Bean-odor-masking agent, method for masking bean odor, food composition, method for producing said food composition, and bean-derived-food-containing composition

Abstract

The present invention relates to, inter alia: a bean-odor-masking agent containing at least one of heptanoic acid, 2,4-decadienal, and 3-octen-2-one; and a bean-derived-food-containing composition containing at least one of heptanoic acid, 2,4-decadienal, and 3-octen-2-one.

Description

Bean-smell masking agent, method for masking bean-smell, food composition, method for producing said food composition, and bean-derived food-containing composition

[0001] The present invention relates to a bean odor masking agent, a method for masking bean odor, a food composition, a method for producing the food composition, and a bean-derived food-containing composition.

[0002] Meat is a nutritionally important foodstuff, rich in nutrients such as vitamins, proteins, and minerals. However, meat also contains a lot of lipids, especially saturated fatty acids, and has a high energy content compared to other foods. Therefore, excessive meat intake can be a cause of various chronic diseases, including metabolic syndrome.

[0003] Therefore, in order to reduce excessive meat intake, the use of meat-like foods that resemble processed meat has attracted attention. Meat-like foods are foods that contain less saturated fatty acids and less energy than meat, but contain about the same amount of protein as meat. Intake of meat-like foods as an alternative to meat may lead to the prevention and improvement of lifestyle-related diseases such as metabolic syndrome.

[0004] As representative meat-like foods, foods made from grains, particularly beans such as soybeans, are processed for various uses and used in food compositions and foods (Patent Documents 1 and 2).

[0005] Japanese Patent No. 6396517 Japanese Patent No. 7216500

[0006] However, foods derived from beans such as soybeans have a raw material odor, i.e., a bean odor, and therefore there is room for improvement in terms of the bean odor of these bean-derived foods.

[0007] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an agent for masking the beany smell of bean-derived foods and the like, a method for masking the bean smell, a food composition in which the bean smell has been masked, a method for producing the food composition, and a bean-derived food-containing composition in which the bean smell has been masked.

[0008] As a result of extensive research to solve the above problems, the present inventors have found that an agent containing at least one of heptanoic acid, 2,4-decadienal, and 3-octen-2-one masks the bean odor of bean-derived foods and the like.

[0009] The present invention is as follows. [1] A bean odor masking agent containing at least one of heptanoic acid, 2,4-decadienal, and 3-octen-2-one. [2] The bean odor masking agent according to [1] above, wherein the bean odor is a bean odor during mastication. [3] The bean odor masking agent according to [1] or [2] above, further containing a flavoring. [4] A method for masking bean odor, comprising blending the bean odor masking agent according to [1] or [2] above into a bean-derived food. [5] A food composition comprising the bean odor masking agent according to [1] or [2] above and a bean-derived food. [6] A method for producing a food composition, comprising blending the bean odor masking agent according to [1] or [2] above into a bean-derived food. [7] A bean-derived food-containing composition containing at least one of heptanoic acid, 2,4-decadienal, and 3-octen-2-one. [8] The content of heptanoic acid is 1.0 x 10 per 100 parts by mass of the bean-derived food. －７ ~5.0 x 10 －４ [9] The bean-derived food-containing composition according to the above [7], wherein the content of 2,4-decadienal is 1.0 × 10 parts by mass relative to 100 parts by mass of the bean-derived food. －８ ~5.0 x 10 －４

[10] The bean-derived food-containing composition according to the above [7], wherein the content of 3-octen-2-one is 1.0 × 10 parts by mass relative to 100 parts by mass of the bean-derived food. －７ ~5.0 x 10 －４ The bean-derived food-containing composition according to [7] above, wherein the bean-derived food-containing composition is in parts by mass.

[0010] According to the present invention, a bean odor masking agent and a method for masking bean odor are provided. Also, according to the present invention, a food composition in which the bean odor is masked and a method for producing the food composition are provided. Furthermore, according to the present invention, a bean-derived food-containing composition in which the bean odor is masked is provided.

[0011] The present invention will be described in detail below, but these are merely examples of preferred embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. The numerical range "to" includes the preceding and following numerical values. For example, "0% by mass to 100% by mass" means a range of 0% by mass or more and 100% by mass or less.

