Food composition and method for producing same, and processed cereal product and method for producing same

Abstract

The purpose of the present invention is to maintain the activity of an enzyme while reducing proliferation of microorganisms that cause food deterioration in a state where the enzyme is dissolved in water. The present invention provides a food composition that satisfies all of the following requirements (a)-(d). (a) The moisture content in terms of wet mass is 20 mass% or more. (b) The pH at 20°C and 1 atm is more than 4.0. (c) The titratable acidity of the food composition when measured by a measurement method A is 0.1 mass% or more. Measurement method A 10 g of the food composition is accurately collected and diluted 10-fold with ion-exchanged water, 0.08 ml of a 3.1% phenolphthalein solution serving as an indicator is added to the diluted solution (100 g), the resulting solution is neutralized by titration with a 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide liquid having a known titer, and the titratable acidity is determined by the following formula.　Titratable acidity (mass%) of food composition={(60.05×0.1×F×V)×100} / {collection quantity (10 g)×1000} 60.05: Molecular weight of acetic acid 0.1: Molar concentration (mol / L) of sodium hydroxide solution F: Titer of 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution V: Titration amount (mL) of 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide (d) The following requirements (i) and / or (ii) are satisfied. Requirement (i) The following formula is satisfied: 4Y+X≥10 (provided that X≥3 and Y>0.03 are satisfied), where X g represents the amount of sodium chloride equivalent per 100 g of water of the food composition, and Y g represents the content of non-dissociated acetic acid per 100 g of water of the food composition. Requirement (ii) The amount of sodium chloride equivalent per 100 g of water of the food composition is 3.0 g or more, and the ethanol content per 100 g of water of the food composition is 8.0 g or more.

Description

Food composition and its manufacturing method, and processed grain product and its manufacturing method

[0001] The present invention relates to a food composition and a method for producing the same, as well as a processed grain product and a method for producing the same.

[0002] In recent years, there has been an increasing need for improving the shelf life of foods. For example, seasonings are sometimes required to have a seasoning function while also having excellent shelf life. Acetic acid is an example of a component that has a food seasoning effect while also preventing the growth of microorganisms that cause food deterioration. However, acetic acid has a strong sour taste, which limits its applications. For example, in foods such as ready-to-eat prepared meals, an attempt to improve the shelf life of the food has been problematic in that the food becomes overly sour upon consumption. Furthermore, while a technique for adding enzymes during the food production process is known for the purpose of improving the taste and texture of food, the coexistence of acetic acid and enzymes has been problematic in that the enzymes are denatured by the acetic acid. In other words, food compositions containing acetic acid are required to be able to inhibit the growth of microorganisms that cause food deterioration, to avoid excessive sourness, and to maintain enzyme activity. As a technique for maintaining the stability of enzymes in foods, for example, Document 1 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 03-139278) discloses that the stability of glucose oxidase can be maintained by using a phosphate buffer.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 03-139278

[0004] However, the technique disclosed in Document 1 cannot be adopted as a technique capable of inhibiting the growth of microorganisms that cause deterioration of food and drink.

[0005] After extensive research, the inventors discovered that by adjusting the wet mass equivalent moisture content, pH, and titratable acidity of a food composition within predetermined ranges, and by adjusting the salt equivalent and undissociated acetic acid content and / or the salt equivalent and ethanol content within predetermined ranges, the growth of microorganisms that cause food deterioration can be suppressed without excessively developing a sour taste, thereby preventing the flavor of the resulting food. Furthermore, the inventors discovered that the food composition maintains its enzymatic activity even when an enzyme is added, and that by adding an enzyme that reacts with a predetermined substrate, a synergistic effect between sodium, the enzyme, and undissociated acetic acid and / or ethanol can be added to improve the texture, particularly in foods and beverages made from grains, leading to the completion of the present invention. Specifically, the present invention relates to, for example, the following: [1] A food composition that satisfies all of the following requirements (a) to (d): (a) The moisture content converted to wet mass is 20% by mass or more, 25% by mass or more, 30% by mass or more, 35% by mass or more, 40% by mass or more, 43% by mass or more, 45% by mass or more, 47% by mass or more, 50% by mass or more, or 52% by mass or more. The upper limit is not particularly limited, but is, for example, 97% by mass or less, 95% by mass or less, 90% by mass or less, 88% by mass or less, 85% by mass or less, 80% by mass or less, 75% by mass or less, 70% by mass or less, 65% by mass or less, 64% by mass or less, 60% by mass or less, or 58% by mass or less. The range is, for example, 20 to 85% by mass, 25 to 80% by mass, 30 to 75% by mass, 35 to 70% by mass, 40 to 65% by mass, or 45 to 64% by mass. (b) the pH at 20°C and 1 atmosphere is 4.0 or more, 4.2 or more, 4.4 or more, 4.6 or more, 4.7 or more, 4.8 or more, 4.9 or more, 4.95 or more, 5.0 or more, 5.05 or more, 5.1 or more, 5.15 or more, 5.2 or more, 5.3 or more, or 5.4 or more; the upper limit is not limited, but may be, for example, 8.8 or less, 8.2 or less, 8.0 or less, 7.5 or less, 7.1 or less, or 7.0 or less; It is 6.9 or less, 6.8 or less, 6.5 or less, 6.4 or less, 6.35 or less, 6.3 or less, 6.2 or less, 6.1 or less, 5.9 or less, 5.8 or less, 5.6 or less, or 5.5 or less, and the range is, for example, 4.0 to 7.0, 4.4 to 6.9, 4.7 to 6.8, 4.8 to 6.5, 4.9 to 6.4, 4.95 to 6.35, 5.0 to 6.3, 5.05 to 6.3, or 5.1 to 6.1.(c) The titratable acidity of the food composition, as measured by measurement method A, is 0.1% by mass or more, 0.15% by mass or more, 0.2% by mass or more, 0.24% by mass or more, 0.25% by mass or more, 0.28% by mass or more, 0.3% by mass or more, 0.35% by mass or more, 0.4% by mass or more, 0.42% by mass or more, 0.45% by mass or more, 0.50% by mass or more, 0.60% by mass or more, 0. 70% by mass or more, 0.80% by mass or more, 0.90% by mass or more, 1.0% by mass or more, 1.2% by mass or more, 1.4% by mass or more, 1.6% by mass or more, 1.8% by mass or more, 2.0% by mass or more Above, 2.2% by mass or more, 2.4% by mass or more, 2.6% by mass or more, 3.0% by mass or more, 3.2% by mass or more, 3.4% by mass or more, 3.6% by mass or more, 3.8% by mass or more, or 4.0 quality % by mass or more, and the upper limit is not particularly limited, but is, for example, 10.0% by mass or less, 9.0% by mass or less, 8.5% by mass or less, 8.0% by mass or less, 7.5% by mass or less, 7.0% by mass or less, 6.5% by mass or less, 6.0% by mass or less, 5.5% by mass or less, 5.0% by mass or less, 4.5% by mass or less, 4.0% by mass or less, 3.5% by mass or less, 3.0% by mass or less, 2.7% by mass or less, 2.5% by mass or less, 2.0% by mass or less, 1.5% by mass or less, 1.0% by mass or less, 0.9% by mass or less, 0.8% by mass or less, 0.75% by mass or less, or 0.7% by mass or less, and the range is, for example, 0.1 to 10.0% by mass, 0.15 to 8.5% by mass, 0.2 to 8.0% by mass, 0.24 to 7.0% by mass, or 0.28 to 5.5% by mass. Accurately sample 10 g of the food composition and dilute it 10-fold with ion-exchanged water. To the diluted solution (100 g) is added 0.08 ml of 3.1% phenolphthalein solution as an indicator. The diluted solution is neutralized by titration with a 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution of known potency, and the titratable acidity is calculated using the following formula: Titratable acidity of food composition (mass%) = {(60.05 x 0.1 x F x V) x 100} / {sample amount (10 g) x 1000}, where 60.05 is the molecular weight of acetic acid, 0.1 is the molar concentration of the sodium hydroxide solution (mol / L), F is the potency of the 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution, and V is the titer of the 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution (mL). (d) Satisfying the following requirement (i) and / or (ii):When the salt equivalent amount per 100 g of water in the food composition is X g and the undissociated acetic acid content per 100 g of water in the food composition is Y g, the following formula is satisfied: 4Y + X ≥ 10, or the value of "4Y + X" is 11 or more, 12 or more, 13 or more, 14 or more, 15 or more, 16 or more, 17 or more, 18 or more, 19 or more, 20 or more, 21 or more, 22 or more, 24 or more, 25 or more, 26 or more, 28 or more, 30 or more, 31 or more, 32 or more, 33 or more, 34 or more, or 35 or more. The upper limit is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 56 or less, 54 or less, 52 or less, 50 or less, 48 ​​or less, or 46 or less. , 45 or less, 44 or less, 43 or less, 42 or less, 41 or less, 40 or less, 39 or less, 38 or less, 37 or less, 36 or less, 35 or less, 34 or less, 33 or less, 32 or less, 30 or less, 28 or less, 26 or less, 25 or less, 24 or less, 23 or less, or 22 or less, and the range is, for example, 10 to 56, 12 to 50, 14 to 45, 15 to 44, 20 to 43, or 25 to 42 (provided that X≧3 and Y>0.03). Requirement (ii)The salt equivalent amount per 100g of water in the food composition is 3.0g or more, 4.0g or more, 5.0g or more, 6.0g or more, 7.0g or more, 8.0g or more, 9.0g or more, 10g or more, 11g or more, 12g or more, 13g or more, 14g or more, 16g or more, 18g or more, 20g or more, 22g or more, 24g or more, 26g or more, 27g or more, 28g or more, 30g or more, 32g or more, 33g or more, 34g or more , 35g or more, or 36g or more, and the upper limit is not particularly limited, but is, for example, 54g or less, 50g or less, 45g or less, 40g or less, or 38g or less, and the range is, for example, 3.0 to 54g, 5.0 to 54g, 7.0 to 50g, 8.0 to 45g, 9.0 to 40g, 10 to 40g, 11 to 40g, 12 to 40g, 13 to 40g, 14 to 40g, 16 to 40g, 20 to 40g, and the ethanol content per 100 g of water of the food composition is 8.0 g or more, 8.2 g or more, 8.5 g or more, 8.7 g or more, 9.0 g or more, 9.3 g or more, 9.5 g or more, 10.0 g or more, 10.5 g or more, 11.0 g or more, 12.0 g or more, 13.0 g or more, 14.0 g or more, 15.0 g or more, 16.0 g or more, 17.0 g or more, 18.0 g or more, 19.0 g or more, 20.0 g or more, 21.0 g or more, 22.0 g or more, 24.0 g or more, 27.0 g or more, 30.0 g or more, 32.0 g or more, 33.0 g or more, 34.0 g or more, or 35.0 g or more. The upper limit is not particularly limited, but is, for example, 20.0 g or less, 19.5 g or less, 19.0 g or less, 18.5 g or less, 18.0 g or less, 17.5 g or less, 16.5 g or less, or 15.5 g or less, and the range is, for example, 8.0 to 20.0 g, 9.0 to 19.0 g, 10.0 to 18.0 g, or 11.0 to 18.0 g [2]The salt equivalent amount per 100 g of water in the food composition is 4.0 g or more, 5.0 g or more, 6.0 g or more, 7.0 g or more, 8.0 g or more, 9.0 g or more, 10 g or more, 11 g or more, 12 g or more, 13 g or more, 14 g or more, 16 g or more, 18 g or more, 20 g or more, 22 g or more, 24 g or more, 26 g or more, 27 g or more, 28 g or more, 30 g or more, 32 g or more, 33 g or more, 34 g or more, 35 g or more, or 36 g or more, and the upper limit is not particularly limited. The food composition according to [1], wherein the weight of the food composition is, for example, 54 g or less, 50 g or less, 45 g or less, 40 g or less, or 38 g or less, and the range is, for example, 8.0 to 45 g, 9.0 to 40 g, 10 to 40 g, 11 to 40 g, 12 to 40 g, 13 to 40 g, 14 to 40 g, 16 to 40 g, 20 to 40 g, 22 to 40 g, 24 to 40 g, 27 to 40 g, 30 to 40 g, 32 to 40 g, 33 to 50 g, 34 to 50 g, or 35 to 50 g. the food composition has a total acetic acid content per 100 g of water of 0.4 g or more, 0.6 g or more, 0.8 g or more, 1.0 g or more, 1.2 g or more, 1.4 g or more, 1.6 g or more, 1.8 g or more, 2.1 g or more, 2.2 g or more, 2.3 g or more, 2.4 g or more, 2.5 g or more, 2.7 g or more, 2.9 g or more, 3.0 g or more, 3.1 g or more, 3.2 g or more, 3.3 g or more, 3.5 g or more, 3.7 g or more, 3.9 g or more, 4.1 g or more, 4.3 g or more, 4.5 g or more, 4.7 g or more, 4.9 g or more, 5.5 g or more, 5.9 g or more, 6.5 g or more, 7.5 g or more, 9.0 g or more, or 10.0 g or more; The upper limit of the amount of the food composition according to [1] or [2] above is not particularly limited, but is, for example, 50.0 g or less, 30.0 g or less, 25.0 g or less, 23.5 g or less, 22.0 g or less, 21.5 g or less, 20.0 g or less, 19.0 g or less, 18.5 g or less, 18.0 g or less, 17.7 g or less, 17.5 g or less, 16.5 g or less, 16.0 g or less, 15.0 g or less, 14.0 g or less, 13.5 g or less, or 13.0 g or less, and the range is, for example, 0.4 to 30.0 g, 1.2 to 25.0 g, 1.4 to 20.0 g, 2.3 to 18.0 g, 2.5 to 17.5 g, or 3.0 to 16.5 g. [4]The optimum pH is 4.0 or more, 4.2 or more, 4.3 or more, 4.4 or more, 4.5 or more, 4.6 or more, 4.7 or more, 4.8 or more, 4.9 or more, 4.95 or more, 5.0 or more, 5.05 or more, 5.10 or more, 5.15 or more, 5.2 or more, 5.3 or more, or 5.4 or more. The upper limit is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 9.5 or less, 9.3 or less, 9.0 or less, 8.8 or less, 8.2 or less, 8.0 or less, 7.5 or less, 7.1 or less, 7.0 or less, 6.0 or less, 7.5 or less, 7.6 or less, 7.7 or less, 7.8 or less, 7.9 or less, 8.95 or more, 8.95 or more, 8.95 or more, 8.95 or more, 8.95 or more, 8.05 or more, 8.05 or less ... The food composition according to any one of [1] to [3] above, comprising one or more enzymes having a pH of 0.8 or less, 6.5 or less, 6.4 or less, 6.35 or less, 6.3 or less, 6.2 or less, 6.1 or less, 5.9 or less, 5.8 or less, 5.6 or less, or 5.5 or less, the range being, for example, 4.0 to 7.0, 4.7 to 6.8, 4.8 to 6.5, 4.9 to 6.4, 4.95 to 6.35, 5.0 to 6.3, 5.05 to 6.3, or 5.10 to 6.1. [5]The food composition contains brewed vinegar, and the content thereof is not particularly limited, but for example, the upper limit is 90% by mass or less, 80% by mass or less, 70% by mass or less, 60% by mass or less, 50% by mass or less, 40% by mass or less, 30% by mass or less, 29% by mass or less, 28% by mass or less, 27% by mass or less, 25% by mass or less, 23% by mass or less, 22% by mass or less, 21% by mass or less, 20% by mass or less, 19% by mass or less, 18.5% by mass or less, 18% by mass or less, 17.8% by mass or less, 17.5% by mass or less 17.3% by mass or less, 16.7% by mass or less, 16.5% by mass or less, 16.0% by mass or less, 15.5% by mass or less, 15.0% by mass or less, 14.5% by mass or less, 14.0% by mass or less, 13.0% by mass or less, 12.5% ​​by mass or less Lower, 12.0 mass% or less, 11.5 mass% or less, 11.0 mass% or less, 10.5 mass% or less, 10.0 mass% or less, 9.5 mass% or less, 9.0 mass% or less, 8.5 mass% or less, 8.0 mass% or less, 7.5 mass% or less, 7.0 mass% % or less, 6.5% or less, 6.0% or less, 5.5% or less, 5.0% or less, 4.5% or less, or 4.0% or less, and the lower limit is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 0.1% or more, 0.2% or more, 0.3% or more, 0.5% or more, 0.7% or more, 0.9% or more, 1.0% or more, 1.1% or more, 1.3% or more, 1.5% or more, 1.7% or more, 1.8% or more, 2.0 ... The food composition according to any one of [1] to [4] above, wherein the content is 2% by mass or more, 2.4% by mass or more, or 2.6% by mass or more, and the range is, for example, 0.1 to 90% by mass, 0.1 to 30% by mass, 0.1 to 28% by mass, 0.1 to 25% by mass, 0.1 to 20% by mass, 0.1 to 17.5% by mass, 0.1 to 16.5% by mass, 0.1 to 15.5% by mass, 0.5 to 14.5% by mass, 0.7 to 13.0% by mass, 0.9 to 12.0% by mass, or 1.0 to 8.0% by mass. [6]The food composition according to any one of [1] to [5] above, wherein the ratio of the dissociated acetic acid content (% by mass) to the total acetic acid content (% by mass) in the food composition is 0.10 or more, 0.20 or more, or 0.30 or more, preferably 0.40 or more, 0.45 or more, 0.49 or more, or 0.50 or more, 0.55 or more, or 0.60 or more, 0.65 or more, or 0.70 or more, and the upper limit is not particularly limited, but is, for example, less than 1, or less than 0.98, or 0.90 or less, 0.85 or less, or 0.75 or less, and the range is, for example, 0.10 or more but less than 0.98, preferably 0.49 or more but 0.80 or less, more preferably 0.49 or more but 0.75 or less, and particularly preferably 0.55 or more but 0.72 or less. [7] The ratio of the chloride ion content (mass%) of the food composition to the sodium content (mass%) of the food composition is 0.1 to 1.5, 0.4 to 1.47, 0.5 to 1.45, 0.6 to 1.45, 0.6 to 1.4, or 0.6 to 1.3, and the upper limit is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 1.5 or less, 1.47 or less, 1.46 or less, 1.45 or less, 1.44 or less, 1.43 or less, 1.4 or less, 1.39 or less, 1.38 or less, 1.37 or less, 1.35 or less, 1.33 or less, 1.3 or less, 1.2 or less, 1.1 or less, 1.05 or less, 1.0 or less, 0.97 or less, 0.95 or less, 0.90 or less, 0.85 or less, 0.8 ... The food composition according to any one of [1] to [6] above, wherein the lower limit is not particularly limited, but is, for example, 0.1 or more, 0.12 or more, 0.14 or more, 0.15 or more, 0.18 or more, 0.20 or more, 0.31 or more, 0.4 or more, 0.5 or more, 0.62 or more, 0.67 or more, 0.75 or more, 0.77 or more, 0.81 or more, 0.84 or more, 0.87 or more, 0.91 or more, 0.93 or more, 0.95 or more, 0.97 or more, 0.99 or more, 1.03 or more, 1.05 or more, 1.07 or more, 1.09 or more, 1.1 or more, 1.11 or more, or 1.12 or more. [8]The Brix value of the food composition is 15 or more, 18 or more, 20 or more, 21 or more, 22 or more, 23 or more, 24 or more, 26 or more, 27 or more, 28 or more, 29 or more, 30 or more, 31 or more, 32 or more, 34 or more, 35 or more, 37 or more, 39 or more, 40 or more, 41 or more, or 43 or more. The upper limit is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 70 or less, 69 or less, 68 or less, 67 or less, 66 or less, 65 or less, or the like. [9] The food composition according to any one of [1] to [7], wherein the saturation index is 64 or less, 63 or less, 62 or less, 60 or less, 59 or less, 58 or less, 57 or less, 55 or less, 53 or less, 52 or less, 51 or less, 50 or less, 49 or less, 48 ​​or less, 47 or less, or 46 or less, for example, in the range of 15 to 70, 18 to 68, 24 to 66, 26 to 60, 28 to 55, 30 to 50, or 32 to 48. The carbohydrate content of the food composition per 100 g of water is 4.0 g or more, 4.5 g or more, 5.0 g or more, 5.5 g or more, 8.0 g or more, 10.0 g or more, 13.0 g or more, 15.0 g or more, 18.0 g or more, 20.0 g or more, 22.0 g or more, 25.0 g or more, 28.0 g or more, 30.0 g or more, 31.0 g or more, 33.0 g or more, 35.0 g or more, 37.5 g or more, 39.0 g or more, 40.0 g or more, 42.0 g or more, 43.5 g or more, 45.0 g or more, or 47.0 g or more, and the upper limit is not limited, but may be, for example, 70.0 g or less, 68.0 g or less, 66.0 g or more, or 70.0 g or less.

