods made from grapefruit, ponkan, hassaku, and buntan). Cucurbitacin is a bitter component contained in cucurbitaceae plants, and is a general term for derivatives such as cucurbitacin A to T and momordicin. Momordicin is a general term for momordicin-1, momordicin-28, momordecinine, momordeciline, momordecinol, momordol, etc., and is a bitter component contained in bitter gourd (bitter melon) and foods made from it.

[0013] -Optional components- The agent of the present invention only needs to contain EGCg which is at least an active ingredient, and may contain other components as necessary. Examples of other components include components that are acceptable as food ingredients. Such components include, for example, food additives such as stabilizers, oils, softeners, emulsifiers, preservatives, antioxidants, colorants, flavors, ultraviolet absorbers, moisturizers, thickeners, brighteners, solvents, etc. Also, within a range that does not impair the bitterness-inhibiting effect of EGCg, other bitterness-inhibiting components may be used in combination.

[0014] -Dosage form- The form (dosage form) of the agent of the present invention includes, for example, liquids, solids (for example, powders, granules, pellets), gels, sols, etc., but is not particularly limited as long as it is a form that is easy to add to the target food.

[0015] -Application target- The bitterness inhibitor can be applied to food compositions (so-called processed foods, functional foods) and pharmaceuticals that inherently have bitterness derived from at least one of naringin and cucurbitacin (for example, momordicin). The food composition may be a food obtained from food raw materials (for example, vegetables, fruits) containing at least one of naringin and cucurbitacin. Examples of food raw materials containing naringin include citrus fruits such as grapefruit. Among cucurbitacins, examples of food raw materials containing, for example, momordicin include bitter gourd. The type of food composition is not particularly limited, but examples include beverages (for example, juices, teas), confectionery such as jelly, frozen foods, soups, seasonings, instant foods, semi-prepared foods, purees, prepared dishes, and other processed foods. Among them, from the viewpoint of easily obtaining the effect, liquid or semi-liquid processed foods such as beverages and purees are preferable. The food composition may be a so-called health food, for example, a food with health claims, a food for specified health use, a food with nutritional function claims, etc.; a nutritional supplement, a health supplement, a nutritional adjustment food, or a medical food such as a food for nursing care. The pharmaceutical may be an agent containing at least one of naringin and cucurbitacin as an active ingredient, and examples of its dosage form include dosage forms suitable for oral preparations such as tablets, capsules, powders, syrups, etc., and are not particularly limited.

[0016] [Food composition with suppressed bitterness] The food composition contains the above-mentioned bitterness inhibitor and a bitter component. The bitter component may include at least one of naringin and cucurbitacin, and may also include other bitter components other than these.

[0017] -Content of bitterness inhibitor- The content of the bitterness inhibitor is preferably 0.1 mM or more, more preferably 0.2 mM or more, as the amount of epigallocatechin gallate per food composition. This can more effectively suppress the bitterness of the food. The upper limit is preferably 1.8 mM or less, more preferably 1.6 mM or less, still more preferably 1.5 mM or less, and even more preferably 0.83 mM or less. This can maintain the flavor of the food well.

[0018] -Ratio of the amount of bitter component to bitterness inhibitor- In the case of a food composition containing naringin, the ratio of the content of epigallocatechin to the content of naringin per food composition is preferably 0.1 to 8, more preferably 0.2 to 7, and preferably 0.2 to 6. This can more effectively suppress the bitterness while maintaining the flavor of the food well. In the case of a food composition containing cucurbitacin, the ratio of the content of cucurbitacin to the content of epigallocatechin per food composition containing cucurbitacin is, for example, preferably 0.0001 to 0.01, and more preferably 0.0005 to 0.005. This can more effectively suppress the bitterness while maintaining the flavor of the food well.

[0019] The food composition may contain a bitterness inhibitor and a bitter component, and other compositions and dosage forms (forms of food) are not particularly limited. Examples of the food composition are as described above.

