Isoflavone-containing food and method for suppressing unpleasant smell of isoflavone-containing food

Abstract

The purpose of the present invention is to provide: an isoflavone-containing food capable of effectively suppressing the influence of an unpleasant smell; and a method for suppressing an unpleasant smell. This isoflavone-containing food is characterized by satisfying the following (a) and (b): (a) the isoflavone content is at least 1 mg / 100 g; and (b) the 2-heptanone content is at least 0.003 ppm by mass. This method for suppressing an unpleasant smell is characterized in that 2-heptanone is contained.

Description

Isoflavone-containing foods and method for suppressing unpleasant odors from isoflavone-containing foods

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an isoflavone-containing food and a method for suppressing an unpleasant odor in an isoflavone-containing food, and more particularly to an isoflavone-containing food with a suppressed unpleasant odor, and a method for suppressing an unpleasant odor in an isoflavone-containing food.

[0002] Many foods rich in isoflavones are known to be made from legumes. For example, soy milk is known as a non-fermented food made from legumes. Natto is also known as a fermented food made from legumes. Foods obtained by processing raw materials containing these isoflavones, i.e., isoflavone-containing foods, tend to have a distinctive odor. In this regard, the following Patent Document 1 is known as a soybean odor masking agent.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2022-120951

[0004] As mentioned above, foods obtained by processing raw materials containing isoflavones (isoflavones-containing raw materials) generally have a distinctive odor (hereinafter simply referred to as "unpleasant odor"). However, the isoflavones in the reagents do not have an odor, and the reason for the unpleasant odor described above is still unclear. For this reason, it is not appropriate to consider the unpleasant odor described above as an isoflavone odor, i.e., the odor of the isoflavones themselves. In any case, the unpleasant odor is a barrier to preferences for isoflavone-containing foods. In other words, for those who perceive this unpleasant odor as an unpleasant odor, isoflavone-containing foods are difficult to consume. Therefore, if it were possible to obtain isoflavone-containing foods in which such unpleasant odors are difficult to detect, it may be possible to alleviate the above-mentioned gap in preferences.

[0005] The above-mentioned Patent Document 1 discloses a soybean masking agent capable of masking soybean odor. The active ingredient of this masking agent is rhamnose, a component with a sweetness level 34% that of sucrose. Furthermore, as shown in the examples of Patent Document 1, a large amount of rhamnose is required, 8 to 80 parts by mass (Experimental Example 1) or 16 to 160 parts by mass (Experimental Example 2) per part by mass of soybean isoflavone aglycone. Therefore, masking soybean odor using rhamnose has the problem of affecting the taste of food. Therefore, more methods capable of suppressing the effects of odor are needed.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide an isoflavone-containing food and a method for suppressing unpleasant odors in isoflavone-containing foods that can effectively suppress the effects of unpleasant odors that are specific to foods obtained by processing raw materials containing isoflavones.

[0007] That is, the present disclosure includes the following inventions. [1] An isoflavone-containing food characterized by satisfying the following (a) and (b): (a) an isoflavone content of 1 mg / 100 g or more in terms of aglycones, and (b) a 2-heptanone content of 0.003 ppm by mass or more. [2] An isoflavone-containing food according to the above item [1], which satisfies the following (c): (c) a peak area ratio of 2-heptanone to 2-ethylfuran (2-heptanone / 2-ethylfuran) measured by the Stir Bar Sorptive Extraction (SBSE) method of 0.05 or more. [3] An isoflavone-containing food according to the above item [1] or [2], which satisfies the following (d): (d) The peak area ratio of 2-heptanone to trimethyloxazole (2-heptanone / trimethyloxazole) measured by Stir Bar Sorptive Extraction (SBSE) method is 0.01 or more. [4] The isoflavone-containing food according to any one of [1] to [3] above, which satisfies the following (e): (e) The peak area ratio of 2-heptanone to methylpyrazine (2-heptanone / methylpyrazine) measured by Stir Bar Sorptive Extraction (SBSE) method is 0.01 or more. [5] The isoflavone-containing food according to any one of [1] to [4] above, which satisfies the following (f): (f) The peak area ratio of 2-heptanone to acetone (2-heptanone / acetone) measured by Stir Bar Sorptive Extraction (SBSE) is 0.01 or more. [6] The isoflavone-containing food according to any one of [1] to [5] above, which satisfies the following (g): (g) The peak area ratio of 2-methoxyphenol to 2-ethylfuran (2-methoxyphenol / 2-ethylfuran) measured by Stir Bar Sorptive Extraction (SBSE) is 0.01 or more. [7] The isoflavone-containing food according to any one of [1] to [6] above, which satisfies the following (h):(h) The peak area ratio of 2-methoxyphenol to methyl isobutyrate (2-methoxyphenol / methyl isobutyrate) measured by the Stir Bar Sorptive Extraction (SBSE) method is 0.01 or more. [8] The isoflavone-containing food according to any one of [1] to [7] above, which satisfies the following (i): (i) The peak area ratio of dodecane to methyl isobutyrate (dodecane / methyl isobutyrate) measured by the Stir Bar Sorptive Extraction (SBSE) method is 0.01 or more. [9] The isoflavone-containing food according to any one of [1] to [8] above, which satisfies the following (j): (j) The peak area ratio of 2-heptanone to methyl isobutyrate (2-heptanone / methyl isobutyrate) measured by the Stir Bar Sorptive Extraction (SBSE) method is 0.01 or more.

[10] The isoflavone-containing food according to any one of [1] to [9] above, which satisfies the following (k): (k) The peak area ratio of maltol to methyl isobutyrate (maltol / methyl isobutyrate) measured by the Stir Bar Sorptive Extraction (SBSE) method is 0.001 or more.

[11] The isoflavone-containing food according to any one of [1] to

[10] above, which satisfies the following (l): (l) The peak area ratio of maltol to 2-ethylfuran (maltol / 2-ethylfuran) measured by the Stir Bar Sorptive Extraction (SBSE) method is 0.001 or more.

[12] The isoflavone-containing food according to any one of [1] to

[11] above, which satisfies the following (m): (m) The ratio of the 2-heptanone content (ppm by mass) to the total content (ppm by mass) of isobutyric acid and isovaleric acid (2-heptanone / isobutyric acid and isovaleric acid) is 0.000006 or more.

[13] The isoflavone-containing food according to any one of [1] to

[12] above, which contains more glycoside isoflavones than aglycone isoflavones.

[14] The isoflavone-containing food according to any one of [1] to

[13] above, wherein the glycoside-type isoflavone content in the isoflavone content is 60% by mass or more.

[15] The isoflavone-containing food according to any one of [1] to

[14] above, wherein the isoflavone-containing food is a processed bean food.

[16] The isoflavone-containing food according to

[15] above, wherein the processed bean food is a fermented bean food.

[17] A method for suppressing an unpleasant odor in an isoflavone-containing food, characterized in that the following (a) and (b) are satisfied: (a) the isoflavone content is 1 mg / 100 g or more in terms of aglycone; and (b) the 2-heptanone content is 0.003 ppm by mass or more.

[18] The method for suppressing an unpleasant odor in an isoflavone-containing food according to claim 17, wherein the following (o) is satisfied: (o) The isoflavone-containing food contains one or more selected from acetic acid, calcium, iron, vitamins, nattokinase, and low-molecular-weight water-soluble dietary fiber.

[0008] According to the isoflavone-containing food of the present disclosure, the effects of unpleasant odors can be effectively suppressed. According to the method for suppressing unpleasant odors in isoflavone-containing foods of the present disclosure, the effects of odors specific to foods processed from isoflavone-containing raw materials can be effectively suppressed.

[0009] The present disclosure will be described below based on specific embodiments. However, the present disclosure is not limited to these embodiments. These embodiments are merely examples shown for the convenience of explanation, and the present disclosure is not limited to these in any sense. The present disclosure can be modified in various ways depending on the purpose and application. Furthermore, all publications, patents, and patent applications cited in this specification are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[0010] Furthermore, in this specification, the expression "and (and) / or (or)" encompasses both "and (and)" and "or (or)." For example, "A and / or B" encompasses both A and B and A or B, and refers to three cases: A alone, B alone, and both A and B. Furthermore, in this specification, when multiple upper limits and / or multiple lower limits are specified for a numerical range, even if not otherwise specified, it is assumed that the numerical range defined by combining at least the maximum value of the upper limit specification and the minimum value of the lower limit specification is directly stated, and furthermore, all numerical ranges obtained by combining any upper limit value among the upper limits and any lower limit value among the lower limits are included in one embodiment of the present disclosure. Furthermore, in this specification, a numerical range connected by "to" means a numerical range that includes the numbers before and after "to" as the lower limit and upper limit value. When multiple lower limits and multiple upper limits are specified separately, it is assumed that any lower limit value and upper limit value can be selected and connected by "to." Furthermore, in this specification, "wet mass equivalent" (sometimes simply referred to as "wet mass basis") refers to the content ratio of a target component in a sample, calculated using the wet mass of the sample, including water, as the denominator and the mass of the target component contained in the sample as the numerator. Furthermore, in the definition of percentages in this specification, when "mass %" (sometimes simply referred to as "%") and "mass ppm" (sometimes simply referred to as "ppm") are simply stated without any particular designation, they refer to a "wet mass equivalent" percentage.

[0011] [1] Isoflavone-Containing Food The isoflavone-containing food of the present disclosure is characterized by satisfying the following (a) and (b): (a) an isoflavone content of 1 mg / 100 g or more in terms of aglycone; and (b) a 2-heptanone content of 0.003 ppm by mass or more.

[0012] In the present disclosure, an isoflavone-containing food is a food obtained by processing raw materials containing isoflavones, and is a food containing isoflavones derived from the isoflavones contained in the raw materials. The isoflavones contained in the raw materials and the isoflavones contained in the isoflavone food may have the same structure or different structures. That is, the structure of the isoflavones may change during the processing of the raw materials. Isoflavones are compounds having a 3-phenylchromone skeleton. That is, isoflavones in the present disclosure include isoflavones and their derivatives. Furthermore, isoflavones in the present disclosure include aglycones and glycosides. Glycosides include glycosides, acetylated derivatives, malonylated derivatives, and succinylated derivatives. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more types.

[0013] More specifically, examples of aglycones include daidzein, genistein, glycitein, and tectorigenin. Among glycosides, examples of glycosides include daidzin, genistin, glycitin, and tectoridin. Examples of acetylated isoflavones include acetyldaidzin, acetylgenistin, acetylglycitin, and acetyltectoridin. Examples of malonylated isoflavones include malonyldaidzin, malonylgenistin, malonylglycitin, and malonyltectoridin. Examples of succinylated isoflavones include succinyldaidzin, succinylgenistin, succinylglycitin, and succinyltectoridin. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more. The isoflavones contained in the isoflavone-containing food of the present disclosure may be either aglycones or glycosides, but it is preferable to contain more glycoside isoflavones than aglycones. For example, the glycoside isoflavone content in the isoflavone content can be 30% by mass or more, 40% by mass or more, 50% by mass or more, 60% by mass or more, 70% by mass or more, 80% by mass or more, 90% by mass or more, or 95% by mass or more. While the isoflavones typically used in supplements are aglycone isoflavones, which are easily absorbed, isoflavone-containing foods with a high glycoside isoflavone content can more significantly benefit from the effects of the present disclosure. The glycoside isoflavone content is the percentage of the glycoside isoflavone content calculated as aglycones, assuming that the sum of the aglycone isoflavone content and the aglycone content of glycoside isoflavones is 100% by mass. Furthermore, the daidzin content in the isoflavone content of an isoflavone-containing food can be 10% by mass or more, 20% by mass or more, or 30% by mass or more. Furthermore, the genistin content of the isoflavone content of the isoflavone-containing food can be 25% by mass or more, 35% by mass or more, or 45% by mass or more. Also, the glycitin content of the isoflavone content of the isoflavone-containing food can be 1% by mass or more, 3% by mass or more, or 5% by mass or more.

[0014] The origin of the isoflavone is not limited. That is, it may be a naturally occurring isoflavone, a processed naturally occurring isoflavone, or a synthetic isoflavone. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more types.

[0015] Naturally occurring isoflavones include those produced by plants. These isoflavones are usually accumulated in the plant body. That is, isoflavone-containing plants can be used. Examples of isoflavone-containing plants include legumes. Examples of legumes include plants in the subfamily Fabaceae, subfamily Caesalpinioideae, and subfamily Mimosaideae.

[0016] Among the above, examples of legumes include plants of the genus Phaseolus (such as kidney beans, scarlet beans, and pinto beans), plants of the genus Vicia (such as broad beans), and the genus Lupin (such as lupine beans). Examples of plants in the subfamily Fabaceae include plants of the genus Glycine (such as soybeans and black beans), plants of the genus Chickpea (such as chickpeas), plants of the genus Vitis (such as mung beans, cowpeas, and adzuki beans), plants of the genus Pisum (such as peas), plants of the genus Pisum (such as pigeon peas), plants of the genus Lentil (such as lentils and lentils), plants of the genus Arachis (such as peanuts), plants of the genus Lathyrus (such as grass peas), and plants of the genus Pueraria (such as pueraria lobata, pueraria vine, and arrowroot bean). Examples of plants in the subfamily Caesalpinia include the genus Carob (such as carob). Other non-leguminous plants include coffee (coffee bean) and cacao (cocoa bean). These may be used alone or in combination of two or more. Among these, plants of the subfamily Faboideae are preferred, with plants of the genus Glycine, Chickpea, and Vigna being more preferred, and soybean, chickpea, and mung bean being more preferred, with soybean and chickpea being particularly preferred. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more. Note that for foodstuffs whose edible parts (such as edamame and mung beans) are treated as vegetables, it can be determined whether they are legumes based on the state of the whole plant (such as soybean and pea) combined with the inedible parts (such as pods).

[0017] When using these isoflavone-containing plants, extracted isoflavones, concentrated isoflavones, purified isoflavones, etc. may be used, or the plant itself containing isoflavones may be used. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more. Plant parts include stems, trunks, roots, branches, leaves, flowers, fruits, seeds, pods (seed pods), embryos, cotyledons, and skins (seed coats). These may be used alone or in combination of two or more. Furthermore, when using plant parts, they may be used in an unprocessed state or may be used after processing. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more. Processing methods include crushing, shredding, fermentation, drying, heating, soaking (soaking in water or hot water), steaming, boiling, non-pressurized cooking, pressure cooking, removing lye, peeling, ripening, salting, etc. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more. The isoflavone-containing raw material may consist solely of isoflavones, or may contain isoflavones and other components. Furthermore, the above-mentioned isoflavone-containing plants are preferably used as raw materials containing isoflavones. These raw materials containing isoflavones may be used alone or in combination of two or more. Furthermore, the processing of raw materials containing isoflavones can be directly applied to the processing methods exemplified above.

[0018] (a) Isoflavone Content The isoflavone content in an isoflavone-containing food is not limited, and neither its lower nor upper limit is limited. However, in the present disclosure, the isoflavone content is preferably 1 mg or more per 100 g of the isoflavone-containing food, calculated as aglycones. That is, the isoflavone content in an isoflavone-containing food is preferably 1 mg / 100 g or more, calculated as aglycones. Within this range, unpleasant odors tend to be prominent. In the present disclosure, odor (smell, aroma) refers not only to the odor sensed through the nasal cavity, but also to the odor felt when an object is held in the oral cavity or eaten. Furthermore, "aglycone equivalent" refers to the conversion of isoflavones into the above-mentioned aglycone forms. For example, isoflavones contained in an isoflavone-containing food in the form of glycosides are converted into the aglycone form, in which the glycocones are removed. Furthermore, isoflavones contained in an isoflavone-containing food in the form of aglycones are converted directly into the aglycone form. In this disclosure, when "isoflavones content" (sometimes referred to as "isoflavones content") is simply mentioned without any particular specification, it means "isoflavones content converted to aglycones." The lower limit of the isoflavone content can be 7 mg / 100 g or more, 10 mg / 100 g or more, 15 mg / 100 g or more, 20 mg / 100 g or more, 25 mg / 100 g or more, 30 mg / 100 g or more, 35 mg / 100 g or more, 40 mg / 100 g or more, or 45 mg / 100 g or more, with 50 mg / 100 g or more being preferred. The upper limit of the isoflavone content can be 500 mg / 100 g or less, 450 mg / 100 g or less, 400 mg / 100 g or less, 350 mg / 100 g or less, 300 mg / 100 g or less, 250 mg / 100 g or less, 200 mg / 100 g or less, 170 mg / 100 g or less, 150 mg / 100 g or less, 140 mg / 100 g or less, 130 mg / 100 g or less, 120 mg / 100 g or less, or 110 mg / 100 g or less. The upper and lower limit values ​​can be combined with each other.Therefore, for example, it can be 1 to 500 mg / 100 g, 7 to 400 mg / 100 g, 10 to 300 mg / 100 g, 15 to 250 mg / 100 g, 20 to 200 mg / 100 g, 25 to 170 mg / 100 g, 30 to 150 mg / 100 g, 35 to 140 mg / 100 g, 40 to 130 mg / 100 g, 45 to 120 mg / 100 g, or 50 to 110 mg / 100 g.