[10] The food composition according to any one of [1] to [8], wherein the average molecular weight of the food composition is 6.0 g or less, 65.0 g or less, 64.0 g or less, 63.0 g or less, 61.0 g or less, 60.0 g or less, 59.0 g or less, 58.5 g or less, 58.0 g or less, 57.0 g or less, 56.0 g or less, 55.0 g or less, 54.5 g or less, 53.5 g or less, 52.0 g or less, 50.8 g or less, 50.0 g or less, or 49.0 g or less, and the range is, for example, 4.0 to 70.0 g, 8.0 to 66.0 g, 15.0 to 63.0 g, 20.0 to 60.0 g, 25.0 to 58.0 g, or 30.0 to 55.0 g.The food composition according to any one of [1] to [9] above, wherein the food composition contains a sugar alcohol. The type of sugar alcohol is not particularly limited, but may contain, for example, sorbitol and / or mannitol, and the ratio of the total content (mass%) of sorbitol and mannitol to the total content (mass%) of carbohydrates is, for example, 0.05 or more, 0.08 or more, 0.10 or more, 0.12 or more, 0.14 or more, 0.18 or more, 0.20 or more, 0.24 or more, 0.28 or more, 0.30 or more, 0.40 or more, 0.50 or more, 0.60 or more, 0.70 or more, 0.80 or more, 0.90 or more, or 1.

[11] The food composition according to any one of [1] to

[10] above, wherein the food composition contains reduced starch syrup, and the ratio of the content (% by mass) of reduced starch syrup to the total content (% by mass) of carbohydrates is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, 0.40 or more, 0.50 or more, 0.60 or more, 0.70 or more, 0.80 or more, 0.90 or more, or 1.

[12] The food composition according to any one of [1] to

[11] above, wherein the ratio of the content (% by mass) of maltose to the total content (% by mass) of carbohydrates in the food composition is 0.80 or less, 0.70 or less, 0.60 or less, 0.50 or less, 0.40 or less, 0.30 or less, 0.20 or less, 0.15 or less, or 0.10 or less.

[13] The food composition according to [4] above, wherein the enzyme contains transferase and / or hydrolase.

[14] The food composition according to

[13] , wherein the enzyme comprises at least one transferase selected from 6-α-glucanotransferase, 4-α-glucanotransferase, and cyclodextrin glucanotransferase.

[15] The food composition according to

[13] or

[14] , wherein the enzyme comprises at least one hydrolase selected from glutaminase, maltotriohydrolase, β-amylase, phospholipase A1, pullulanase, hemicellulase, α-amylase, pectinase, glucoamylase, transglucosidase, pectin methylesterase, phospholipase A2, protease, α-galactosidase, invertase, cellulase, fructosyltransferase, β-glucosidase, and lipase.

[16] The food composition according to any one of

[13] to

[15] above, wherein the enzymes comprise 6-α-glucanotransferase and maltotriohydrolase.

[17] The food composition according to any one of

[13] to

[16] above, wherein the enzymes comprise 4-α-glucanotransferase and β-amylase.

[18] The food composition according to any one of

[13] to

[17] above, wherein the enzymes comprise protease and lipase.

[19] The food composition according to any one of

[13] to

[18] above, wherein the enzymes comprise cellulase, hemicellulase, and pectinase.

[20] The food composition according to any one of [4] and

[13] to

[19] above, wherein the enzymes comprise at least one selected from glucose oxidase, polyphenol oxidase, and glucose isomerase.

[21] The food composition according to any one of [1] to

[20] above, for use in a method for producing a processed grain product.

[22] The food composition according to

[21] , wherein the processed grain product is at least one selected from the group consisting of cooked rice, noodles, cereals, and breads.

[23] The food composition according to

[21] , wherein the processed grain product contains rice.

[24] The food composition according to

[21] , wherein the processed grain product is cooked rice.

[25] The food composition according to

[21] above, wherein the food composition is used so that, when homogenized (homogenized) by adding distilled water in an amount twice the mass (wet mass) of the produced processed grain product, the pH at 20°C under 1 atmosphere is greater than 6.20, 6.30 or greater, 6.35 or greater, 6.40 or greater, 6.45 or greater, 6.50 or greater, or 6.60 or greater; the upper limit of the pH is not particularly limited, but is, for example, 8.0 or less, 7.5 or less, 7.0 or less, or 6.9 or less, and the range is, for example, 6.2 to 8.0, 6.3 to 7.5, or 6.4 to 7.0.

[26] The food composition according to any one of [1] to

[25] above, wherein the food composition is a liquid composition.

[27] The food composition according to

[26] above, wherein the food composition is an unsterilized liquid composition.

[28] A method for producing the food composition according to any one of [1] to

[26] above, comprising sterilization at a maximum temperature of less than 124°C.A method for producing the food composition according to any one of [1] to

[27] above, which does not include a heat sterilization step during production, and the heat sterilization step is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, a heat sterilization step with a maximum temperature of 100°C or higher, or a heat sterilization step with a maximum temperature of 124°C or higher.

[30] A method for producing a processed grain product, which comprises adding the food composition according to any one of [1] to

[27] above.

[31] The method according to

[30] above, wherein the processed grain product is at least one selected from the group consisting of cooked rice, noodles, cereals, and breads.

[32] A processed grain product produced using the food composition according to any one of [1] to

[27] above.

[33] The processed grain product according to

[32] above, wherein the processed grain product is at least one selected from the group consisting of cooked rice, noodles, cereals, and breads.

[34] A method for inhibiting the growth of spoilage bacteria in a food composition that has not been subjected to heat sterilization at 100°C or higher, wherein the food composition satisfies all of the following requirements (a) to (d): (a) The moisture content converted to wet mass is 20% by mass or more, 25% by mass or more, 30% by mass or more, 35% by mass or more, 40% by mass or more, 43% by mass or more, 45% by mass or more, 47% by mass or more, 50% by mass or more, or 52% by mass or more. The upper limit is not particularly limited, but is, for example, 97% by mass or less, 95% by mass or less, 90% by mass or less, 88% by mass or less, 85% by mass or less, 80% by mass or less, 75% by mass or less, 70% by mass or less, 65% by mass or less, 64% by mass or less, 60% by mass or less, or 58% by mass or less. The range is, for example, 20 to 85% by mass, 25 to 80% by mass, 30 to 75% by mass, 35 to 70% by mass, 40 to 65% by mass, or 45 to 64% by mass.(b) the pH at 20°C and 1 atmosphere is 4.0 or more, 4.2 or more, 4.4 or more, 4.6 or more, 4.7 or more, 4.8 or more, 4.9 or more, 4.95 or more, 5.0 or more, 5.05 or more, 5.1 or more, 5.15 or more, 5.2 or more, 5.3 or more, or 5.4 or more; the upper limit is not limited, but may be, for example, 8.8 or less, 8.2 or less, 8.0 or less, 7.5 or less, 7.1 or less, or 7.0 or less; It is 6.9 or less, 6.8 or less, 6.5 or less, 6.4 or less, 6.35 or less, 6.3 or less, 6.2 or less, 6.1 or less, 5.9 or less, 5.8 or less, 5.6 or less, or 5.5 or less, and the range is, for example, 4.0 to 7.0, 4.4 to 6.9, 4.7 to 6.8, 4.8 to 6.5, 4.9 to 6.4, 4.95 to 6.35, 5.0 to 6.3, 5.05 to 6.3, or 5.1 to 6.1. (c) The titratable acidity of the food composition, as measured by measurement method A, is 0.1% by mass or more, 0.15% by mass or more, 0.2% by mass or more, 0.24% by mass or more, 0.25% by mass or more, 0.28% by mass or more, 0.3% by mass or more, 0.35% by mass or more, 0.4% by mass or more, 0.42% by mass or more, 0.45% by mass or more, 0.50% by mass or more, 0.60% by mass or more, 0. 70% by mass or more, 0.80% by mass or more, 0.90% by mass or more, 1.0% by mass or more, 1.2% by mass or more, 1.4% by mass or more, 1.6% by mass or more, 1.8% by mass or more, 2.0% by mass or more Above, 2.2% by mass or more, 2.4% by mass or more, 2.6% by mass or more, 3.0% by mass or more, 3.2% by mass or more, 3.4% by mass or more, 3.6% by mass or more, 3.8% by mass or more, or 4.0 quality % by mass or more, and the upper limit is not particularly limited, but is, for example, 10.0% by mass or less, 9.0% by mass or less, 8.5% by mass or less, 8.0% by mass or less, 7.5% by mass or less, 7.0% by mass or less, 6.5% by mass or less, 6.0% by mass or less, 5.5% by mass or less, 5.0% by mass or less, 4.5% by mass or less, 4.0% by mass or less, 3.5% by mass or less, 3.0% by mass or less, 2.7% by mass or less, 2.5% by mass or less, 2.0% by mass or less, 1.5% by mass or less, 1.0% by mass or less, 0.9% by mass or less, 0.8% by mass or less, 0.75% by mass or less, or 0.7% by mass or less, and the range is, for example, 0.1 to 10.0% by mass, 0.15 to 8.5% by mass, 0.2 to 8.0% by mass, 0.24 to 7.0% by mass, or 0.28 to 5.5% by mass.Accurately sample 10 g of the food composition and dilute it 10 times with ion-exchanged water. To the diluted solution (100 g), add 0.08 ml of 3.1% phenolphthalein solution as an indicator. Neutralization titration is performed with a 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution of known potency, and the titratable acidity is calculated using the following formula: Titratable acidity (mass%) of food composition = {(60.05 x 0.1 x F x V) x 100} / {sample amount (10 g) x 1000}, where 60.05 is the molecular weight of acetic acid, 0.1 is the molar concentration of sodium hydroxide solution (mol / L), F is the titer of 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution, and V is the titer of 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution (mL). (d) Satisfying the following requirement (i) and / or (ii): (i) When the salt equivalent amount per 100 g of water in the food composition is X g and the undissociated acetic acid content per 100 g of water in the food composition is Y g, the following formula is satisfied. 4Y+X≧10, or the value of “4Y+X” is 11 or more, 12 or more, 13 or more, 14 or more, 15 or more, 16 or more, 17 or more, 18 or more, 19 or more, 20 or more, 21 or more, 22 or more, 24 or more, 25 or more, 26 or more, 28 or more, 30 or more, 31 or more, 32 or more, 33 or more, 34 or more, or 35 or more, and the upper limit is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 56 or less, 54 or less, 52 or less, 50 or less, 48 ​​or less, or 46 or less. , 45 or less, 44 or less, 43 or less, 42 or less, 41 or less, 40 or less, 39 or less, 38 or less, 37 or less, 36 or less, 35 or less, 34 or less, 33 or less, 32 or less, 30 or less, 28 or less, 26 or less, 25 or less, 24 or less, 23 or less, or 22 or less, and the range is, for example, 10 to 56, 12 to 50, 14 to 45, 15 to 44, 20 to 43, or 25 to 42 (with the proviso that X≧3 and Y>0.03). Requirement (ii)The food composition has a salt equivalent per 100 g of water of 3.0 g or more, 5.0 g or more, 7.0 g or more, 8.0 g or more, 9.0 g or more, 10 g or more, 11 g or more, 12 g or more, 13 g or more, 14 g or more, 16 g or more, 18 g or more, 20 g or more, 22 g or more, 24 g or more, 26 g or more, 27 g or more, 28 g or more, 30 g or more, 32 g or more, 33 g or more, 34 g or more, 35 g or more, or 3 The upper limit is not particularly limited, but is, for example, 54 g or less, 50 g or less, 45 g or less, 40 g or less, or 38 g or less, and the range is, for example, 3.0 to 54 g, 5.0 to 54 g, 7.0 to 50 g, 8.0 to 45 g, 9.0 to 40 g, 10 to 40 g, 11 to 40 g, 12 to 40 g, 13 to 40 g, 14 to 40 g, 16 to 40 g, 20 to 40 g, 22 to 40 g, and the ethanol content per 100 g of water of the food composition is 8.0 g or more, 8.2 g or more, 8.5 g or more, 8.7 g or more, 9.0 g or more, 9.3 g or more, 9.5 g or more, 10.0 g or more, 10.5 g or more, 11.0 g or more, 12.0 g or more, 13.0 g or more.