[0012] In this specification, "bean smell" refers to the bean-specific smell (retronasal) that is sensed from the back of the throat through the oral cavity and into the nasal cavity when a bean-derived food is held in the mouth, chewed, and / or swallowed. However, it may also be a smell that is perceived as a combination of the retronasal smell and the smell sensed directly by the nose (orthonasal).

[0013] The bean odor is preferably the bean odor experienced when chewing a bean-derived food. Chewing refers to the act of breaking down food in the mouth with the teeth into a soft, easily swallowed food mass.

[0014] The bean smell may be a soybean smell. That is, the "smell characteristic of beans" in the definition of "bean smell" may be a "smell characteristic of soybeans."

[0015] As used herein, "masking the beany smell" includes both eliminating the beany smell and reducing the beany smell.

[0016] [Beany Odor Masking Agent] A beany odor masking agent according to one embodiment of the present invention contains at least one of heptanoic acid, 2,4-decadienal, and 3-octen-2-one. In this specification, the beany odor masking agent according to one embodiment of the present invention is also referred to as "an agent according to one embodiment of the present invention." When the agent according to one embodiment of the present invention is incorporated into a bean-derived food or the like, it is presumed that at least one of heptanoic acid, 2,4-decadienal, and 3-octen-2-one reaches the olfactory epithelium simultaneously with the off-flavor and remains in a volatilized state together with the off-flavor, thereby masking the beany odor of the bean-derived food or the like. In this specification, "off-flavor" refers to a beany odor.

[0017] In this specification, it can be said that the bean odor is masked when the bean odor of a composition obtained by adding an agent of one embodiment of the present invention to a bean-derived food is eliminated or reduced compared to the bean odor of a bean-derived food that does not contain the agent of one embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] Heptanoic acid, 2,4-decadienal, and 3-octen-2-one may be natural or synthetic products, and may be purified from natural products, commercially available products, etc., without particular limitation. Furthermore, heptanoic acid, 2,4-decadienal, and 3-octen-2-one may be themselves, or may be in the form of a solvate such as a hydrate thereof.

[0019] The contents of heptanoic acid, 2,4-decadienal, and 3-octen-2-one contained in the agent of one embodiment of the present invention are not particularly limited, and can be appropriately set with the upper limit of their total content being 100% by mass. In this specification, when heptanoic acid, 2,4-decadienal, and 3-octen-2-one are in the form of a solvate such as a hydrate, the contents of heptanoic acid, 2,4-decadienal, and 3-octen-2-one are values ​​converted into the amount of the equimolar compound itself.

[0020] The agent of one embodiment of the present invention may further contain a flavoring agent to impart a better flavor to the bean-derived food. Examples of the flavoring agent include isothiocyanates, indole and its derivatives, ethers, esters, ketones, fatty acids, higher aliphatic alcohols, higher aliphatic aldehydes, higher aliphatic hydrocarbons, thioethers, thiols, terpene hydrocarbons, phenol ethers, phenols, furfural and its derivatives, aromatic alcohols, aromatic aldehydes, lactones, etc. The content of the flavoring agent of one embodiment of the present invention is preferably 1.0 x 10 －１０ up to 1% by mass, more preferably 1.0 × 10 －８ ~1.0 x 10 －３ It is expressed in mass %.

[0021] The agent according to one embodiment of the present invention may further contain other ingredients. Examples of such other ingredients include carriers (bases) and additives (e.g., excipients, dispersants, emulsifiers, buffers, stabilizers, binders, disintegrants, lubricants, antioxidants, preservatives, coating agents, colorants, etc.) that can be incorporated into foods, beverages, or pharmaceuticals. Examples of excipients include oligosaccharides such as isomaltooligosaccharides, galactooligosaccharides, and fructooligosaccharides; dietary fiber and polysaccharides such as dextrin, cellulose, gum arabic, and starch (e.g., cornstarch); sugars such as lactose, glucose, fructose, sugar, sucrose, maltose, starch syrup, honey, invert sugar, syrup, and isomerized sugars (e.g., high-fructose corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, and high-fructose corn syrup); and sugar alcohols such as sorbitol, erythritol, lactitol, maltitol, mannitol, xylitol, and reduced palatinose.

[0022] The form of the masking agent of the present invention is not particularly limited. For example, it may be in a liquid form (e.g., a solution, a suspension, etc.), a paste form, or a solid form (e.g., a powder, a granule, etc.). A liquid or solid form is preferred.