[0019] The isoflavone content of the isoflavone-containing foods disclosed herein can be measured according to the test method described in the appendix to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's Food Safety Notification No. 0823001, "Guidelines for the handling of specified health foods, etc., containing soy isoflavones," dated August 23, 2006.

[0020] Furthermore, the isoflavone-containing food of the present disclosure has a 2-heptanone content of 0.003 ppm by mass or more. That is, an isoflavone-containing food having an isoflavone content of 1 mg / 100 g or more, calculated as aglycone, contains 0.003 ppm by mass or more of 2-heptanone. This effectively suppresses the effects of unpleasant odors caused by high concentrations of isoflavones. In particular, the effects of unpleasant odors can be effectively suppressed while minimizing the effects on the taste of the isoflavone-containing food.

[0021] (b) 2-heptanone content The origin of 2-heptanone contained in the isoflavone-containing food is not limited. That is, it may be naturally occurring 2-heptanone, a processed form of naturally occurring 2-heptanone, or a synthetic 2-heptanone. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

[0022] Examples of naturally occurring 2-heptanones include 2-heptanones contained in fermented products (fermented soybeans, fermented seed coats, fermented seed germs, and fermented fatty acids (e.g., coconut oil fermented products, milk fat fermented products), etc.). These may be used alone or in combination of two or more. When using these naturally occurring 2-heptanones, extracted 2-heptanone, concentrated 2-heptanone, purified 2-heptanone, etc. may be used, or fermented products containing 2-heptanone may be used as they are. When using fermented products containing 2-heptanone, etc., they may be used in an unprocessed state or may be processed. Examples of processing methods include crushing, shredding, drying, heating, steaming, boiling, non-pressurized boiling, pressure boiling, and ripening. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

[0023] The content of 2-heptanone (CAS registration number: 110-43-0) in an isoflavone-containing food is not limited, and neither the lower nor the upper limit is limited. However, in the present disclosure, the 2-heptanone content in the isoflavone-containing food is preferably 0.003 ppm by mass or more. In an isoflavone-containing food having an isoflavone content of 1 mg / 100 g or more, when the 2-heptanone content is 0.003 ppm by mass or more, the effects of unpleasant odors can be more effectively suppressed than when the 2-heptanone content is less than that amount. In particular, the effects of unpleasant odors can be effectively suppressed while minimizing the effects on the taste of the isoflavone-containing food. The 2-heptanone content in the present disclosure can be measured by the method described in the Examples below. The lower limit of the content can be further set to 0.005 ppm by mass or more, 0.01 ppm by mass or more, 0.05 ppm by mass or more, 0.08 ppm by mass or more, 0.1 ppm by mass or more, 0.15 ppm by mass or more, 0.2 ppm by mass or more, 0.25 ppm by mass or more, or 0.3 ppm by mass or more. The upper limit of the content is not limited, but can be set to 500 ppm by mass or less. Within this range, the influence of an unpleasant odor can be suppressed while preventing the odor of 2-heptanone from becoming excessive. Furthermore, the upper limit of the content can be set to 100 ppm by mass or less, 50 ppm by mass or less, 30 ppm by mass or less, 10 ppm by mass or less, 8 ppm by mass or less, 5 ppm by mass or less, 3 ppm by mass or less, or 2 ppm by mass or less. The above upper and lower limit values ​​can be set to any combination thereof. Therefore, for example, it can be 0.003 to 500 mass ppm, 0.005 to 100 mass ppm, 0.01 to 50 mass ppm, 0.05 to 30 mass ppm, 0.08 to 10 mass ppm, 0.1 to 8 mass ppm, 0.2 to 5 mass ppm, or 0.3 to 3 mass ppm.

[0024] In the present disclosure, the unpleasant odor refers to the odor of isoflavone-containing foods. Generally, this odor is unique to foods obtained by processing raw materials containing isoflavones. However, the odor of purified isoflavones in the form of reagents is usually imperceptible to humans. Therefore, it is difficult to say that the unpleasant odor is the odor of the isoflavones themselves, but rather is considered to be an odor caused by processing raw materials containing isoflavones, such as isoflavone-containing plants, or by adding other raw materials to isoflavone-containing foods. Therefore, to describe the unpleasant odor in the present disclosure in more detail, it can be expressed as an unpleasant odor caused by isoflavones, an unpleasant odor caused by the presence of isoflavones, an unpleasant odor derived from isoflavone-containing raw materials, an unpleasant odor caused by processing isoflavone-containing raw materials, an unpleasant odor caused by raw materials added to isoflavone-containing foods, a stuffy smell, etc.

[0025] The 2-heptanone content can be increased by adding 2-heptanone to the isoflavone-containing food. In this case, purified 2-heptanone itself may be added, or a fermented product containing 2-heptanone may be added. Furthermore, when the isoflavone-containing food is a fermented food, for example, the 2-heptanone content can be increased by adding a 2-heptanone production source capable of producing 2-heptanone by fermentation to the fermented product prior to the fermentation step for obtaining the isoflavone-containing food, and then subjecting the product to the fermentation step.

[0026] In the isoflavone-containing food of the present disclosure, the overall aroma balance of the isoflavone-containing food can be improved by balancing not only the above-mentioned isoflavone and 2-heptanone contents but also other aroma components. Specifically, 2-ethylfuran can control the gorgeous aroma by balancing with 2-heptanone. Furthermore, trimethyloxazole, methylpyrazine, and acetone can each control the sweet aroma by balancing with 2-heptanone. Furthermore, a deep aroma can be controlled by balancing between 2-ethylfuran and 2-methoxyphenol and / or between methyl isobutyrate and 2-methoxyphenol. Furthermore, a pungent odor can be masked by balancing between methyl isobutyrate and dodecane and / or between methyl isobutyrate and 2-heptanone. Furthermore, a mellow aroma can be controlled by balancing between methyl isobutyrate and maltol and / or between 2-ethylfuran and maltol. Furthermore, a fresh feeling can be controlled by balancing between short-chain branched fatty acids and 2-heptanone. In addition, to describe the gorgeous scent in the present disclosure in more detail, it can be expressed as a fruity scent or the like. To describe the sweet scent in the present disclosure in more detail, it can be expressed as a coconut-like scent or the like. To describe the profound scent in the present disclosure in more detail, it can be expressed as a complex scent that combines multiple scents, for example, a complex scent that combines a sweet scent and a spicy scent or the like. To describe the pungent smell in the present disclosure in more detail, it can be expressed as an ammonia smell or the like. To describe the mellow scent in the present disclosure in more detail, it can be expressed as the scent of baked goods, a sweet and fragrant scent or the like.

[0027] (c) Quantitative Ratio of 2-Ethylfuran to 2-Heptanone In an isoflavone-containing food, the peak area ratio of 2-heptanone to 2-ethylfuran (Furan, 2-ethyl-) (CAS Registry Number: 3208-16-0) (2-heptanone / 2-ethylfuran) measured by the Stir Bar Sorptive Extraction method (hereinafter also referred to simply as the "SBSE method") is not limited, but can be 0.05 or greater. Within this range, the gorgeous aroma of the isoflavone-containing food can be controlled. That is, for example, the gorgeous aroma can be enhanced. The lower limit of this peak area ratio can be further set to 0.1 or greater, 0.3 or greater, 0.5 or greater, 0.8 or greater, 1 or greater, 3 or greater, 5 or greater, 8 or greater, 10 or greater, 15 or greater, 20 or greater, 25 or greater, 30 or greater, or 35 or greater. On the other hand, the upper limit of this peak area ratio is not limited, and can be 50,000 or less, 10,000 or less, 5,000 or less, 1,000 or less, 800 or less, 500 or less, 300 or less, or 200 or less. The above upper and lower limit values ​​can be combined. Therefore, for example, the range can be 0.05 to 50,000, 0.1 to 10,000, 0.5 to 5,000, 1 to 1,000, 5 to 800, 10 to 800, 15 to 500, 20 to 500, 25 to 300, 30 to 300, or 35 to 200. The 2-ethylfuran content in an isoflavone-containing food is not limited, and neither the lower nor the upper limit is limited. However, in the present disclosure, the 2-ethylfuran content in an isoflavone-containing food may be 0.001 ppm by mass or more. The lower limit of the content may further be 0.005 ppm by mass or more, 0.01 ppm by mass or more, 0.03 ppm by mass or more, 0.05 ppm by mass or more, 0.06 ppm by mass or more, or 0.08 ppm by mass or more. The upper limit of the content is not limited, but may be 15 ppm by mass or less, 10 ppm by mass or less, 5 ppm by mass or less, 3 ppm by mass or less, 1 ppm by mass or less, 0.8 ppm by mass or less, 0.5 ppm by mass or less, or 0.3 ppm by mass or less. The above upper and lower limit values ​​can be any combination thereof.Therefore, for example, it may be 0.001 to 15 mass ppm, 0.005 to 10 mass ppm, 0.01 to 5 mass ppm, 0.03 to 3 mass ppm, 0.05 to 1 mass ppm, 0.06 to 0.8 mass ppm, or 0.08 to 0.5 mass ppm.

[0028] (d) Amount Ratio of Trimethyloxazole to 2-Heptanone In an isoflavone-containing food, the peak area ratio of 2-heptanone to trimethyloxazole (oxazole, trimethyl-) (CAS registration number: 20662-84-4) (2-heptanone / trimethyloxazole) measured by the SBSE method is not limited, but can be 0.01 or greater. Within this range, the sweet aroma of the isoflavone-containing food can be controlled. That is, for example, the sweet aroma can be enhanced. The lower limit of this peak area ratio can be further set to 0.05 or greater, 0.1 or greater, 0.3 or greater, 0.5 or greater, 0.8 or greater, 1 or greater, 3 or greater, 5 or greater, or 7 or greater. On the other hand, the upper limit of this peak area ratio is not limited, but can be 1000 or less, 800 or less, 500 or less, 400 or less, 300 or less, 200 or less, 100 or less, 80 or less, 50 or less, 40 or less, or 30 or less. The upper and lower limit values ​​can be any combination thereof. Therefore, for example, the range can be 0.01 to 1000, 0.05 to 800, 0.1 to 500, 0.3 to 400, 0.5 to 300, 0.8 to 200, 1 to 100, 3 to 80, 5 to 50, 7 to 40, or 7 to 30.

[0029] (e) Quantitative Ratio of Methylpyrazine to 2-Heptanone In an isoflavone-containing food, the peak area ratio of 2-heptanone to methylpyrazine (methyl-pyrazine) (CAS Registry Number: 109-08-0) measured by the SBSE method (2-heptanone / methylpyrazine) is not limited, but can be 0.01 or greater. Within this range, the sweet aroma of the isoflavone-containing food can be controlled. That is, for example, the sweet aroma can be enhanced. The lower limit of this peak area ratio can be further set to 0.05 or greater, 0.1 or greater, 0.3 or greater, 0.5 or greater, 0.8 or greater, 1 or greater, 3 or greater, 5 or greater, or 7 or greater. Meanwhile, the upper limit of this peak area ratio is not limited, but can be set to 1000 or less, 800 or less, 500 or less, 400 or less, 300 or less, 200 or less, 100 or less, 80 or less, 50 or less, 40 or less, or 30 or less. The upper and lower limits can be any combination thereof, for example, 0.01 to 1000, 0.05 to 800, 0.1 to 500, 0.3 to 400, 0.5 to 300, 0.8 to 200, 1 to 100, 3 to 80, 5 to 50, 7 to 40, or 7 to 30.

[0030] (f) Amount Ratio of Acetone to 2-Heptanone In an isoflavone-containing food, the peak area ratio of 2-heptanone to acetone (ACETONE) (CAS Registry Number: 67-64-1) (2-heptanone / acetone) measured by the SBSE method is not limited, but can be 0.01 or greater. Within this range, the sweet aroma of the isoflavone-containing food can be controlled. That is, for example, the sweet aroma can be enhanced. The lower limit of this peak area ratio can be further set to 0.05 or greater, 0.1 or greater, 0.3 or greater, 0.5 or greater, 0.8 or greater, 1 or greater, 3 or greater, 5 or greater, 8 or greater, or 10 or greater. Meanwhile, the upper limit of this peak area ratio is not limited, but can be set to 1000 or less, 700 or less, 500 or less, 400 or less, 300 or less, 200 or less, 100 or less, 70 or less, 50 or less, or 40 or less. The above upper and lower limits can be any combination. Therefore, for example, it can be 0.01 to 1000, 0.05 to 700, 0.1 to 500, 0.3 to 400, 0.5 to 300, 0.8 to 200, 1 to 100, 3 to 70, 5 to 50, 8 to 50, or 10 to 40.

[0031] (g) Quantitative Ratio of 2-Ethylfuran to 2-Methoxyphenol In an isoflavone-containing food, the peak area ratio of 2-methoxyphenol (Phenol, 2-methoxy-) (CAS Registry Number: 90-05-1) to 2-ethylfuran (2-methoxyphenol / 2-ethylfuran) measured by the SBSE method is not limited, but can be 0.01 or greater. Within this range, the deep aroma of the isoflavone-containing food can be controlled. That is, for example, the deep aroma can be enhanced. The lower limit of this peak area ratio can be 0.05 or greater, 0.1 or greater, 0.3 or greater, 0.5 or greater, 0.8 or greater, 1 or greater, or 3 or greater. Meanwhile, the upper limit of this peak area ratio is not limited, but can be 1000 or less, 800 or less, 500 or less, 300 or less, 200 or less, 100 or less, 80 or less, 50 or less, 30 or less, or 20 or less. The above upper and lower limits can be any combination. Therefore, for example, it can be 0.01 to 1000, 0.05 to 800, 0.1 to 500, 0.3 to 300, 0.5 to 200, 0.8 to 100, 1 to 80, 3 to 50, or 3 to 20.

[0032] (h) Ratio of Methyl Isobutyrate to 2-Methoxyphenol In an isoflavone-containing food, the peak area ratio of 2-methoxyphenol to methyl isobutyrate (methyl isobutyrate) (CAS Registry Number: 547-63-7) measured by the SBSE method (2-methoxyphenol / methyl isobutyrate) is not limited, but can be 0.01 or greater. Within this range, the deep aroma of the isoflavone-containing food can be controlled. That is, for example, the deep aroma can be enhanced. The lower limit of this peak area ratio can be further set to 0.03 or greater, 0.05 or greater, 0.08 or greater, 0.1 or greater, 0.3 or greater, 0.5 or greater, 0.8 or greater, 1 or greater, 1.2 or greater, or 1.5 or greater. On the other hand, the upper limit of this peak area ratio is not limited, but can be 1000 or less, 800 or less, 500 or less, 300 or less, 200 or less, 120 or less, 100 or less, 80 or less, 50 or less, 30 or less, 20 or less, or 15 or less. The upper and lower limits can be any combination thereof. Therefore, for example, the upper limit can be 0.01 to 1000, 0.05 to 800, 0.1 to 500, 0.3 to 300, 0.5 to 200, 0.8 to 100, 1 to 80, 1.2 to 50, 1.5 to 30, 1.5 to 20, or 1.5 to 15.

[0033] (i) Amount Ratio of Methyl Isobutyrate to Dodecane In isoflavone-containing foods, the peak area ratio of dodecane (CAS Registration Number: 112-40-3) to methyl isobutyrate (dodecane / methyl isobutyrate) measured by the SBSE method is not limited, but can be 0.01 or greater. Within this range, the pungent odor of isoflavone-containing foods can be effectively masked. The lower limit of this peak area ratio can be further set to 0.03 or greater, 0.05 or greater, 0.08 or greater, 0.1 or greater, 0.2 or greater, 0.3 or greater, or 0.4 or greater. Meanwhile, the upper limit of this peak area ratio is not limited, but can be set to 1000 or less, 800 or less, 500 or less, 400 or less, 300 or less, 200 or less, 180 or less, 150 or less, 130 or less, 100 or less, or 70 or less. The above upper and lower limit values ​​can be combined. Therefore, for example, it can be 0.01 to 1000, 0.05 to 500, 0.1 to 300, 0.2 to 200, 0.3 to 100, or 0.4 to 70.

[0034] (j) Quantitative Ratio of Methyl Isobutyrate to 2-Heptanone In an isoflavone-containing food, the peak area ratio of 2-heptanone to methyl isobutyrate (2-heptanone / methyl isobutyrate) measured by the SBSE method is not limited, but can be 0.01 or greater. Within this range, the pungent odor of the isoflavone-containing food can be effectively masked. The lower limit of this peak area ratio can be 0.05 or greater, 0.1 or greater, 0.3 or greater, 0.5 or greater, 0.8 or greater, 1 or greater, 3 or greater, 5 or greater, 8 or greater, or 10 or greater. Meanwhile, the upper limit of this peak area ratio is not limited, but can be 1000 or less, 800 or less, 500 or less, 400 or less, 300 or less, 200 or less, 100 or less, or 85 or less. The above upper and lower limits can be any combination thereof. Therefore, for example, it can be 0.01 to 1000, 0.05 to 800, 0.1 to 500, 0.3 to 500, 0.5 to 400, 0.8 to 300, 1 to 200, 3 to 100, 5 to 85, 8 to 85, or 10 to 85.

