Use of fucose for vegetable-containing compositions

Abstract

To provide a technique which improves umami and ease of consumption of a vegetable-containing composition.SOLUTION: An umami improvement composition of a vegetable-containing composition contains fucose as an active ingredient. Also, a composition for improvement of ease of consumption of a vegetable-containing composition contains fucose as an active ingredient. The vegetable-containing composition preferably contains one or more selected from the group consisting of a barley young leaf, a mulberry leaf, powdered green tea, an adlay young leaf, Angelica keiskei, kale, spinach, a bitter gourd, mulukhiya, mugwort, Moringa, veitch's bamboo, spirulina, chlorella, Peucedanum japonicum Thunb, a tomato, and carrot.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vegetable-containing composition such as a vegetable beverage, and more particularly, to a composition and method used for improving the taste and drinkability of a vegetable-containing composition, the use of fucose for improving the taste and drinkability of a vegetable-containing composition, and a vegetable-containing composition containing fucose and a method for producing the same.

Background Art

[0002] Due to the increasing health awareness in recent years, it has become popular to easily ingest nutrients such as dietary fiber and minerals contained in vegetables in the form of vegetable beverages and the like. In addition, there are also不少consumers who aim to taste the original taste of vegetables without adding unnecessary taste components such as sweetness. On the other hand, vegetables have specific tastes such as bitterness, astringency, and eggy taste, and vegetable-containing compositions have the problem of lacking ease of eating and drinking.

[0003] Regarding methods for improving the taste of vegetable-containing compositions, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a vegetable juice characterized by adding a hot water extract of tea to vegetable juice and setting the tannin concentration to 150 to 1500 ppm. When adding a hot water extract of tea to vegetable juice and setting the tannin concentration to 150 to 1500 ppm, it is said that the unpleasant flavor peculiar to vegetables is removed and a vegetable juice with a refreshing aftertaste can be obtained.

[0004] Also, for example, Patent Document 2 discloses a beverage containing a water-soluble acidic polysaccharide having a carboxyl group, and it is said that the taste such as astringency, bitterness, and astringency of vegetable juice, fruit juice, tea extract, etc. is improved by the water-soluble acidic polysaccharide.

[0005] Also, for example, Patent Document 3 discloses a container-packed beverage characterized by containing vegetable juice and / or fruit juice and fermented soy milk, and it is said that the fermented soy milk can suppress the astringency, eggy taste, bitterness, sourness, astringency, and earthy smell of vegetable juice and / or fruit juice.

[0006] Furthermore, for example, Patent Document 4 discloses a low-carbohydrate vegetable beverage containing 50% or more of vegetable juice on a straight basis and 0.001% to less than 0.005% by weight of sucralose, with a total carbohydrate content of 8g / 100mL or less. This sucralose-containing low-carbohydrate vegetable beverage is said to be able to mitigate the unpleasant odor (grassy smell) characteristic of vegetable juice and the unpleasant heated odor that occurs when vegetable juice is heated, thereby improving the unpleasant aftertaste that is particularly noticeable in low-carbohydrate vegetable beverages.

[0007] Furthermore, for example, Patent Document 5 discloses a food and beverage composition containing fruit juice or vegetable juice, which contains at least one component selected from the group consisting of sugar carboxylic acids obtained by oxidizing the aldehyde group on the reducing end of a starch hydrolysate or transposition reaction product with a degree of polymerization of 2 or more, and their lactones. It is stated that by using such sugar carboxylic acids, the taste of the food and beverage composition containing fruit juice or vegetable juice can be improved by enhancing freshness, reducing bitterness, etc., while preserving the flavor of the ingredients. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0008] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2000-300224 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2003-116496 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2008-43280 [Patent Document 4] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2010-46047 [Patent Document 5] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2017-158500 [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0009] While various components for improving the taste of vegetable-containing compositions such as vegetable beverages have been known, further development of materials was desired to improve user convenience.