[35] The method for inhibiting the growth of spoilage bacteria according to

[34] above, wherein the food composition is a food composition that has not been subjected to heat sterilization, and the heat sterilization is not particularly limited, but is, for example, heat sterilization at a maximum temperature of 100°C or higher, or heat sterilization at a maximum temperature of 124°C or higher.

[37] A method for improving the texture of a processed grain product, comprising using the food composition according to any one of [1] to

[27] .The optimum pH is 4.0 or higher, 4.2 or higher, 4.3 or higher, 4.4 or higher, 4.5 or higher, 4.6 or higher, 4.7 or higher, 4.8 or higher, 4.9 or higher, 4.95 or higher, 5.0 or higher, 5.05 or higher, 5.10 or higher, 5.15 or higher, 5.2 or higher, 5.3 or higher, or 5.4 or higher, and the upper limit is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 9.5 or lower, 9.3 or lower, 9.0 or lower, 8.8 or lower, 8.2 or lower, 8.0 or lower, 7.5 or lower, 7.1 or lower, 7.0 or lower, 6.8 or lower, 6. A food composition to be added to a composition containing an enzyme having an affinity for 5 or less, 6.4 or less, 6.35 or less, 6.3 or less, 6.2 or less, 6.1 or less, 5.9 or less, 5.8 or less, 5.6 or less, or 5.5 or less, the range being, for example, 4.0 to 7.0, 4.7 to 6.8, 4.8 to 6.5, 4.9 to 6.4, 4.95 to 6.35, 5.0 to 6.30, 5.05 to 6.3, or 5.10 to 6.10, wherein the food composition satisfies the following requirements (a) to (d): (a) The moisture content converted to wet mass is 20% by mass or more, 25% by mass or more, 30% by mass or more, 35% by mass or more, 40% by mass or more, 43% by mass or more, 45% by mass or more, 47% by mass or more, 50% by mass or more, or 52% by mass or more. The upper limit is not particularly limited, but is, for example, 97% by mass or less, 95% by mass or less, 90% by mass or less, 88% by mass or less, 85% by mass or less, 80% by mass or less, 75% by mass or less, 70% by mass or less, 65% by mass or less, 64% by mass or less, 60% by mass or less, or 58% by mass or less. The range is, for example, 20 to 85% by mass, 25 to 80% by mass, 30 to 75% by mass, 35 to 70% by mass, 40 to 65% by mass, or 45 to 64% by mass.(b) the pH at 20°C and 1 atmosphere is 4.0 or more, 4.2 or more, 4.4 or more, 4.6 or more, 4.7 or more, 4.8 or more, 4.9 or more, 4.95 or more, 5.0 or more, 5.05 or more, 5.1 or more, 5.15 or more, 5.2 or more, 5.3 or more, or 5.4 or more; the upper limit is not limited, but may be, for example, 8.8 or less, 8.2 or less, 8.0 or less, 7.5 or less, 7.1 or less, or 7.0 or less; It is 6.9 or less, 6.8 or less, 6.5 or less, 6.4 or less, 6.35 or less, 6.3 or less, 6.2 or less, 6.1 or less, 5.9 or less, 5.8 or less, 5.6 or less, or 5.5 or less, and the range is, for example, 4.0 to 7.0, 4.4 to 6.9, 4.7 to 6.8, 4.8 to 6.5, 4.9 to 6.4, 4.95 to 6.35, 5.0 to 6.3, 5.05 to 6.3, or 5.1 to 6.1. (c) The titratable acidity of the food composition, as measured by measurement method A, is 0.1% by mass or more, 0.15% by mass or more, 0.2% by mass or more, 0.24% by mass or more, 0.25% by mass or more, 0.28% by mass or more, 0.3% by mass or more, 0.35% by mass or more, 0.4% by mass or more, 0.42% by mass or more, 0.45% by mass or more, 0.50% by mass or more, 0.60% by mass or more, 0. 70% by mass or more, 0.80% by mass or more, 0.90% by mass or more, 1.0% by mass or more, 1.2% by mass or more, 1.4% by mass or more, 1.6% by mass or more, 1.8% by mass or more, 2.0% by mass or more Above, 2.2% by mass or more, 2.4% by mass or more, 2.6% by mass or more, 3.0% by mass or more, 3.2% by mass or more, 3.4% by mass or more, 3.6% by mass or more, 3.8% by mass or more, or 4.0 quality % by mass or more, and the upper limit is not particularly limited, but is, for example, 10.0% by mass or less, 9.0% by mass or less, 8.5% by mass or less, 8.0% by mass or less, 7.5% by mass or less, 7.0% by mass or less, 6.5% by mass or less, 6.0% by mass or less, 5.5% by mass or less, 5.0% by mass or less, 4.5% by mass or less, 4.0% by mass or less, 3.5% by mass or less, 3.0% by mass or less, 2.7% by mass or less, 2.5% by mass or less, 2.0% by mass or less, 1.5% by mass or less, 1.0% by mass or less, 0.9% by mass or less, 0.8% by mass or less, 0.75% by mass or less, or 0.7% by mass or less, and the range is, for example, 0.1 to 10.0% by mass, 0.15 to 8.5% by mass, 0.2 to 8.0% by mass, 0.24 to 7.0% by mass, or 0.28 to 5.5% by mass.Accurately sample 10 g of the food composition and dilute it 10 times with ion-exchanged water. To the diluted solution (100 g), add 0.08 ml of 3.1% phenolphthalein solution as an indicator. Neutralization titration is performed with a 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution of known potency, and the titratable acidity is calculated using the following formula: Titratable acidity (mass%) of food composition = {(60.05 x 0.1 x F x V) x 100} / {sample amount (10 g) x 1000}, where 60.05 is the molecular weight of acetic acid, 0.1 is the molar concentration of sodium hydroxide solution (mol / L), F is the titer of 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution, and V is the titer of 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution (mL). (d) Satisfying the following requirement (i) and / or (ii): (i) When the salt equivalent amount per 100 g of water in the food composition is X g and the undissociated acetic acid content per 100 g of water in the food composition is Y g, the following formula is satisfied. 4Y+X≧10, or the value of “4Y+X” is 11 or more, 12 or more, 13 or more, 14 or more, 15 or more, 16 or more, 17 or more, 18 or more, 19 or more, 20 or more, 21 or more, 22 or more, 24 or more, 25 or more, 26 or more, 28 or more, 30 or more, 31 or more, 32 or more, 33 or more, 34 or more, or 35 or more, and the upper limit is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 56 or less, 54 or less, 52 or less, 50 or less, 48 ​​or less, or 46 or less. , 45 or less, 44 or less, 43 or less, 42 or less, 41 or less, 40 or less, 39 or less, 38 or less, 37 or less, 36 or less, 35 or less, 34 or less, 33 or less, 32 or less, 30 or less, 28 or less, 26 or less, 25 or less, 24 or less, 23 or less, or 22 or less, and the range is, for example, 10 to 56, 12 to 50, 14 to 45, 15 to 44, 20 to 43, or 25 to 42 (with the proviso that X≧3 and Y>0.03). Requirement (ii)The food composition has a salt equivalent per 100 g of water of 3.0 g or more, 5.0 g or more, 7.0 g or more, 8.0 g or more, 9.0 g or more, 10 g or more, 11 g or more, 12 g or more, 13 g or more, 14 g or more, 16 g or more, 18 g or more, 20 g or more, 22 g or more, 24 g or more, 26 g or more, 27 g or more, 28 g or more, 30 g or more, 32 g or more, 33 g or more, 34 g or more, 35 g or more, or 3 The upper limit is not particularly limited, but is, for example, 54 g or less, 50 g or less, 45 g or less, 40 g or less, or 38 g or less, and the range is, for example, 3.0 to 54 g, 5.0 to 54 g, 7.0 to 50 g, 8.0 to 45 g, 9.0 to 40 g, 10 to 40 g, 11 to 40 g, 12 to 40 g, 13 to 40 g, 14 to 40 g, 16 to 40 g, 20 to 40 g, 22 to 40 g, and the ethanol content per 100 g of water of the food composition is 8.0 g or more, 8.2 g or more, 8.5 g or more, 8.7 g or more, 9.0 g or more, 9.3 g or more, 9.5 g or more, 10.0 g or more, 10.5 g or more, 11.0 g or more, 12.0 g or more, 13.0 g or more.

[39] The food composition according to

[13] above, wherein the enzyme comprises 4-α-glucanotransferase.

[40] The food composition according to

[13] above, wherein the enzyme comprises α-amylase.

[41] The food composition according to

[13] above, wherein the enzyme comprises maltotriohydrolase.

[42] The food composition according to any one of

[13] ,

[40] , or

[41] above, wherein the enzyme comprises glutaminase.

[43] The food composition according to any one of

[13] ,

[40] ,

[41] , or

[42] above, wherein the enzyme comprises at least one enzyme selected from cyclodextrin glucanotransferase, xylanase, lipase, and β-glucosidase.

[44]

[0033] In the food composition according to any one of

[21] to

[24] above, the processed grain product contains miscellaneous grains. The proportion of miscellaneous grains in the total grains contained in the processed grain product is not particularly limited, and is, for example, 1 to 100% by mass, with the lower limit being, for example, 1% by mass or more, 3% by mass or more, 5% by mass or more, 7% by mass or more, 9% by mass or more, 10% by mass or more, 12% by mass or more, 14% by mass or more, 16% by mass or more, 18% by mass or more, 20% by mass or more, 25% by mass or more, 30% by mass or more, 35% by mass or more, 40% by mass or more, or 45% by mass or more, and the upper limit being, for example, 100% by mass or less, 95% by mass or less, 90% by mass or less, 85% by mass or less, 80% by mass or less, 75% by mass or less, 70% by mass or less, 65% by mass or less, 60% by mass or less, or 55% by mass or less.

[45] The food composition according to any one of

[21] to

[24] above, wherein the processed grain product contains brown rice. The proportion of brown rice in the total rice contained in the processed grain product is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, 1 to 100% by mass, with the lower limit being, for example, 1% by mass or more, 3% by mass or more, 5% by mass or more, 7% by mass or more, 9% by mass or more, 10% by mass or more, 12% by mass or more, 14% by mass or more, 16% by mass or more, 18% by mass or more, 20% by mass or more, 25% by mass or more, 30% by mass or more, 35% by mass or more, 40% by mass or more, or 45% by mass or more, and the upper limit being, for example, 100% by mass or less, 95% by mass or less, 90% by mass or less, 85% by mass or less, 80% by mass or less, 75% by mass or less, 70% by mass or less, 65% by mass or less, 60% by mass or less, or 55% by mass or less.

[46] The method according to

[35] above, wherein the lactic acid bacterium is a lactic acid bacterium belonging to the genus Lactobacillus fructivorans.The content of the enzyme in the food composition is, for example, 0.001% by mass or more, 0.01% by mass or more, 0.05% by mass or more, 0.1% by mass or more, 0.3% by mass or more, 0.5% by mass or more, 0.7% by mass or more, 0.9% by mass or more, 1.0% by mass or more, 1.2% by mass or more, 1.5% by mass or more, 1.7% by mass or more, 1.8% by mass or more, 2.0% by mass or more, 2.2% by mass or more, 2.5% by mass or more, 2.7% by mass or more,

[48] ​​The food composition according to any one of [1] to

[27] or

[40] to

[45] , wherein the content is 1.0% by mass or more, or 3.0% by mass or more, and the upper limit is not particularly limited, but is, for example, 10% by mass or less, 8.0% by mass or less, 7.0% by mass or less, 6.0% by mass or less, 5.0% by mass or less, 4.0% by mass or less, or 3.0% by mass or less, and the range is, for example, 0.001 to 10.0% by mass.The enzymatic activity of the enzyme in the food composition is, for example, 150 U / L or more, 200 U / L or more, 250 U / L or more, 300 U / L or more, 400 U / L or more, 500 U / L or more, 600 U / L or more, 650 U / L or more, 700 U / L or more, 800 U / L or more, 900 U / L or more, 950 U / L or more, 1000 U / L or more, 1200 U / L or more, 1500 U / L or more, 1700 U / L or more, 1800 U / L or more, or 2000 U / L or more, and the upper limit is, in particular, Non-limiting examples include 10,000,000 U / L or less, 9,000,000 U / L or less, 8,000,000 U / L or less, 7,000,000 U / L or less, 6,000,000 U / L or less, 5,000,000 U / L or less, 4,000,000 U / L or less, 3,000,000 U / L or less, 2,000,000 U / L or less, 1,800,000 U / L or less, 1,600,000 U / L or less, 1,400,000 U / L or less, 1,200,000 U / L or less, 1,100,000 U / L or less, 1,000,000 U / L or less, / L or less, 900,000U / L or less, 800,000U / L or less, 700,000U / L or less, 600,000U / L or less, 500,000U / L or less, 400,000U / L or less, 300,000U / L or less, 200,000U / L or less, 100000U / L or less, 90000U / L or less, 80000U / L or less, 70000U / L or less, 60000U / L or less, 50000U / L or less, 40000U / L or less, 30000U / L or less, 20000U / L or less, 1 The food composition according to any one of [1] to

[27] ,

[40] to

[45] , or

[47] , wherein the concentration is 0,000 U / L or less, 5,000 U / L or less, or 1,000 U / L or less, and the range is, for example, 150 U / L to 10,000,000 U / L, 200 U / L to 8,000,000 U / L, 300 U / L to 6,000,000 U / L, 600 U / L to 4,000,000 U / L, 900 U / L to 2,000,000 U / L, or 1,000 U / L to 1,000,000 U / L.

[49] The salt equivalent amount of the food composition is, for example, 1.0% by mass or more, 2.0% by mass or more, 2.5% by mass or more, 3.0% by mass or more, 3.5% by mass or more, 4.0% by mass or more, 4.5% by mass or more, 5.0% by mass or more, 6.0% by mass or more, 7.5% by mass or more, 8 .0 mass% or more, 8.3 mass% or more, 8.7 mass% or more, 9.0 mass% or more, 9.5 mass% or more, 9.6 mass% or more, 9.8 mass% or more, 9.9 mass% or more, 10.2 mass% or more, 10.5 mass% or more, 10.8 mass% or more, 11.1 mass% or more , 11.3 mass% or more, 11.5 mass% or more, 11.6 mass% or more, 11.7 mass% or more, 11.8 mass% or more, 11.9 mass% or more, 12.5 mass% or more, 13.0 mass% or more, 13.5 mass% or more, 14.0 mass% or more, 14.5 mass% or more, 15.0 mass% or more, 15.5 mass% or more, 16.0 mass% or more, 16.5 mass% or more, or 17.0 mass% or more. The upper limit is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 70.0 mass% or less, 60.0 mass% or less, 50.0 mass% or less, 40.0 mass% or less, mass% or less, 35.0 mass% or less, 30.0 mass% or less, 26.0 mass% or less, 25.0 mass% or less, 24.0 mass% or less, 23.0 mass% or less, 22.0 mass% or less, 21.0 mass% or less, 20.0 mass% or less, 19.8 mass% or less, 19. 0 mass% or less, 18.0 mass% or less, 17.5 mass% or less, 17.0 mass% or less, 16.0 mass% or less, or 15.8 mass% or less, and the range is, for example, 1.0 mass% to 70.0 mass%, 2.0 mass% to 60.0 mass%, 2.5 mass% to 50 mass% The food composition according to any one of [1] to

[27] ,

[40] to

[45] ,

[47] , or

[48] , wherein the total amount of the soluble fiber is 0 mass%, 3.0 mass% to 40.0 mass%, 3.5 mass% to 35.0 mass%, 4.0 mass% to 30.0 mass%, 4.5 mass% to 26.0 mass%, 5.0 mass% to 25.0 mass%, 6.0 mass% to 24.0 mass%, 7.0 mass% to 23.0 mass%, 8.0 mass% to 22.0 mass%, 10.0 mass% to 21.0 mass%, 12.0 mass% to 20.5 mass%, 12.1 mass% to 20.5 mass%, or 12.2 mass% to 20.5 mass%.