[0023] [Method for masking bean odor] When the bean odor masking agent of one embodiment of the present invention is blended with a bean-derived food, the bean odor of the bean-derived food, etc. Therefore, one embodiment of the present invention is a method for masking bean odor, which includes blending the agent of one embodiment of the present invention with a bean-derived food.

[0024] (Bean-derived food) In this specification, the term "bean-derived food" is not particularly limited as long as it is a food derived from beans. The bean-derived food may be any food for which masking of the bean odor is desired, and may be a food that already has a bean odor or may have a bean odor in the future.

[0025] For example, raw beans include soybeans, whole soybeans, peas, broad beans, adzuki beans, etc. As raw beans, soybeans are preferred, that is, the above-mentioned bean-derived food is preferably a soybean-derived food.

[0026] The bean-derived food may be in any form, such as solid, semi-solid, fluid, jelly, or liquid, but is preferably a solid, and more preferably a chewable solid.

[0027] Examples of soybean-derived foods include beans, boiled beans, roasted beans, soybean flour, natto, miso, soy sauce, soy milk, yuba (dried soybean skin), okara (soybean pulp), tofu, frozen tofu, deep-fried tofu, thick fried tofu, meat substitutes, noodles, foods used in the production of these, and foods in the process of production of these, with meat substitutes being preferred. Meat substitutes are foods that do not contain meat and can be used as a substitute for livestock meat.

[0028] Examples of meat substitutes include foods such as minced meat, pate, hamburger steak, surimi, ham, etc. Examples of meat substitutes also include foods prepared by heating these, such as fried chicken, nuggets, simmered meat, hamburger steak, meatballs, meatloaf, minced meat cutlet, gyoza dumplings, shumai, wonton, spring rolls, and meat buns, which have a meat-like flavor.

[0029] (Characteristics of the method for masking bean odor) The blending ratio of the agent of one embodiment of the present invention to a bean-derived food can be appropriately set depending on the total content of heptanoic acid, 2,4-decadienal, and 3-octen-2-one in the agent of one embodiment of the present invention, etc.

[0030] The total amount of heptanoic acid, 2,4-decadienal, and 3-octen-2-one blended relative to 100 parts by mass of the bean-derived food is preferably 1.0 x 10 －９ ~1.0 x 10 －３ parts by mass, more preferably 1.0 x 10 －８ ~5.0 x 10 －４ It is preferable to blend the agent of one aspect of the present invention into a bean-derived food so that the amount of the agent is 100 parts by mass.

[0031] The amount of heptanoic acid to be added to 100 parts by mass of the soybean-derived food is preferably 1.0 x 10 －８ ~1.0 x 10 －３ parts by mass, more preferably 1.0 x 10 －７ ~5.0 x 10 －４ It is preferable to blend the agent of one aspect of the present invention into a bean-derived food so that the amount of the agent is 100 parts by mass.

[0032] The amount of 2,4-decadienal blended per 100 parts by mass of the bean-derived food is preferably 1.0 x 10 －９ ~1.0 x 10 －３ parts by mass, more preferably 1.0 x 10 －８ ~5.0 x 10 －４ It is preferable to blend the agent of one aspect of the present invention into a bean-derived food so that the amount of the agent is 100 parts by mass.

[0033] The amount of 3-octen-2-one blended per 100 parts by mass of the bean-derived food is preferably 1.0 x 10 －８ ~1.0 x 10 －３ parts by mass, more preferably 1.0 x 10 －７ ~5.0 x 10 －４ It is preferable to blend the agent of one aspect of the present invention into a bean-derived food so that the amount of the agent is 100 parts by mass.

[0034] The timing and method for adding the agent of one embodiment of the present invention to a bean-derived food are not particularly limited and can be selected appropriately. The agent of one embodiment of the present invention may be added to a finished bean-derived food, a bean-derived food in the middle of its production, or a bean-derived food used in its production.

[0035] When the agent according to one embodiment of the present invention is blended with a bean-derived food and then heated, the heating temperature is preferably 80 to 100° C., and the heating time is preferably 2 to 10 minutes.

[0036] [Food Composition] A food composition according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises the bean-derived food and the bean-odor masking agent according to one embodiment of the present invention. The bean-odor of the food composition according to one embodiment of the present invention is masked more than that of a bean-derived food that does not contain the agent according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0037] The bean-derived food is preferably the same as the bean-derived food preferred in the "method for masking bean odor."