[0010] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a material that is effective for various vegetables and can improve the taste and palatability of compositions containing those vegetables. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] Through diligent research, the inventors discovered that fucose has the effect of improving the taste and palatability of vegetable-containing compositions, leading to the completion of the present invention.

[0012] In other words, according to a first aspect of the present invention, the present invention provides a composition for improving the taste of vegetable-containing compositions, which contains fucose as an active ingredient.

[0013] Furthermore, according to a second aspect of the present invention, the present invention provides a composition for improving the palatability of vegetable-containing compositions, which contains fucose as an active ingredient.

[0014] Furthermore, according to a third aspect of the present invention, the present invention provides a method for improving the taste of a vegetable-containing composition by incorporating fucose into the vegetable-containing composition.

[0015] Furthermore, according to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the present invention provides a method for improving the palatability of a vegetable-containing composition by incorporating fucose into the vegetable-containing composition.

[0016] Furthermore, according to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the present invention provides the use of fucose for improving the taste of a vegetable-containing composition.

[0017] Furthermore, according to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the present invention provides the use of fucose for improving the palatability of vegetable-containing compositions.

[0018] Also, according to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the present invention provides a vegetable-containing composition containing fucose, wherein the vegetable-containing composition contains one or more selected from the group consisting of young barley leaves, mulberry leaves, matcha tea, young adlay leaves, ashitaba, kale, spinach, bitter melon, moringa, mugwort, moringa, kuma sasasa, spirulina, chlorella, longevity grass, tomato, and carrot.

[0019] Also, according to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the present invention provides a method for producing a vegetable-containing composition having a step of adding fucose, wherein the vegetable-containing composition contains one or more selected from the group consisting of young barley leaves, mulberry leaves, matcha tea, young adlay leaves, ashitaba, kale, spinach, bitter melon, moringa, mugwort, moringa, kuma sasasa, spirulina, chlorella, longevity grass, tomato, and carrot.

Effects of the Invention

[0020] According to the present invention, the taste and drinkability of a composition containing vegetables can be improved by using fucose.

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0021] The present invention applies fucose to a vegetable-containing composition containing vegetables to improve its taste and drinkability.

[0022] The above vegetables are not particularly limited. For example, young barley leaves, mulberry leaves, matcha tea, young adlay leaves, ashitaba, kale, spinach, bitter melon, moringa, mugwort, moringa, kuma sasasa, spirulina, chlorella, longevity grass, tomato, carrot, etc. can be mentioned. Also, the vegetable may contain one type or two or more types.

[0023] As the vegetable-containing composition to which the present invention is applied, it only needs to be edible, and there is no particular limitation on its form. For example, edible parts such as vegetable leaves, fruits, roots, flowers, and buds are put into a juicer, grinder, mixer, etc., to be juiced, ground, or, if necessary, subjected to bleaching or heat treatment, or passed through a filtration device, a centrifugal separator, etc. to remove insoluble substances, and it may be in the form of vegetable juice prepared to be edible. Also, it may be in the form of puree or powder prepared from vegetables to be edible, a powdered beverage, soup, dressing, sauce, tablet, supplement, etc. containing vegetables. Or, it may be in the form of candies, chocolates, chewing gums, biscuits, cookies, Japanese confectioneries, snacks, bean confectioneries / dried fruits, delicacies, fresh confectioneries, semi-fresh confectioneries, baked confectioneries, desserts, cereals, jellies, jams, spreads, ice creams, ice milks, lacto ices, frozen confectioneries, bread, ready-to-eat dishes, pickles, etc. which are obtained by further blending and processing primary processed products of vegetables with foods and drinks, etc. Furthermore, the vegetable-containing composition may be not only in a form for direct eating and drinking but also for use in seasoning, cooking, etc.

