Emulsified food

Abstract

To provide an emulsified food having emulsifying properties even with low viscosity.SOLUTION: An emulsified food contains water, oil and fat, gum arabic and xanthan gum. Preferably, the emulsified food further contains one of guar gum and locust bean gum. More preferably, the emulsified food further contains both of guar gum and locust bean gum. The composition can achieve improved emulsion stability with lower emulsifier concentrations. Preferably, the emulsified food has a viscosity of 40 mPa s-1000 mPa s at a liquid temperature of 25°C.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an emulsified food, and more particularly to an emulsified food having a low viscosity and capable of maintaining emulsion stability for a long period of time. [Background technology]

[0002] Many emulsified foods, including dressings, are known. Non-Patent Document 1 describes that gum arabic is widely used as an emulsifying preparation for the above-mentioned emulsified foods because it easily dissolves in water to form a low-viscosity solution and has excellent emulsifying properties. However, it has been pointed out that gum arabic, when used alone in its original state, does not exhibit sufficient emulsifying properties. Patent Document 1 describes that an emulsion composition with higher emulsion stability can be obtained by using modified gum arabic obtained by heating or drying at 60°C or higher in combination with at least one member selected from the group consisting of a thickening stabilizer, a polypeptide, and a surfactant. Patent Document 1 lists as thickening stabilizers numerous polysaccharides including pullulan, dextran, curdlan, deacylated gellan gum, native gellan gum, xanthan gum (xanthan gum), heat-treated xanthan gum, macrophomopsis gum, Bacillus subtilis natto gum (Bacillus subtilis natto mucilage), scleroglucan (scleroglucan), rhamsan gum, and welan gum (welan polysaccharides). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-41512 [Non-patent literature]

[0004] [Non-Patent Document 1] Takao Ido, Go Katayama, "Characteristics and Applications of Gum Arabic," Applied Glycoscience, Vol. 1, No. 3 (2011), pp. 244-246 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] As described above, many emulsified foods are produced using gum arabic. However, emulsified foods with low viscosity and sufficient emulsifying properties, particularly emulsified foods that can maintain excellent emulsion stability for a long period of time, have not yet been realized. Furthermore, with conventional emulsifiers that use gum arabic, the properties of gum arabic have a significant impact on the emulsifying performance, and therefore, complex processes have been required for quality control of gum arabic. Furthermore, in order to achieve excellent emulsifying properties, large amounts of emulsifiers containing gum arabic have been added to emulsified foods. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an emulsified food that has excellent emulsifying properties even when it has a low viscosity, regardless of the properties or amount of gum arabic added as an emulsifier. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In view of the above problems, the present inventors conducted extensive research and discovered that adding gum arabic and xanthan gum to water and fats and oils can provide emulsified foods that have excellent emulsifying properties even at low viscosity, and thus arrived at the present invention. That is, the emulsified food of the present invention is characterized by containing water, fats and oils, gum arabic, and xanthan gum. The emulsified food of the present invention preferably further contains at least one of guar gum and locust bean gum. It is more preferable that the emulsified food of the present invention contains both guar gum and locust bean gum. Furthermore, the viscosity of the emulsified food of the present invention at a liquid temperature of 25°C is preferably 40 mPa·s to 1000 mPa·s. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] In the present invention, an emulsified food product having excellent emulsifying properties even at low viscosity can be realized by adding a small amount of an emulsifier (polymeric polysaccharide) without relying on the properties of gum arabic. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail. The emulsified food of the present invention contains water, oil, gum arabic, and xanthan gum. The liquid food of the present invention containing the above components has excellent emulsion stability even at low viscosity. Furthermore, in the present invention, by further adding guar gum and / or locust bean gum in addition to gum arabic and xanthan gum, an emulsified food having even better emulsion stability at lower viscosity can be realized. In the present invention, an emulsified food refers to a food in which aqueous phase ingredients and oil phase ingredients are emulsified with a high molecular weight polysaccharide and the emulsified state is maintained for a predetermined period of time, and is not limited to foods that maintain an emulsified state permanently. The emulsified food of the present invention will be described below.