[0038] The content of the agent of an embodiment of the present invention in the food composition of an embodiment of the present invention can be appropriately set depending on the total content of heptanoic acid, 2,4-decadienal, and 3-octen-2-one in the agent of an embodiment of the present invention, etc.

[0039] The content of the bean-derived food in the food composition of one embodiment of the present invention is not particularly limited, but is preferably 1% by mass or more and less than 100% by mass, and more preferably 40% by mass or more and less than 100% by mass.

[0040] In the food composition of one aspect of the present invention, the total amount of heptanoic acid, 2,4-decadienal, and 3-octen-2-one is preferably 3.0 × 10 －９ ~3.0 x 10 －３ parts by mass, more preferably 3.0 x 10 －８ ~1.5 x 10 －３ It is preferable that the agent according to one aspect of the present invention is contained so that the total amount of the agent is parts by mass.

[0041] In one aspect of the food composition of the present invention, the amount of heptanoic acid is preferably 1.0 x 10 －８ ~1.0 x 10 －３ parts by mass, more preferably 1.0 x 10 －７ ~5.0 x 10 －４ It is preferable that the agent according to one aspect of the present invention is contained so that the total amount of the agent is parts by mass.

[0042] In one embodiment of the food composition of the present invention, the amount of 2,4-decadienal is preferably 1.0 × 10 －９ ~1.0 x 10 －３ parts by mass, more preferably 1.0 x 10 －８ ~5.0 x 10 －４ It is preferable that the agent according to one aspect of the present invention is contained so that the total amount of the agent is parts by mass.

[0043] In one aspect of the food composition of the present invention, 3-octen-2-one is preferably present in an amount of 1.0 x 10 －８ ~1.0 x 10 －３ parts by mass, more preferably 1.0 x 10 －７ ~5.0 x 10 －４ It is preferable that the agent according to one aspect of the present invention is contained so that the total amount of the agent is parts by mass.

[0044] The food composition of one embodiment of the present invention may further contain other ingredients, such as carriers (bases) and additives (e.g., excipients, dispersants, emulsifiers, buffers, stabilizers, binders, disintegrants, lubricants, antioxidants, preservatives, coating agents, colorants, etc.) that can be incorporated into foods, beverages, or pharmaceuticals. Examples of excipients include oligosaccharides such as isomaltooligosaccharides, galactooligosaccharides, and fructooligosaccharides; polysaccharides such as dextrin, cellulose, gum arabic, and starch (e.g., corn starch); sugars such as lactose, glucose, fructose, sugar, sucrose, maltose, starch syrup, honey, invert sugar, syrup, and isomerized sugar (e.g., high-fructose corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, and high-fructose corn syrup); sugar alcohols such as sorbitol, erythritol, lactitol, maltitol, mannitol, xylitol, and reduced palatinose; meat substitutes other than those derived from soybeans; vegetable proteins such as soy protein isolate, wheat gluten, defatted soybeans, and peas; dietary fiber; lipids; etc. Since the food composition of one embodiment of the present invention is preferably used as a soybean-derived meat substitute, the food composition of one embodiment of the present invention preferably contains polysaccharides, dietary fiber, protein, etc.

[0045] The food composition of one embodiment of the present invention may be in any form, such as a solid, semi-solid, fluid, jelly, or liquid, but is preferably a solid, and more preferably a chewable solid.

[0046] More specifically, the food composition of one embodiment of the present invention can be used as a substitute for livestock meat. Preferably, the food composition of one embodiment of the present invention is a livestock meat-like food composition. Livestock meat refers to the edible meat of livestock (such as pigs, cows, sheep, goats, and horses), poultry (such as chickens, quails, ducks, wild ducks, crossbred ducks, geese, and turkeys), and birds and animals such as deer and wild boar. In addition to so-called meat (muscle), the definition of livestock meat also includes tissues commonly used in processed livestock meat foods, such as skin, fat, tendons, cartilage, internal organs, and blood.