[0035] (k) Amount Ratio of Methyl Isobutyrate to Maltol In an isoflavone-containing food, the peak area ratio of maltol (CAS Registry Number: 118-71-8) to methyl isobutyrate (maltol / methyl isobutyrate) measured by the SBSE method is not limited, but can be 0.001 or more. Within this range, the mellow aroma of the isoflavone-containing food can be controlled. That is, for example, the mellow aroma can be enhanced. The lower limit of this peak area ratio can be further set to 0.005 or more, 0.01 or more, 0.03 or more, 0.05 or more, 0.08 or more, 0.1 or more, 0.3 or more, 0.5 or more, or 0.7 or more. Meanwhile, the upper limit of this peak area ratio is not limited, but can be set to 500 or less, 400 or less, 300 or less, 200 or less, 100 or less, 80 or less, 50 or less, 30 or less, 10 or less, 8 or less, or 6 or less. The upper and lower limits can be any combination thereof, for example, 0.001 to 500, 0.005 to 500, 0.01 to 400, 0.03 to 300, 0.05 to 200, 0.08 to 100, 0.1 to 80, 0.3 to 50, 0.5 to 30, or 0.7 to 10.

[0036] (l) Quantitative Ratio of 2-Ethylfuran to Maltol In an isoflavone-containing food, the peak area ratio of maltol to 2-ethylfuran (maltol / 2-ethylfuran) measured by the SBSE method is not limited, but can be 0.001 or greater. Within this range, the mellow aroma of the isoflavone-containing food can be controlled. That is, for example, the mellow aroma can be enhanced. The lower limit of this peak area ratio can be 0.005 or greater, 0.01 or greater, 0.05 or greater, 0.1 or greater, 0.3 or greater, 0.5 or greater, 0.8 or greater, 1 or greater, 1.5 or greater, 2 or greater, or 2.5 or greater. On the other hand, the upper limit of this peak area ratio is not limited, but can be 600 or less, 500 or less, 400 or less, 300 or less, 200 or less, 100 or less, 80 or less, 50 or less, 30 or less, 20 or less, 10 or less, or 8 or less. The above upper and lower limits can be any combination. Therefore, for example, it can be 0.001 to 600, 0.005 to 500, 0.01 to 400, 0.05 to 300, 0.1 to 200, 0.3 to 100, 0.5 to 80, 0.8 to 50, 1 to 30, 1.5 to 20, 2 to 10, or 2.5 to 8.

[0037] (m) Quantitative Ratio of Isobutyric Acid and Isovaleric Acid to 2-Heptanone In an isoflavone-containing food, the ratio of the 2-heptanone content (ppm by mass) to the total content (ppm by mass) of isobutyric acid (CAS Registry Number: 79-31-2) and isovaleric acid (CAS Registry Number: 503-74-2) (2-heptanone / isobutyric acid and isovaleric acid) is not limited, but can be 0.000006 or greater. Within this range, the freshness of the isoflavone-containing food can be controlled. That is, for example, the freshness can be enhanced. The lower limit of this peak area ratio can be 0.000008 or more, 0.00001 or more, 0.00003 or more, 0.00005 or more, 0.00008 or more, 0.0001 or more, 0.0003 or more, or 0.0005 or more. On the other hand, the upper limit of this peak area ratio is not limited, but can be 0.5 or less, 0.3 or less, 0.1 or less, 0.08 or less, 0.05 or less, 0.03 or less, 0.01 or less, 0.008 or less, 0.005 or less, 0.003 or less, or 0.002 or less. The above upper and lower limit values ​​can be any combination. Therefore, for example, it can be 0.000006 to 0.5, 0.000008 to 0.3, 0.00001 to 0.1, 0.00003 to 0.08, 0.00005 to 0.05, 0.00008 to 0.03, 0.0001 to 0.01, 0.0003 to 0.005, or 0.0005 to 0.002.

[0038] The contents of 2-heptanone and 2-ethylfuran and the peak area ratios of the respective aroma components in the present disclosure can be measured by the Stir Bar Sorptive Extraction (SBSE) method using a gas chromatography mass spectrometer (GC / MS). Specifically, the measurement can be performed by the following steps: (1) Preparation of a measurement sample; and (2) Gas chromatography mass spectrometry.

[0039] (1) Preparation of Measurement Sample The isoflavone-containing food sample is subjected to the following pretreatments (1-1) to (1-4) to prepare the measurement sample. (1-1): Collect 1.2 g from the sample as the measurement sample. (1-2): Place the measurement sample (1-1) in a 10 mL headspace vial (flat bottom). (1-3): Place a stir bar in the vial (1-2). A 10 mm long stir bar with a 0.5 mm polydimethylsiloxane film thickness (manufactured by GERSTEL, product name "Twister") is used. Note that the stir bar is magnetically levitated within the vial to prevent it from coming into contact with the measurement sample. (1-4): Allow to stand at 5°C for 24 hours to allow the polydimethylsiloxane film to adsorb the aroma components in the sample, thereby obtaining a measurement sample.

[0040] (2) Gas Chromatography Mass Analysis The measurement sample prepared in (1) above is subjected to gas chromatography mass analysis (GC / MS) under the following measurement conditions (gas chromatograph conditions and mass analysis conditions), and the contents of 2-heptanone and 2-ethylfuran and the peak area ratios of each aroma component are calculated.

[0041] <Gas chromatograph conditions> Apparatus: Agilent 7890B (GC), 5977B (MS), Gester MultiPurpose Sampler (auto-sampler) TDU: [30°C] - [720°C / min] - [240°C (3 min)] CIS: [10°C] - [12°C / sec] - [240°C] Liner packing material: TENAX Column: Agilent DB-WAX (length: 30 m, inner diameter: 250 μm, film thickness: 0.25 μm, for LTM) Column temperature: [40°C (3 min)] - [5°C / min] - [240°C (7 min)] Carrier gas: He Transfer line: 250°C ・Ion source temperature: 230°C <Mass spectrometry conditions> ・Measuring equipment: Agilent 7000C GC / MS Triple Quad (manufactured by Agilent Technologies) ・Ionization method: EI (ionization voltage 70 eV) ・Scan mass: 29.0 to 350.0

[0042] The 2-heptanone and 2-ethylfuran contents in a sample can be quantified by comparing the integration results of the peak areas of the confirmed ions in the diluted standard and the sample at retention times considered to be those of the target components when compared with the retention times of the standard samples using a mass spectrometer. A 2-heptanone standard (manufactured by Tokyo Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.) with a known content is diluted with 99.5% ethanol and distilled water to an appropriate concentration (diluted standard), and the sample is then placed in a 10 mL headspace vial (flat bottom) for analysis in the pretreatment step (1-2). The peak area integration results for m / z = 114 are measured at retention times where m / z = 43, 58, 71, and 114 are significantly detected around 10 to 13 minutes, and the concentration of 2-heptanone in the sample is calculated by comparing the obtained peak areas. In addition, a 2-ethylfuran standard (manufactured by Tokyo Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.) with a known content was diluted with 99.5% ethanol and distilled water to an appropriate concentration (diluted standard) and the sample were placed in a 10 mL headspace vial (flat-bottom) for analysis in the pretreatment step (1-2). The peak area integration results for m / z = 96 were measured at retention times around 4 to 7 minutes, where m / z = 39, 53, 67, 81, and 96 were significantly detected, and the concentration of 2-ethylfuran contained in the sample was calculated by comparing the obtained peak areas. In this disclosure, "m / z" refers to the value detected in the range of -0.3 to +0.7 from the center m / z value of each component. For example, m / z = 81 represents the cumulative value of the ion peak area detected at 80.7 to 81.7. The peak area ratios of each aroma component in the sample were calculated by TIC analysis.

[0043] In the present disclosure, isovaleric acid and isobutyric acid can be measured by the following method. Specifically, the measurement can be performed by the following (1) measurement sample preparation and (2) high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis. (1) Measurement Sample Preparation The sample is pretreated as follows. 4 ml of deionized water is added to 1 g of a paste-like sample, and the mixture is homogeneously ground and suspended in a mortar or similar. The suspension is centrifuged at 12,000 rpm and 20°C for 10 minutes, and an equal volume of 1.1% (w / v) aqueous phosphoric acid solution is added to 0.7 ml of the resulting supernatant and stirred using a vortex mixer or similar. The mixture is centrifuged again at 12,000 rpm and 20°C for 5 minutes, and the resulting supernatant is filtered through a 0.45 μm filter to obtain the measurement sample.

[0044] (2) High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) Analysis The measurement sample is injected into high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and measurement is performed. The HPLC measurement conditions are as follows. For example, a measurement device manufactured by Shimadzu Corporation (detector model: CDD-LC-10A VP, etc.) can be used. The measurement time is 50 minutes, and the concentrations of isovaleric acid and isobutyric acid are calculated by comparing the peak area with that of standard solutions of isovaleric acid and isobutyric acid (both manufactured by Fujifilm Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd.) (approximately 10 mg / 100 ml).

[0045] Measurement conditions: Column: Shodex KC-810P (6 mmφ x 50 mm) + KC-811 (8 mmφ x 300 mm) x 2 (Showa Denko K.K.) Detector: Electrical conductivity detector (Polarity: +, Response: STD, Gain: 1 μS / cm, Temperature: 53°C) Column temperature: 50°C Mobile phase: 4 mM aqueous p-toluenesulfonic acid Reaction phase: 16 mM Bis-Tris aqueous solution containing 4 mM p-toluenesulfonic acid and 80 μM EDTA Pump flow rate (Mobile phase: 0.9 ml / min, Reaction phase: 0.9 ml / min) Reaction tube: Mixer (Shimadzu: Piping part J) Injection volume: 50 μl

[0046] In the present disclosure, the isoflavone-containing food may be any food that satisfies the above-mentioned (a) and (b), and examples thereof include isoflavone-added foods in which isoflavones are added to foods that do not contain isoflavones, foods made by processing the various isoflavone-containing plants mentioned above (isoflavone-containing plant processed foods), and foods in which isoflavone-containing plant processed foods have further isoflavones added.Isoflavone-containing plant processed foods are preferred because they allow for more pronounced effects in the present disclosure to be obtained.

[0047] Further, examples of isoflavone-containing plant processed foods include bean processed foods. Preferred bean processed foods are fermented bean foods. The fermented bean foods may be fermented only with beans, or may be fermented with a mixture containing beans and other substances, or may be a mixture of these. The effects of the present disclosure can be more significantly obtained with fermented bean foods. These bean processed foods include foods made by fermenting steamed beans. Specific examples include natto, miso, soy sauce, tempeh, etc. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

[0048] (n) Particle Size Distribution in Fermented Bean Foods Among the above, fermented bean foods can be isoflavone-containing foods that satisfy the following (n): (n) In a 50% aqueous extract of the fermented bean food, the ratio (by volume) of the area under the curve in the particle size range of 3.0 μm to 2000 μm to the area under the curve in the particle size range of 0.021 μm to less than 3.0 μm is 0.05 or more. Fermented bean foods that satisfy the above (n) satisfy the above (a) and (b) and can also satisfy the balance conditions of the various aroma components (c) to (m) to a greater extent. Furthermore, when the fermented bean food that satisfies the above (n) is natto, good stringiness can be obtained. The ratio of the area under the curve is not limited, but its lower limit can be 0.1 or more, 0.5 or more, 1 or more, 1.5 or more, 2 or more, 2.5 or more, 3 or more, 3.5 or more, or 4 or more. The upper limit is not limited either, but can be 300 or less, 200 or less, 150 or less, 100 or less, 80 or less, 50 or less, 30 or less, 25 or less, 20 or less, 15 or less, 10 or less, or 6 or less. The upper and lower limit values ​​can be any combination thereof. Therefore, for example, the upper and lower limit values ​​can be 0.05 to 300, 0.1 to 200, 0.5 to 150, 1 to 100, 1.5 to 80, 2 to 50, 2.5 to 30, 3 to 25, 3.5 to 20, 4 to 15, 4 to 10, or 4 to 6.

[0049] The percentage of the area under the curve can be measured by the following method: After agitating the extract of the isoflavone-containing food, i.e., after ultrasonic treatment, the particle size of the particles in the dispersion is measured using a laser diffraction particle size distribution analyzer under the following conditions. First, 40 g of water, twice the amount of 20 g of the isoflavone-containing food, is added to a 100 ml beaker and stirred with a stirrer for 10 minutes. The mixture is then filtered through a 14-mesh sieve with a mesh size of 1.40 mm and a wire diameter (Wire Dia.) of 0.710 mm (a sieve corresponding to "No. 14" specified in "Alternative" in the "Nominal Dimensions, Permissible Variation for Wire Cloth of Standard Testing Sieves (U.S.A.) Standard Series in U.S.A. Standard Testing Sieves ASTM Specifications E 11-04) to recover the extract. Distilled water is used as the solvent during measurement.

[0050] The laser diffraction particle size distribution analyzer is a device with a measurement range of at least 0.02 μm to 2000 μm using the laser diffraction scattering method. For example, a Microtrac MT3300 EX2 system from Microtrac Bell Corporation can be used, and DMSII (Data Management System version 2, Microtrac Bell Corporation) can be used as the measurement application software. When using the above-mentioned measuring device and software, during measurement, the cleaning button on the software is pressed to perform cleaning, and then the Set Zero button on the software is pressed to perform zero adjustment. The sample is then directly loaded by sample loading until the sample concentration falls within the appropriate range. Then, to stabilize the distribution, the ultrasonic treatment button on the software is pressed to perform ultrasonic treatment (30 W, 180 seconds x 4 times). Thereafter, the sample was degassed twice, and then the sample was loaded again. After confirming that the concentration was still within the appropriate range, the measurement was immediately performed using laser diffraction at a flow rate of 50% for a measurement time of 10 seconds. The measurement parameters were, for example, distribution display: volume, particle refractive index: 1.60, solvent refractive index: 1.333, upper measurement limit (μm) = 2000.00 μm, and lower measurement limit (μm) = 0.021 μm.

[0051] Furthermore, the method for obtaining the ratio related to the area under the curve is not limited, and can be carried out by adding a plant powder to the fermented bean food. The plant powder may be added to the fermented bean food before the start of fermentation, after the start of fermentation, during fermentation, or after the end of fermentation, but it is preferable to add the plant powder before the start of fermentation and then subject the fermented product containing the plant powder to fermentation.

[0052] The amount of plant powder added to the fermented bean food is not limited, but can be 0.01% by mass or more. The lower limit of the amount can be 0.03% by mass or more, 0.05% by mass or more, 0.08% by mass or more, 0.1% by mass or more, 0.2% by mass or more, 0.25% by mass or more, 0.3% by mass or more, 0.35% by mass or more, or 0.4% by mass or more. On the other hand, the upper limit of the amount is not limited, but can be 2.5% by mass or less, 2% by mass or less, 1.5% by mass or less, or 1% by mass or less. The above upper and lower limit values ​​can be combined. Therefore, for example, the amount can be 0.01 to 2% by mass, 0.05 to 2% by mass, 0.1 to 1.5% by mass, or 0.2 to 1% by mass.

[0053] The plant powder is preferably an edible plant powder. The type of edible plant is not limited, but can be selected from the group consisting of nuts, grains, beans, vegetables, potatoes, mushrooms, and fruits. Beans or grains are preferred, beans are preferred, and soybeans are even more preferred. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more. In addition to the plant-based food ingredients (vegetables, potatoes, mushrooms, fruits, algae, grains (especially miscellaneous grains), nuts, and seeds) listed in the food group classifications in the 2015 edition (7th revision) of the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan, wild plants commonly consumed as vegetables (plantain, bracken, butterbur, mugwort, etc.) can also be used.

[0054] Edible plants may be used as is, or may be subjected to various processes (e.g., drying, heating, removing lye, peeling, crushing, removing seeds, ripening, salting, peel processing, etc.) before use. The classification of edible plants can be determined based on the state of the whole plant, including edible and inedible parts. The content of these edible plants can be set appropriately within a range that does not impair the purpose of the present disclosure.

[0055] The plant powder may be used in a state where the powder is not complexed (aggregated or bound), or in a structure where multiple particles are complexed (complex particles formed by aggregating and binding the plant powder). The plant powder may be used alone, or may be mixed with other dry powders in a dry state, or may be suspended in a liquid solvent (e.g., an aqueous solution mainly composed of water, particularly water).