[0009] The emulsified food of the present invention contains (A) gum arabic, (B) xanthan gum, (C) oil and fat, and (D) water. Of the above compositions, (A) gum arabic and (B) xanthan gum can be added separately, or an emulsifier containing (A) gum arabic and (B) xanthan gum can be prepared in advance and added in the form of an emulsifier. Each component will be explained below.

[0010] (A) Gum arabic The emulsified food of the present invention contains gum arabic, a polymeric polysaccharide. Gum arabic is a polymeric polysaccharide obtained from the sap exuded from trees of the Acacia genus of the Leguminosae family. While over 1,000 species of Acacia are known, gum arabic extracted from two species, Acacia senegal and Acacia seyal, is used for food and pharmaceutical applications. Its chemical structure is composed of the sugars galactose, arabinose, rhamnose, and glucuronic acid, and contains small amounts of protein. Gum arabic from Senegal is known to have excellent emulsifying properties, and its chemical structure is thought to be a main chain of β-1,3-linked galactose chains with numerous branches, with galactose, arabinose, rhamnose, and glucuronic acid bonded to the C6 position of the main chain.

[0011] In the present invention, commercially available gum arabic can also be used. Examples of commercially available gum arabic include GUM ARABIC 396A (manufactured by Alland & Robert). In the present invention, commercially available gum arabic can be used after being heated or dried, but it can also be used as is.

[0012] (B) Xanthan gum The emulsified food of the present invention contains xanthan gum, a high molecular weight polysaccharide. Xanthan gum is a water-soluble natural polysaccharide obtained by the extracellular production of starch derived from corn or other raw materials by a microorganism (Xanthomonas campestris). Its primary structure comprises a main chain of β-1,4-linked D-glucose units, and side chains consisting of D-mannose and D-glucuronic acid bound to anhydroglucose in the main chain. The side chains have two D-mannose molecules and D-glucuronic acid bound to every other D-glucose residue in the main chain. The D-mannose at the end of the side chain may be pyruvate, and the C-6 position of the D-mannose bound to the main chain may be acetylated. The molecular weight of such polysaccharides is known to be approximately 2 to 50 million. In the present invention, the molecular weight of xanthan gum is not particularly limited.

[0013] In the present invention, commercially available xanthan gum can also be used, such as Neosoft XR (manufactured by Taiyo Kagaku Co., Ltd.), SATIAXANE CX90 (manufactured by Cargill), SAN ACE (registered trademark), SAN ACE (registered trademark) S, SAN ACE (registered trademark) ES, SAN ACE (registered trademark) C, and BI-STOP (registered trademark) D-3000-DF-C (manufactured by San-Ei Gen F.F.I. Co., Ltd.).

[0014] In the present invention, by adding guar gum and / or locust bean gum, which are high molecular weight polysaccharides, in addition to gum arabic and xanthan gum, it is possible to realize an emulsified food that has even lower viscosity and better emulsion stability. Guar gum and locust bean gum are described below.

[0015] guar gum The emulsified food of the present invention preferably contains guar gum (scientific name: Cyamopsis tetragonoloba), a type of galactomannan, which is a polysaccharide obtained from the seeds of an annual legume plant cultivated in Pakistan and India. Galactomannan is a water-soluble polymer with a main chain of mannose and side chains of galactose, and has a region with galactose side chains and a smooth region without side chains. It is known that when xanthan gum and galactomannan are mixed, the smooth regions of the xanthan gum and galactomannan form hydrogen bonds and crosslink, resulting in an increase in viscosity and gelation. Guar gum has a 2:1 ratio of mannose in the main chain to galactose in the side chain. By adding guar gum to gum arabic and xanthan gum, it is possible to obtain emulsified foods with low viscosity and excellent emulsion stability, even when the amount of emulsifier added is reduced. This is thought to be due to the network (cross-linked) structure formed by the interaction between xanthan gum and guar gum. In the present invention, commercially available guar gum can also be used, such as PROCOL U (manufactured by Habgen Guargums Limited) and VIDOGUM GHK 175 (manufactured by Unitec Foods Co., Ltd.).