[0047] The food composition of one embodiment of the present invention can be processed into minced meat, pâté, hamburger steak, surimi, ham, etc., using a food processor or mincer. The food composition of one embodiment of the present invention may be subjected to cutting processes such as chopping into chunks or irregular cuts in advance. Alternatively, by adding the food composition of one embodiment of the present invention to a mixture of cut plant food materials and vegetables or other food materials, kneading the mixture, and then subjecting the kneaded mixture to heat cooking, cooked products with a meat-like flavor can be obtained, such as fried chicken, nuggets, simmered foods, hamburger steak, meatballs, meatloaf, minced meat cutlets, gyoza dumplings, shumai, wontons, spring rolls, and meat buns. In this case, meat may be added as another food ingredient. The cooked products are not limited to those described above, and examples include cooked products that typically use soy sauce as a seasoning ingredient.

[0048] [Method for Producing Food Composition] A method for producing a food composition according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises blending the bean odor masking agent according to one embodiment of the present invention into a bean-derived food.

[0049] The agent of one embodiment of the present invention can be added at any stage in the production process of the food composition of one embodiment of the present invention, and the timing and method of addition are not particularly limited. The production of the food composition of one embodiment of the present invention can be carried out in the same manner as the production of ordinary foods, except that the agent of one embodiment of the present invention is added to a bean-derived food. The agent of one embodiment of the present invention may be added to a finished bean-derived food, a bean-derived food in the middle of production, or a bean-derived food used in production.

[0050] [Bean-derived food-containing composition] A bean-derived food-containing composition of one embodiment of the present invention contains at least one of heptanoic acid, 2,4-decadienal, and 3-octen-2-one. In this specification, the bean-derived food-containing composition of one embodiment of the present invention is also referred to as "a bean-derived food-containing composition of one embodiment of the present invention." The bean-derived food-containing composition of one embodiment of the present invention has a bean odor that is eliminated or reduced compared to a bean-derived food-containing composition that does not contain heptanoic acid, 2,4-decadienal, and 3-octen-2-one, i.e., the bean odor is masked.

[0051] Heptanoic acid, 2,4-decadienal, and 3-octen-2-one may be natural or synthetic products, and may be those purified from natural products or commercially available products, without particular limitation. Furthermore, heptanoic acid, 2,4-decadienal, and 3-octen-2-one may be those originally contained in the bean-derived food, or may be those added externally to the bean-derived food-containing composition. Furthermore, heptanoic acid, 2,4-decadienal, and 3-octen-2-one themselves may be in the form of a solvate, such as a hydrate thereof.

[0052] In the bean-derived food-containing composition of one embodiment of the present invention, the total amount of heptanoic acid, 2,4-decadienal, and 3-octen-2-one is preferably 3.0 × 10 －９ ~3.0 x 10 －３ parts by mass, more preferably 3.0 x 10 －８ ~1.5 x 10 －３ Parts by mass.

[0053] In the bean-derived food-containing composition according to one embodiment of the present invention, the amount of heptanoic acid is preferably 1.0 x 10 －８ ~1.0 x 10 －３ parts by mass, more preferably 1.0 x 10 －７ ~5.0 x 10 －４ Parts by mass.

[0054] In the bean-derived food-containing composition of one embodiment of the present invention, 2,4-decadienal is preferably 1.0 × 10 per 100 parts by mass of the bean-derived food. －９ ~1.0 x 10 －３ parts by mass, more preferably 1.0 x 10 －８ ~5.0 x 10 －４ Parts by mass.

[0055] In the bean-derived food-containing composition according to one embodiment of the present invention, 3-octen-2-one is preferably present in an amount of 1.0×10 －８ ~1.0 x 10 －３ parts by mass, more preferably 1.0 x 10 －７ ~5.0 x 10 －４ Parts by mass.

[0056] The bean-derived food-containing composition and the bean-derived food are preferably the same as the bean-derived foods preferred in the method for masking bean odor. The bean-derived food-containing composition may be a composition that does not contain a fermented bean product.

[0057] The bean-derived food-containing composition of one embodiment of the present invention may further contain other components. The other components are the same as the other components that may be contained in the food composition of one embodiment of the present invention.