[50] The content of undissociated acetic acid in the food composition is, for example, 0.015% by mass or more, 0.02% by mass or more, 0.025% by mass or more, 0.03% by mass or more, 0.035% by mass or more, 0.04% by mass or more, 0.045% by mass or more, 0.048% by mass or more, 0.05% by mass or more, 0.053% by mass or more, 0.055% by mass or more, 0.100% by mass or more, 0.150% by mass or more, 0.180% by mass or more, 0.200% by mass or more, 0.210% by mass or more, 0.230% by mass or more, 0.240% by mass or more, The upper limit is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 20.0 mass% or less, 15.0 mass% or less, 12.0 mass% or less, 10.0 mass% or less, 9.0 mass% or less, 8.0 mass% or less, 7.0 mass% or less, 6.0 mass% or less, 5.0 mass% or less, 4.5 mass% or less, 4.0 mass% or less, 3.0 mass% or less, 4.0 mass% or less, 5.0 mass% or less, 5.0 mass% or less, 6.0 mass% or less, 7.0 mass% or less, 8.0 mass% or less, 9.0 mass% or less, 9.0 mass% or less, 10 ... .. 5% by mass or less, 3.0% by mass or less, 2.5% by mass or less, 2.0% by mass or less, 1.900% by mass or less, 1.800% by mass or less, 1.700% by mass or less, 1.650% by mass or less, 1.600% by mass or less, 1.580% by mass or less, 1.510% by mass 1.450 mass% or less, 1.380 mass% or less, 1.280 mass% or less, 1.200 mass% or less, 1.150 mass% or less, 1.100 mass% or less, 1.050 mass% or less, 1.005 mass% or less, 0.980 mass% or less, 0.940 quality

[51] The food composition according to any one of [1] to

[27] ,

[40] to

[45] , or

[47] to

[49] , wherein the content of the hydroxybenzoates is 0.01 to 20.0% by mass or less, or 0.920% by mass or less, and the range is, for example, 0.01 to 20.0% by mass, 0.01 to 18.0% by mass, 0.01 to 15.0% by mass, 0.01 to 10.0% by mass, 0.03 to 5.0% by mass, 0.05 to 3.0% by mass, 0.07 to 2.5% by mass, 0.100 to 1.550% by mass, 0.15 to 1.450% by mass, or 0.200 to 1.300% by mass.The total acetic acid content of the food composition is, for example, 2.1% by mass or more, 2.2% by mass or more, 2.3% by mass or more, 2.4% by mass or more, 2.7% by mass or more, 2.9% by mass or more, 3.1% by mass or more, 3.2% by mass or more, 3.3% by mass or more, 3.5% by mass or more, 3.7% by mass or more, 3.9% by mass or more, 4.1% by mass or more, 4.3% by mass or more, 4.5% by mass or more, 4.7% by mass or more, or 4.9% by mass or more. The upper limit is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, 50.0% by mass or less, 25.0% by mass or less, 20.0% by mass or less, 18.0% by mass or less, 17.0% by mass or less, 16.0% by mass or less, 15.0% by mass or less, 13.0% by mass or less, 12.0% by mass or less, 11.5% by mass or less, 11.5% by mass or less, 12.5% ​​by mass or less, 13.5% by mass or less, 14.5% by mass or less, 15.5% by mass or less, 16.5% by mass or less, 17.5% by mass or less, 17.5% by mass or less, 18.5% by mass or less, 18.5% by mass or less, 19.5% by mass or less, 20.5% by mass or less, 20.5% by mass or less, 21.5% by mass or less, 22.5% by mass or less, 23.5% by mass or less, 24.5% by mass or less, 25.5% by mass or less, 2 The food composition according to any one of [1] to

[27] ,

[40] to

[45] , or

[47] to

[50] , wherein the content of the soluble fiber is 0% by mass or less, 10.5% by mass or less, 9.3% by mass or less, 9.1% by mass or less, 8.9% by mass or less, 8.7% by mass or less, 8.3% by mass or less, 7.7% by mass or less, 7.3% by mass or less, 7.2% by mass or less, 6.9% by mass or less, 6.8% by mass or less, or 6.7% by mass or less, and the range is, for example, 2.0 to 25.0% by mass, 2.1 to 20.0% by mass, 2.2 to 18.0% by mass, 2.3 to 15.0% by mass, 2.4 to 9.0% by mass, 2.6 to 8.8% by mass, 2.8 to 8.5% by mass, 3.0 to 8.0% by mass, 4.0 to 7.5% by mass, or 4.3 to 7.0% by mass.

[52] When the salt equivalent amount of the food composition is X2% by mass and the undissociated acetic acid content is Y2% by mass, the following formula:4Y + X ≧ 10, or the value of “4Y + X” is 11 or more, 12 or more, 13 or more, 14 or more, 15 or more, 16 or more, 17 or more, 18 or more, 19 or more, 20 or more, 21 or more, 22 or more, 24 or more, 26 or more, 28 or more, 30 or more, 31 or more, 32 or more, 33 or more, 34 or more, or 35 or more, and the upper limit is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 56 or less, 54 or less, 52 or less, 50 or less, 48 ​​or less, The food composition according to any one of [1] to

[27] ,

[40] to

[45] , or

[47] to

[51] , wherein the range is, for example, 10 to 56, 12 to 50, 14 to 45, 15 to 44, 20 to 43, or 25 to 42 (with the proviso that X2≧3 and Y2>0.03).

[53] The ethanol content of the food composition is, for example, 5.0% by mass or more, 5.2% by mass or more, 5.5% by mass or more, 5.7% by mass or more, 6.0% by mass or more, 6.3% by mass or more, 6.5% by mass or more, 7.0% by mass or more, 7.1% by mass or more, 7.3% by mass or more, 7.5% by mass or more, 7.8% by mass or more, 8.0% by mass or more, or 9.0% by mass or more. The upper limit is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 20.0% by mass or less, 18.0% by mass or less, or 20.0% by mass or less. The food composition according to any one of [1] to

[27] ,

[40] to

[45] , or

[47] to

[52] , wherein the total amount of citric acid is 0% by mass or less, 17.5% by mass or less, 17.0% by mass or less, 16.5% by mass or less, 15.5% by mass or less, 14.5% by mass or less, or 13.0% by mass or less, and the range is, for example, 4.5 to 19.0% by mass, 5.3 to 17.0% by mass, 6.8 to 15.0% by mass, or 7.5 to 14.0% by mass.

[54] The chloride ion content of the food composition is, for example, 2% by mass or more, 2.5% by mass or more, 3.5% by mass or more, 4.2% by mass or more, 5.3% by mass or more, 5.5% by mass or more, 5.7% by mass or more, 6% by mass or more, 6.2% by mass or more, 6.8% by mass or more, or 7% by mass or more. The upper limit is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 15.3% by mass or less, 14.5% by mass or less, 13.5% by mass or less, 12.7% by mass or less, 12.5% ​​by mass or less, 11.8% by mass or less, 11.5% by mass or less, or 12.5% ​​by mass or less.

[55] The food composition according to any one of [1] to

[27] ,

[40] to

[45] , or

[47] to

[53] , wherein the content is 1.8 to 15.5% by mass or less, 3 to 15% by mass or less, 4 to 14% by mass or less, 5 to 13% by mass, 6.5 to 12.5% ​​by mass, or 7.3 to 12% by mass. The carbohydrate content of the food composition is, for example, 0.5% by mass or more, 1.0% by mass or more, 1.5% by mass or more, 2.0% by mass or more, 2.5% by mass or more, 3.0% by mass or more, 3.5% by mass or more, 4.0% by mass or more, 6.0% by mass or more, 7.0% by mass or more, 7.5% by mass or more, 8.0% by mass or more, 9.0% by mass or more, 10.0% by mass or more, 11.5% by mass or more, 12.0% by mass or more, 12.5% ​​by mass or more, 13.0% by mass or more, 13.5% by mass or more, 14.0% by mass or more, 16.0% by mass or more, 17.0% by mass or more, 17.5% by mass or more, or 18.0% by mass or more. The upper limit is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 45.0% by mass or more.

[56] The food composition according to any one of [1] to

[27] ,

[40] to

[45] , or

[47] to

[54] , wherein the total amount of maltodextrin is 0.5 to 50.0% by mass, 1.0 to 40.0% by mass, 2.0 to 36.0% by mass, 3.0 to 29.0% by mass, 4.0 to 27.0% by mass, 5.0 to 25.0% by mass, or 13.0 to 25.0% by mass.The succinic acid content is 1.0 ppm by mass or more, more specifically, for example, 2.0 ppm by mass or more, 2.5 ppm by mass or more, 3.0 ppm by mass or more, 3.5 ppm by mass or more, 4.0 ppm by mass or more, 5.0 ppm by mass or more, 10 ppm by mass or more, 20 ppm by mass or more, 30 ppm by mass or more, 40 ppm by mass or more, 50 ppm by mass or more, 100 ppm by mass or more, 200 ppm by mass or more, 300 ppm by mass or more, 400 ppm by mass or more, 500 ppm by mass or more, 600 ppm by mass or more, 700 ppm by mass or more, 800 ppm by mass or more, 900 ppm by mass or more, or 1000 ppm by mass or more; The upper limit of the content of the food composition according to any one of [1] to

[27] ,

[40] to

[45] , or

[47] to

[55] is, for example, 10,000 ppm by mass or less, 9,000 ppm by mass or less, 8,000 ppm by mass or less, 7,000 ppm by mass or less, 6,000 ppm by mass or less, 5,000 ppm by mass or less, 4,000 ppm by mass or less, 3,000 ppm by mass or less, 2,500 ppm by mass or less, 2,000 ppm by mass or less, or 1,500 ppm by mass or less, and the range is, for example, 1.0 to 10,000 ppm by mass, 10 to 8,000 ppm by mass, 30 to 6,000 ppm by mass, or 500 to 3,000 ppm by mass.

[57] The content of L-glutamic acid is 0.2 ppm by mass or more, more specifically, for example, 0.5 ppm by mass or more, 3 ppm by mass or more, 5 ppm by mass or more, 8 ppm by mass or more, 9 ppm by mass or more, 12 ppm by mass or more, 15 ppm by mass or more, 20 ppm by mass or more, or 25 ppm by mass or more, and the upper limit is, for example, 500 ppm by mass or less, 450 ppm by mass or less, 400 ppm by mass or less, 350 ppm by mass or less, 300 ppm by mass or less, 250 ppm by mass or less, 200 ppm by mass or less, 150 ppm by mass or less, 1 ... The food composition according to any one of [1] to

[27] ,

[40] to

[45] , or

[47] to

[56] , wherein the content is 30 ppm by mass or less, 110 ppm by mass or less, 100 ppm by mass or less, 90 ppm by mass or less, 80 ppm by mass or less, 70 ppm by mass or less, 60 ppm by mass or less, 55 ppm by mass or less, 50 ppm by mass or less, 40 ppm by mass or less, or 30 ppm by mass or less, the range being, for example, 0.2 to 500 ppm by mass, 5 to 400 ppm by mass, 7 to 300 ppm by mass, or 10 to 200 ppm by mass.

[58] The L-alanine content is 0.2 ppm by mass or more, more specifically 0.5 ppm by mass or more, 3 ppm by mass or more, 5 ppm by mass or more, 7 ppm by mass or more, 10 ppm by mass or more, 15 ppm by mass or more, or 20 ppm by mass or more, and the upper limit is, for example, 500 ppm by mass or less, 400 ppm by mass or less, 300 ppm by mass or less, 250 ppm by mass or less, 220 ppm by mass or less, 180 ppm by mass or less, 150 ppm by mass or less, 130 ppm by mass or less, 110 ppm by mass or less, 140 ppm by mass or less, 150 ppm by mass or less, 160 ppm by mass or less, 170 ppm by mass or less, 180 ppm by mass or less, 190 ppm by mass or less, 200 ppm by mass or less, 210 ppm by mass or less, 220 ppm by mass or less, 230 ppm by mass or less, 240 ppm by mass or less, 250 ppm by mass or less, 260 ppm by mass or less, 270 ppm by mass or less, 280 ppm by mass or less, 290 ppm by mass or less, 300 ppm by mass or less, 320 ppm by mass or less, 350 ppm by mass or less, 360 ppm by mass or less, 370 ppm by mass or less, 380 ppm by mass or less, 390 ppm by mass or less, 400 ppm by mass or less, 400 ppm by mass or less, 500 ppm by mass or less, 600 ppm by mass or less, 650 ppm by mass or less, 700 ppm by mass or less, 750 ppm by mass or less, 800 ppm by mass or less, 850 ppm by mass or less, 900 ppm by mass or less, The food composition according to any one of [1] to

[27] ,

[40] to

[45] , or

[47] to

[57] , wherein the content is 0 ppm by mass or less, 100 ppm by mass or less, 90 ppm by mass or less, 80 ppm by mass or less, 70 ppm by mass or less, 60 ppm by mass or less, 50 ppm by mass or less, 40 ppm by mass or less, or 35 ppm by mass or less, and the range is, for example, 0.2 to 500 ppm by mass, 5.0 to 200 ppm by mass, 7 to 150 ppm by mass, or 8 to 100 ppm by mass.

[59] The food composition according to any one of [1] to

[27] ,

[40] to

[45] , or

[47] to

[57] , which contains a kelp extract; or the food composition according to any one of [1] to

[27] ,

[40] to

[45] , or

[47] to

[58] , which contains a kelp extract in an amount of, for example, 0.03% by mass or more, 0.05% by mass or more, 0.08% by mass or more, 0.1% by mass or more, 0.3% by mass or more, or 0.5% by mass or more, with the upper limit being, for example, 5% by mass or less, 4% by mass or less, 3% by mass or less, 2.5% by mass or less, 2% by mass or less, 1.5% by mass or less, or 1.2% by mass or less, and the range being, for example, 0.1 to 5% by mass.

[60] A method for producing cooked rice comprising all of the following steps (S1) to (S3), wherein the method satisfies all of the following requirements (a) to (d), and the optimum pH is 4.0 or higher, 4.2 or higher, 4.3 or higher, 4.4 or higher, 4.5 or higher, 4.6 or higher, 4.7 or higher, 4.8 or higher, 4.9 or higher, 4.95 or higher, 5.0 or higher, 5.05 or higher, 5.10 or higher, 5.15 or higher, 5.2 or higher, 5.3 or higher, or 5.4 or higher, and the upper limit is, for example, 9.5 or lower, 9.3 or lower, 9.0 or lower, 8.8 or lower, 8.2 or lower, 8.0 or lower, 7.5 or lower, 7.1 or lower, 7.0 or lower, 6.8 or lower, 6.5 or lower, 6.4 or lower, 6.35 or lower, 6. a food composition containing one or more enzymes having a pH of 3 or less, 6.2 or less, 6.1 or less, 5.9 or less, 5.8 or less, 5.6 or less, or 5.5 or less, the range being, for example, 4.0 to 7.0, 4.7 to 6.8, 4.8 to 6.5, 4.9 to 6.4, 4.95 to 6.35, 5.0 to 6.3, 5.05 to 6.3, or 5.10 to 6.1 (here, the method for producing cooked rice in this embodiment may also be the method for producing a processed grain product according to