[0016] Locust Bean Gum In addition to the gum arabic and xanthan gum, it is preferable to add locust bean gum to the emulsified food of the present invention, as the addition of locust bean gum further improves emulsion stability even at low viscosity. It is further preferred to add gum arabic, xanthan gum, guar gum, and locust bean gum to the emulsified food of the present invention. By using a four-component emulsifier, an emulsified food with even lower viscosity and superior emulsion stability can be achieved. Like guar gum, locust bean gum is a type of galactomannan with a main chain mannose to side chain galactose ratio of 4:1. Locust bean gum, also known as carob gum, is a polysaccharide obtained by separating and grinding the endosperm of the seeds of the carob (scientific name: Ceratonia siliqua L.), an evergreen tree of the legume family that grows widely in the Mediterranean region (North Africa, the Middle East, and Southern Europe) and the Canary Islands. In the present invention, commercially available locust bean gum can also be used, such as Sesalpinia LBG LN-1 / 200 (manufactured by Tate & Lyle) and ViscoguM BJ (manufactured by Cargill).

[0017] Existing emulsified foods exhibit good emulsion stability at high viscosity, but as the viscosity decreases, they are unable to maintain a uniform state, resulting in separation of the water and oil. In contrast, the emulsified foods of the present invention are characterized by having excellent emulsifying properties, particularly emulsion stability, even at low viscosity. The above-mentioned effects of the present invention are thought to be due to the formation of stable oil droplets in the aqueous phase of the emulsified food by the emulsifying action of gum arabic, and the uniform dispersion of these oil droplets in the aqueous phase by the thickening action of xanthan gum. The sum of the contents of gum arabic and xanthan gum in the emulsified food of the present invention is preferably 0.1% to 1%, more preferably 0.2% to 0.5%, and even more preferably 0.2% to 0.3% of the total mass of the emulsified food. Within this range, the interaction between gum arabic and xanthan gum in the aqueous phase works more effectively, thereby achieving even better emulsifying properties. When guar gum and / or locust bean gum is added in addition to gum arabic and xanthan gum, it is preferable to adjust the total content of these ingredients to be within the above range. According to the present invention, the emulsifying properties of low-viscosity emulsified foods can be improved using a smaller amount of emulsifier. The emulsified food of the present invention may also contain other polymeric polysaccharides, as long as the effects of the present invention are not affected. Examples of other polymeric polysaccharides include tragacanth gum, carrageenan, gellan gum, pullulan, pectin, tamarind seed gum, carboxymethyl cellulose, fucoidan, alginic acid, karaya gum, psyllium seed gum, and tara gum.

[0018] The ratio of gum arabic to xanthan gum in the emulsified food of the present invention is preferably adjusted to a range that allows excellent emulsification properties to be obtained through the interaction between the two. Specifically, the mass ratio of gum arabic to xanthan gum is preferably in the range of 5:95 to 75:25, and more preferably in the range of 20:80 to 70:30. By setting the mass ratio of gum arabic to xanthan gum within this range, the effects of the present invention, such as the formation of oil droplets with a more stable structure in the aqueous phase due to the interaction between the two and the uniform dispersion and stabilization of the oil droplets, become more pronounced, resulting in even better uniform dispersion and emulsion stability. When guar gum and / or locust bean gum is added, the content of guar gum and locust bean gum is preferably 20% by mass to 70% by mass, with the content of xanthan gum being 100%.

[0019] It is also possible to prepare an emulsifier containing gum arabic and xanthan gum, and further guar gum and / or locust bean gum in advance and add it. When added by the above method, the sum of the contents of the above components in the emulsified food is preferably 0.1% to 1%, and more preferably 0.2% to 0.5%, of the total mass of the emulsified food. By keeping the total amount of the above components within the above range, excellent uniform dispersion and emulsion stability can be achieved even with low viscosity. When added as an emulsifier, the ratio of the above components is preferably the same as when each component is added separately.

[0020] When preparing the emulsifier, other additives such as pH adjusters can be added as long as they do not affect the original properties.