[0056] Furthermore, the plant powder preferably contains a dietary fiber-rich portion of an edible plant. The dietary fiber-rich portion of an edible plant is the portion of the edible plant where dietary fiber (soluble dietary fiber and insoluble dietary fiber) is localized. Specifically, a portion having a higher dietary fiber content than the edible portion of the edible plant is preferred. That is, for example, the seed coat portion of beans is an example. The seed coat portion has a relatively higher dietary fiber content than the dietary fiber content of the edible portion (cotyledon portion) of beans (particularly corresponds to a portion where insoluble dietary fiber is localized). Furthermore, the bran portion of millet is an example. The bran portion has a relatively higher insoluble dietary fiber content than the insoluble dietary fiber content of the edible portion (particularly corresponds to a portion where insoluble dietary fiber is localized). In addition, the seed coat portion of psyllium (sometimes referred to as psyllium seed coat or psyllium husk) is included in the dietary fiber-rich portion (particularly a portion where soluble dietary fiber and insoluble dietary fiber are localized). These may be used alone or in combination of two or more. Among the above, at least one of soybean hull powder and soybean germ powder is preferred as the plant powder, and it is particularly preferred to use both of these.

[0057] In the present disclosure, dietary fiber refers to a resistant component that cannot be digested by human digestive enzymes, and includes both soluble and insoluble dietary fiber. Among these, soluble dietary fiber refers to water-soluble dietary fiber. Soluble dietary fiber includes pectin, glucomannan, sodium alginate, polydextrose, inulin, psyllium husk (about 50% of the dietary fiber contained is soluble), etc. Furthermore, insoluble dietary fiber refers to water-insoluble dietary fiber. Examples of insoluble dietary fiber include cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, chitin, chitosan, β-glucan, etc. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

[0058] The amount of dietary fiber contained in the plant powder (in terms of dry mass, the total amount of soluble and insoluble dietary fiber) is not limited, but when the entire plant powder is taken as 100% by mass, the lower limit can be 10% by mass or more, 20% by mass or more, 30% by mass or more, 40% by mass or more, 50% by mass or more, 55% by mass or more, or 60% by mass or more. Meanwhile, the upper limit can be 100% by mass or less, 95% by mass or less, 90% by mass or less, 85% by mass or less, or 80% by mass or less. The above upper and lower limits can be any combination. Therefore, for example, the amount can be 10 to 100% by mass, 20 to 95% by mass, 30 to 90% by mass, 40 to 85% by mass, 50 to 85% by mass, 55 to 80% by mass, or 60 to 80% by mass. Dietary fiber can be quantified using the modified Prosky method.

[0059] The amount of insoluble dietary fiber contained in dietary fiber (in terms of dry mass) is not limited, but when the total plant fiber is taken as 100% by mass, the lower limit can be 10% by mass or more, 20% by mass or more, 30% by mass or more, 40% by mass or more, 50% by mass or more, 55% by mass or more, or 60% by mass or more. Meanwhile, the upper limit can be 100% by mass or less, 95% by mass or less, 90% by mass or less, 85% by mass or less, or 80% by mass or less. The above upper and lower limits can be combined. Therefore, for example, the amount can be 10-100% by mass, 20-95% by mass, 30-90% by mass, 40-85% by mass, 50-85% by mass, 55-80% by mass, or 60-80% by mass. The insoluble dietary fiber can be quantified using the modified Prosky method.

[0060] In the present disclosure, the amount of cellulose contained in the plant powder (in terms of dry mass) is not limited. However, when the total plant powder is taken as 100% by mass, the lower limit can be 10% by mass or more, 15% by mass or more, 20% by mass or more, 25% by mass or more, 30% by mass or more, 35% by mass or more, or 40% by mass or more. On the other hand, the upper limit can be 100% by mass or less, 95% by mass or less, 90% by mass or less, 85% by mass or less, or 80% by mass or less. The above upper and lower limits can be combined. Therefore, for example, the amount can be 10 to 100% by mass, 15 to 90% by mass, 20 to 90% by mass, 25 to 85% by mass, 30 to 85% by mass, 35 to 80% by mass, or 40 to 80% by mass.

[0061] In this disclosure, unless otherwise specified, "dry mass" refers to the mass remaining after subtracting the moisture content calculated from the "dry basis moisture content" described below from the mass of the entire food, and "dry mass equivalent (sometimes referred to as dry mass basis or dry basis)" refers to the content ratio of each component calculated using the dry mass of the composition as the denominator and the content of each component as the numerator. In other words, the dry mass equivalent value of each measurement value is determined by calculation from the wet mass, rather than by analyzing the composition after actual drying treatment.

[0062] The moisture content on a dry basis is measured by heating to 90°C using a vacuum heating drying method in accordance with the 2015 edition (7th revision) of the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan. ０ ) and weigh an appropriate amount of sample (W １ The weighing container is placed in a vacuum electric constant temperature dryer adjusted to a predetermined temperature (more specifically, 90°C) at normal pressure, with the lid off or with the mouth open, the door is closed, the vacuum pump is operated, and the container is dried at a predetermined reduced pressure for a certain period of time, the vacuum pump is stopped, dry air is pumped to return the pressure to normal, the weighing container is removed, the lid is put back on, and the container is allowed to cool in a desiccator, and then the mass is measured. In this way, the container is dried, allowed to cool, and weighed until it reaches a constant weight (W ２ ) is repeated and the dry weight moisture content (mass%) is calculated using the following formula: Moisture (g / 100g) = (W １ -W ２ ) / (W ２ -W ０)×100 [In the formula, W ０ indicates the mass (g) of the weighing container at a constant weight, and W １ indicates the mass (g) of the weighing vessel containing the sample before drying, and W ２ indicates the mass (g) of the weighing vessel containing the sample after drying.

[0063] The plant powder preferably contains isoflavones from edible plants. Specifically, the isoflavone content may be 1 mg or more per 100 g of plant powder, calculated as aglycones. The lower limit of the content may be 7 mg / 100 g or more, 10 mg / 100 g or more, 15 mg / 100 g or more, 20 mg / 100 g or more, 25 mg / 100 g or more, 30 mg / 100 g or more, 35 mg / 100 g or more, 40 mg / 100 g or more, 45 mg / 100 g or more, or 50 mg / 100 g or more. The upper limit of the content can be 500 mg / 100 g or less, 450 mg / 100 g or less, 400 mg / 100 g or less, 350 mg / 100 g or less, 300 mg / 100 g or less, 250 mg / 100 g or less, 200 mg / 100 g or less, 170 mg / 100 g or less, 150 mg / 100 g or less, 140 mg / 100 g or less, 130 mg / 100 g or less, 120 mg / 100 g or less, or 110 mg / 100 g or less. The upper and lower limit values ​​can be combined with each other. Therefore, for example, the isoflavone content can be 1 to 500 mg / 100 g, 7 to 400 mg / 100 g, 10 to 300 mg / 100 g, 15 to 250 mg / 100 g, 20 to 200 mg / 100 g, 25 to 170 mg / 100 g, 30 to 150 mg / 100 g, 35 to 140 mg / 100 g, 40 to 130 mg / 100 g, 45 to 120 mg / 100 g, or 50 to 110 mg / 100 g. The isoflavones contained in the plant powder may be aglycone-type or glycoside-type (glycoside)-type, but it is preferable that the isoflavone content be higher than the aglycone-type isoflavones. For example, the glycoside-type isoflavone content in the isoflavone content can be 30% by mass or more, 40% by mass or more, 50% by mass or more, 60% by mass or more, 70% by mass or more, 80% by mass or more, 90% by mass or more, or 95% by mass or more. Among the above, at least one of soybean hull powder (soybean hull powder) and soybean germ (soybean germ powder) is preferred as the plant powder, and it is particularly preferred to use both of these.The glycoside isoflavone content is the percentage of the glycoside isoflavone content calculated as aglycones, assuming that the sum of the aglycone isoflavone content and the aglycone content of glycoside isoflavones is 100% by mass.

[0064] The powdering means used to powderize the plant powder is not limited. Examples of powdering means (powdering devices) include blenders, mixers, mills, kneaders, pulverizers, crushers, and attritors. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more. Examples of mills include media agitation mills (dry bead mills, ball mills (rolling type, vibration type, etc.)), jet mills, high-speed rotation impact mills (pin mills, etc.), roll mills, and hammer mills. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more. Furthermore, the conditions (temperature, pressure, etc.) during powdering are not limited. For example, high-temperature milling, room-temperature milling, low-temperature milling, etc. can be used. Similarly, high-pressure milling, room-pressure milling, low-pressure milling, etc. can be used.

[0065] In the present disclosure, the particle diameter d90 of the plant powder after ultrasonic treatment (30 W, 180 seconds x 1 time) is not limited, but can be 10 μm or more. The lower limit of this particle diameter d90 can be 50 μm or more, 100 μm or more, 300 μm or more, 500 μm or more, 600 μm or more, 700 μm or more, or 800 μm or more. If the particle diameter d90 is below this range, the production efficiency and water retention of the isoflavone-containing food will deteriorate. On the other hand, the upper limit of this particle diameter d90 is not limited, but can be 1000 μm or less or 900 μm or less. If the particle diameter d90 exceeds this range, the appearance and texture of the isoflavone-containing food will deteriorate. The above-mentioned upper and lower limit values ​​can be combined. Therefore, for example, it can be 10 to 1000 μm or 300 to 1000 μm. In the present invention, "particle diameter d90" is defined as the particle diameter at which, when the particle diameter distribution of the measurement target is measured on a volume basis and divided into two at a certain particle diameter, the ratio of the cumulative value of the particle frequency % on the larger side to the cumulative value of the particle frequency % on the smaller side is 10:90. In addition, particle diameter distributions are not limited to this definition and are all measured on a volume basis.

[0066] When the isoflavone-containing food is a fermented bean food, the isoflavone-containing food is stored at 5°C for three consecutive days after fermentation has been completed, and it is sufficient that the isoflavone-containing food satisfies the requirements (a) and (b) described above, and further, it is preferable that the food satisfies at least one of the various requirements (c) to (n).

[0067] (o) Inclusion of Other Ingredients In addition to the various ingredients described above, the isoflavone-containing food may contain one or more selected from acetic acid, calcium, iron, zinc, GABA (γ-aminobutyric acid), ellagic acid, vitamins (vitamin K, vitamin C, etc.), nattokinase, and low-molecular-weight water-soluble dietary fiber (inulin, isomaltooligosaccharide, etc.). These may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

[0068] In the present disclosure, acetic acid refers to an acetic acid molecule (CH ３ COOH) and acetate ions (CH ３COO-), and the acetic acid content refers to the total concentration of these. The origin of acetic acid in the present invention is not particularly limited, and for example, it can be derived from a food additive (e.g., commercially available acetic acid), or it can be acetic acid contained in a known vinegar production method. The acetic acid content per 100 g of the isoflavone-containing food of the present disclosure ("particularly, 100 g of a food containing (a) 50 to 110 mg / 100 g, (b) 0.1 mass ppm or more of isoflavones", the same applies below for the content of other components) is not limited, but can be, for example, 0.1 mg or more, 1 mg or more, 3 mg or more, 5 mg or more, 7 mg or more, 9 mg or more, 15 mg or more, 50 mg or more, 100 mg or more, 500 mg or more, or 8000 mg or less, 5000 mg or less, or 2500 mg or less. The above upper and lower limits can be any combination. Therefore, for example, the concentration can be 0.1 to 8000 mg / 100 g, 1 to 8000 mg / 100 g, 3 to 8000 mg / 100 g, 5 to 5000 mg / 100 g, 7 to 5000 mg / 100 g, 9 to 5000 mg / 100 g, 15 to 2500 mg / 100 g, 50 to 2500 mg / 100 g, 100 to 2500 mg / 100 g, or 500 to 2500 mg / 100 g. The vinegar in this disclosure includes brewed vinegar produced from grains such as rice or barley or fruit juice, and synthetic vinegars made by adding seasonings such as sugar to a diluted solution of glacial acetic acid or acetic acid, or by adding brewed vinegar to it, and either can be used. Examples of brewed vinegar include rice vinegar, grain vinegar (brown rice vinegar, black vinegar, lees vinegar, malt vinegar, barley vinegar, soybean vinegar, etc.), fruit vinegar (apple vinegar, grape vinegar, lemon vinegar, kabosu vinegar, plum vinegar, wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, etc.), spirit vinegar produced by acetic acid fermentation using ethanol as a raw material, Chinese vinegar, sherry vinegar, etc. Synthetic vinegar includes glacial acetic acid or acetic acid diluted with water. These vinegars may be used alone or in combination of two or more. The vinegar content per 100 g of the isoflavone-containing food of the present disclosure is not limited, but can be, for example, 0.1 g or more, 0.5 g or more, 1 g or more, 3 g or more, 5 g or more, 8 g or more, 10 g or more, 12 g or more, 15 g or more, or 40 g or less, 36 g or less, or 32 g or less.

[0069] The calcium in the present disclosure may be calcium contained in a purified, extracted, high-purity preparation, or may be in the form of a processed product (e.g., an extract) containing calcium, such as calcium salts. Calcium salts are salts composed of a calcium cation and the conjugate base anion of several inorganic or organic acids. Examples of calcium salts include, but are not limited to, calcium chloride, calcium lactate, calcium carbonate, calcium acetate, calcium citrate, calcium L-glutamate, calcium oxide, calcium hydroxide, calcium stearate, calcium sorbate, calcium pantothenate, calcium dihydrogen pyrophosphate, calcium 5'-ribonucleotide, calcium sulfate, calcium monohydrogen phosphate, calcium dihydrogen phosphate, and tricalcium phosphate. The calcium content per 100 g of the isoflavone-containing food of the present disclosure is not limited, but may be, for example, 0.01 mg or more, 0.1 mg or more, 0.5 mg or more, 1 mg or more, 2 mg or more, 5 mg or more, or 500 mg or more, and may be, for example, 5,000 mg or less, 4,000 mg or less, or 3,000 mg or less. The upper and lower limits can be any combination thereof, for example, 0.01 to 5000 mg / 100 g, 0.1 to 5000 mg / 100 g, 0.5 to 4000 mg / 100 g, 1 to 4000 mg / 100 g, 2 to 3000 mg / 100 g, 5 to 3000 mg / 100 g, or 500 to 3000 mg / 100 g.

[0070] The iron in the present disclosure may be iron contained in a purified, extracted, high-purity preparation, or in the form of some processed product (e.g., an extract) containing iron, such as iron salts. Iron salts are salts composed of an iron cation and the conjugate base anion of several inorganic or organic acids. Examples of iron salts include, but are not limited to, ferric pyrophosphate, heme iron, and iron citrate. The iron content per 100 g of the isoflavone-containing food of the present disclosure is not limited, but may be, for example, 0.3 mg or more, 0.6 mg or more, 1 mg or more, 2 mg or more, or 3 mg or more, and may be 200 mg or less, or 150 mg or less. The above upper and lower limits may be combined. Therefore, for example, the iron content may be 0.3 to 200 mg / 100 g, 0.6 to 200 mg / 100 g, 1 to 150 mg / 100 g, 2 to 150 mg / 100 g, or 3 to 150 mg / 100 g.

[0071] The zinc in the present disclosure may be zinc contained in a purified, extracted, high-purity preparation, or in the form of a processed product containing zinc (e.g., a zinc-containing enzyme), such as a zinc salt. Zinc salts are salts composed of a zinc cation and the conjugate base anion of several inorganic or organic acids. Examples of zinc salts include, but are not limited to, zinc gluconate and zinc sulfate. The zinc content per 100 g of the isoflavone-containing food of the present disclosure is not limited, but may be, for example, 0.3 mg or more, 0.6 mg or more, 1 mg or more, 2 mg or more, or 3 mg or more, and may be 200 mg or less, or 150 mg or less. The above upper and lower limits may be combined. Therefore, for example, the zinc content may be 0.3 to 200 mg / 100 g, 0.6 to 200 mg / 100 g, 1 to 150 mg / 100 g, 2 to 150 mg / 100 g, or 3 to 150 mg / 100 g.

[0072] GABA in this disclosure refers to gamma-aminobutyric acid, and may be GABA contained in a purified, extracted, highly pure preparation, or in the form of a processed product (e.g., an extract) containing GABA. The GABA content per 100 g of the isoflavone-containing food product of this disclosure is not limited, but may be, for example, 1 mg or more, 5 mg or more, 10 mg or more, 15 mg or more, or 500 mg or less, or 250 mg or less. The above upper and lower limits may be combined. For example, the GABA content may be 1-500 mg / 100 g, 5-500 mg / 100 g, 10-250 mg / 100 g, or 15-250 mg / 100 g.

[0073] The ellagic acid (CAS registration number: 110-43-0) in the present disclosure may be ellagic acid contained in a purified, extracted, highly pure preparation, or may be in the form of a processed product containing ellagic acid (e.g., an extract or fermentation product). The ellagic acid content per 100 g of the isoflavone-containing food of the present disclosure is not limited, but may be, for example, 1 mg or more, 3 mg or more, 5 mg or more, or 10 mg or more, and may be 200 mg or less, or 150 mg or less. The above upper and lower limits may be combined. Thus, for example, the content may be 1 to 200 mg / 100 g, 3 to 200 mg / 100 g, 5 to 150 mg / 100 g, or 10 to 150 mg / 100 g.