[31] above, in which the processed grain product in

[31] above is cooked rice). (S1) A step of preparing pre-cooked rice. (S2) A temperature-raising step of heating the pre-cooked rice after (S1) to 95°C or higher, more specifically 98°C or higher, the upper limit of which is, for example, 23°C / min or lower, or 20°C / min or lower, for example, 100°C or lower, the upper limit of which is, for example, 100°C or lower, the range being, for example, 95 to 100°C, at a temperature-raising rate of 6.0°C / min or higher, more specifically 6.5°C / min or higher, 7.0°C / min or higher, 7.5°C / min or higher, 8.0°C / min or higher, 8.5°C / min or higher, 9.0°C / min or higher, 9.5°C / min or higher, 10.0°C / min or higher, 11.0°C / min or higher, 12.0°C / min or higher, 13.0°C / min or higher, 14.0°C / min or higher, or 15.0°C / min or higher, the upper limit of which is, for example, 23°C / min or lower, or 20°C / min or lower, the range being, for example, 6.0 to 25°C / min or lower.(S3) (S2) A warming step in which the composition after the temperature-raising step is kept at a bottom temperature of 95°C or higher, more specifically 98°C or higher, the upper limit of which is, for example, 100°C or lower, in the range of, for example, 95 to 100°C, for 2 minutes or more, more specifically 3 minutes or more, 4 minutes or more, 5 minutes or more, 6 minutes or more, 7 minutes or more, 8 minutes or more, 9 minutes or more, 10 minutes or more, 11 minutes or more, 12 minutes or more, 13 minutes or more, 14 minutes or more, or 15 minutes or more, the upper limit of which is, for example, 100 minutes or less, 80 minutes or less, 60 minutes or less, 50 minutes or less, or 40 minutes or less, in the range of, for example, 10 to 100 minutes or less. (a) The moisture content converted to wet mass is 20% by mass or more, 25% by mass or more, 30% by mass or more, 35% by mass or more, 40% by mass or more, 43% by mass or more, 45% by mass or more, 47% by mass or more, 50% by mass or more, or 52% by mass or more. The upper limit is not particularly limited, but is, for example, 97% by mass or less, 95% by mass or less, 90% by mass or less, 88% by mass or less, 85% by mass or less, 80% by mass or less, 75% by mass or less, 70% by mass or less, 65% by mass or less, 64% by mass or less, 60% by mass or less, or 58% by mass or less. The range is, for example, 20 to 85% by mass, 25 to 80% by mass, 30 to 75% by mass, 35 to 70% by mass, 40 to 65% by mass, or 45 to 64% by mass. (b) the pH at 20°C and 1 atmosphere is 4.0 or more, 4.2 or more, 4.4 or more, 4.6 or more, 4.7 or more, 4.8 or more, 4.9 or more, 4.95 or more, 5.0 or more, 5.05 or more, 5.1 or more, 5.15 or more, 5.2 or more, 5.3 or more, or 5.4 or more; the upper limit is not limited, but may be, for example, 8.8 or less, 8.2 or less, 8.0 or less, 7.5 or less, 7.1 or less, or 7.0 or less; It is 6.9 or less, 6.8 or less, 6.5 or less, 6.4 or less, 6.35 or less, 6.3 or less, 6.2 or less, 6.1 or less, 5.9 or less, 5.8 or less, 5.6 or less, or 5.5 or less, and the range is, for example, 4.0 to 7.0, 4.4 to 6.9, 4.7 to 6.8, 4.8 to 6.5, 4.9 to 6.4, 4.95 to 6.35, 5.0 to 6.3, 5.05 to 6.3, or 5.1 to 6.1.(c) Titratable acidity when measured by measurement method A is 0.1% by mass or more, 0.15% by mass or more, 0.2% by mass or more, 0.24% by mass or more, 0.25% by mass or more, 0.28% by mass % or more, 0.3 mass% or more, 0.35 mass% or more, 0.4 mass% or more, 0.42 mass% or more, 0.45 mass% or more, 0.50 mass% or more, 0.60 mass% or more, 0.70 mass% 0.80% by mass or more, 0.90% by mass or more, 1.0% by mass or more, 1.2% by mass or more, 1.4% by mass or more, 1.6% by mass or more, 1.8% by mass or more, 2.0% by mass or more, 2. 2% by mass or more, 2.4% by mass or more, 2.6% by mass or more, 3.0% by mass or more, 3.2% by mass or more, 3.4% by mass or more, 3.6% by mass or more, 3.8% by mass or more, or 4.0% by mass or more The upper limit is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, 10.0 mass% or less, 9.0 mass% or less, 8.5 mass% or less, 8.0 mass% or less, 7.5 mass% or less, 7.0 mass% or less, 6.5 mass% or less, 6.0 mass% or less, 5.5 mass% or less, 5.0 mass% or less, 4.5 mass% or less, 4.0 mass% or less, 3.5 mass% or less, 3.0 mass% or less, 2.7 mass% or less, 2.5 mass% or less, 2.0 mass% or less, 1.5 mass% or less, 1.0 mass% or less, 0.9 mass% or less, 0.8 mass% or less, 0.75 mass% or less, or 0.7 mass% or less, and the range is, for example, 0.1 to 10.0 mass%, 0.15 to 8.5 mass%, 0.2 to 8.0 mass%, 0.24 to 7.0 mass%, or 0.28 to 5.5 mass%. Accurately sample 10 g of the food composition and dilute it 10-fold with ion-exchanged water. To the diluted solution (100 g) is added 0.08 ml of 3.1% phenolphthalein solution as an indicator. The diluted solution is neutralized by titration with a 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution of known potency, and the titratable acidity is calculated using the following formula: Titratable acidity of food composition (mass%) = {(60.05 x 0.1 x F x V) x 100} / {sample amount (10 g) x 1000}, where 60.05 is the molecular weight of acetic acid, 0.1 is the molar concentration of the sodium hydroxide solution (mol / L), F is the potency of the 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution, and V is the titer of the 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution (mL). (d) Satisfying the following requirement (i) and / or (ii):When the salt equivalent amount per 100 g of water in the food composition is X g and the undissociated acetic acid content per 100 g of water in the food composition is Y g, the following formula is satisfied: 4Y + X ≥ 10, or the value of "4Y + X" is 11 or more, 12 or more, 13 or more, 14 or more, 15 or more, 16 or more, 17 or more, 18 or more, 19 or more, 20 or more, 21 or more, 22 or more, 24 or more, 25 or more, 26 or more, 28 or more, 30 or more, 31 or more, 32 or more, 33 or more, 34 or more, or 35 or more. The upper limit is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 56 or less, 54 or less, 52 or less, 50 or less, 48 ​​or less, or 46 or less. , 45 or less, 44 or less, 43 or less, 42 or less, 41 or less, 40 or less, 39 or less, 38 or less, 37 or less, 36 or less, 35 or less, 34 or less, 33 or less, 32 or less, 30 or less, 28 or less, 26 or less, 25 or less, 24 or less, 23 or less, or 22 or less, and the range is, for example, 10 to 56, 12 to 50, 14 to 45, 15 to 44, 20 to 43, or 25 to 42 (provided that X≧3 and Y>0.03). Requirement (ii)The salt equivalent amount per 100g of water in the food composition is 3.0g or more, 4.0g or more, 5.0g or more, 6.0g or more, 7.0g or more, 8.0g or more, 9.0g or more, 10g or more, 11g or more, 12g or more, 13g or more, 14g or more, 16g or more, 18g or more, 20g or more, 22g or more, 24g or more, 26g or more, 27g or more, 28g or more, 30g or more, 32g or more, 33g or more, 34g or more , 35g or more, or 36g or more, and the upper limit is not particularly limited, but is, for example, 54g or less, 50g or less, 45g or less, 40g or less, or 38g or less, and the range is, for example, 3.0 to 54g, 5.0 to 54g, 7.0 to 50g, 8.0 to 45g, 9.0 to 40g, 10 to 40g, 11 to 40g, 12 to 40g, 13 to 40g, 14 to 40g, 16 to 40g, 20 to 40g, and the ethanol content per 100 g of water of the food composition is 8.0 g or more, 8.2 g or more, 8.5 g or more, 8.7 g or more, 9.0 g or more, 9.3 g or more, 9.5 g or more, 10.0 g or more, 10.5 g or more, 11.0 g or more, 12.0 g or more, 13.0 g or more, 14.0 g or more, 15.0 g or more, 16.0 g or more, 17.0 g or more, 18.0 g or more, 19.0 g or more, 20.0 g or more, 21.0 g or more, 22.0 g or more, 24.0 g or more, 27.0 g or more, 30.0 g or more, 32.0 g or more, 33.0 g or more, 34.0 g or more, or 35.0 g or more. The upper limit is not particularly limited, but is, for example, 20.0 g or less, 19.5 g or less, 19.0 g or less, 18.5 g or less, 18.0 g or less, 17.5 g or less, 16.5 g or less, or 15.5 g or less, and the range is, for example, 8.0 to 20.0 g, 9.0 to 19.0 g, 10.0 to 18.0 g, or 11.0 to 18.0 g

[61] The method for producing cooked rice according to

[60] , comprising a step of adding fats and oils in step (S1); or the method for producing cooked rice according to

[60] , comprising a step of adding fats and oils in step (S1) in an amount of, for example, 0.03% by mass or more, 0.05% by mass or more, 0.08% by mass or more, 0.03% by mass or more, 0.1% by mass or more, 0.2% by mass or more, or 0.4% by mass or more, with an upper limit of, for example, 4.0% by mass or less, 3.5% by mass or less, 2% by mass or less, 1.8% by mass or less, 1.6% by mass or less, or 1.4% by mass or less, with a range of, for example, 0.03 to 2.0% by mass, 0.15 to 1.5% by mass, 0.3 to 1.2% by mass, 0.35 to 1.0% by mass, 0.40 to 0.90% by mass, or 0.45 to 0.80% by mass.

[62] The method for producing cooked rice according to

[60] or

[61] further comprises the following steps (S4) and (S5), wherein steps (S1) to (S5) are carried out continuously on a rice cooking line: (S4) A step of removing the cooked rice obtained after (S3) from the rice cooker; and (S5) A step of cleaning the rice cooker after (S4).

[63] In a method for producing cooked rice comprising all of the following steps (S1) to (S3), a food composition is added before step (S2) and / or after step (S3) in order to improve the quality of cooked rice, and satisfies all of the following requirements (a) to (d), and has an optimal pH of 4.0 or more, 4.2 or more, 4.3 or more, 4.4 or more, 4.5 or more, 4.6 or more, 4.7 or more, 4.8 or more, 4.9 or more, 4.95 or more, 5.0 or more, 5.05 or more, 5.10 or more, 5.15 or more, 5.2 or more, 5.3 or more, or 5.4 or more, and the upper limit is, for example, 9.5 or less, 9.3 or less, 9.0 or less, 8.8 or less, 8.2 or less, or 8.0 or less. , 7.5 or less, 7.1 or less, 7.0 or less, 6.8 or less, 6.5 or less, 6.4 or less, 6.35 or less, 6.3 or less, 6.2 or less, 6.1 or less, 5.9 or less, 5.8 or less, 5.6 or less, or 5.5 or less, the range being, for example, 4.0 to 7.0, 4.7 to 6.8, 4.8 to 6.5, 4.9 to 6.4, 4.95 to 6.35, 5.0 to 6.3, 5.05 to 6.3, or 5.10 to 6.1 (here, the food composition in this embodiment may be the food composition described in any one of items [1] to

[27] ,

[40] to

[45] , or

[47] to

[59] above).(S1) A step of preparing pre-cooked rice. (S2) A temperature-raising step of heating the pre-cooked rice after (S1) to 95°C or higher, more specifically 98°C or higher, the upper limit of which is, for example, 23°C / min or lower, or 20°C / min or lower, for example, 100°C or lower, the upper limit of which is, for example, 100°C or lower, the range being, for example, 95 to 100°C, at a temperature-raising rate of 6.0°C / min or higher, more specifically 6.5°C / min or higher, 7.0°C / min or higher, 7.5°C / min or higher, 8.0°C / min or higher, 8.5°C / min or higher, 9.0°C / min or higher, 9.5°C / min or higher, 10.0°C / min or higher, 11.0°C / min or higher, 12.0°C / min or higher, 13.0°C / min or higher, 14.0°C / min or higher, or 15.0°C / min or higher, the upper limit of which is, for example, 23°C / min or lower, or 20°C / min or lower, the range being, for example, 6.0 to 25°C / min or lower. (S3) (S2) A warming step in which the composition after the temperature-raising step is kept at a bottom temperature of 95°C or higher, more specifically 98°C or higher, the upper limit of which is, for example, 100°C or lower, in the range of, for example, 95 to 100°C, for 2 minutes or more, more specifically 3 minutes or more, 4 minutes or more, 5 minutes or more, 6 minutes or more, 7 minutes or more, 8 minutes or more, 9 minutes or more, 10 minutes or more, 11 minutes or more, 12 minutes or more, 13 minutes or more, 14 minutes or more, or 15 minutes or more, the upper limit of which is, for example, 100 minutes or less, 80 minutes or less, 60 minutes or less, 50 minutes or less, or 40 minutes or less, in the range of, for example, 10 to 100 minutes or less. (a) The moisture content converted to wet mass is 20% by mass or more, 25% by mass or more, 30% by mass or more, 35% by mass or more, 40% by mass or more, 43% by mass or more, 45% by mass or more, 47% by mass or more, 50% by mass or more, or 52% by mass or more. The upper limit is not particularly limited, but is, for example, 97% by mass or less, 95% by mass or less, 90% by mass or less, 88% by mass or less, 85% by mass or less, 80% by mass or less, 75% by mass or less, 70% by mass or less, 65% by mass or less, 64% by mass or less, 60% by mass or less, or 58% by mass or less. The range is, for example, 20 to 85% by mass, 25 to 80% by mass, 30 to 75% by mass, 35 to 70% by mass, 40 to 65% by mass, or 45 to 64% by mass.(b) the pH at 20°C and 1 atmosphere is 4.0 or more, 4.2 or more, 4.4 or more, 4.6 or more, 4.7 or more, 4.8 or more, 4.9 or more, 4.95 or more, 5.0 or more, 5.05 or more, 5.1 or more, 5.15 or more, 5.2 or more, 5.3 or more, or 5.4 or more; the upper limit is not limited, but may be, for example, 8.8 or less, 8.2 or less, 8.0 or less, 7.5 or less, 7.1 or less, or 7.0 or less; It is 6.9 or less, 6.8 or less, 6.5 or less, 6.4 or less, 6.35 or less, 6.3 or less, 6.2 or less, 6.1 or less, 5.9 or less, 5.8 or less, 5.6 or less, or 5.5 or less, and the range is, for example, 4.0 to 7.0, 4.4 to 6.9, 4.7 to 6.8, 4.8 to 6.5, 4.9 to 6.4, 4.95 to 6.35, 5.0 to 6.3, 5.05 to 6.3, or 5.1 to 6.1. (c) Titratable acidity when measured by measurement method A is 0.1% by mass or more, 0.15% by mass or more, 0.2% by mass or more, 0.24% by mass or more, 0.25% by mass or more, 0.28% by mass % or more, 0.3 mass% or more, 0.35 mass% or more, 0.4 mass% or more, 0.42 mass% or more, 0.45 mass% or more, 0.50 mass% or more, 0.60 mass% or more, 0.70 mass% 0.80% by mass or more, 0.90% by mass or more, 1.0% by mass or more, 1.2% by mass or more, 1.4% by mass or more, 1.6% by mass or more, 1.8% by mass or more, 2.0% by mass or more, 2. 2% by mass or more, 2.4% by mass or more, 2.6% by mass or more, 3.0% by mass or more, 3.2% by mass or more, 3.4% by mass or more, 3.6% by mass or more, 3.8% by mass or more, or 4.0% by mass or more The upper limit is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, 10.0 mass% or less, 9.0 mass% or less, 8.5 mass% or less, 8.0 mass% or less, 7.5 mass% or less, 7.0 mass% or less, 6.5 mass% or less, 6.0 mass% or less, 5.5 mass% or less, 5.0 mass% or less, 4.5 mass% or less, 4.0 mass% or less, 3.5 mass% or less, 3.0 mass% or less, 2.7 mass% or less, 2.5 mass% or less, 2.0 mass% or less, 1.5 mass% or less, 1.0 mass% or less, 0.9 mass% or less, 0.8 mass% or less, 0.75 mass% or less, or 0.7 mass% or less, and the range is, for example, 0.1 to 10.0 mass%, 0.15 to 8.5 mass%, 0.2 to 8.0 mass%, 0.24 to 7.0 mass%, or 0.28 to 5.5 mass%.Accurately sample 10 g of the food composition and dilute it 10 times with ion-exchanged water. To the diluted solution (100 g), add 0.08 ml of 3.1% phenolphthalein solution as an indicator. Neutralization titration is performed with a 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution of known potency, and the titratable acidity is calculated using the following formula: Titratable acidity (mass%) of food composition = {(60.05 x 0.1 x F x V) x 100} / {sample amount (10 g) x 1000}, where 60.05 is the molecular weight of acetic acid, 0.1 is the molar concentration of sodium hydroxide solution (mol / L), F is the titer of 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution, and V is the titer of 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution (mL). (d) Satisfying the following requirement (i) and / or (ii): (i) When the salt equivalent amount per 100 g of water in the food composition is X g and the undissociated acetic acid content per 100 g of water in the food composition is Y g, the following formula is satisfied. 4Y+X≧10, or the value of “4Y+X” is 11 or more, 12 or more, 13 or more, 14 or more, 15 or more, 16 or more, 17 or more, 18 or more, 19 or more, 20 or more, 21 or more, 22 or more, 24 or more, 25 or more, 26 or more, 28 or more, 30 or more, 31 or more, 32 or more, 33 or more, 34 or more, or 35 or more, and the upper limit is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 56 or less, 54 or less, 52 or less, 50 or less, 48 ​​or less, or 46 or less. , 45 or less, 44 or less, 43 or less, 42 or less, 41 or less, 40 or less, 39 or less, 38 or less, 37 or less, 36 or less, 35 or less, 34 or less, 33 or less, 32 or less, 30 or less, 28 or less, 26 or less, 25 or less, 24 or less, 23 or less, or 22 or less, and the range is, for example, 10 to 56, 12 to 50, 14 to 45, 15 to 44, 20 to 43, or 25 to 42 (provided that X≧3 and Y>0.03). Requirement (ii)The salt equivalent amount per 100g of water in the food composition is 3.0g or more, 4.0g or more, 5.0g or more, 6.0g or more, 7.0g or more, 8.0g or more, 9.0g or more, 10g or more, 11g or more, 12g or more, 13g or more, 14g or more, 16g or more, 18g or more, 20g or more, 22g or more, 24g or more, 26g or more, 27g or more, 28g or more, 30g or more, 32g or more, 33g or more, 34g or more , 35g or more, or 36g or more, and the upper limit is not particularly limited, but is, for example, 54g or less, 50g or less, 45g or less, 40g or less, or 38g or less, and the range is, for example, 3.0 to 54g, 5.0 to 54g, 7.0 to 50g, 8.0 to 45g, 9.0 to 40g, 10 to 40g, 11 to 40g, 12 to 40g, 13 to 40g, 14 to 40g, 16 to 40g, 20 to 40g, and the ethanol content per 100 g of water of the food composition is 8.0 g or more, 8.2 g or more, 8.5 g or more, 8.7 g or more, 9.0 g or more, 9.3 g or more, 9.5 g or more, 10.0 g or more, 10.5 g or more, 11.0 g or more, 12.0 g or more, 13.0 g or more, 14.0 g or more, 15.0 g or more, 16.0 g or more, 17.0 g or more, 18.0 g or more, 19.0 g or more, 20.0 g or more, 21.0 g or more, 22.0 g or more, 24.0 g or more, 27.0 g or more, 30.0 g or more, 32.0 g or more, 33.0 g or more, 34.0 g or more, or 35.0 g or more. The upper limit is not particularly limited, but is, for example, 20.0 g or less, 19.5 g or less, 19.0 g or less, 18.5 g or less, 18.0 g or less, 17.5 g or less, 16.5 g or less, or 15.5 g or less, and the range is, for example, 8.0 to 20.0 g, 9.0 to 19.0 g, 10.0 to 18.0 g, or 11.0 to 18.0 g.