[0021] The emulsifier is obtained by adjusting the composition ratio of (A) gum arabic and (B) xanthan gum, as well as guar gum and / or locust bean gum, and mixing them. Using the obtained emulsifier, even low-viscosity foods can be easily and uniformly emulsified, and the emulsified state can be maintained for a long period of time. The mixing method is not particularly limited, and general powder mixing methods can be used. Specific examples include paddle mixers, tumbler mixers, W-type mixers, V-type mixers, drum mixers, ribbon mixers, conical screw mixers, and ball mills. The emulsifier can also be produced by granulation. By mixing the emulsifier uniformly at the particle level, better properties such as texture can be imparted. Specific examples of foods to which the present invention can be applied include sauces, dressings, beverages, soups, creams, and the like.

[0022] (C)Oils and fats The emulsified food of the present invention has excellent emulsifying properties regardless of the amount of fat or oil. The content of fat or oil in the emulsified food of the present invention is not particularly limited, but is preferably 10% to 70% of the total mass.

[0023] The fats and oils used in the emulsified food of the present invention are not particularly limited, and known vegetable fats and oils, animal fats, etc. can be used. Specific examples include soybean oil, corn oil, sesame oil, rapeseed oil, sesame salad oil, perilla oil, linseed oil, peanut oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, cottonseed oil, grapeseed oil, macadamia nut oil, hazelnut oil, pumpkin seed oil, walnut oil, camellia oil, tea seed oil, perilla oil, borage oil, olive oil, rice bran oil, wheat germ oil, palm oil, palm kernel oil, medium-chain fatty acid triglycerides, and fish oils containing docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). The above fats and oils may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

[0024] In the present invention, a protective film is formed by gum arabic on the surface of oil droplets dispersed in an aqueous phase. Furthermore, the oil droplets with the protective film are believed to be trapped in the network structure constructed by xanthan gum, resulting in uniform and stable dispersion in the aqueous phase. Therefore, even emulsified foods with low emulsifier addition amounts and low viscosity can be easily emulsified, and the emulsified state is believed to be maintained stably.

[0025] (D)Water The emulsified food of the present invention contains water. As described above, in the emulsified food of the present invention, a protective film is formed by gum arabic on the surface of oil droplets dispersed in an aqueous phase. The oil droplets with the protective film formed thereon are then incorporated into the network structure constructed by xanthan gum, and are thought to be uniformly dispersed in the aqueous phase. Because gum arabic and xanthan gum are water-soluble, they are easily dispersed in water, and the oil droplets and water are uniformly mixed together. The interaction between the protective layer formed on the surface of the oil droplets by gum arabic and the network structure constructed by xanthan gum is thought to stably maintain the oil droplets uniformly dispersed in the aqueous phase. The water content of the emulsified food of the present invention is not particularly limited as long as the above structure can be formed, but it is preferably 30% to 90% of the total mass of the emulsified food.

[0026] In addition to water, the aqueous phase components of the emulsified food of the present invention may include vinegar, seasonings, sugars, spices, coloring agents, flavoring agents, salt, etc. These components may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

[0027] Manufacturing method of emulsified food The method for producing the emulsified food of the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it can uniformly emulsify and disperse the above ingredients, and the food can be prepared by any existing method. For example, the food can be prepared by adding all ingredients to water and mixing them. The mixing step can be carried out at room temperature or under heated conditions, and an emulsifying device such as a homomixer or a colloid mill can be used for mixing. The viscosity of the emulsified food of the present invention at a liquid temperature of 25°C is preferably in the range of 40 mPa·s to 1000 mPa·s. The present invention makes it possible to achieve excellent emulsion stability even with low-viscosity emulsions, which has been considered difficult to achieve in the past. [Example]

[0028] The following examples further illustrate the present invention in detail, but are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. In the examples, "%" and "parts" refer to % by mass and parts by mass unless otherwise specified.