[0074] The vitamins in the present disclosure are not particularly limited, but examples include vitamin A, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E, and vitamin K (vitamin K1, vitamin K2 (menaquinone-7), etc.), with vitamin C or vitamin K being particularly preferred. The vitamins may also be contained in a highly purified, extracted preparation, or may be in the form of some processed product containing the vitamin (e.g., an extract). The vitamin content per 100 g of the isoflavone-containing food of the present disclosure is not limited, but may be, for example, 0.1 μg or more, 1 μg or more, 10 μg or more, 100 μg or more, 1 mg or more, 10 mg or more, or 2000 mg or less. The upper and lower limits mentioned above can be combined. Therefore, for example, the vitamin content can be 0.1 to 2000 mg / 100 g, 1 to 2000 mg / 100 g, 10 to 2000 mg / 100 g, or 100 to 2000 mg / 100 g. Furthermore, the vitamin C content per 100g of the isoflavone-containing food of the present disclosure is not limited, but can be, for example, 0.01mg or more, 0.1mg or more, 0.2mg or more, 0.4mg or more, 1mg or more, 10mg or more, 100mg or more, and 10,000mg or less, 5,000mg or less, or 2,500mg or less. The upper and lower limits can be any combination. Therefore, for example, the range can be 0.01-10,000mg / 100g, 0.1-5,000mg / 100g, 0.2-5,000mg / 100g, 0.4-5,000mg / 100g, 1-2,500mg / 100g, 10-2,500mg / 100g, or 100-2,500mg / 100g. The vitamin K (vitamin K1, vitamin K2 (menaquinone-7), etc.) content per 100 g of the isoflavone-containing food of the present disclosure is not limited, but can be, for example, 0.01 μg or more, 0.05 μg or more, 0.1 μg or more, 0.3 μg or more, 1 μg or more, 50 μg or more, 250 μg or more, or 2000 μg or less, 1500 μg or less. The above-mentioned upper and lower limit values ​​can be combined with each other.Therefore, for example, it can be 0.01 to 2000 mg / 100 g, 0.05 to 2000 mg / 100 g, 0.1 to 2000 mg / 100 g, 0.3 to 1500 mg / 100 g, 1 to 1500 mg / 100 g, 50 to 1500 mg / 100 g, or 250 to 1500 mg / 100 g.

[0075] The nattokinase in the present disclosure may be nattokinase contained in a purified, extracted, highly pure preparation, or may be in the form of a processed product (e.g., an extract) containing nattokinase. The nattokinase content per 100 g of the isoflavone-containing food of the present disclosure is not limited, but may be, for example, 1 FU or more, 5 FU or more, 500 FU or more, 800 FU or more, 1000 FU or more, 2000 FU or more, or 5000 FU or less, or 3500 FU or less. The upper and lower limits may be combined. For example, the range may be 1-5000 FU / 100 g, 5-5000 FU / 100 g, 500-5000 FU / 100 g, 800-3500 FU / 100 g, 1000-3500 FU / 100 g, or 2000-3500 FU / 100 g.

[0076] In the present disclosure, low molecular weight water-soluble dietary fiber refers to low molecular weight dietary fiber measured according to the AOAC. 2011.25 method in accordance with the method described in the "Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan, 2020 Edition (8th Edition) Analysis Manual (February 2022)." Examples of low molecular weight dietary fiber include, but are not limited to, inulin, isomaltooligosaccharides, resistant dextrin, polydextrose, β-glucan, arabinoxylan, pectin, etc. (more specifically, low molecular weight inulin, low molecular weight isomaltooligosaccharides, low molecular weight resistant dextrin, low molecular weight polydextrose, low molecular weight β-glucan, low molecular weight arabinoxylan, low molecular weight pectin, etc.). In the present disclosure, inulin refers to inulin classified as low molecular weight, measured according to the AOAC. 2011.25 method in accordance with the method described in the "Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan, 2020 Edition (8th Edition) Analysis Manual (February 2022)." In the present disclosure, isomaltooligosaccharides refer to isomaltooligosaccharides classified as low molecular weight, measured according to the AOAC.2011.25 method in accordance with the method described in the "Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan, 2020 Edition (8th Edition) Analysis Manual (February 2022)." The content of low molecular weight water-soluble dietary fiber per 100 g of the isoflavone-containing food of the present disclosure is not limited, but can be, for example, 1 g or more, 5 g or more, 10 g or more, 15 g or more, 17 g or more, 20 g or more, 22 g or more, 24 g or more, 30 g or more, or 80 g or less. The above upper and lower limits can be any combination. Therefore, for example, the inulin content per 100 g of the isoflavone-containing food product of the present disclosure is not limited, but can be, for example, 1 g or more, 5 g or more, 10 g or more, 15 g or more, 20 g or more, 30 g or more, or 50 g or less. The upper and lower limits mentioned above can be combined. Therefore, for example, it can be 1 to 50 g / 100 g, 5 to 50 g / 100 g, 10 to 50 g / 100 g, 15 to 50 g / 100 g, 20 to 50 g / 100 g, or 30 to 50 g / 100 g.The isomaltooligosaccharide content per 100 g of the isoflavone-containing food of the present disclosure is not limited, but can be, for example, 1 g or more, 5 g or more, 10 g or more, 15 g or more, 20 g or more, 30 g or more, or 50 g or less. The upper and lower limits can be any combination. Therefore, for example, the range can be 1 to 50 g / 100 g, 5 to 50 g / 100 g, 10 to 50 g / 100 g, 15 to 50 g / 100 g, 20 to 50 g / 100 g, or 30 to 50 g / 100 g.

[0077] In addition to the various components described above, isoflavone-containing foods may contain other components, such as seasonings and liquid seasonings. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

[0078] The method for producing an isoflavone-containing food in the present disclosure is not limited as long as it satisfies the above-mentioned requirements, but for example, when the isoflavone-containing food is a fermented bean food, the fermented bean food can be obtained through the steps of a fermentation material preparation step for preparing a fermentation material, an inoculation step for inoculating the fermentation material, and a fermentation step for fermenting the fermentation material. The details of this process are described below.

[0079] (1) Fermented material preparation step The fermented material preparation step is a step of preparing the fermented material. Steamed beans and / or boiled beans can be used as the fermented material. This step can be carried out by soaking the raw beans and heating them in liquid to prepare steamed beans or boiled beans. In the method for producing fermented bean foods, any raw material that can be used in the production of ordinary fermented bean foods can be used as the fermented material. Examples include whole soybeans, halved soybeans, cracked soybeans (raw material for cracked natto), defatted soybeans, chickpeas, peas, etc. Among these, whole soybeans, halved soybeans, cracked soybeans (raw material for cracked natto), and defatted soybeans are preferred. Medium-sized and large-sized soybeans used in the production of high-quality natto are particularly preferred. These beans can be used raw, or dried (dried products).

[0080] The raw beans can be heated in liquid to produce steamed or boiled beans using conventional methods. Steamed beans are preferred from the viewpoint of preventing the loss of ingredients. It is preferable to soak the raw beans in water to swell them before steaming and / or boiling. The procedure for preparing the steamed beans is not limited, but for example, the steamed beans can be prepared by soaking the beans in water at room temperature for about 6 to 24 hours, draining the water, and subjecting them to a steaming treatment with steam at 100 to 135°C for 10 to 30 minutes. Furthermore, the steaming treatment can also be performed by pressure steaming under a pressure condition of 0.12 to 0.22 MPa. It is also possible to prepare boiled beans by soaking the beans in water at room temperature for about 6 to 24 hours, followed by boiling them in water at 90 to 100°C for 20 to 50 minutes.

[0081] (2) Inoculation step The inoculation step is a step of inoculating fermenting bacteria into the fermented material obtained in the fermented material preparation step. The type of fermenting bacteria used in the inoculation step is not limited, and for example, natto bacteria, koji mold, lactic acid bacteria, etc. can be used. However, when natto is obtained as a fermented soy food, natto bacteria are preferred among these. When natto bacteria are used, the type of natto bacteria is not limited, and examples include Miyagino bacteria (manufactured by Miyagino Manufacturing Co., Ltd., product name "Pure Cultured Natto Bacteria" (Miyagino Natto Bacteria)), Takahashi bacteria (manufactured by Takahashi Yuzo Research Institute Co., Ltd., product name "Natto Molecules"), Naruse bacteria (manufactured by Naruse Fermentation Chemistry Research Institute, product name "Powdered Natto Bacteria"), and mutant strains and genetically modified strains having specific properties. Among these, K-245 strain and P7 strain are preferred, and P7 strain is particularly preferred.

[0082] The P7 strain is a phytase-deficient natto bacillus classified as Bacillus subtilis, characterized in that the activity of the phytase enzyme described in Japanese Patent No. 4778740 has been reduced or deleted. The K-245 strain was internationally deposited on February 25, 2014, under the name of Bacillus subtilis K-245 strain, with the National Institute of Technology and Evaluation (NITE) Patent Organism Depositary at 2-5-8 Kazusa Kamatari, Kisarazu City, Chiba Prefecture, Japan, under the accession number NITE BP-01804. The K-245 strain is a mutant obtained by mutating a natto bacillus strain (Bacillus subtilis K-2; NITE BP-1577) described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 5-60335.

[0083] Natto bacteria are classified as Bacillus subtilis, but are generally classified as a variant of Bacillus subtilis, namely Bacillus subtilis var. natto or Bacillus subtilis (natto), to distinguish them from Bacillus subtilis, or as Bacillus natto, a species closely related to Bacillus subtilis.

[0084] When koji mold is used, the type of koji mold is not limited, and molds of the genus Aspergillus can be used, for example. More specifically, white koji mold (e.g., Aspergillus awamori var. kawachii, Aspergillus luchuensis mut. kawachii, Aspergillus usamii mut. shirousamii, Aspergillus kawachii, etc.), black koji mold (e.g., Aspergillus awamori, etc.), yellow koji mold (Aspergillus oryzae), soy sauce koji mold (Aspergillus sojae), etc. can be mentioned. The koji must have enzyme activity such as a saccharifying enzyme that converts polysaccharides such as starch contained in the raw materials into monosaccharides when used, and the live or dead state of the starter culture is not an issue.

[0085] In the inoculation step, the state of the fermentation bacteria added as a starter is not limited, but it is preferable to use a spore-state starter that can be directly inoculated into the fermented material at high temperature to prevent contamination by other bacteria. In order to carry out fermentation uniformly, the fermentation bacteria starter is preferably added by inoculation or spraying, etc., and then mixed, etc., so as to ensure uniform distribution of the fermented material and the bacteria. It is also more preferable to prepare a spore suspension of the fermentation bacteria and add it in a liquid state.

[0086] The spore suspension can be a culture solution obtained by culturing a fermenting bacterium in a liquid medium containing components suitable for spore formation. The components of the liquid medium are not limited as long as they enable spore formation and growth of the fermenting bacterium and contain medium components such as a carbon source, a nitrogen source, and inorganic salts that are commonly used in culturing fermenting bacteria, and can be either a synthetic medium or a natural medium.

[0087] Examples of carbon sources include sugars such as glucose, sucrose, galactose, mannose, starch, and starch hydrolysates, and organic acids such as citric acid. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more. Examples of nitrogen sources include peptone, meat extract, casein hydrolysate, ammonia, ammonium sulfate, and ammonium chloride. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more. Examples of inorganic salts include sodium chloride, potassium chloride, calcium chloride, sodium sulfate, sodium hydrogen sulfate, sodium nitrate, potassium phosphate, ferric chloride hexahydrate, magnesium sulfate heptahydrate, manganese chloride tetrahydrate, and ferrous sulfate. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more. The medium may also contain yeast extract, malt extract, soybean flour, vitamins (biotin, etc.), and the like. When using a Bacillus subtilis natto mutant strain that requires specific nutrients due to gene deficiency or the like, the medium composition can be changed as appropriate.

[0088] The amount of bacteria to be inoculated in the inoculation step is not limited, but can be 1 / 100 to 1 / 50 of the amount of the fermented material. More specifically, the number of fermentation bacteria to be inoculated is not limited to a bacterial concentration according to a conventional method, but is preferably 1 x 10 per 1 g of beans. ３ ~1 x 10 ６pieces, preferably 1 x 10 ３ ~1 x 10 ５ pcs, more preferably 1 x 10 ３ ~1 x 10 ４ It can be made into one.

[0089] The product temperature of the fermented material when inoculating the fermenting bacteria can be 55 to 95° C., preferably 60 to 95° C., more preferably 65 to 95° C., even more preferably 70 to 90° C., and particularly preferably 75 to 90° C. Within the above range, contamination with various bacteria can be more effectively prevented, and the death of fermentation bacteria spores can be more effectively prevented, preventing poor fermentation.

[0090] The fermented material inoculated with the fermenting bacteria can be filled into individual containers for one to several servings, and then fermentation, as described below, can be carried out in the individual containers. Alternatively, as is the traditional method, it can be filled into boiled straw bags. Fermentation can also be carried out in a container with a capacity of several liters, but using a larger container is not desirable because a larger volume-to-surface ratio makes it difficult for temperature changes to be transmitted to the beans in the center.

[0091] The packaging container is a container that can accommodate a raw material that is a material to be fermented by fermenting bacteria and the fermenting bacteria inoculated therein as the main contents (these may be collectively referred to as the material to be fermented). In the present disclosure, fermenting bacteria include natto bacteria, koji mold, lactic acid bacteria, etc., and fermented materials include soybeans, chickpeas, peas, etc. From this perspective, it functions as a container for a material to be fermented. Furthermore, it is a container that can be filled with a material to be fermented, sealed, and then used for fermentation as is. That is, from this perspective, it functions as a fermentation container. Furthermore, it is a container that can be used for aging as is after fermentation is completed. That is, from this perspective, it can function as a aging container. Furthermore, it is a container that can be packaged as needed after aging is completed, and shipped as a product as is, or even distributed. That is, from this perspective, it can function as a shipping container or a distribution container. Furthermore, it is a container that can be used as tableware as is. In other words, the container has no holes or the like at the bottom or on the lower side of the container through which the liquid seasoning or the like can flow out, and from this point of view, it can function as tableware. Note that, since the manner of consuming the fermented material varies depending on the consumer, there is no limitation as to whether the packaging container can be used as tableware or not.

[0092] When a top film portion is used for a packaging container, the material of the film constituting the top film portion is not limited, but examples thereof include paper, polystyrene foam, various plastics, etc. (e.g., films formed from foam sheets made of various synthetic resins such as paper, styrene-modified polyolefin resins, polystyrene, high-impact polystyrene, polystyrene-ethylene copolymers, and other polystyrene-based resins, polyethylene, polypropylene, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers, and other polyolefin-based resins, and polyethylene terephthalate, etc.). These may be used alone or in combination of two or more. The thickness of the film is not limited, but can be, for example, 100 μm or less, 80 μm or less, 60 μm or less, 50 μm or less, 40 μm or less, or 30 μm or less.

[0093] The material constituting the packaging container is not limited, and materials generally used for packaging containers can be used. That is, paper, polystyrene foam, various plastics, etc. (for example, cup-shaped paper containers, containers molded from foam sheets made of various synthetic resins such as polystyrene-based resins such as styrene-modified polyolefin-based resins, polystyrene, high-impact polystyrene, and styrene-ethylene copolymers, polyolefin-based resins such as polyethylene, polypropylene, and ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers, and polyester-based resins such as polyethylene terephthalate, etc.) can be used. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more types.

[0094] These materials can be appropriately selected and combined according to the characteristics of the combination with the fermenting bacteria. From the viewpoints of heat retention during fermentation, lightness when stacked during mass production, lightness during shipping, shock absorption, shape retention when eaten, lightness, and manufacturing costs, paper or polystyrene foam is preferable, and polystyrene foam (specifically, polystyrene as one example) is more preferable. With regard to light transmittance, if activation of photosynthesis or fermentation by light is desired, a highly transparent material should be selected, but if the action by light is not required, an opaque material can be used. From the viewpoint of light deterioration of quality due to light exposure during distribution and sales, an opaque material can be used.

[0095] Furthermore, as the contents in the packaging container, in addition to the above-mentioned main contents (the material to be fermented by the fermenting bacteria (soybeans, chickpeas, peas, etc., especially soybeans) and the fermenting bacteria (natto bacteria, koji mold, lactic acid bacteria, etc., especially natto bacteria) inoculated on the material to be fermented), general liquid / gel / powder / solid seasonings, etc. may be enclosed by a separate structure of a small bag or container, etc., as long as they do not affect the fermentation of the material to be fermented. Furthermore, to prevent the material to be fermented from contacting or adhering to the container lid and hindering ease of eating, there is no limitation on whether or not a thin film-like layer is laid on the material to be fermented, as long as it is in a form that does not affect the fermentation of the material to be fermented. Similarly, there is no particular limitation on whether or not holes are made in the thin film-like layer. Furthermore, it is also possible to enclose tableware such as spoons and forks in order to increase the ease of eating. These are to be distinguished from the material to be fermented in the container.