[0058] The contents of heptanoic acid, 2,4-decadienal, and 3-octen-2-one contained in the bean odor masking agent, food composition, and bean-derived food-containing composition according to one embodiment of the present invention can be analyzed by GC-MS. The GC-MS measurement conditions are as follows: GC-MS: GC-MS-QP2010Ultra (Shimadzu Corporation) Column: GC capillary column DB-WAX Ultra Inart (Agilent) Column oven: 40°C (3 min) → 5°C / min → 110°C → 10°C / min → 240°C (5 min) Inlet temperature: 240°C Carrier gas: He Interface temperature: 240°C Ion source temperature: 240°C Data collection time: 2-35 min Mass range: 40-250 m / z

[0059] The preferred form of the bean-derived food-containing composition of one embodiment of the present invention is the same as the preferred form of the food composition of one embodiment of the present invention. Furthermore, like the food composition of one embodiment of the present invention, the bean-derived food-containing composition of one embodiment of the present invention can be used as a substitute for meat, and is preferably a meat-like food composition.

[0060] As explained above, the present specification discloses the following. <1> A bean odor masking agent containing at least one of heptanoic acid, 2,4-decadienal, and 3-octen-2-one. <2> The bean odor masking agent according to <1> above, wherein the bean odor is a bean odor during mastication. <3> The bean odor masking agent according to <1> or <2> above, further containing a flavoring. <4> A method for masking a bean odor, comprising blending the bean odor masking agent according to any one of <1> to <3> above into a bean-derived food. <5> A food composition comprising the bean odor masking agent according to any one of <1> to <3> above and a bean-derived food. <6> A method for producing a food composition, comprising blending the bean odor masking agent according to any one of <1> to <3> above into a bean-derived food. <7> A bean-derived food-containing composition containing at least one of heptanoic acid, 2,4-decadienal, and 3-octen-2-one. <8> The content of heptanoic acid is 1.0 × 10 per 100 parts by mass of the bean-derived food. －７ ~5.0 x 10 －４ <9> The bean-derived food-containing composition according to the above item <7>, wherein the content of 2,4-decadienal is 1.0 x 10 parts by mass relative to 100 parts by mass of the bean-derived food. －８ ~5.0 x 10 －４ <10> The bean-derived food-containing composition according to the above item <7>, wherein the content of 3-octen-2-one is 1.0 x 10 based on 100 parts by mass of the bean-derived food. －７ ~5.0 x 10 －４ The bean-derived food-containing composition according to <7> above, wherein the bean-derived food-containing composition is in parts by mass.

[0061] The present invention will be specifically explained below by way of examples, but the present invention is not limited to the following examples as long as it does not depart from the gist of the invention.

[0062] First, prior to the examples, the following materials were prepared.

[0063] [Additional Reagents] Heptanoic acid, 2,4-decadienal, and 3-octen-2-one were used as aroma components to mask the soybean odor. Hereinafter, heptanoic acid, 2,4-decadienal, and 3-octen-2-one will also be referred to as reagents. Each reagent was a food-grade product manufactured by Sigma-Aldrich.

[0064] [Granular Soy Protein] As the granular soy protein, Fujinic 52S manufactured by Fuji Oil Co., Ltd. or Textured Vegetable Protein Crumbles manufactured by Now Foods was used.

[0065] [Others] Soy protein powder manufactured by Willar and wheat flour manufactured by Nisshin Flour Milling Co., Ltd. were used.

[0066] Example 1: Test of adding bean odor masking component to granular soy protein Granular soy protein was prepared according to the following procedure.

[0067] 20 g of granular soy protein was reconstituted in 60 mL of water and left at room temperature for 30 minutes. Subsequently, when reconstituting granular soy protein with water, it was similarly reconstituted in water at a ratio of 1:3 by mass. It was then heated in a frying pan at 100°C for 5 minutes and used as a sample for sensory evaluation.

[0068] When adding the reagent, a diluted solution was prepared and added so that the reagent would be 0.0001 to 5 ppm per 1 g of the cooked sample. In this specification, ppm is a value based on mass, and when the reagent is 1 ppm per 1 g of sample, the reagent is 1 x 10 －６ g.

[0069] The sensory evaluation was conducted in accordance with JIS standards by 4-5 people who had been trained to distinguish soybean odors, using a 7-point scoring system. The sensory evaluators chewed the samples at least 10 times and evaluated the bean odor that escaped through the nose. The samples to which no reagent had been added were rated as "5" (slightly strong bean odor), and the samples were rated from "0" (no bean odor) to "7" (strong bean odor). A t-test was conducted based on the results of the sensory evaluation to determine whether there was a significant difference from the control score of "5."