[0029] <Constituents of emulsifiers> (A) Gum arabic (a) Gum Arabic: GUM ARABIC 396A (manufactured by Alland & Robert) (B) Xanthan gum (b) Xanthan gum: Neosoft XR (Taiyo Chemical Co., Ltd.) (B') Other high molecular weight polysaccharides (b'1) Guar gum: PROCOL U (manufactured by Habgen Guargums Limited) (b'2) Locust bean gum: CESALPINIA LBG LN-1 / 200 (manufactured by Tate & Lyle) <Constituents of emulsion composition> (C)Oils and fats (c) Soybean oil: edible soybean oil (manufactured by J-Oil Mills Co., Ltd.) (D) Water: Ion-exchanged water

[0030] (Preparation and Evaluation of Emulsion Composition) Ion-exchanged water, soybean oil, and an emulsifier (polymeric polysaccharide) shown in Table 1 were placed in a container and stirred at room temperature for 1 minute using a homomixer to obtain an emulsion composition. The mass ratio of ion-exchanged water to soybean oil was 60:40 (water:oil), and the amount of emulsifier added was adjusted to a range of 0.05% by mass to 1% by mass relative to 100% of ion-exchanged water and soybean oil, so as to achieve the viscosity shown in Table 1. In Example 1 and Comparative Examples 3 to 6, the blending ratio of the two components was 1:1 (mass ratio). The viscosity and emulsified state (A) after stirring for 1 minute and then leaving to stand at room temperature for 3 minutes, and the viscosity and emulsified state (B) after leaving to stand at room temperature for 3 days after stirring were evaluated according to the following criteria. The results are shown in Table 1. The viscosity was measured using a B-type viscometer while the temperature of the emulsion composition was maintained at 25°C. ◎: Uniformly dispersed (emulsified) 〇: Not separated, but some parts are not uniformly dispersed ×: Not uniformly dispersed or separated In addition, emulsion compositions were obtained in the same manner using various emulsifiers, soybean oil, and water in the mass ratios shown in Tables 2 and 3. The viscosity and emulsified state of each emulsion composition were evaluated, and the results are shown in Tables 2 and 3.

[0031] As shown in Table 1(A), in Comparative Example 1, in which gum arabic was used alone, the viscosity of the emulsion composition did not increase even when the amount added was increased, remaining at around 100 mPa s. Furthermore, it was confirmed that the resulting emulsion composition, with a viscosity of around 100 mPa s, did not separate, but had some areas that were not uniformly dispersed. In contrast, it was found that the viscosity of the emulsion composition could be adjusted by controlling the amount of polymeric polysaccharide added in Comparative Example 2, which contained xanthan gum alone, and in Example 1 and Comparative Examples 3 to 6, which contained two types of polymeric polysaccharides. It was confirmed that the emulsion compositions of Example 1 and Comparative Examples 2 to 6 were uniformly emulsified at viscosities of 400 mPa s or higher. However, in Comparative Example 2, which contained xanthan gum alone, and Comparative Example 6, which contained both xanthan gum and guar gum, non-uniformly dispersed portions were observed at viscosities of the emulsion composition of 300 mPa·s or less, and separation was observed at viscosities of 100 mPa·s. Furthermore, in Comparative Example 3, which contained gum arabic and locust bean gum, non-uniformly dispersed portions were observed at viscosities of 200 mPa·s or less, and in Comparative Example 4, which contained gum arabic and guar gum, and Comparative Example 5, which contained xanthan gum and locust bean gum, non-uniformly dispersed portions were observed at viscosities of 100 mPa·s or less. On the other hand, in the emulsion composition of Example 1 of the present invention to which gum arabic and xanthan gum were added, the emulsion was uniformly dispersed even at a viscosity of 100 mPa·s, confirming the effect of the present invention.