[0020] [Method for producing food composition] Examples of the method for producing a food composition include, for example, a method including a step of adding the aforementioned bitterness inhibitor to a food raw material or a food composition containing a bitter component. The addition amount of the bitterness inhibitor is the same as that described in terms of the content and the amount ratio of the bitter component and the bitterness inhibitor. The timing of addition may be a food raw material (including intermediate raw materials during production) or after completion as a food composition, and is not particularly limited. Also, the number of addition times may be once or multiple times. The method of addition is not particularly limited, and it may be uniformly mixed into the food. Stirring may be performed during or after addition as necessary.

[0021] [Bitterness suppression method] By adding the aforementioned bitterness inhibitor to a food raw material or a food composition, the bitterness of the food can be suppressed. The number of addition times and the addition method of the bitterness inhibitor are the same as those described above in the description of the production method.

Example

[0022] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described more specifically with reference to examples, but the scope of the present invention is not limited to the descriptions of these examples in any way.

[0023] Example 1 [Bitterness suppression effect in grapefruit juice] To 40 mL of commercially available grapefruit juice (product name: Tropicana 100% Grapefruit, Kirin Beverage, naringin content: 0.2 - 1.4 mM (literature value)), EGCg ("Teabig", DSM / Sun Chemical Co., Ltd.) was added at the concentrations shown in Table 1. After addition, the bitterness reduction effect and the maintenance of the original flavor of the food were confirmed according to the following criteria. (Table 1). - Evaluation criteria for bitterness reduction effect - 〇: Bitterness was reduced compared to the case without addition of EGCg ×: Bitterness was not reduced - Evaluation criteria for maintaining the original flavor of the food - 〇: The flavor was not impaired compared to the flavor when EGCg was not added ×: The flavor was impaired

[0024]

Table 1

[0025] In the grapefruit juice added with EGCg, the bitterness was reduced regardless of the added concentration, and the original flavor of the food was maintained as it was (Table 1).

[0026] Example 2 [Bitter taste suppressing effect in bitter gourd juice extraction] 100 mL of water was added to 70 g of bitter gourd fruits from which the seeds had been removed (Momordicin content in bitter gourd fruits: about 0.9 - 1 mol / 100 g dry weight (about 50 mmol / 100 g fresh weight)), and they were crushed using a food processor and filtered using a non-woven fabric. EGCg was added to the squeezed juice obtained by diluting the obtained filtrate approximately 1.8 times with water to the concentrations shown in Table 2. When a sensory evaluation similar to that of Example 1 was conducted and compared with the squeezed juice without added EGCg (control), it was confirmed that the bitterness of the squeezed juice added with EGCg was reduced and the original flavor of the food could be maintained as it was (Table 2).

[0027]

Table 2

[0028] The results of these examples indicate that the bitter taste reducing agent of the present invention can suppress unpleasant flavors such as bitterness without impairing the original flavor of the food.

Claims

1. A bitter taste inhibitor derived from momordicin, having epigallocatechin gallate as an active ingredient.

2. The bitter taste inhibitor according to Claim 1, containing a bitter component, wherein the bitter component contains momordicin, the bitter taste derived from momordicin is suppressed, the molar ratio of the content of epigallocatechin gallate to the content of momordicin is 0.0001 to 0.01, a liquid or semi-liquid processed food using bitter melon as a raw material, a food composition (excluding food compositions containing tea extracts).

3. The food composition according to Claim 2, wherein the content of the bitter taste inhibitor is 0.1 to 1.5 mM as the content of epigallocatechin gallate.

4. A method for producing the food composition according to Claim 2 or 3, comprising the step of adding the bitter taste inhibitor according to Claim 1 to a food raw material or food composition containing a bitter component, wherein the bitter component contains momordicin.

5. A method for suppressing the bitter taste derived from momordicin in a food, comprising the step of adding the bitter taste inhibitor according to Claim 1 to a food raw material or food composition containing a bitter component, wherein the bitter component contains momordicin. ​

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