[0096] The size of the packaging container is not limited, but from the viewpoint of being suitable for individual consumption, it is preferable that the size be such that the content of the fermented material before fermentation can be enclosed, for example, at 20 g to 300 g. More specifically, if the container is approximately cylindrical, it is preferable that the minimum diameter is, for example, at 4 cm to 15 cm and the height is, for example, at 4 cm to 10 cm. If the container is approximately rectangular or approximately square, it is preferable that the minimum width is, for example, at 5 cm to 15 cm and the height is, for example, at 2 cm to 5 cm.

[0097] (3) Fermentation process The fermentation process is a process of fermenting a fermented material. The fermentation process is a process of raising the product temperature of the fermented material inoculated with fermentation bacteria to 37°C or higher, and is generally a process of controlling the product temperature so that the product temperature does not fall below 37°C. Note that a case where the product temperature falls below 37°C due to a temporary temperature drop is also considered to be a fermentation process. In other words, this does not mean that the product temperature does not fall completely outside the temperature range. For example, the fermentation process is fulfilled even if the product temperature falls outside the temperature range within a slight temperature range (for example, within 2°C, preferably within 1°C) for a short period of time (less than 15 minutes, within 10 minutes, preferably within 5 minutes).

[0098] Here, the start of fermentation is the point at which the temperature of the fermented material remains at or above 37°C for 15 consecutive minutes after the fermentation material and fermenting bacteria coexist, and the end of fermentation is the point at which the temperature of the fermented material remains below 37°C for 15 consecutive minutes.

[0099] The total fermentation time from the start to the end of fermentation is not limited, but from the viewpoint of obtaining a fermented bean food with excellent taste, texture, odor, and stringiness (spinnability), the lower limit can be 5 hours or more, 6 hours or more, 7 hours or more, 7.5 hours or more, 8 hours or more, 9 hours or more, or 10 hours or more. On the other hand, the upper limit can be 23 hours or less, 22 hours or less, 21 hours or less, or 20 hours or less. The above upper and lower limits can be combined. That is, for example, it can be 5 to 23 hours, 7.5 to 22 hours, or 10 to 20 hours.

[0100] In the fermentation process, maintaining the product temperature of the fermented material inoculated with fermentation bacteria at 37°C or higher means controlling the product temperature so that it does not generally fall below 37°C throughout the entire fermentation process, from the start of fermentation to the end of fermentation (note that, as mentioned above, a temperature drop to below 37°C in less than 15 minutes is permitted). From the perspective of obtaining natto with excellent taste, texture, odor, and stringiness (spinnability), the lower limit of this product temperature can be 37°C or higher, 38°C or higher, 39°C or higher, 40°C or higher, 41°C or higher, or 42°C or higher. On the other hand, the upper limit can be 53°C or lower, 52°C or lower, 51°C or lower, 50°C or lower, 49°C or lower, 48°C or lower, or 46°C or lower. The above upper and lower limits can be combined with each other. That is, for example, it can be 42 to 53°C or 42 to 46°C.

[0101] Product temperature can be controlled in the fermentation room using various air conditioning equipment. Examples of air conditioning equipment include air conditioners, ventilation fans, electric fans, blowers, heaters (including hot air generated by steam heating and hot water heating), and light control equipment. These can be used alone or in combination of two or more types. Specifically, heat is generated by the activity of fermentation bacteria during the fermentation process. The temperature in the fermentation room can also be affected by weather. For this reason, the product temperature can be reflected by cooling or heating as needed.

[0102] The method for producing an isoflavone-containing food product according to the present disclosure may consist of only three steps: a fermentation product preparation step, an inoculation step, and a fermentation step. However, other steps may also be included. Examples of such other steps include a deactivation step, a cooling step, and a maturation step. These other steps may be used alone or in combination. For example, after a cooling step in which the product is cooled to 30°C or below (preferably about 25°C or below), the product can be transferred to a maturation chamber and subjected to the maturation step. The deactivation step can be performed, for example, after the fermentation step (3). The product temperature during the deactivation step can be greater than 53°C and less than 67°C, greater than 53°C and less than 66°C, or greater than 53°C and less than 65°C. The product temperature can be maintained for 0.1 to 3.5 hours, 0.3 to 3 hours, or 0.5 to 2 hours. The maturation step can typically be performed at 4 to 10°C for approximately 24 to 72 hours after the fermentation step.

[0103] [2] Method for suppressing unpleasant odors in isoflavone-containing foods The method for suppressing unpleasant odors in isoflavone-containing foods according to the present disclosure is characterized by satisfying the following (a) and (b): (a) an isoflavone content of 1 mg / 100 g or more in terms of aglycone; and (b) a 2-heptanone content of 0.003 ppm by mass or more.

[0104] More specifically, the unpleasant odor suppression method can include a step of performing an operation to satisfy the above (a) and (b). That is, for example, an unpleasant odor suppression method includes a step of adding 2-heptanone and / or a component containing 2-heptanone to an isoflavone-containing food that satisfies the above (a) but does not contain 2-heptanone, or to an isoflavone-containing food that satisfies the above (a) but has a 2-heptanone content of less than 0.003 ppm by mass.

[0105] The unpleasant odor has been described above. By making 2-heptanone coexist with this unpleasant odor, it is possible to suppress the unpleasant odor from being perceived. More specifically, this means making the unpleasant odor undetectable, or, even if the unpleasant odor is perceived, making it less noticeable than before the unpleasant odor suppression method was implemented. Furthermore, the isoflavone-containing food may contain other components in addition to 2-heptanone. The type of other component is not limited, and components other than isoflavones may be contained.

[0106] In the present disclosure, the 2-heptanone content in an isoflavone-containing food is preferably 0.003 ppm by mass or more. When the 2-heptanone content in an isoflavone-containing food is 0.003 ppm by mass or more, the effects of unpleasant odors can be more effectively suppressed than when the content is less than 0.003 ppm by mass. In particular, the effects of unpleasant odors can be effectively suppressed while minimizing the impact on the taste of the isoflavone-containing food. The lower limit of the content can be further set to 0.005 ppm by mass or more, 0.008 ppm by mass or more, 0.01 ppm by mass or more, 0.03 ppm by mass or more, 0.05 ppm by mass or more, 0.08 ppm by mass or more, 0.1 ppm by mass or more, 0.15 ppm by mass or more, 0.2 ppm by mass or more, or 0.25 ppm by mass or more, with 0.3 ppm by mass or more being preferred. The upper limit of the content is not limited, but can be set to 500 ppm by mass or less. Within this range, the influence of unpleasant odors such as isoflavones can be suppressed while preventing the odor of 2-heptanone from becoming excessive. Furthermore, the upper limit of this content can be set to 100 ppm by mass or less, 50 ppm by mass or less, 30 ppm by mass or less, 10 ppm by mass or less, 8 ppm by mass or less, 5 ppm by mass or less, 3 ppm by mass or less, or 2 ppm by mass or less. The above upper and lower limit values ​​can be combined. Thus, for example, the range can be 0.003 to 500 ppm by mass, 0.005 to 100 ppm by mass, 0.01 to 50 ppm by mass, 0.05 to 30 ppm by mass, 0.08 to 10 ppm by mass, 0.1 to 8 ppm by mass, 0.2 to 5 ppm by mass, or 0.3 to 3 ppm by mass. As mentioned above, the 2-heptanone concentration can be measured by the Stir Bar Sorptive Extraction (SBSE) method using a gas chromatography mass spectrometer (GC / MS).

[0107] The origin of 2-heptanone contained in the isoflavone-containing food is not limited. That is, it may be naturally occurring 2-heptanone, a processed form of naturally occurring 2-heptanone, or a synthetic 2-heptanone. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

[0108] Examples of naturally occurring 2-heptanones include 2-heptanones contained in fermented products (fermented soybeans, fermented seed coats, fermented seed germs, and fermented fatty acids (e.g., fermented coconut oil and fermented milk fat)). These may be used alone or in combination of two or more. When using these naturally occurring 2-heptanones, extracted 2-heptanone, concentrated 2-heptanone, purified 2-heptanone, etc. may be used, or fermented products containing 2-heptanone may be used as they are. When using fermented products containing 2-heptanone, etc., they may be used in an unprocessed state or may be processed. Examples of processing include crushing, shredding, drying, heating, and ripening. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

[0109] Furthermore, although the isoflavone content of an isoflavone-containing food is not limited, when the isoflavone content is 1 mg or more per 100 g of the isoflavone-containing food, i.e., when the isoflavone content of the isoflavone-containing food is 1 mg / 100 g or more, the effect of an unpleasant odor tends to become apparent. For this reason, it is preferable to apply the unpleasant odor suppression method containing 2-heptanone to an isoflavone-containing food having an isoflavone content of 1 mg / 100 g or more. The upper and lower limits of the isoflavone content of an isoflavone-containing food are not limited, but the lower limit can be, for example, 5 mg / 100 g or more, 10 mg / 100 g or more, 15 mg / 100 g or more, 20 mg / 100 g or more, 25 mg / 100 g or more, 30 mg / 100 g or more, 35 mg / 100 g or more, 40 mg / 100 g or more, 45 mg / 100 g or more, or 50 mg / 100 g or more. On the other hand, the upper limit can be set to 500 mg / 100 g or less, 450 mg / 100 g or less, 400 mg / 100 g or less, 350 mg / 100 g or less, 300 mg / 100 g or less, 250 mg / 100 g or less, 200 mg / 100 g or less, 150 mg / 100 g or less, 100 mg / 100 g or less, 95 mg / 100 g or less, 90 mg / 100 g or less, 85 mg / 100 g or less, or 80 mg / 100 g or less. The above upper and lower limit values ​​can be combined with each other. Therefore, for example, the isoflavone content can be 1 to 500 mg / 100 g, 5 to 400 mg / 100 g, 10 to 300 mg / 100 g, 15 to 250 mg / 100 g, 20 to 200 mg / 100 g, 25 to 150 mg / 100 g, 30 to 100 mg / 100 g, 35 to 95 mg / 100 g, 40 to 90 mg / 100 g, 45 to 85 mg / 100 g, or 50 to 80 mg / 100 g. The isoflavone content in the isoflavone-containing food of the present disclosure can be measured according to the test method described in the appendix to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare's Food Safety Notification No. 0823001, "Guidelines for the Handling of Foods for Specified Health Uses Containing Soy Isoflavones," dated August 23, 2006.

[0110] Furthermore, in the method for suppressing unpleasant odors in isoflavone-containing foods according to the present disclosure, in addition to the requirements (a) and (b) above, the following are also satisfied: (c) the quantitative ratio of 2-ethylfuran to 2-heptanone, (d) the quantitative ratio of trimethyloxazole to 2-heptanone, (e) the quantitative ratio of methylpyrazine to 2-heptanone, (f) the quantitative ratio of acetone to 2-heptanone, (g) the quantitative ratio of 2-ethylfuran to 2-methoxyphenol, (h) the quantitative ratio of methyl isobutyrate, and (i) the quantitative ratio of methyl isobutyrate. The method may include a step of operating so as to satisfy at least one of the requirements set forth in each of (i) the quantitative ratio of methyl isobutyrate to 2-methoxyphenol, (i) the quantitative ratio of methyl isobutyrate to dodecane, (j) the quantitative ratio of methyl isobutyrate to 2-heptanone, (k) the quantitative ratio of methyl isobutyrate to maltol, (l) the quantitative ratio of 2-ethylfuran to maltol, (m) the quantitative ratio of the sum of isobutyric acid and isovaleric acid to 2-heptanone, (n) particle size distribution in the fermented bean food, and (o) the inclusion of other components.

[0111] The present disclosure will be described in more detail below with reference to examples. However, these examples are merely examples shown for the convenience of explanation, and the present disclosure is not limited to these examples in any sense.

[0112] [1] Production of fermented bean food The fermented bean food used in the experimental examples was obtained according to the procedure described below.

[0113] (1) Fermented material preparation step Dried soybeans were soaked in water for 16 hours, then drained and fermented at 1.6 kg / cm ２ The steamed soybeans were steamed under pressure for 30 minutes to obtain a steamed soybean (a material to be fermented). A mixed powder of soybean husks and germs (particle diameter d90 = 800 μm, glycoside isoflavone content of 90% by mass or more) was mixed with the steamed soybeans in an amount equivalent to 0.5% by mass, assuming the steamed soybeans to be 100% by mass, to obtain a material to be fermented.

[0114] (2) Inoculation step Inoculation was performed by adding a natto bacteria solution so that 5,000 natto bacteria "P7" were contained per 1 g of the fermented material. Then, 45 g of the inoculated fermented material was placed in a PSP natto container and the container was covered.

[0115] (3) Fermentation Step The container containing the fermented material was placed in a programmable incubator set at a gas phase temperature of 40°C, and fermentation was carried out for 18 hours.

[0116] (4) Cooling step: After that, the product was cooled to a temperature of 20°C.

[0117] (5) Aging step: The bean fermented food was then placed in a refrigerator at 4°C and left to ripen for 8 hours at a product temperature of about 5°C, to obtain a fermented bean food.

[0118] [2] Evaluation The fermented bean food obtained in [1] above was stored at 5°C for 3 consecutive days and then evaluated as follows: (1) Measurement of isoflavone content The isoflavone content of the fermented bean food obtained in [1] above was measured according to the test method described in the appendix to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's Food Safety Notification No. 0823001 dated August 23, 2006, "Guidelines for the handling of foods for specified health uses, etc., containing soy isoflavones."

[0119] (2) Measurement of the Contents of Various Aroma Components As described above, the concentrations of 2-heptanone and 2-ethylfuran contained in the fermented bean foods were measured by the SBSE method using a gas chromatography mass spectrometer (GC / MS). Similarly, the peak areas of each of the aroma components (c) to (l) were measured by the SBSE method using a gas chromatography mass spectrometer (GC / MS), and the peak area ratios were calculated. Specifically, this is as follows:

[0120] (2-1-1) Preparation of Measurement Sample 1.2 g of the fermented bean food was collected and placed in a 10 mL headspace vial (flat bottom). Next, a 10 mm long stir bar (manufactured by GERSTEL, product name "Twister") with a polydimethylsiloxane film thickness of 0.5 mm was placed in the vial, and the stir bar was magnetically levitated within the vial so that it did not come into contact with the measurement sample. The sample was left to stand at 5°C for 24 hours in this state, allowing the aroma components in the sample to be adsorbed onto the polydimethylsiloxane film, thereby obtaining a measurement sample.

[0121] (2-1-2) Gas Chromatography Mass Analysis Each measurement sample prepared in (2-1) above was subjected to gas chromatography mass analysis (GC / MS) under the following measurement conditions (gas chromatograph conditions and mass analysis conditions), and the contents of 2-heptanone and 2-ethylfuran and the peak area ratios of each aroma component were calculated.

[0122] <Gas chromatograph conditions> Apparatus: Agilent 7890B (GC), 5977B (MS), Gester MultiPurpose Sampler (auto-sampler) TDU: [30°C] - [720°C / min] - [240°C (3 min)] CIS: [10°C] - [12°C / sec] - [240°C] Liner packing material: TENAX Column: Agilent DB-WAX (length: 30 m, inner diameter: 250 μm, film thickness: 0.25 μm, for LTM) Column temperature: [40°C (3 min)] - [5°C / min] - [240°C (7 min)] Carrier gas: He Transfer line: 250°C Ion source temperature: 230°C

[0123] <Mass spectrometry conditions> ・Measurement equipment: Agilent 7000C GC / MS Triple Quad (manufactured by Agilent Technologies) ・Ionization method: EI (ionization voltage 70 eV) ・Scan mass: 29.0 to 350.0

[0124] The 2-heptanone and 2-ethylfuran contents in fermented bean foods were quantified by analyzing the mass spectrum patterns of a mass spectrometer and comparing the integrated peak areas of the confirmed ions in the diluted standard and the sample at retention times considered to be those of the target components compared to those of the standard. A 2-heptanone standard (manufactured by Tokyo Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.) with a known content was diluted with 99.5% ethanol and distilled water to the appropriate concentration (diluted standard) and the sample were placed in a 10 mL headspace vial (flat bottom) for analysis (2-1-1). The peak area integration of m / z = 114 was measured at retention times where m / z = 43, 58, 71, and 114 were significantly detected around 10 to 13 minutes, and the concentration of 2-heptanone in the sample was calculated from the comparison of the resulting peak areas. A 2-ethylfuran standard (manufactured by Tokyo Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.) with a known content was diluted with 99.5% ethanol and distilled water to an appropriate concentration (diluted standard) and the sample was placed in a 10 mL headspace vial (flat bottom) for analysis as described in (2-1-1) Sample Preparation. The peak area integration results for m / z = 96 were measured at retention times around 4 to 7 minutes, where m / z = 39, 53, 67, 81, and 96 were significantly detected. The concentration of 2-ethylfuran contained in the sample was calculated by comparing the obtained peak areas. The peak area ratios of each aroma component in the sample were also calculated by TIC analysis.

[0125] In addition, the contents of isobutyric acid and isovaleric acid were measured by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis, and the ratio of (m) was calculated. Specifically, it is as follows.