[0032] Table 1(B) shows the evaluation results of the viscosity and emulsification state of each emulsion composition after stirring for 1 minute and then leaving it to stand for 3 days. In Comparative Example 3, in which gum arabic and locust bean gum were added, and Comparative Example 4, in which gum arabic and guar gum were added, separation was observed at all viscosities of 400 mPa·s or less. Furthermore, in Comparative Example 2, in which xanthan gum alone was used, Comparative Example 5, in which xanthan gum and locust bean gum were added, and Comparative Example 6, in which xanthan gum and guar gum were added, non-uniformly dispersed portions were observed even at 400 mPa·s. Furthermore, in Comparative Examples 2 and 6, separation of the emulsion composition was observed at viscosities of 300 mPa·s or less. In contrast, in Example 1 of the present invention, it was confirmed that the emulsion composition remained uniformly dispersed even after being left to stand for 3 days when the viscosity of the emulsion composition was in the range of 300 mPa·s to 400 mPa·s. Furthermore, even when the viscosity of the emulsion composition was as low as 200 mPa·s, no separation of the emulsion composition was observed. These results confirmed the effect of the present invention, that an emulsion composition containing gum arabic and xanthan gum has excellent emulsion stability even at low viscosity. This is thought to be because the oil droplets with a protective film formed by gum arabic are trapped in the network structure constructed by xanthan gum, and the excellent interaction between gum arabic and xanthan gum maintains the oil droplets in a uniform and stable state in the aqueous phase. In this example, a homomixer (high-speed agitator) was used for stirring, and it is assumed that relatively large oil droplets were formed, resulting in an unstable state. The superiority of the present invention is clear from the fact that a uniform emulsion state can be maintained for a long period of time even in such a state. Here, it is expected that the emulsion stability of the emulsion composition of the present invention will be further improved if a dispersion method that can form finer and more uniform oil droplets than those using a high-pressure homogenizer, for example, is adopted.

[0033] [Table 1]

[0034] Table 2 shows the viscosity and emulsification state of emulsion compositions obtained by varying the amounts and blending ratios of gum arabic and xanthan gum added, stirring for 1 minute and then leaving to stand for 3 minutes. In Examples 2 to 4, 0.01% gum arabic was added relative to 100% by mass of the total amount of ion-exchanged water and soybean oil. In Examples 5 to 8, Examples 9 to 12, and Example 13, 0.05%, 0.1%, and 0.2% gum arabic was added, respectively. Examples 2 to 4 confirmed that increasing the amount of xanthan gum to 0.03%, 0.05%, and 0.2% while fixing the amount of gum arabic at 0.01% increased the viscosity and improved emulsion stability. Furthermore, Example 2 demonstrated that no separation was observed even when the emulsion composition had a low viscosity of 40 mPa·s or less than 100 mPa·s, demonstrating superior emulsification properties compared to conventional techniques. Similar trends were observed in Examples 5 to 8 and Examples 9 to 12. Here, in Example 9, a uniformly dispersed state was obtained even though the viscosity of the emulsion composition was as low as 40 mPa s, and a particularly excellent effect was observed. In the present invention, it has been confirmed that even when the total amount of gum arabic and xanthan gum in an emulsified food is as small as 0.3 mass% or less, the viscosity of the emulsified composition can be adjusted to a range of 40 mPa·s to 600 mPa·s, and that excellent emulsifying properties can be obtained even when the viscosity of the emulsified composition is 100 mPa·s or less.

[0035] [Table 2]

[0036] Table 3 shows the results of evaluating the viscosity and emulsification state of the emulsion compositions of Examples 14 to 19, which were prepared by adding gum arabic, xanthan gum, and / or locust bean gum and / or guar gum, and Comparative Examples 7 to 13, which were prepared without adding either gum arabic or xanthan gum, after stirring for 1 minute and allowing to stand for 3 minutes, and after allowing to stand for 3 days after stirring. In Example 14, in which gum arabic and xanthan gum were added, the viscosity of the emulsion composition after standing for 3 minutes was 250 mPa s, confirming uniform dispersion. After standing for 3 days, some uneven areas were observed, but no separation occurred. A similar trend was observed in the emulsion composition of Example 15, in which the amount of gum arabic added was reduced from 0.2% to 0.05% and guar gum was added. Furthermore, in Example 16, in which locust bean gum was added instead of the guar gum of Example 15, the state after 1 minute of stirring and 3 minutes of standing was similar to that of Examples 14 and 15. However, the increase in viscosity after 3 days of standing was less than that of Examples 14 and 15, and no partial unevenness was observed, indicating that a uniform emulsion state was maintained. This indicates that by adding guar gum to gum arabic and xanthan gum, excellent emulsification properties can be obtained with a smaller amount of emulsifier added. It was also confirmed that the addition of locust bean gum to gum arabic and xanthan gum further improved emulsion stability. In Example 17, in which guar gum and locust bean gum were added, the viscosity and emulsification state after stirring for 1 minute and leaving to stand for 3 minutes showed trends similar to those of Examples 14 to 16, but it was confirmed that the uniform emulsification state was maintained and the viscosity did not change even after leaving to stand for 3 days. In Example 18, the amount of xanthan gum added was reduced compared to Example 17 to prepare an emulsion composition with even lower viscosity. In Example 18, the viscosity after standing for 3 minutes was 220 mPa s, and a uniform emulsion composition was obtained. After standing for 3 days, the viscosity was 200 mPa s, and no separation was observed. Comparative Example 7 is an emulsion composition in which the amount of xanthan gum added alone was adjusted to a viscosity of 270 mPa s. Despite having a viscosity equal to or greater than those of Examples 14 to 18, in Comparative Example 7, uneven portions were observed after stirring for 1 minute and leaving to stand for 3 minutes, and separation of the composition was confirmed after leaving to stand for 3 days. This also clearly demonstrates that the emulsion composition of the present invention has excellent uniform dispersion and emulsion stability even when it has a low viscosity.