[0006] The food composition of the present invention can, for example, suppress the growth of microorganisms that cause food deterioration, while suppressing the sourness of foods produced using the food composition. Furthermore, for example, even when an enzyme is added to the food composition of the present invention, it is possible to provide foods and beverages in which enzymatic activity is maintained. Furthermore, by adding an enzyme that reacts with a specific substrate, a texture-improving effect can be achieved, particularly in foods and beverages that use grains as raw materials, due to the synergistic effect of sodium, the enzyme, and undissociated acetic acid and / or ethanol. Furthermore, for example, a novel method for producing cooked rice can be provided.

[0007] In this specification, when multiple upper and / or lower limits are indicated for a numerical range, it is assumed that the numerical range, which combines at least the maximum value of the upper limit and the minimum value of the lower limit, is directly stated even if not otherwise specified. Furthermore, all numerical ranges obtained by combining any upper limit among the upper limits with any lower limit among the lower limits, are included in one embodiment of the present invention. 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 and upper limits. When multiple lower limits and multiple upper limits are indicated separately, it is assumed that any lower limit and upper limit can be selected and connected by "to".

[0008] In the present invention, the percentage expressed in "mass %" refers to the percentage "converted to wet mass." "Converted to wet mass" 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 in the sample as the numerator, and can also be read as w / w %.

[0009] As used herein, the term "comprising" encompasses the terms "consisting essentially of" and "consisting of." When the term "comprising" is used, the listed steps or options need not be exhaustive.

[0010] In this specification, the expression "and / or" includes both "and" and "or." For example, "A and / or B" includes both A and B and A or B, and indicates three cases: A alone, B alone, and both A and B.

[0011] In the present invention, the expression "content of various components per 100 g of water in a food composition" refers to the ratio of the content (% by mass) of each component in a food composition to the wet-weight equivalent moisture content (% by mass) of the food composition. For example, if the wet-weight equivalent moisture content of a food composition is 50% by mass and the salt equivalent content of the food composition is 5% by mass, the salt equivalent content of the food composition per 100 g of water is calculated to be 10 g. In addition, in the present invention, the expression "ratio of the content of XX component (▲▲) to the content of ◆◆ component (△△)" refers to the ratio of the content value of the ◆◆ component specified by the unit △△ in the food composition of the present invention to the content value of the XX component specified by the unit ▲▲ in the food composition of the present invention. For example, in an embodiment in which the sodium content of a food composition of the present invention is 10% by mass and the chloride ion content is 5% by mass, the "ratio of the chloride ion content (% by mass) to the sodium content (% by mass)" is calculated to be 0.5.

[0012] According to one aspect of the present invention, the above-mentioned problem does not preclude the existence of other problems disclosed in this specification. That is, one aspect of the present invention may, for example, be to inhibit the growth of spoilage bacteria in a food composition that has not been heat-sterilized at 100°C or higher, to inhibit the generation of spoilage odors due to the growth of microorganisms that cause food deterioration, to maintain the enzymatic activity of an enzyme-containing food composition, to improve the shelf life of a food composition that has not been heat-sterilized at 100°C or higher, to improve the texture of processed grain products, or to inhibit the growth of microorganisms that cause food deterioration without impairing the flavor of the food produced. It is not necessary for one aspect of the present invention to solve all of these problems.

[0013] <Microorganisms> The food composition of the present invention can inhibit the growth of microorganisms that cause food deterioration (sometimes referred to as spoilage bacteria in the present invention). Microorganisms include viruses, bacteria, yeast, mold, actinomycetes, etc. Examples of microorganisms that cause food deterioration include lactic acid bacteria, acetic acid bacteria, yeast, Bacillus subtilis (e.g., Bacillus subtilis natto, etc.), koji mold, Escherichia coli, etc. More specifically, for example, Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium botulinum (type A, proteolytic types B and F, type E, nonproteolytic types B and F), Bacillus cereus, Clostridium perfringens, pathogenic strains of Escherichia coli, Vibrio cholerae, Salmonella spp., Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Aeromonas, Listeria monocytogenes, Campylobacter jejuni, Yersinia enterocolitica, Shigella Examples of spoilage bacteria capable of growing in acetic acid-containing compositions include food poisoning bacteria such as Bacillus subtilis spp. and Vibrio vulnificus, as well as spoilage bacteria capable of growing in acetic acid-containing compositions. Examples of spoilage bacteria capable of growing in acetic acid-containing compositions include halotolerant spore-forming bacteria, acetic acid-resistant spore-forming bacteria, acidophilic spore-forming bacteria, heat-resistant mold, heat-resistant lactic acid bacteria, acetic acid-resistant lactic acid bacteria, acetic acid-resistant mold, acetic acid-resistant yeast, and salt-tolerant yeast. In particular, the food composition of the present invention can exhibit an excellent growth inhibitory effect against the spoilage bacteria, and can particularly exhibit an excellent growth inhibitory effect against at least one species selected from halotolerant spore-forming bacteria, acetic acid-resistant spore-forming bacteria, acidophilic spore-forming bacteria, heat-resistant mold, heat-resistant lactic acid bacteria, acetic acid-resistant mold, and salt-tolerant yeast, which are spoilage bacteria capable of growing in acetic acid-containing compositions. In particular, it can exhibit an excellent growth inhibitory effect against at least one species selected from halotolerant spore-forming bacteria and heat-resistant lactic acid bacteria.More specifically, the food composition of the present invention can exhibit an excellent growth inhibitory effect against heat-resistant lactic acid bacteria, and even more specifically, can exhibit an excellent growth inhibitory effect against lactic acid bacteria belonging to the heat-resistant lactic acid bacterium "Lactobacillus fructivorans."

[0014] When lactic acid bacteria grow in a food composition, compounds such as diacetyl are produced by lactic acid fermentation, which causes a smell of deterioration.

[0015] <First embodiment> The first embodiment of the present invention relates to a food composition having a moisture content converted to wet mass, a pH at 20°C and 1 atmosphere, and a titratable acidity that are equal to or greater than predetermined values. The first embodiment will be described below.

[0016] In a first embodiment, the food composition of the present invention is a food composition that satisfies all of the following requirements (a) to (d): (a) a moisture content converted to wet mass of 20% by mass or more, (b) a pH of 4.0 or more at 20°C and 1 atmosphere, and (c) the titratable acidity of the food composition, as measured by Measurement Method A, is 0.1% by mass or more. Measurement Method A: 10 g of the food composition is accurately sampled and diluted 10 times with ion-exchanged water, and 0.08 ml of 3.1% phenolphthalein solution is added to the diluted solution (100 g) as an indicator. The diluted solution is subjected to neutralization titration with a 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution of known potency, and the titratable acidity is calculated using the following formula: Titratable acidity (mass%) of food composition = {(60.05 x 0.1 x F x V) x 100} / {sample amount (10 g) x 1000}, where 60.05 is the molecular weight of acetic acid, 0.1 is the molar concentration of sodium hydroxide solution (mol / L), F is the titer of 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution, and V is the titer of 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution (mL). (d) Satisfying the following requirements (i) and / or (ii): Requirement (i): When the salt equivalent amount per 100 g of water in the food composition is X g and the undissociated acetic acid content per 100 g of water in the food composition is Y g, the following formula is satisfied: 4Y + X ≧ 10 (where X ≧ 3 and Y > 0.03). Requirement (ii): The food composition has a salt equivalent of 3.0 g or more per 100 g of water, and an ethanol content of 8.0 g or more per 100 g of water.

[0017] <Wet mass equivalent moisture content> In the present invention, the wet mass equivalent moisture content of a food composition refers to the ratio of the water content in the food composition to the total weight of the food composition. This value 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. Specifically, an appropriate amount of sample is placed in a weighing container (W0) previously adjusted to a constant weight, weighed (W1), and placed in a vacuum electric constant temperature dryer adjusted to a predetermined temperature (more specifically, 90°C) at atmospheric pressure, with the lid off or with the mouth open. The door is closed, and the vacuum pump is operated to dry the food at the predetermined reduced pressure for a certain period of time. The vacuum pump is then stopped, and dry air is pumped in to return the food composition to atmospheric pressure. The weighing container is then removed, the lid is replaced, and the food is allowed to cool in a desiccator, after which the weight is measured. This process of drying, cooling, and weighing (W2) is repeated until a constant weight is reached, and the moisture content (moisture content converted to wet mass) (% by mass) is calculated by (W1 - W2) / (W1 - W0). The dry weight of the sample can also be measured by calculating (W2 - W0).

[0018] The food composition of the present invention preferably has a moisture content equivalent to a wet mass of at least a predetermined value. This allows the pH of the food composition to be stabilized. Furthermore, when the food composition is added to a raw material, the components in the food composition can be uniformly exposed to the raw material. The moisture content equivalent to a wet mass of the food composition of the present invention is typically at least 20% by mass, preferably at least 25% by mass, more preferably at least 30% by mass, even more preferably at least 35% by mass, even more preferably at least 40% by mass, particularly preferably at least 43% by mass, and particularly preferably at least 45% by mass, 47% by mass, 50% by mass, or 52% by mass. The upper limit of the moisture content is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, 97% by mass or less, 95% by mass or less, 90% by mass or less, 88% by mass or less, 85% by mass or less, 80% by mass or less, 75% by mass or less, 70% by mass or less, 65% by mass or less, 64% by mass or less, 60% by mass or less, or 58% by mass or less. Furthermore, from the viewpoint of ensuring that the components in the food composition are evenly exposed to the raw materials and inhibiting the growth of spoilage bacteria when the food composition is added to the raw materials, it is preferable that the moisture content of the food composition of the present invention is within a predetermined range. This range is preferably 20 to 85% by mass, more preferably 25 to 80% by mass, even more preferably 30 to 75% by mass, even more preferably 35 to 70% by mass, particularly preferably 40 to 65% by mass, and especially preferably 45 to 64% by mass. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limits are also disclosed in the present invention.

[0019] As mentioned above, the food composition of the present invention preferably has a moisture content equivalent to a wet mass of at least a predetermined value. However, the food composition of the present invention may be in any form. Specifically, it may be a solid composition obtained by adding a coagulant under an environment of 1 atmosphere and 20°C, a gel (semi-solid) composition obtained by adding a gelling agent, a liquid composition, or even a liquid composition in which an enzyme is dissolved in water. However, a liquid or gel composition is preferred, and a liquid composition is particularly preferred, in that it allows the components in the food composition to be evenly exposed to the ingredients when the food composition is added to the ingredients. Furthermore, the food composition of the present invention is more preferably liquid under an environment of 1 atmosphere and 0°C, and may also be liquid under an environment of 1 atmosphere and -20°C (this allows, for example, if the food composition of the present invention contains an enzyme, to be distributed in cold regions while maintaining enzymatic activity). In order for the food composition of the present invention to be liquid under an environment of 1 atmosphere and 0°C or 1 atmosphere and -20°C, for example, it may be adjusted to satisfy the specifications regarding the carbohydrate content and salt equivalent amount described below. Furthermore, the food composition of the present invention may be an unsterilized composition that can be filled into a container and stored at 20°C under 1 atmosphere for 1 month, 2 months, 3 months, 4 months, 5 months, 6 months, 7 months, or 8 months without being subjected to heat sterilization (for example, heat sterilization at a maximum temperature of 100°C or higher, particularly heat sterilization at a maximum temperature of 124°C or higher), without generating a microbially derived deterioration odor. In particular, when the composition of the present invention is an unsterilized liquid composition, the production process can be simplified, and, for example, when the food composition of the present invention contains an enzyme, the enzymatic activity is maintained during storage while the decrease in enzymatic activity due to heat sterilization is suppressed, which is more preferable.

[0020] The food composition of the present invention preferably has a water activity of not more than a predetermined value. Water activity refers to the ratio of free water to the water content in a food. From the viewpoint of inhibiting the growth of spoilage bacteria, the water activity of the food composition of the present invention may be preferably 0.98 or less, 0.97 or less, 0.96 or less, 0.95 or less, 0.94 or less, 0.93 or less, 0.92 or less, 0.91 or less, 0.90 or less, 0.89 or less, 0.88 or less, 0.87 or less, 0.86 or less, 0.85 or less, 0.84 or less, 0.83 or less, 0.82 or less, 0.81 or less, 0.80 or less, 0.79 or less, or 0.78 or less, 0.77 or less, 0.75 or less, 0.74 or less, 0.73 or less, 0.72 or less, 0.71 or less, 0.70 or less, 0.69 or less, or 0.68 or less. The lower limit is not particularly limited, but may be preferably 0.50 or more, 0.52 or more, 0.55 or more, 0.57 or more, 0.58 or more, 0.60 or more, 0.61 or more, 0.62 or more, 0.63 or more, 0.64 or more, 0.65 or more, or 0.67 or more. The water activity range of the food composition of the present invention may preferably be 0.50 to 0.94, or 0.60 to 0.93. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper or lower limit values ​​are also disclosed in the present invention.

[0021] The food composition of the present invention preferably has a pH of 4.0 or higher, since the effects of the present invention are achieved. For example, when the food composition of the present invention contains an enzyme, a pH of at least a predetermined value allows the enzyme activity to be maintained. Furthermore, although the mechanism is unclear, when the food composition of the present invention is added directly to a food (e.g., a seasoning used to improve the shelf life of ready-to-eat meals), various flavors can be enhanced by acetic acid. In the present invention, the "pH" value refers to the value measured at 20°C under 1 atmosphere. Specifically, the upper limit is not limited, but can be, for example, 8.8 or less, 8.2 or less, 8.0 or less, 7.5 or less, 7.1 or less, 7.0 or less, 6.9 or less, 6.8 or less, 6.5 or less, 6.4 or less, 6.35 or less, 6.3 or less, 6.2 or less, 6.1 or less, 5.9 or less, 5.8 or less, 5.6 or less, or 5.5 or less. On the other hand, the lower limit is not limited, and can be, for example, 4.0 or more, 4.2 or more, 4.4 or more, 4.6 or more to 4.7 or more, 4.8 or more, 4.9 or more, 4.95 or more, 5.0 or more, 5.05 or more, 5.1 or more, 5.15 or more, 5.2 or more, 5.3 or more, or 5.4 or more. More specifically, the pH of the food composition of the present invention may typically be 4.0 to 7.0 or 4.4 to 6.9, preferably 4.7 to 6.8, more preferably 4.8 to 6.5, even more preferably 4.9 to 6.4, still more preferably 4.95 to 6.35, particularly preferably 5.0 to 6.3, and particularly preferably 5.05 to 6.3 or 5.1 to 6.1. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limits are also disclosed in the present invention.