[0024] However, it is preferable that fucose is applied to the vegetable-containing composition in a form in which the components derived from the vegetables contained in the composition occupy a certain proportion or more. For example, it is more preferable that fucose is applied to the composition in a form in which the components derived from the vegetables occupy 10 to 100% by mass in terms of dry matter. The proportion of the components derived from the vegetables contained in the vegetable-containing composition in the composition may be 20 to 100% by mass, 30 to 100% by mass, 40 to 100% by mass, 50 to 100% by mass, 60 to 100% by mass, 70 to 100% by mass, 80 to 100% by mass, or 90 to 100% by mass in terms of dry matter. Such vegetable-containing compositions are likely to have problems with the taste caused by the components derived from vegetables, and by containing fucose in them, it is possible to exert an effect of improving the taste and drinkability of the vegetable-containing composition.

[0025] The vegetable-containing compositions to which the present invention applies may be in the form of beverages, such as tomato juice, carrot juice, mixed vegetable juice, mixed vegetable and fruit juice, green juice, soft drinks, powdered beverages, and tea bag beverages. In the case of such beverages, taste problems due to vegetable-derived components tend to occur, and by including fucose in them, the effect of improving the taste and drinkability of the vegetable-containing composition can be further effectively exhibited.

[0026] In a vegetable-containing composition to which the present invention is applied, the amount of fucose in the composition should be an effective amount for improving taste and drinkability, and can be adjusted as appropriate. Typically, for example, the amount of fucose per 100 parts by mass of vegetable-derived components contained in the composition can be 0.0001 to 1000 parts by mass, 0.0005 to 1000 parts by mass, 0.0005 to 500 parts by mass, 0.001 to 500 parts by mass, 0.001 to 200 parts by mass, 0.01 to 200 parts by mass, 0.01 to 100 parts by mass, 0.1 to 100 parts by mass, or 0.1 to 50 parts by mass.

[0027] Furthermore, the amount of fucose can be measured, for example, by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).

[0028] In the present invention, whether an effective amount of fucose is included to improve taste and drinkability can be appropriately determined by performing a sensory evaluation to determine whether the taste and drinkability of the vegetable-containing composition are improved when fucose is included compared to when fucose is not included. Alternatively, the effective amount of fucose can be predetermined through such sensory evaluation, and a vegetable-containing composition with improved taste and drinkability can be prepared by adding that amount during the preparation or processing of the vegetable-containing composition. In this specification, "improvement of taste" includes, for example, suppressing the grassy smell, off-flavors, unpleasant initial taste irritation, bitterness, astringency, and astringency characteristic of vegetables, improving lightness and refreshingness, and improving drinkability when made into a beverage.

[0029] There are no particular restrictions on the fucose used in the present invention, but it is preferable to use fucose prepared from natural raw materials, as it is suitable for use in the form of food and beverages. For example, fucose can be efficiently prepared from a hydrolyzed polysaccharide containing fucose as one of its constituent sugars, obtained by extraction from seaweed such as Ascophyllum nodosum or Mozuku, by the method disclosed in WO2018 / 180727 by the present applicant, so it is preferable to use fucose prepared by such a method.

[0030] The following describes in more detail the method for preparing fucose. However, the fucose used in the present invention is not limited to that prepared by the method exemplified below.

[0031] • Method for extracting polysaccharides containing fucose as one of the constituent sugars As the raw material seaweed, brown algae are preferred, and in particular, Ascophyllum nodosum and Okinawa mozuku are preferred. A method for extracting polysaccharides containing fucose as one of the constituent sugars from the raw material seaweed is to add an aqueous solution of an inorganic acid such as hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, nitric acid, or phosphoric acid, or an organic acid such as acetic acid, citric acid, lactic acid, oxalic acid, malic acid, succinic acid, formic acid, or propionic acid to the raw material so that the pH is 1 to 5 and the raw material concentration is 0.1 to 10% by weight as dry matter, and then extract by stirring at 10 to 100°C for 0 to 24 hours. Preferably, hydrochloric acid is added to the raw material so that the pH is 2 to 5 and the raw material concentration is 3 to 8.5% by weight as dry matter, and then extracted at 70 to 90°C for 1 to 3 hours. More preferably, the raw material is crushed with a mixer or the like before extraction.