[0070] The results are shown in Table 1. Heptanoic acid and 3-octen-2-one were confirmed to have a significant beany odor suppressing effect in the concentration range of 0.001 to 5 ppm (Table 1). Furthermore, when 2,4-decadienal and the three components were mixed, a significant beany odor suppressing effect was confirmed in the concentration range of 0.0001 ppm to 5 ppm (Table 1). It was confirmed that the flavor of the added reagent was too strong at 10 ppm. In Table 1, "three-component mixture" refers to the result when a reagent containing a mixture of the three components, heptanoic acid, 2,4-decadienal, and 3-octen-2-one, was added to granular soy protein so that the total concentration of these components became the final concentration shown in Table 1.

[0071]

[0072] Example 2: Test of adding a component to mask the bean odor to foods containing granular soy protein. We evaluated whether the above-mentioned reagents could suppress the bean odor of various foods containing soy protein. In this example, samples for sensory evaluation were prepared according to the following procedure.

[0073] Nuggets were prepared using the ingredients listed in Table 2. The emulsion gel, which had been cooled in a refrigerator for 2 hours, was added to the granular soy protein rehydrated with water and mixed. The mixture was immersed in batter and heated at 180°C for 9 minutes in an air fryer (manufactured by PHILIP) to obtain nuggets.

[0074]

[0075] [Dumplings] Dumplings were prepared using the ingredients in Table 3. The ingredients were mixed, wrapped in dumpling skin, and heated at 100° C. for 2 minutes. 15 mL of water was then added and the mixture was steamed for 5 minutes to obtain dumplings.

[0076]

[0077] [Hamburg steak] Hamburg steaks were prepared using the ingredients in Table 4. The ingredients were mixed, and the mixture was grilled on both sides at 100°C for 1 minute each, and then heated at 60°C for 4 minutes to obtain hamburg steaks.

[0078]

[0079] A diluted solution of the reagent was added to each of the cooked nuggets, dumplings, and hamburger steak samples so that the reagent concentration was 0.01 ppm or 0.001 ppm per 1 g of each sample. Sensory evaluation was performed in the same manner as in Example 1. The results are shown in Table 5.

[0080]

[0081] The sensory evaluation results of Example 2 showed that the soybean odor in each food was suppressed when the reagent was added at concentrations of 0.01 ppm and 0.001 ppm, the same concentrations at which the suppression of soybean odor was confirmed in the test of adding a bean odor masking component to granular soy protein in Example 1 (Table 5). This demonstrated that the bean odor is suppressed in foods containing at least one of heptanoic acid, 2,4-decadienal, and 3-octen-2-one.

[0082] It is clear that a person skilled in the art can conceive of various modifications and alterations within the scope of the claims, and it is understood that these also naturally fall within the technical scope of the present invention. Furthermore, the components in the above-described embodiments may be combined in any manner without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0083] This application is based on a Japanese patent application (Patent Application No. 2023-199328) filed on November 24, 2023, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Claims

1. A beany odor masking agent containing at least one of heptanoic acid, 2,4-decadienal, and 3-octen-2-one.

2. The beany odor masking agent according to claim 1, wherein the beany odor is a beany odor observed during chewing.

3. The bean odor masking agent according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a fragrance.

4. A method for masking bean odor, comprising blending the bean odor masking agent according to claim 1 or 2 with a bean-derived food.

5. A food composition comprising the bean odor masking agent according to claim 1 or 2 and a bean-derived food.

6. A method for producing a food composition, comprising blending the bean odor masking agent according to claim 1 or 2 with a bean-derived food.

7. A bean-derived food-containing composition containing at least one of heptanoic acid, 2,4-decadienal, and 3-octen-2-one.

8. The heptanoic acid content is 1.0 x 10 per 100 parts by mass of bean-derived food. －７ ~5.0 x 10 －４ The bean-derived food-containing composition according to claim 7, wherein the bean-derived food-containing composition is in parts by mass.

9. The content of 2,4-decadienal is 1.0 x 10 per 100 parts by mass of bean-derived food. －８ ~5.0 x 10 －４ The bean-derived food-containing composition according to claim 7, wherein the bean-derived food-containing composition is in parts by mass.

10. The content of 3-octen-2-one is 1.0 x 10 per 100 parts by mass of a bean-derived food. －７ ~5.0 x 10 －４ The bean-derived food-containing composition according to claim 7, wherein the bean-derived food-containing composition is in parts by mass.

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