[0126] (2-2-1) Measurement Sample Preparation The sample was pretreated as follows. 4 ml of deionized water was added to 1 g of paste-like sample, and the mixture was homogeneously ground in a mortar to form a suspension. The suspension was centrifuged at 12,000 rpm and 20°C for 10 minutes, and an equal volume (0.7 ml) of 1.1% (w / v) aqueous phosphoric acid solution was added to 0.7 ml of the resulting supernatant, which was then stirred in a vortex mixer. The mixture was centrifuged again at 12,000 rpm and 20°C for 5 minutes, and the resulting supernatant was filtered through a 0.45 μm filter to prepare the measurement sample.

[0127] (2-2-2) High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) Analysis The measurement sample was injected into high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and measured. The HPLC measurement conditions were as follows. The measurement equipment used was a Shimadzu Corporation detector model CDD-10A VP. The measurement time was 50 minutes, and the concentrations of isovaleric acid and isobutyric acid were calculated by comparing the peak area with that of a standard solution of isovaleric acid and isobutyric acid (both manufactured by Fujifilm Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd.) (approximately 10 mg / 100 ml).

[0128] Measurement conditions: Column: Shodex KC-810P (6 mmφ x 50 mm) + KC-811 (8 mmφ x 300 mm) x 2 (Showa Denko K.K.) Detector: Electrical conductivity detector (Polarity: +, Response: STD, Gain: 1 μS / cm, Temperature: 53°C) Column temperature: 50°C Mobile phase: 4 mM aqueous p-toluenesulfonic acid Reaction phase: 16 mM Bis-Tris aqueous solution containing 4 mM p-toluenesulfonic acid and 80 μM EDTA Pump flow rate (Mobile phase: 0.9 ml / min, Reaction phase: 0.9 ml / min) Reaction tube: Mixer (Shimadzu: Piping part J) Injection volume: 50 μl

[0129] [3] Adjustment of each experimental example (fermented bean food) (1) Experimental example in which the isoflavone content (mg / 100 g) and the 2-heptanone content (ppm by mass) were adjusted Based on the measurement results of [1] above, a 2-heptanone solution prepared by dissolving a 2-heptanone standard (manufactured by Tokyo Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.) in 99.5% ethanol, or a hydrated mixture prepared by mixing the mixed powder of soybean husks and germs with water in a ratio of 4:6, as used in [1] (1), was added to the fermented bean food to prepare the fermented bean foods of Experimental Examples 1-1 to 1-8 so that the isoflavone and 2-heptanone contents were the amounts shown in Table 1. In addition, similar results were obtained when a solution of 2-heptanone standard (manufactured by Tokyo Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.) dissolved in 99.5% ethanol or a 4:6 mixture of soybean husk and germ powder and water used in [1](1) was appropriately added to a fermented bean food obtained in the same manner as in [1](1) to (5) above, except that the soybean husk and germ mixed powder was not added in [1](1), in the amounts shown in Table 1, or a hydrated mixture (with a glycoside isoflavone content of 90% by mass or more) of soybean husk and germ mixed powder used in [1](1) was appropriately added to a fermented bean food obtained in the same manner as in [1](1) to (5) above, except that the soybean husk and germ mixed powder was not added in [1](1), in the amounts shown in Table 1. Furthermore, when the hydrated mixture of soybean husk and germ mixed powder and water in a 4:6 ratio was measured using the same method as in [2](1) above, it was confirmed to contain isoflavones. Furthermore, when measured using the same method as in [2](2-1-2) gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, dodecane, maltol, and methylpyrazine were detected.

[0130] The sensory evaluation was carried out according to the following procedure. The sensory inspectors who would carry out each sensory test were selected after undergoing prior training in discrimination of food taste, texture, appearance, etc., and who had particularly excellent performance, experience in product development, extensive knowledge of food quality such as taste, texture, and appearance, and who were capable of making absolute evaluations for each sensory test item. Specifically, after undergoing the discrimination training described in A) to C) below, four inspectors were selected who had particularly excellent performance, extensive knowledge of food quality such as taste and texture, and who were capable of making absolute evaluations for each sensory test item.

[0131] A) A taste quality discrimination test in which one aqueous solution of each of the five tastes (sweetness: the taste of sugar, sourness: the taste of tartaric acid, umami: the taste of monosodium glutamate, saltiness: the taste of sodium chloride, bitterness: the taste of caffeine) was prepared at a concentration close to the threshold value of each component, and two distilled waters were added to these to create a total of seven samples, in which each taste sample was accurately distinguished. B) A concentration difference discrimination test in which the difference in concentration between five types of saline solutions and an acetic acid solution with slightly different concentrations was accurately distinguished. C) A three-point discrimination test in which the soy sauce from manufacturer B was accurately distinguished from a total of three samples, two from manufacturer A and one from manufacturer B.

[0132] Next, four selected inspectors conducted a sensory evaluation based on the evaluation criteria in (2) below. The evaluation was conducted by each inspector selecting the number that most closely matched their own evaluation from a five-point scale. The evaluation results were compiled by calculating the arithmetic mean of the scores of the four inspectors, and rounding off any decimal points. The results are shown in Table 1.

[0133] (2) Unpleasant Odor 1: Unpleasant odor is detected, not preferred. 2: Slightly unpleasant odor is detected, slightly undesirable. 3: Very little unpleasant odor is detected, slightly preferred. 4: Almost no unpleasant odor is detected, preferred. 5: Very little unpleasant odor is detected, very preferred.

[0134]

[0135] (3) Experimental Examples in Which the 2-heptanone / 2-ethylfuran Area Ratio Was Adjusted Based on Experimental Example 1-4 prepared in (1) above, a 2-ethylfuran solution prepared by dissolving a 2-ethylfuran standard (manufactured by Tokyo Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.) in 99.5% ethanol, or the above-mentioned hydrated mixture, was added to the fermented bean foods, and the fermented bean foods of Experimental Examples 2-1 to 2-14 were prepared so that the area ratio between 2-heptanone and 2-ethylfuran (2-heptanone / 2-ethylfuran area ratio) would be the value shown in Table 2. The above area ratio was measured by collecting 1.2 g from each fermented bean food product of each experimental example and placing it in a 10 mL headspace vial (flat bottom). A stir bar (manufactured by GERSTEL, product name "Twister", 10 mm long with a polydimethylsiloxane film thickness of 0.5 mm) was placed in the vial and magnetically levitated within the vial so that the stir bar did not come into contact with the measurement sample. The stir bar was then left to stand at 5°C for 24 hours and used as the measurement specimen. The measurement was performed in the same manner as in (2-1-2) gas chromatography-mass spectrometry described above.

[0136] (4) Sensory Evaluation: Sensory evaluation was carried out by four examiners selected according to the same criteria as above, based on the evaluation criteria in (4) below. The evaluation was carried out by each examiner selecting the number that was closest to their own evaluation from a five-point scale. The evaluation results were tabulated by calculating the arithmetic mean of the scores of the four examiners, and rounding off any decimal points. The results are shown in Table 2.

[0137] (4) Gorgeous fragrance 1: The gorgeous fragrance is very weak and not preferable. 2: The gorgeous fragrance is weak and somewhat unfavorable. 3: The gorgeous fragrance is somewhat strong and somewhat preferable. 4: The gorgeous fragrance is strong and preferable. 5: The gorgeous fragrance is very strong and very preferable.

[0138]

[0139] (5) Experimental Examples in Which the 2-heptanone / trioxazole Area Ratio Was Adjusted Based on Experimental Example 1-4 prepared in (1) above, the 2-heptanone solution, the 2-ethylfuran solution, or the hydrated mixture was added to a fermented bean food to prepare the fermented bean foods of Experimental Examples 3-1 to 3-9 so that the area ratio of 2-heptanone to trioxazole (2-heptanone / trioxazole area ratio) was the value shown in Table 3. The area ratio was measured in the same manner as in (3) above.

[0140] (6) Sensory Evaluation Sensory evaluation was carried out by four examiners selected according to the same criteria as above, based on the evaluation criteria in (6) below. The evaluation was carried out by each examiner selecting the number that was closest to their own evaluation from a five-point scale. The evaluation results were tabulated by calculating the arithmetic mean of the scores of the four examiners, and rounding off any decimal points. The results are shown in Table 3.

[0141] (6) Sweet scent 1: The sweet scent is very weak and undesirable. 2: The sweet scent is weak and somewhat undesirable. 3: The sweet scent is somewhat strong and somewhat preferable. 4: The sweet scent is strong and preferable. 5: The sweet scent is very strong and very preferable.

[0142]

[0143] (7) Experimental Examples in Which the 2-heptanone / methylpyrazine Area Ratio Was Adjusted Based on Experimental Example 1-4 prepared in (1) above, the 2-heptanone solution, the 2-ethylfuran solution, or the hydrated mixture was added to a fermented bean food to prepare the fermented bean foods of Experimental Examples 4-1 to 4-9 so that the area ratio of 2-heptanone to methylpyrazine (2-heptanone / methylpyrazine area ratio) would be the value shown in Table 4. The area ratio was measured in the same manner as in (3) above.

[0144] (8) Sensory Evaluation: Sensory evaluation was carried out by four examiners selected according to the same criteria as above, based on the evaluation criteria in (6) above. The evaluation was carried out by each examiner selecting the number that was closest to their own evaluation from a five-point scale. The evaluation results were tabulated by calculating the arithmetic mean of the scores of the four examiners, and rounding off any decimal points. The results are shown in Table 4.

[0145]

[0146] (9) Experimental Examples in Which the 2-heptanone / acetone Area Ratio Was Adjusted Based on Experimental Example 1-4 prepared in (1) above, the 2-heptanone solution, the 2-ethylfuran solution, or the hydrated mixture was added to a fermented bean food to prepare the fermented bean foods of Experimental Examples 5-1 to 5-7 so that the area ratio of 2-heptanone to acetone (2-heptanone / acetone area ratio) was the value shown in Table 5. The area ratio was measured in the same manner as in (3) above.

[0147] (10) Sensory Evaluation: Sensory evaluation was carried out by four examiners selected according to the same criteria as above, based on the evaluation criteria in (6) above. The evaluation was carried out by each examiner selecting the number that was closest to their own evaluation from a five-point scale. The evaluation results were tabulated by calculating the arithmetic mean of the scores of the four examiners, and rounding off any decimal points. The results are shown in Table 5.

[0148]

[0149] (11) Experimental Examples in Which the 2-Methoxyphenol / 2-Ethylfuran Area Ratio Was Adjusted Based on Experimental Example 1-4 prepared in (1) above, the 2-heptanone solution, the 2-ethylfuran solution, or the hydrated mixture was added to a fermented bean food to prepare the fermented bean foods of Experimental Examples 6-1 to 6-7 so that the area ratio of 2-methoxyphenol to 2-ethylfuran (2-methoxyphenol / 2-ethylfuran area ratio) would be the value shown in Table 6. The area ratio was measured in the same manner as in (3) above.

[0150] (12) Sensory Evaluation: Sensory evaluation was carried out by four examiners selected according to the same criteria as above, based on the evaluation criteria in (12) below. The evaluation was carried out by each examiner selecting the number that was closest to their own evaluation from a five-point scale. The evaluation results were tabulated by calculating the arithmetic mean of the scores of the four examiners, and rounding off any decimal points. The results are shown in Table 6.

[0151] (12) Deep fragrance 1: The deep fragrance is very weak and not preferable. 2: The deep fragrance is weak and somewhat unfavorable. 3: The deep fragrance is somewhat strong and somewhat preferable. 4: The deep fragrance is strong and preferable. 5: The deep fragrance is very strong and very preferable.

[0152]

[0153] (13) Experimental Examples in Which the 2-Methoxyphenol / Methyl Isobutyrate Area Ratio Was Adjusted Based on Experimental Example 1-4 prepared in (1) above, the 2-heptanone solution, the 2-ethylfuran solution, or the hydrated mixture was added to a fermented bean food to prepare the fermented bean foods of Experimental Examples 7-1 to 7-3 so that the area ratio of 2-methoxyphenol to methyl isobutyrate (2-methoxyphenol / methyl isobutyrate area ratio) would be the value shown in Table 7. The area ratio was measured in the same manner as in (3) above.

[0154] (14) Sensory Evaluation: Sensory evaluation was carried out by four examiners selected according to the same criteria as above, based on the evaluation criteria in (12) above. The evaluation was carried out by each examiner selecting the number that was closest to their own evaluation from a five-point scale. The evaluation results were tabulated by calculating the arithmetic mean of the scores of the four examiners, and rounding off any decimal points. The results are shown in Table 7.

[0155]

[0156] (15) Experimental Examples in Which the Dodecane / Methyl Isobutyrate Area Ratio Was Adjusted Based on Experimental Example 1-4 prepared in (1) above, the 2-heptanone solution, the 2-ethylfuran solution, or the hydrated mixture was added to a fermented bean food to prepare the fermented bean foods of Experimental Examples 8-1 to 8-4 so that the area ratio of dodecane to methyl isobutyrate (dodecane / methyl isobutyrate area ratio) would be the value shown in Table 8. The area ratio was measured in the same manner as in (3) above.

[0157] (16) Sensory Evaluation Four examiners selected according to the same criteria as above conducted a sensory evaluation based on the evaluation criteria in (16) below. The evaluation was conducted by each examiner selecting the number that was closest to their own evaluation from a five-point scale. The evaluation results were tabulated by calculating the arithmetic mean of the scores of the four examiners, and rounding off any decimal points. The results are shown in Table 8.

[0158] (16) Pungent odor 1: Pungent odor is noticeable, not preferable. 2: Pungent odor is slightly noticeable, somewhat unfavorable. 3: Pungent odor is not noticeable at all, somewhat preferable. 4: Pungent odor is hardly noticeable, preferable. 5: Pungent odor is not noticeable, very preferable.

[0159]

[0160] (17) Experimental Examples in Which the 2-heptanone / Methyl Isobutyrate Area Ratio Was Adjusted Based on Experimental Example 1-4 prepared in (1) above, the 2-heptanone solution, the 2-ethylfuran solution, or the hydrated mixture was added to a fermented bean food to prepare the fermented bean foods of Experimental Examples 9-1 to 9-7 so that the area ratio of 2-heptanone to methyl isobutyrate (2-heptanone / methyl isobutyrate area ratio) would be the value shown in Table 9. The area ratio was measured in the same manner as in (3) above.

[0161] (18) Sensory Evaluation: Sensory evaluation was carried out by four examiners selected according to the same criteria as above, based on the evaluation criteria in (16) above. The evaluation was carried out by each examiner selecting the number that was closest to their own evaluation from a five-point scale. The evaluation results were tabulated by calculating the arithmetic mean of the scores of the four examiners, and rounding off any decimal points. The results are shown in Table 9.

[0162]

[0163] (19) Experimental Examples in Which the Maltol / Methyl Isobutyrate Area Ratio Was Adjusted Based on Experimental Example 1-4 prepared in (1) above, the 2-heptanone solution, the 2-ethylfuran solution, or the hydrated mixture was added to a fermented bean food to prepare the fermented bean foods of Experimental Examples 10-1 to 10-9 so that the area ratio of maltol to methyl isobutyrate (maltol / methyl isobutyrate area ratio) would be the value shown in Table 10. The area ratio was measured in the same manner as in (3) above.

[0164] (20) Sensory Evaluation: Sensory evaluation was carried out by four examiners selected according to the same criteria as above, based on the evaluation criteria in (20) below. The evaluation was carried out by each examiner selecting the number that was closest to their own evaluation from a five-point scale. The evaluation results were tabulated by calculating the arithmetic mean of the scores of the four examiners, and rounding off any decimal points. The results are shown in Table 10.

[0165] (20) Mellow Fragrance 1: The mellow fragrance is very weak and undesirable. 2: The mellow fragrance is weak and somewhat undesirable. 3: The mellow fragrance is somewhat strong and somewhat preferable. 4: The mellow fragrance is strong and preferable. 5: The mellow fragrance is very strong and very preferable.

[0166]

[0167] (21) Experimental Examples in Which the Maltol / 2-Ethylfuran Area Ratio Was Adjusted Based on Experimental Example 1-4 prepared in (1) above, the 2-heptanone solution, the 2-ethylfuran solution, or the hydrated mixture was added to a fermented bean food to prepare the fermented bean foods of Experimental Examples 11-1 to 11-10 so that the area ratio of maltol to 2-ethylfuran (maltol / 2-ethylfuran area ratio) would be the value shown in Table 11. The area ratio was measured in the same manner as in (3) above.

[0168] (22) Sensory Evaluation: Sensory evaluation was performed by four examiners selected according to the same criteria as above, based on the evaluation criteria in (20) above. The evaluation was performed by each examiner selecting the number that was closest to their own evaluation from a five-point scale. The evaluation results were tabulated by calculating the arithmetic mean of the scores of the four examiners, and rounding off any decimal points. The results are shown in Table 11.