[0022] In order to ensure that the effects of the present invention are significantly exhibited, the food composition of the present invention preferably has a "titratable acidity" determined by neutralization titration within a predetermined range. The titratable acidity of the food composition of the present invention can be calculated by the following measurement method A.

[0023] <Measurement Method A> First, 10 g of the food composition of the present invention is accurately sampled and diluted 10-fold with ion-exchanged water. To the diluted solution (100 g) is added 0.08 ml of 3.1% phenolphthalein solution as an indicator. The diluted solution is then neutralized with a 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution of known potency, and the titratable acidity of the food composition of the present invention is determined by the following formula: Titratable acidity of food composition of the present invention (mass %) = {(60.05 x 0.1 x F x V) x 100} / {sample amount (10 g) x 1000}, where 60.05 is the molecular weight of acetic acid, 0.1 is the molar concentration of the sodium hydroxide solution (mol / L), F is the potency of the 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution, and V is the titration volume of the 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution (mL).

[0024] The titratable acidity of the food composition of the present invention is preferably a predetermined value or higher. Although the mechanism behind this is unclear, a pH of 4.0 or higher and a titratable acidity of a predetermined value or higher tend to enhance the flavor of the food material to be seasoned, for example, in an embodiment in which the food composition of the present invention is added directly to a food product as a seasoning (e.g., a seasoning used to improve the shelf life of ready-to-eat meals). The lower limit of the titratable acidity of the food composition of the present invention is preferably 0.1% by mass or more, 0.15% by mass or more, 0.2% by mass or more, 0.24% by mass or more, 0.25% by mass or more, 0.28% by mass or more, 0.3% by mass or more, 0.35% by mass or more, 0.4% by mass or more, 0.42% by mass or more, 0.45% by mass or more, 0.50% by mass or more, 0.60% by mass or more, 0.70% by mass or more, 0.80% by mass or more, 0.90% by mass or more, 1.0% by mass or more, 1.2% by mass or more, 1.4% by mass or more, 1.6% by mass or more, 1.8% by mass or more, 2.0% by mass or more, 2.2% by mass or more, 2.4% by mass or more, 2.6% by mass or more, 3.0% by mass or more, 3.2% by mass or more, 3.4% by mass or more, 3.6% by mass or more, 3.8% by mass or more, or 4.0% by mass or more. The upper limit is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, 10.0% by mass or less, 10.0% by mass or less, 9.0% by mass or less, 8.5% by mass or less, 8.0% by mass or less, 7.5% by mass or less, 7.0% by mass or less, 6.5% by mass or less, 6.0% by mass or less, 5.5% by mass or less, 5.0% by mass or less, 4.5% by mass or less, 4.0% by mass or less, 3.5% by mass or less, 3.0% by mass or less, 2.7% by mass or less, 2.5% by mass or less, 2.0% by mass or less, 1.5% by mass or less, 1.0% by mass or less, 0.9% by mass or less, 0.8% by mass or less, 0.75% by mass or less, or 0.7% by mass or less. The range may be, for example, 0.1 to 10.0% by mass, 0.15 to 8.5% by mass, 0.2 to 8.0% by mass, 0.24 to 7.0% by mass, or 0.28 to 5.5% by mass. The present invention also discloses a range of values ​​specified by combining the above upper and lower limit values.The types of ready-to-eat foods (e.g., prepared foods) are not particularly limited, but examples include main dishes and side dishes. More specific examples include hamburger steak, fried chicken, steak, omelet, braised pork, meatballs, ham, bacon, boiled tofu, grilled fish, boiled fish, double-cooked pork, green pepper and pork stir-fry, Bang Bang Chicken, stir-fried vegetables with meat, cabbage rolls, deep-fried meat or seafood (tempura, fries, cutlet, etc.), stuffed bell peppers, salad, steamed vegetables, stir-fried vegetables without meat, boiled vegetables, vegetables with sesame dressing (e.g., spinach with sesame dressing), simmered kiriboshi daikon radish, stir-fried burdock, vegetable tempura, pickled vegetables, marinated vegetables, etc.

[0025] <Sodium> The sodium content in the food composition of the present invention is measured using atomic absorption spectrometry in accordance with the "Sodium" section of the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan, 2015 Edition (7th Edition). In the present invention, the value obtained by multiplying the sodium content measured by the above method by 2.54 is defined as the salt equivalent.

[0026] The food composition of the present invention preferably has a salt equivalent content per 100 g of water in the food composition of a predetermined value or more. This allows for a synergistic effect with undissociated acetic acid and / or ethanol to inhibit the growth of spoilage bacteria. Furthermore, in embodiments in which the food composition of the present invention contains an enzyme and is used to produce processed grain products, the simultaneous action of sodium, the enzyme, and undissociated acetic acid and / or ethanol results in processed grain products that are easy to loosen. Although the mechanism behind this is unclear, it is possible that in addition to the synergistic effect of sodium's inhibitory effect on starch swelling and the effect of the enzyme, undissociated acetic acid and / or ethanol may promote the release of components that serve as substrates for various enzymes while inhibiting the growth of spoilage bacteria in food ingredients. The salt equivalent content per 100 g of water in the food composition of the present invention is usually 3.0 g or more, or 4.0 g or more, preferably 5.0 g or more, or 6.0 g or more, more preferably 7.0 g or more, 8.0 g or more, or 9.0 g or more, even more preferably 10 g or more, or 11 g or more, still more preferably 12 g or more, or 13 g or more, particularly preferably 14 g or more, and particularly preferably 16 g or more, 18 g or more, 20 g or more, 22 g or more, 24 g or more, 26 g or more, 27 g or more, 28 g or more, 30 g or more, 32 g or more, 33 g or more, 34 g or more, 35 g or more, or 36 g or more. The upper limit is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, 54 g or less, 50 g or less, 45 g or less, 40 g or less, or 38 g or less. The salt equivalent content per 100 g of water in the food composition of the present invention may be, for example, 3.0 to 54 g, 5.0 to 54 g, 7.0 to 50 g, 8.0 to 45 g, 9.0 to 40 g, 10 to 40 g, 11 to 40 g, 12 to 40 g, 13 to 40 g, 14 to 40 g, 16 to 40 g, 20 to 40 g, 22 to 40 g, 24 to 40 g, 27 to 40 g, 30 to 40 g, 32 to 40 g, 33 to 50 g, 34 to 50 g, or 35 to 50 g. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limits are also disclosed in the present invention. Incidentally, by using sodium chloride in combination with another sodium salt (e.g., sodium acetate) as the source of sodium, it is possible to incorporate a salt equivalent content exceeding the saturated solubility of sodium chloride per 100 g of water (approximately 35 g of salt equivalent).If the salt equivalent amount per 100 g of water in the food composition is less than 3.0 g, a sufficient inhibitory effect on the growth of spoilage bacteria may not be obtained. Furthermore, for the food composition of the present invention, the value disclosed as the salt equivalent amount (g) per 100 g of water in the food composition may be divided by 2.54, and the resulting value may be used as the sodium content (g) per 100 g of water in the food composition.

[0027] Furthermore, for the same reason that the salt equivalent amount per 100 g of water is preferably within a predetermined range, the salt equivalent amount of the food composition of the present invention is preferably within a predetermined range. The upper limit of the salt equivalent amount in the food composition of the present invention is not limited, and may be, for example, 70.0% by mass or less, 60.0% by mass or less, 50.0% by mass or less, 40.0% by mass or less, 35.0% by mass or less, 30.0% by mass or less, 26.0% by mass or less, 25.0% by mass or less, 24.0% by mass or less, 23.0% by mass or less, 22.0% by mass or less, 21.0% by mass or less, 20.0% by mass or less, 19.8% by mass or less, 19.0% by mass or less, 18.0% by mass or less, 17.5% by mass or less, 17.0% by mass or less, 16.0% by mass or less, or 15.8% by mass or less. On the other hand, the lower limit is not limited, and may be, for example, 1.0 mass% or more, 2.0 mass% or more, 2.5 mass% or more, 3.0 mass% or more, 3.5 mass% or more, 4.0 mass% or more, 4.5 mass% or more, 5.0 mass% or more, 6.0 mass% or more, 7.5 mass% or more, 8.0 mass% or more, 8.3 mass% or more, 8.7 mass% or more, 9.0 mass% or more, 9.5 mass% or more, 9.6 mass% or more, 9.8 mass% or more, 9.9 mass% or more, 10.2 mass% or more, 11. 5% by mass or more, 10.8% by mass or more, 11.1% by mass or more, 11.3% by mass or more, 11.5% by mass or more, 11.6% by mass or more, 11.7% by mass or more, 11.8% by mass or more, 11.9% by mass or more, 12.5% ​​by mass or more, It may be 13.0 mass% or more, 13.5 mass% or more, 14.0 mass% or more, 14.5 mass% or more, 15.0 mass% or more, 15.5 mass% or more, 16.0 mass% or more, 16.5 mass% or more, 17.0 mass% or more.Furthermore, the salt equivalent content in the food composition of the invention may be preferably 1.0% to 70.0% by mass, 2.0% to 60.0% by mass, 2.5% to 50.0% by mass, 3.0% to 40.0% by mass, 3.5% to 35.0% by mass, 4.0% to 30.0% by mass, 4.5% to 26.0% by mass, or 5.0 to 25.0% by mass, more preferably 6.0 to 24.0% by mass, even more preferably 7.0 to 23.0% by mass, still more preferably 8.0 to 22.0% by mass, particularly preferably 10.0 to 21.0% by mass, and particularly preferably 12.0 to 20.5% by mass, 12.1 to 20.5% by mass, or 12.2 to 20.5% by mass. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limit values ​​are also disclosed in the present invention.

[0028] <Undissociated acetic acid content> In an aqueous solution, acetic acid molecules coexist in an equilibrium state in both dissociated and undissociated forms, as shown in Equation 2. CH3COOH⇔H + +CH3COO - (Equation 2) Here, assuming that the dissociated acetic acid content is [A-], the proton content is [H+], and the undissociated acetic acid content is [AH], the undissociated acetic acid content [AH] can be calculated from the pH and the total acetic acid content (i.e., [A-] + [AH]) using the following calculation formula (Equation 3). The total acetic acid content (total acetic acid content) in the present invention is measured by high performance liquid chromatography in accordance with the measurement method for "organic acids" in the 2015 edition (7th revision) of the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan. That is, particularly when a large amount of acetate salts such as sodium acetate is contained, a value greater than the "titratable acidity" calculated by neutralization titration may be obtained. pH = 4.76 + log10[A-] / [AH] (Equation 3)

[0029] The food composition of the present invention preferably contains a predetermined amount of undissociated acetic acid. This enhances the growth inhibitory effect on halotolerant spore-forming bacteria and heat-resistant lactic acid bacteria. Furthermore, when the food composition of the present invention contains an enzyme, a synergistic effect with the enzyme can be expected when the food composition is added to a raw material. Specifically, the upper limit of the undissociated acetic acid content per 100 g of water in the food composition of the present invention is, for example, 20 g or less, 15 g or less, 12 g or less, 10 g or less, 8.000 g or less, 7.000 g or less, 6.000 g or less, 5.500 g or less, 5.000 g or less, 4.800 g or less, 4.700 g or less, 4.600 g or less, 4.500 g or less, 4.0 ... However, if the content of undissociated acetic acid per 100 g of water in the food composition of the present invention exceeds 15.0 g, the sour taste or sour odor due to the acetic acid in the food composition itself may be too strong. The lower limit may usually be more than 0.03 g, more specifically, 0.035 g or more, 0.04 g or more, 0.045 g or more, 0.05 g or more, 0.07 g or more, 0.15 g or more, 0.20 g or more, 0.25 g or more, 0.35 g or more, 0.40 g or more, 0.45 g or more, 0.55 g or more, 0.60 g or more, 0.65 g or more, 0.75 g or more, 0.8 g or more, 0.85 g or more, 0.90 g or more, 0.95 g or more, 1.00 g or more, 1.05 g or more, 1.10 g or more, 1.15 g or more, 1.20 g or more, or 1.25 g or more. If the content of undissociated acetic acid per 100 g of water in the food composition of the present invention is 0.03 g or less, a sufficient inhibitory effect on the growth of spoilage bacteria may not be obtained. Furthermore, the content of undissociated acetic acid per 100 g of water in the food composition of the present invention may be preferably 0.03 to 10,000 g, 0.03 to 8,000 g, 0.03 to 4,000 g, more preferably 0.05 to 3,000 g, even more preferably 0.1 to 2,700 g, still more preferably 0.15 to 2,400 g, particularly preferably 0.3 to 2,000 g, and particularly preferably 0.4 to 1,800 g.The present invention also discloses a range of values ​​specified by combining the above upper and lower limit values.

[0030] For the same reason as why the content of undissociated acetic acid per 100 g of water in the food composition of the present invention is preferably a predetermined amount, the content of undissociated acetic acid in the food composition of the present invention is preferably a predetermined amount. The upper limit of the content of undissociated acetic acid in the food composition of the present invention is not limited, but may be, for example, 20.0% by mass or less, 15.0% by mass or less, 12.0% by mass or less, 10.0% by mass or less, 9.0% by mass or less, 8.0% by mass or less, 7.0% by mass or less, 6.0% by mass or less, 5.0% by mass or less, 4.5% by mass or less, 4.0% by mass or less, 3.5% by mass or less, 3.0% by mass or less, 2.5% by mass or less, 2.0% by mass or less, 1.900% by mass or less, 1.8% by mass or less, 2.0% by mass or less, 2.5% by mass or less, 2.0% by mass or less, 1.900% by mass or less, 1.8% by mass or less, 2.0% by mass or less, 2.5% by mass or less, 2.0% by mass or less, 1.900% by mass or less, 2. ... 00 mass% or less, 1.700 mass% or less, 1.650 mass% or less, 1.600 mass% or less, 1.580 mass% or less, 1.510 mass% or less, 1.450 mass% or less, 1.380 mass% or less, 1.280 mass% or less , 1.200 mass% or less, 1.150 mass% or less, 1.100 mass% or less, 1.050 mass% or less, 1.005 mass% or less, 0.980 mass% or less, 0.940 mass% or less, 0.920 mass% or less. The lower limit is not limited, but may be 0.015% by mass or more, 0.02% by mass or more, 0.025% by mass or more, 0.03% by mass or more, 0.035% by mass or more, 0.04% by mass or more, 0.045% by mass or more, 0.048% by mass or more, 0.05% by mass or more, 0.053% by mass or more, 0.055% by mass or more, 0.100% by mass or more, 0.150% by mass or more, 0.180% by mass or more, 0.200% by mass or more, 0.210% by mass or more, 0.230% by mass or more, 0.240% by mass or more, 0.270% by mass or more, 0.300% by mass or more, 0.350% by mass or more, 0.400% by mass or more, 0.450% by mass or more, 0.500% by mass or more, 0.550% by mass or more, or 0.600% by mass or more.Furthermore, the content of undissociated acetic acid in the food composition of the present invention may be, for example, 0.01 to 20.0% by mass, 0.01 to 18.0% by mass, 0.01 to 15.0% by mass, or 0.01 to 10.0% by mass, more preferably 0.03 to 5.0% by mass, more preferably 0.05 to 3.0% by mass, even more preferably 0.07 to 2.5% by mass, still more preferably 0.100 to 1.550% by mass, particularly preferably 0.15 to 1.450% by mass, and particularly preferably 0.200 to 1.300% by mass. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limit values ​​are also disclosed in the present invention.

[0031] <Total Acetic Acid Content> The food composition of the present invention may have a total acetic acid content per 100 g of water within a predetermined range. Specifically, the upper limit of the total acetic acid content per 100 g of water in the food composition of the present invention is not limited, and may be, for example, 50.0 g or less, 30.0 g or less, 25.0 g or less, 23.5 g or less, 22.0 g or less, 21.5 g or less, 20.0 g or less, 19.0 g or less, 18.5 g or less, 18.0 g or less, 17.7 g or less, 17.5 g or less, 16.5 g or less, 16.0 g or less, 15.0 g or less, 14.0 g or less, 13.5 g or less, or 13.0 g or less. On the other hand, the lower limit is not limited, and may be, for example, 0.4 g or more, 0.6 g or more, 0.8 g or more, 1.0 g or more, 1.2 g or more, 1.4 g or more, 1.6 g or more, 1.8 g or more, 2.1 g or more, 2.2 g or more, 2.3 g or more, 2.4 g or more, 2.5 g or more, 2.7 g or more, 2.9 g or more, 3.0 g or more, 3.1 g or more, 3.2 g or more, 3.3 g or more, 3.5 g or more, 3.7 g or more, 3.9 g or more, 4.1 g or more, 4.3 g or more, 4.5 g or more, 4.7 g or more, 4.9 g or more, 5.5 g or more, 5.9 g or more, 6.5 g or more, 7.5 g or more, 9.0 g or more, or 10.0 g or more. Furthermore, the range of the total acetic acid content per 100 g of water in the food composition of the present invention may be, for example, 0.4 to 30.0 g, more preferably 1.2 to 25.0 g, even more preferably 1.4 to 20.0 g, still more preferably 2.3 to 18.0 g, particularly preferably 2.5 to 17.5 g, and particularly preferably 3.0 to 16.5 g. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limit values ​​are also disclosed in the present invention.