[0037] In Example 19, the amounts and blending ratios of a four-component system of gum arabic, xanthan gum, guar gum, and locust bean gum were adjusted to obtain an emulsion composition with a viscosity of 100 mPa s after stirring. Despite its low viscosity of 100 mPa s, the resulting emulsion composition was homogeneous throughout and did not separate even after being left to stand for 3 days. In contrast, in Comparative Example 8, in which xanthan gum and locust bean gum were added but no gum arabic was added, Comparative Example 9, in which xanthan gum and guar gum were added, and Comparative Example 10, in which xanthan gum, locust bean gum, and guar gum were added, the viscosities after stirring for 1 minute and leaving to stand for 3 minutes were 100 mPa s, 150 mPa s, and 120 mPa s, respectively, and although these were equivalent to or higher than Example 19, some non-uniformity was observed. Furthermore, in Comparative Examples 8, 9, and 10, separation occurred after leaving to stand for 3 days. Furthermore, in Comparative Examples 11, 12, and 13, emulsion compositions were prepared by adding locust bean gum, guar gum, and locust bean gum and guar gum instead of the xanthan gum used in Example 14. The viscosities were 160 mPa s, 180 mPa s, and 170 mPa s, respectively. After stirring for 1 minute and standing for 3 minutes, a uniform composition was obtained, but separation occurred after standing for 3 days.

[0038] The above results clearly demonstrate that the emulsion composition of the present invention containing gum arabic and xanthan gum has excellent emulsifying properties even at low viscosity. By adding guar gum or locust bean gum to gum arabic and xanthan gum, excellent emulsifying properties can be achieved with a smaller amount of gum arabic and xanthan gum, and it was confirmed that the addition of locust bean gum in particular further improves emulsion stability. Furthermore, it was found that the addition of locust bean gum and guar gum together can achieve even better emulsion stability in a composition with a lower viscosity. As mentioned above, in the above examples, stirring was performed using a homomixer (high-speed stirrer), so it is assumed that relatively large oil droplets were formed, resulting in an unstable state. Even in such a state, it was found that the emulsion composition of the present invention exhibits remarkable emulsion stability compared to conventional techniques. It is believed that the emulsion stability of the emulsion composition of the present invention can be further improved by adopting a dispersion method that can form finer and more uniform oil droplets, such as a high-pressure homogenizer.

[0039] [Table 3]

Claims

[Claim 1] A liquid emulsified food containing water, oils and fats, and polymeric polysaccharides, The polymeric polysaccharides include gum arabic, xanthan gum, guar gum, and locust bean gum; The content of the polymeric polysaccharide is 0.1% to 1% of the total mass of the emulsified food, The water content is 30% to 90% of the total mass of the emulsified food, The content of the oil or fat is 10% to 70% of the total mass of the emulsified food, The emulsified food is stirred for 1 minute, allowed to stand for 3 minutes, and then has a viscosity of 40 mPa·s to 1000 mPa·s at a liquid temperature of 25°C, measured using a B-type viscometer at a rotation speed of 60 rpm.

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