[0032] • A method for removing low-molecular-weight fractions from polysaccharides that contain fucose as one of their constituent sugars. After filtering the extract obtained by the above means, low molecular weight substances such as mannitol are removed. There are no particular restrictions on the means or conditions for this, but for example, a means such as ultrafiltration according to known methods is preferable because the obtained extract can be used directly in this means and is suitable for industrial mass production. More specifically, it is preferable that the means for molecular weight fractionation uses an ultrafiltration membrane that can permeate at least mannitol. Even more specifically, it is preferable that the means for molecular weight fractionation uses an ultrafiltration membrane with a molecular weight cutoff of 200 to 200,000, and more preferably an ultrafiltration membrane with a molecular weight cutoff of 500 to 30,000.

[0033] Hydrolysis of polysaccharides that include fucose as one of their constituent sugars Hydrolysis is carried out using polysaccharides, which include fucose as one of the constituent sugars, as a raw material. For example, an inorganic acid such as hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, nitric acid, or phosphoric acid, or an organic acid such as acetic acid, citric acid, oxalic acid, lactic acid, succinic acid, formic acid, or propionic acid is added to the extract so that the pH is 0.1 to 5 and the dry-weighted concentration of the extract is 0.1 to 25% by mass, and the mixture is stirred at 10 to 100°C for 0 to 24 hours to perform hydrolysis. Preferably, hydrochloric acid is added to the extract so that the pH is 0.1 to 3 and the dry-weighted concentration of the extract is 3 to 6% by mass, and the mixture is stirred at 50 to 70°C for 1 to 5 hours to perform hydrolysis.

[0034] After the reaction is complete, the reaction solution is quickly cooled and neutralized to pH 7-8 with an alkaline agent such as sodium hydroxide or sodium carbonate. By desalting this neutralized solution using activated carbon decolorization, filtration, and electrodialysis, a fucose-containing hydrolysate can be obtained.

[0035] • Fractionation and purification of fucose The fucose-rich fraction is separated and recovered from the above hydrolysate. There are no particular restrictions on the means or conditions for this separation. For example, methods such as ultrafiltration, desalting, ion exchange, electrophoresis, molecular exclusion chromatography, and molecular sieving can be used according to known methods. This separation and recovery removes residual impurities such as alginic acid, yielding high-purity fucose. For example, a fucose-containing composition can be obtained that typically contains 10% by mass or more of fucose on a dry weight basis, more typically 20% by mass or more, even more typically 30% by mass or more, and particularly typically 40% by mass or more. Furthermore, fucose can be highly purified by means such as crystallization, saccharification, centrifugation, and chromatographic separation according to known methods. This can be used to obtain a fucose-containing composition that typically contains 90% by mass or more of fucose on a dry weight basis, more typically 95% by mass or more, even more typically 98% by mass or more, and particularly typically 99% by mass or more.

[0036] In the present invention, when a seaweed-derived composition is used as fucose, it is preferable to use a seaweed-derived composition containing 80% by mass or more of fucose per dry weight, more preferably 85% by mass or more, even more preferably 90% by mass or more, and most preferably 95% by mass or more. In this case, the content of sugars other than fucose in the seaweed-derived composition is preferably 0.001% by mass or more and 20% by mass or less per dry weight, more preferably 0.001% by mass or more and 15% by mass or less, even more preferably 0.001% by mass or more and 10% by mass or less, particularly preferably 0.001% by mass or more and 5% by mass or less, and most preferably 0.001% by mass or more and 3% by mass or less. [Examples]

[0037] The present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to examples, but these examples are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0038] <Test Example 1> The effect of fucose on improving the taste and palatability of vegetable-containing compositions was investigated.