[0169]

[0170] (23) Experimental Examples in Which the 2-heptanone / Isobutyric Acid and Isovaleric Acid Content Ratio Was Adjusted Based on Experimental Example 1-4 prepared in (1) above, the 2-heptanone solution was added to a fermented bean food, and the fermented bean foods of Experimental Examples 12-1 to 12-6 were prepared so that the ratio of the 2-heptanone content (ppm by mass) to the isobutyric acid and isovaleric acid content (ppm by mass) (2-heptanone / isobutyric acid and isovaleric acid content ratio) was the value shown in Table 12. The method for measuring the 2-heptanone content was the same as in [2] (2-1-2), and the method for measuring the isobutyric acid and isovaleric acid content was the same as in [2] (2-2-2).

[0171] (24) Sensory Evaluation Four examiners selected according to the same criteria as above conducted a sensory evaluation based on the evaluation criteria in (24) below. The evaluation was conducted by each examiner selecting the number that was closest to their own evaluation from a five-point scale. The evaluation results were tabulated by calculating the arithmetic mean of the scores of the four examiners, and rounding off any decimal points. The results are shown in Table 12.

[0172] (24) Freshness 1: Very weak freshness, not preferred. 2: Weak freshness, somewhat unpreferable. 3: Somewhat strong freshness, somewhat preferred. 4: Strong freshness, preferred. 5: Very strong freshness, very preferred.

[0173]

[0174] (25) Experimental examples in which the area under the curve ratio of a predetermined particle size was adjusted In the above [1] (1), 0.01% in Example 13-1, 0.1% in Example 13-2, 0.5% in Example 13-3, 1% in Example 13-4, and 2.5% in Example 13-5 were added to steamed soybeans. In the same manner as in [1] (1) to (5) above, except for changing the amount of soybean husk and germ mixed powder, the ratio (volume basis) of the area under the curve in the particle size range of 3.0 μm to 2000 μm to the area under the curve in the particle size range of 0.021 μm to less than 3.0 μm in a 50% aqueous extract of the fermented bean food (area under the curve 3.0-2000 μm / area under the particle size curve 0.021-3.0 μm) was prepared as shown in Table 13. The percentage of the area under the curve can be measured by the following method: After agitating the extract of the isoflavone-containing food, i.e., after ultrasonic treatment, the particle size of the particles in the dispersion is measured using a laser diffraction particle size distribution analyzer under the following conditions. First, 40 g of water, twice the amount of 20 g of the isoflavone-containing food, is added to a 100 ml beaker and stirred with a stirrer for 10 minutes. The mixture is then filtered through a 14-mesh sieve with a mesh size of 1.40 mm and a wire diameter (Wire Dia.) of 0.710 mm (a sieve corresponding to "No. 14" specified in "Alternative" in the "Nominal Dimensions, Permissible Variation for Wire Cloth of Standard Testing Sieves (U.S.A.) Standard Series in U.S.A. Standard Testing Sieves ASTM Specifications E 11-04) to recover the extract. Distilled water is used as the solvent during measurement.

[0175] The laser diffraction particle size distribution analyzer is a device with a measurement range of at least 0.02 μm to 2000 μm using the laser diffraction scattering method. For example, a Microtrac MT3300 EX2 system from Microtrac Bell Corporation can be used, and DMSII (Data Management System version 2, Microtrac Bell Corporation) can be used as the measurement application software. When using the above-mentioned measuring device and software, during measurement, the cleaning button on the software is pressed to perform cleaning, and then the Set Zero button on the software is pressed to perform zero adjustment. The sample is then directly loaded by sample loading until the sample concentration falls within the appropriate range. Then, to stabilize the distribution, the ultrasonic treatment button on the software is pressed to perform ultrasonic treatment (30 W, 180 seconds x 4 times). Thereafter, the sample was degassed twice, and then the sample was loaded again. After confirming that the concentration was still within the appropriate range, the measurement was immediately performed using laser diffraction at a flow rate of 50% for a measurement time of 10 seconds. The measurement parameters were, for example, distribution display: volume, particle refractive index: 1.60, solvent refractive index: 1.333, upper measurement limit (μm) = 2000.00 μm, and lower measurement limit (μm) = 0.021 μm.

[0176] (26) Sensory Evaluation For each of the fermented bean foods of Experimental Examples 13-1 to 13-5, four examiners selected using the same criteria as above conducted a sensory evaluation based on the evaluation criteria in (26) below. The evaluation was conducted by each examiner selecting the number that was closest to their own evaluation from a five-point scale. The evaluation results were compiled by calculating the arithmetic mean of the scores of the four examiners, rounding off any decimal places, and the results are shown in Table 13. 5: Very smooth stringiness, very preferable 4: Smooth stringiness, preferable 3: Slightly smooth stringiness, somewhat preferable 2: Slightly unsmooth stringiness, somewhat unpreferable 1: Unsmooth stringiness, unpreferable

[0177]

[0178] (27) Unpleasant odor when other additives were added The fermented bean foods of Experimental Examples 14-1 to 14-16 were prepared by adding the other additives shown in Table 14 to the fermented bean food of Experimental Example 1-4 (45 g) prepared in (1) above. [Experimental Example 14-1] Other additives: apple cider vinegar (acetic acid) (manufactured by Mizkan Co., Ltd.), amount added: 4 mg [Experimental Example 14-2] Other additives: apple cider vinegar (acetic acid) (manufactured by Mizkan Co., Ltd.), amount added: 800 mg [Experimental Example 14-3] Other additives: calcium chloride (manufactured by Fuji Film Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd.), amount added: 3 mg [Experimental Example 14-4] Other additives: calcium chloride (manufactured by Fuji Film Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd.), amount added: 2500 mg [Experimental Example 14-5] Other additives: Fuji FF HS (inulin) (manufactured by Fuji Nippon Seito Co., Ltd.), amount added: 0.1 g [Experimental Example 14-6] Other additives: Fuji FF HS (inulin) (manufactured by Fuji Nippon Seito Co., Ltd.), amount added: 10 g [Experimental Example 14-7] Other additives: Isomalt 500 (isomaltooligosaccharide) (Showa Sangyo Co., Ltd.), added amount: 0.1 g [Experimental Example 14-8] Other additives: Isomalt 500 (isomaltooligosaccharide) (Showa Sangyo Co., Ltd.), added amount: 15 g [Experimental Example 14-9] Other additives: Ferric pyrophosphate (Tomita Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.), added amount: 0.1 mg [Experimental Example 14-10] Other additives: Ferric pyrophosphate (Tomita Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.), added amount: 50 mg [Experimental Example 14-11] Other additives: Nattokinase (Fujifilm Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd.), added amount: 10 FU [Experimental Example 14-12] Other additives: Nattokinase (Fujifilm Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd.), added amount: 3000 FU [Experimental Example 14-13] Other additives: Menaquinone-7 standard (vitamin K2) (Fujifilm Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd.), added amount: 0.5 μg [Experimental Example 14-14] Other additives: Menaquinone-7 standard (vitamin K2) (Fujifilm Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd.), amount added: 1000 μg [Experimental Example 14-15] Other additives: L-ascorbic acid (vitamin C) (Kanto Chemical Co., Ltd.), amount added: 0.5 mg [Experimental Example 14-16] Other additives: L-ascorbic acid (vitamin C) (Kanto Chemical Co., Ltd.), amount added: 2000 mg The amount added of each component listed in Table 14 is the amount added as a component. In other words, "amount added as a component = amount added as a raw material × purity of component contained in the raw material."In addition, "component" means acetic acid for vinegar, iron for iron compounds, calcium for calcium compounds, inulin for inulin, isomaltooligosaccharide for isomaltooligosaccharide, nattokinase for nattokinase, vitamin K2 for vitamin K2, and vitamin C for vitamin C.

[0179] (28) Sensory Evaluation Sensory evaluation was performed by four panelists selected using the same criteria as above, based on the evaluation criteria in (2). Each panelist selected the number that best matched their own evaluation from a five-point scale. The evaluation results were compiled by calculating the arithmetic mean of the four panelists' scores, with any decimals rounded off. The results are shown in Table 14. Similar results were obtained when the additives shown in (27) were added to a fermented bean food prepared in the same manner as in [1](1) to (5) above, except that the soybean husk and germ mixed powder in [1](1) was not added, and the fermented bean food was prepared in the same manner as in [1](1) to (5) above. The amounts shown in Example 1-4 in Table 1 were obtained by dissolving a 2-heptanone sample (manufactured by Tokyo Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.) in 99.5% ethanol, or the hydrated mixture used in [1](1).

[0180]

[0181] (29) Fermented bean foods with different blends of soybean husk and germ mixed powder The fermented bean foods of Experimental Examples 15-1 to 15-3 were prepared in the same manner as in [1] (1) to (5) above, except that the soybean husk and germ mixed powder was mixed in the amounts shown in Table 15. Then, for these three types of fermented bean foods, the items shown in Table 15 were measured and evaluated using the operations and evaluation methods described above, and the results are shown in Table 15.

[0182]

[0183] (30) Additive odor when other additives (functional ingredients) were added The additives shown in Table 16 were added to each of the fermented bean foods described below to prepare fermented bean foods such as Experimental Examples 16-1a to 16-25a. Each additive is as follows. [Experimental Example 16-1] to [Experimental Example 16-4] Other additives: ferric pyrophosphate (manufactured by Tomita Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.) [Experimental Example 16-5] to [Experimental Example 16-6] Other additives: heme iron (manufactured by ILS Co., Ltd.) [Experimental Example 16-7] to [Experimental Example 16-10] Other additives: zinc gluconate (manufactured by Fuso Chemical Co., Ltd.) [Experimental Example 16-11] Other additives: zinc-containing yeast (manufactured by Medience Corporation) [Experimental Example 16-12] to [Experimental Example 16-13] Other additives: GABA (manufactured by Oryza Oil & Fat Chemical Co., Ltd.) [Experimental Example 16-14] to [Experimental Example 16-19] Other additives: Fuji FF HS (inulin) (manufactured by Fuji Nippon Seito Co., Ltd.) [Experimental Example 16-20] to [Experimental Example 16-21] Other additives: isomalt 500 (isomaltooligosaccharide) (manufactured by Showa Sangyo Co., Ltd.) [Experimental Examples 16-22] to [Experimental Examples 16-25] Other additives: Ellagic acid standard (ellagic acid) (manufactured by Fujifilm Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd.)

[0184] (31) Sensory Evaluation Sensory evaluation was performed by four inspectors selected in the same manner as in [3] (1) above, according to the following procedure. That is, each additive shown in Table 16 was added to the fermented bean food (45 g) of Experimental Example 1-3 or Experimental Example 1-4 in the amount shown in Table 16 to prepare Experimental Example group "a" (Experimental Examples 16-1a to 16-25a). Similarly, each additive shown in Table 16 was added to the fermented bean food (45 g) of Experimental Example 1-8 in the amount shown in Table 16 to prepare Comparative Example group "b" (Experimental Examples 16-1b to 16-25b). Note that the amount of each additive listed in Table 16 is the amount added as a component. That is, "amount added as a component = amount added as a raw material × purity of the component contained in the raw material." Furthermore, "component" means iron for iron compounds, zinc for zinc compounds, γ-aminobutyric acid for GABA, inulin for inulin, isomaltooligosaccharide for isomaltooligosaccharide, and ellagic acid for ellagic acid.

[0185] Next, each example of the experimental group "a" was compared with each example of the comparative group "b," and the difference in the additive odor derived from each additive was evaluated based on the following evaluation criteria. That is, the masking performance of 2-heptane against the odor derived from the additive was evaluated. The evaluation was performed by each examiner selecting the number that most closely matched their own evaluation from a five-point scale. The evaluation results were compiled by calculating the arithmetic mean of the scores of the four examiners, rounding off any decimal points, and the results are shown in Table 16. 1: The experimental group "a" also had an unpleasant odor derived from the additive, similar to the comparative group "b," and was not preferable. 2: Although the unpleasant odor derived from the additive was reduced in the experimental group "a" compared to the comparative group "b," the unpleasant odor derived from the additive was still somewhat noticeable, and was somewhat undesirable. 3: The experimental group "a" was reduced more than the comparative group "b," and the unpleasant odor derived from the additive was not very noticeable, and was somewhat preferable. 4: Unlike the comparative group "b", the experimental group "a" has almost no unpleasant smell derived from the additives, which is preferable. 5: Unlike the comparative group "b", the experimental group "a" has almost no unpleasant smell derived from the additives, which is very preferable.

[0186]

[0187] The results for "unpleasant odor" were similar to those of Experimental Examples 1-3 and 1-4, which were the original fermented bean foods. Furthermore, similar results were obtained when the additives shown in (27) were added to a fermented bean food prepared in [2] (1) by the same method as in [1] (1) to (5) above, except that the mixed powder of soybean husks and germs in [1] (1) was not added, and the amount shown in Example 1-4 in Table 1 was either a solution of 2-heptanone standard (manufactured by Tokyo Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.) dissolved in 99.5% ethanol, or the hydrated mixture used in [1] (1).

[0188] The isoflavone-containing food and the method for suppressing unpleasant odors in isoflavone-containing food of the present disclosure are widely used in the food industry.

Claims

1. An isoflavone-containing food product that satisfies the following (a) and (b): (a) an isoflavone content of 1 mg / 100 g or more in terms of aglycone; and (b) a 2-heptanone content of 0.003 ppm by mass or more.

2. The isoflavone-containing food according to claim 1, which satisfies the following condition (c): (c) the peak area ratio of 2-heptanone to 2-ethylfuran (2-heptanone / 2-ethylfuran) measured by the Stir Bar Sorptive Extraction (SBSE) method is 0.05 or more.

3. The isoflavone-containing food according to claim 1 or 2, which satisfies the following (d): (d) the peak area ratio of 2-heptanone to trimethyloxazole (2-heptanone / trimethyloxazole) measured by the Stir Bar Sorptive Extraction (SBSE) method is 0.01 or more.

4. The isoflavone-containing food according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which satisfies the following (e): (e) the peak area ratio of 2-heptanone to methylpyrazine (2-heptanone / methylpyrazine) measured by the Stir Bar Sorptive Extraction (SBSE) method is 0.01 or more; 5. The isoflavone-containing food according to any one of claims 1 to 4, which satisfies the following (f): (f) the peak area ratio of 2-heptanone to acetone (2-heptanone / acetone) measured by the Stir Bar Sorptive Extraction (SBSE) method is 0.01 or more; 6. The isoflavone-containing food according to any one of claims 1 to 5, which satisfies the following (g): (g) the peak area ratio of 2-methoxyphenol to 2-ethylfuran (2-methoxyphenol / 2-ethylfuran) measured by the Stir Bar Sorptive Extraction (SBSE) method is 0.01 or more; 7. The isoflavone-containing food according to any one of claims 1 to 6, which satisfies the following (h): (h) the peak area ratio of 2-methoxyphenol to methyl isobutyrate (2-methoxyphenol / methyl isobutyrate) measured by the Stir Bar Sorptive Extraction (SBSE) method is 0.01 or more; 8. The isoflavone-containing food according to any one of claims 1 to 7, which satisfies the following (i): (i) the peak area ratio of dodecane to methyl isobutyrate (dodecane / methyl isobutyrate) measured by the Stir Bar Sorptive Extraction (SBSE) method is 0.01 or more; 9. The isoflavone-containing food according to any one of claims 1 to 8, which satisfies the following (j): (j) the peak area ratio of 2-heptanone to methyl isobutyrate (2-heptanone / methyl isobutyrate) measured by the Stir Bar Sorptive Extraction (SBSE) method is 0.01 or more; 10. The isoflavone-containing food according to any one of claims 1 to 9, which satisfies the following (k): (k) the peak area ratio of maltol to methyl isobutyrate (maltol / methyl isobutyrate) measured by the Stir Bar Sorptive Extraction (SBSE) method is 0.001 or more; 11. The isoflavone-containing food according to any one of claims 1 to 10, which satisfies the following (l): (l) the peak area ratio of maltol to 2-ethylfuran (maltol / 2-ethylfuran) measured by the Stir Bar Sorptive Extraction (SBSE) method is 0.001 or more; 12. The isoflavone-containing food according to any one of claims 1 to 11, which satisfies the following (m): (m) the ratio of the 2-heptanone content (ppm by mass) to the total content (ppm by mass) of isobutyric acid and isovaleric acid (2-heptanone / isobutyric acid and isovaleric acid) is 0.000006 or more 13. The isoflavone-containing food according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the isoflavone-containing food contains more glycoside isoflavones than aglycone isoflavones.

14. An isoflavone-containing food according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the glycoside-type isoflavone content in the isoflavone content is 60 mass% or more.

15. The isoflavone-containing food according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the isoflavone-containing food is a processed bean food.

16. The isoflavone-containing food according to claim 15, wherein the processed bean food is a fermented bean food.

17. A method for suppressing unpleasant odors in isoflavone-containing foods, characterized by satisfying the following requirements (a) and (b): (a) an isoflavone content of 1 mg / 100 g or more in terms of aglycone; and (b) a 2-heptanone content of 0.003 ppm by mass or more.

18. The method for suppressing unpleasant odors in an isoflavone-containing food according to claim 17, which satisfies the following (o): (o) the isoflavone-containing food contains one or more selected from the group consisting of acetic acid, calcium, iron, vitamins, nattokinase, and low-molecular-weight water-soluble dietary fiber.

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