[0039] [Fukos] The material used was fucose crystals derived from seaweed (purity 93.5%, Yaizu Suisan Kagaku Kogyo Co., Ltd.), obtained by the method disclosed in WO2018 / 180727 by the present applicant.

[0040] [Sensory evaluation] Table 1 shows the evaluation criteria common to each test example. Specifically, samples to which fucose was added at various concentrations were administered to five or more well-trained evaluators, and the degree of change was evaluated compared to a blank sample without fucose.

[0041] [Table 1]

[0042] <Test Example 1> We investigated the effect of fucose on improving the taste and drinkability of commercially available tomato juice and carrot juice. Specifically, we evaluated the "initial taste stimuli" and "drinkability" of tomato juice, and the "lightness, refreshing taste" and "drinkability" of carrot juice, when fucose was added to concentrations of 0.001, 0.01, 0.1, or 2 w / v%, according to the criteria shown in Table 1 above.

[0043] [Table 2]

[0044] As a result, as shown in Table 2, adding approximately 0.001 w / v% or more fucose to tomato juice reduced the initial harshness of the juice and improved its drinkability. Similarly, adding approximately 0.001 w / v% or more fucose to carrot juice improved its lightness and refreshing taste, thus improving its drinkability. Furthermore, a fucose concentration of approximately 2 w / v% did not affect the sweetness of the juice.

[0045] <Test Example 2> The degree of change in taste and drinkability of each vegetable powder-containing aqueous solution, prepared by adding fucose to aqueous solutions of various vegetable powders shown in Table 3 at a 1 w / v% concentration, to concentrations of 0.001, 0.01, 0.1, 1, or 2 w / v%, was evaluated according to the criteria shown in Table 1 above.

[0046] [Table 3]

[0047] As a result, as shown in Table 3, it was found that adding approximately 0.001 w / v% or more of fucose to an aqueous solution prepared by adjusting various vegetable powders to a 1 w / v% concentration improved the taste and palatability of the vegetable powder-containing aqueous solution.

Claims

1. A composition for improving the taste of vegetable-containing compositions, comprising a seaweed-derived composition containing 10% by mass or more of free fucose per dry weight as an active ingredient, The aforementioned taste-improving composition is used such that the concentration of free fucose in the vegetable-containing composition is 0.001 w / v% or more and 2 w / v% or less.

2. A composition for improving the palatability of vegetable-containing compositions, comprising a seaweed-derived composition containing 10% by mass or more of free fucose per dry weight as an active ingredient, The aforementioned vegetable-containing composition is a beverage, and The aforementioned composition for improving drinkability is used such that the concentration of free fucose in the vegetable-containing composition is 0.001 w / v% or more and 2 w / v% or less, and is used to improve the drinkability of the vegetable-containing composition.

3. A method for improving the taste of a vegetable-containing composition, comprising adding a seaweed-derived composition containing 10% by mass or more of free fucose per dry weight to the vegetable-containing composition such that the concentration of free fucose in the vegetable-containing composition is 0.001 w / v% or more and 2 w / v% or less.

4. A method for improving the palatability of a vegetable-containing composition, comprising adding a seaweed-derived composition containing 10% by mass or more of free fucose per dry weight to a vegetable-containing composition such that the concentration of free fucose in the vegetable-containing composition is 0.001 w / v% or more and 2 w / v% or less, The vegetable-containing composition is a beverage, and the method for improving the drinkability of the vegetable-containing composition.

5. The use of a seaweed-derived composition containing 10% by mass or more of free fucose per dry weight for improving the taste of a vegetable-containing composition, The use thereof, wherein the concentration of free fucose in the vegetable-containing composition is 0.001 w / v% or more and 2 w / v% or less.

6. A seaweed-derived composition containing 10% by mass or more of free fucose per dry weight is used to improve the palatability of a vegetable-containing composition, The aforementioned vegetable-containing composition is a beverage, and The use thereof, wherein the concentration of free fucose in the beverage is 0.001 w / v% or more and 2 w / v% or less.

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