[0032] The food composition of the present invention may also have a total acetic acid content within a predetermined range. The upper limit of the total acetic acid content in the food composition of the present invention is not limited, and may be, for example, 50.0% by mass or less, 25.0% by mass or less, 20.0% by mass or less, 18.0% by mass or less, 17.0% by mass or less, 16.0% by mass or less, 15.0% by mass or less, 13.0% by mass or less, 12.0% by mass or less, 11.5% by mass or less, 11.0% by mass or less, 10.5% by mass or less, 9.3% by mass or less, 9.1% by mass or less, 8.9% by mass or less, 8.7% by mass or less, 8.3% by mass or less, 7.7% by mass or less, 7.3% by mass or less, 7.2% by mass or less, 6.9% by mass or less, 6.8% by mass or less, or 6.7% by mass or less. On the other hand, the lower limit is not limited, and may be, for example, 2.1 mass% or more, 2.2 mass% or more, 2.3 mass% or more, 2.4 mass% or more, 2.7 mass% or more, 2.9 mass% or more, 3.1 mass% or more, 3.2 mass% or more, 3.3 mass% or more, 3.5 mass% or more, 3.7 mass% or more, 3.9 mass% or more, 4.1 mass% or more, 4.3 mass% or more, 4.5 mass% or more, 4.7 mass% or more, or 4.9 mass% or more. Furthermore, the total acetic acid content of the food composition of the present invention may be, for example, 2.0 to 25.0% by mass, more preferably 2.1 to 20.0% by mass, 2.2 to 18.0% by mass, 2.3 to 15.0% by mass, even more preferably 2.4 to 9.0% by mass, still more preferably 2.6 to 8.8% by mass, particularly preferably 2.8 to 8.5% by mass, and particularly preferably 3.0 to 8.0% by mass, or 4.0 to 7.5% by mass, or 4.3 to 7.0% by mass. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limit values ​​are also disclosed in the present invention.

[0033] The food composition of the present invention preferably satisfies the following formula, where X g is the salt equivalent per 100 g of water in the food composition and Y g is the undissociated acetic acid content per 100 g of water in the food composition: Formula 1: 4Y + X ≥ 10 (where X ≥ 3 and Y > 0.03). By satisfying this formula, the growth of microorganisms that cause food deterioration in the food composition, particularly the aforementioned spoilage bacteria (particularly lactic acid bacteria, particularly the heat-resistant lactic acid bacterium "Lactobacillus fructivorans"), can be suppressed. Furthermore, when the food composition of the present invention contains an enzyme, the synergistic effect with the enzyme can improve the texture of the food or beverage. Although the mechanism behind this is unclear, it is possible that sodium and undissociated acetic acid act on the cell membrane or cell wall to suppress microbial growth, while promoting the elution of enzyme substrates from the raw materials when the food composition of the present invention is added to the raw materials. The value of "4Y+X" in Formula 1 may be 10 or more, 11 or more, 12 or more, 13 or more, 14 or more, 15 or more, 16 or more, 17 or more, 18 or more, 19 or more, 20 or more, 21 or more, 22 or more, 24 or more, 25 or more, 26 or more, 28 or more, 30 or more, 31 or more, 32 or more, 33 or more, 34 or more, or 35 or more. The upper limit of "4Y+X" in Formula 1 is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, 56 or less, 54 or less, 52 or less, 50 or less, 48 ​​or less, 46 or less, 45 or less, 44 or less, 43 or less, 42 or less, 41 or less, 40 or less, 39 or less, 38 or less, 37 or less, 36 or less, 35 or less, 34 or less, 33 or less, 32 or less, 30 or less, 28 or less, 26 or less, 25 or less, 24 or less, 23 or less, or 22 or less. Furthermore, from the viewpoint of being able to exert a microbial growth inhibitory effect even after long-term storage, the value of "4Y + X" in the above formula 1 may be preferably 10 to 56, more preferably 12 to 50, even more preferably 14 to 45, even more preferably 15 to 44, particularly preferably 20 to 43, and especially preferably 25 to 42. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limit values ​​are also disclosed in the present invention. Note that the preferred value of X (the amount of salt equivalent per 100 g of water in the food composition) in this relational formula can be the same upper limit, lower limit, or numerical range as the above-mentioned definition of the amount of salt equivalent per 100 g of water in the food composition.Furthermore, the preferred value of Y (the content of undissociated acetic acid per 100 g of water in the food composition) can be an upper limit, a lower limit, or a numerical range similar to the specifications regarding the content of undissociated acetic acid per 100 g of water in the food composition described above.

[0034] Furthermore, because Equation 1 holds even for compositions with a sufficiently high wet mass equivalent moisture content, the food composition of the present invention also encompasses an embodiment in which Equation 1 is satisfied when the salt equivalent of the food composition is X% by mass and the undissociated acetic acid content of the food composition is Y% by mass (in this case, X is replaced with X and Y is replaced with Y). In this embodiment, the preferred numerical range, upper limit, or lower limit of the value of "4Y + X" in Equation 1 may be the same as the value described in the embodiment in which "the salt equivalent amount per 100 g of water in the food composition is X g and the undissociated acetic acid content per 100 g of water in the food composition is Y g." Furthermore, when the salt equivalent of the food composition is X% by mass and the undissociated acetic acid content of the food composition is Y% by mass, the preferred value of X (the salt equivalent amount of the food composition) in this relational expression can be the same upper limit, lower limit, or numerical range as specified above for the salt equivalent amount of the food composition. In addition, the preferred value of Y2 (the content of undissociated acetic acid in the food composition) can be the same upper limit, lower limit, or numerical range as the specification regarding the content of undissociated acetic acid in the food composition described above.

[0035] The food composition of the present invention may have a salt equivalent of 3.0 g or more per 100 g of water in the food composition, and an ethanol content of 8.0 g or more per 100 g of water in the food composition.

[0036] The ethanol content in the food composition of the present invention is calculated by determining the ratio of the ethanol peak area in a sample with a known ethanol content to the ethanol peak area in a sample with an unknown ethanol content, based on the gas chromatography method described in the "Alcohol" section of the Analysis Manual for the 2015 Edition (7th revision) of the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan. From the perspective of achieving the effects of the present invention, the food composition of the present invention may have a salt equivalent of 3.0 g or more per 100 g of water, and an ethanol content of 8.0 g or more per 100 g of water. Although the mechanism behind this is unclear, ethanol, together with sodium, in the food composition may inhibit the growth of the aforementioned spoilage bacteria. Furthermore, if the food composition of the present invention contains an enzyme, it may promote the elution of components that serve as substrates for the enzyme from the raw materials. The ethanol content per 100 g of water in the food composition of the present invention may be preferably 8.0 g or more, 8.2 g or more, 8.5 g or more, 8.7 g or more, 9.0 g or more, 9.3 g or more, 9.5 g or more, 10.0 g or more, 10.5 g or more, 11.0 g or more, 12.0 g or more, 13.0 g or more, 14.0 g or more, or 15.0 g or more. The upper limit of the ethanol content is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, 20.0 g or less, 19.5 g or less, 19.0 g or less, 18.5 g or less, 18.0 g or less, 17.5 g or less, 16.5 g or less, or 15.5 g or less. Furthermore, the ethanol content per 100 g of water in the food composition of the present invention may be in the range of, for example, 8.0 to 20.0 g, 9.0 to 19.0 g, 10.0 to 18.0 g, or 11.0 to 18.0 g. The present invention also discloses a range of values ​​specified by combining the above upper and lower limit values.

[0037] The ethanol content of the food composition of the present invention is preferably at least a predetermined value, for the same reasons as those for the food composition preferably having a salt equivalent of 3.0 g or more per 100 g of water and an ethanol content of 8.0 g or more per 100 g of water. The ethanol content of the food composition of the present invention may be preferably at least 5.0% by mass, 5.2% by mass, 5.5% by mass, 5.7% by mass, 6.0% by mass, 6.3% by mass, 6.5% by mass, 7.0% by mass, 7.1% by mass, 7.3% by mass, 7.5% by mass, 7.8% by mass, 8.0% by mass, or 9.0% by mass. The upper limit may be, for example, 20.0% by mass or less, 18.0% by mass or less, 17.5% by mass or less, 17.0% by mass or less, 16.5% by mass or less, 15.5% by mass or less, 14.5% by mass or less, or 13.0% by mass or less. Furthermore, the ethanol content in the food composition of the present invention may be 4.5 to 19.0% by mass, 5.3 to 17.0% by mass, 6.8 to 15.0% by mass, or 7.5 to 14.0% by mass. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limit values ​​are also disclosed in the present invention.

[0038] In an embodiment in which the ethanol content per 100 g of water in the food composition of the present invention is 8.0 g or more, the salt equivalent amount per 100 g of water in the food composition of the present invention can be the same as the value described above.

[0039] <Enzyme> The food composition of the present invention preferably contains an enzyme having an optimum pH of 4.0 or higher. The enzyme may be one type or any combination of two or more types. The upper limit of the optimum pH of the enzyme in the present invention is not limited, and may be, for example, 9.5 or less, 9.3 or less, 9.0 or less, 8.8 or less, 8.2 or less, 8.0 or less, 7.5 or less, 7.1 or less, 7.0 or less, 6.8 or less, 6.5 or less, 6.4 or less, 6.35 or less, 6.3 or less, 6.2 or less, 6.1 or less, 5.9 or less, 5.8 or less, 5.6 or less, or 5.5 or less. On the other hand, the lower limit can be, for example, 4.0 or more, 4.2 or more, 4.3 or more, 4.4 or more, 4.5 or more, 4.6 or more, 4.7 or more, 4.8 or more, 4.9 or more, 4.95 or more, 5.0 or more, 5.05 or more, 5.10 or more, 5.15 or more, 5.2 or more, 5.3 or more, or 5.4 or more. More specifically, the optimal pH of the enzyme in the food composition of the present invention may usually be 4.0 to 7.0, preferably 4.7 to 6.8, more preferably 4.8 to 6.5, even more preferably 4.9 to 6.4, still more preferably 4.95 to 6.35, particularly preferably 5.0 to 6.3, and particularly preferably 5.05 to 6.3, or 5.1 to 6.1. In the present invention, the optimal pH refers to the pH at which the enzyme activity is highest, and usually refers to the pH at 30°C at which the enzyme activity is highest. When the optimum pH of an arbitrary enzyme is determined to be a specific pH, the value needs only to satisfy the above-mentioned requirement (e.g., 4.0 or higher), and when the optimum pH has a certain range, part or all of the range needs only to satisfy the above-mentioned requirement (e.g., 4.0 or higher).

[0040] The enzyme is not particularly limited, but the food composition of the present invention preferably contains at least one enzyme selected from transferase and hydrolase. Transferase is an enzyme classified in EC group 2 and is also called a transferase. Hydrolase is an enzyme classified in EC group 3 and is also called a hydrolase. When the food composition of the present invention contains a transferase, the processed grain product can maintain a moderate elasticity, particularly when used in processed grain products. When the food composition of the present invention contains a hydrolase, the processed grain product can maintain its softness, particularly when used in processed grain products. Furthermore, when the food composition of the present invention contains a transferase and a hydrolase, the processed grain product can maintain both softness and elasticity, and maintain a chewy texture, particularly when used in processed grain products. That is, the food composition of the present invention preferably contains a transferase and / or a hydrolase.

[0041] The food composition of the present invention preferably contains one or more hexosyltransferases as the transferase. Hexosyltransferases are enzymes identified by "EC Number 2.4.1.○" (where "○" is a number). More specifically, the food composition of the present invention particularly preferably contains at least one hexosyltransferase selected from 6-α-glucanotransferase, 4-α-glucanotransferase, cyclodextrin glucanotransferase, and α-glucosyltransferase, and may contain two, three, or four hexosyltransferases. Of these, the food composition of the present invention preferably contains 6-α-glucanotransferase or 4-α-glucanotransferase. On the other hand, when the food composition of the present invention contains cyclodextrin glucanotransferase as the transferase, the crumbly texture of processed grain products containing brown rice and / or millet can be improved, and therefore the food composition can be suitably used for processed grain products containing brown rice and / or millet.

[0042] In the present invention, the 6-α-glucanotransferase can be a 6-α-glucanotransferase classified under EC number 2.4.1.18 (also called a 1,4-α-glucan branching enzyme, branching enzyme, or branching enzyme). The 4-α-glucanotransferase can be a 4-α-glucanotransferase classified under EC number 2.4.1.25. The cyclodextrin glucanotransferase can be a cyclodextrin glucanotransferase classified under EC number 2.4.1.19. The α-glucosyltransferase can be an α-glucosyltransferase classified under EC number 2.4.1.18 (in this case, the α-glucosyltransferase can be a 6-α-glucanotransferase).

[0043] Furthermore, the food composition of the present invention particularly preferably contains at least one hydrolase selected from glutaminase, maltotriohydrolase, β-amylase, phospholipase A1, pullulanase, hemicellulase, α-amylase, pectinase, glucoamylase, transglucosidase, pectin methylesterase, phospholipase A2, protease, α-galactosidase, invertase, cellulase, xylanase, fructosyltransferase, β-glucosidase, and lipase, and may contain two, three, four, or five or more hydrolases.

[0044] In the present invention, the glutaminase can be a glutaminase classified under EC number 3.5.1.35 or EC number 3.5.1.2. The maltotriohydrolase can be a maltotriohydrolase classified under EC number 3.2.1.1 or EC number 3.2.1.116. The β-amylase can be a β-amylase classified under EC number 3.2.1.2. The phospholipase A1 can be a phospholipase A1 classified under EC number 3.1.1.32. The pullulanase can be a pullulanase classified under EC number 3.2.1.41. The hemicellulase can be a hemicellulase classified under EC number 3.2.1.8 (in this case, the hemicellulase can be a xylanase). The α-amylase may be an α-amylase classified under EC number 3.2.1.1, or may be a maltogenic α-amylase classified under EC number 3.2.1.133. The pectinase may be a pectinase classified under EC number 3.2.1.15. The glucoamylase may be a glucoamylase classified under EC number 3.2.1.3. The transglucosidase may be a transglucosidase (α-glucosidase) classified under EC number 3.2.1.20. The pectin methylesterase may be a pectin methylesterase classified under EC number 3.1.1.11. The phospholipase A2 may be a phospholipase A2 classified under EC number 3.1.1.4. The protease may be a protease classified under EC number 3.4. There are no particular limitations on the protease as long as it is classified as a ◯ (◯ is a number), but it can be, for example, a protease classified as EC number 3.4.23.21. The α-galactosidase can be an α-galactosidase classified as EC number 3.2.1.22. The invertase can be an invertase classified as EC number 3.2.1.26. The cellulase can be a cellulase classified as EC number 3.2.1.4. The xylanase can be a xylanase classified as EC number 3.2.1.8.The fructosyltransferase can be a fructosyltransferase (inulinase) classified under EC number 3.2.1.7. The β-glucosidase can be a β-glucosidase classified under EC number 3.2.1.21. The lipase can be a lipase classified under EC number 3.1.1.3. Furthermore, when the food composition of the present invention contains at least one enzyme selected from xylanase, β-glucosidase, and lipase as the hydrolase, the gritty texture of processed grain products containing brown rice and / or miscellaneous grains can be improved, and therefore the food composition can be suitably used for processed grain products containing brown rice and / or miscellaneous grains.

[0045] The food composition of the present invention may also contain at least one enzyme selected from glucose oxidase, polyphenol oxidase, and glucose isomerase.

[0046] In the present invention, the glucose oxidase may be a glucose oxidase classified under EC number 1.1.3.4, the polyphenol oxidase may be a polyphenol oxidase classified under EC number 1.10.3.2, and the glucose isomerase may be a glucose isomerase (also called xylose isomerase) classified under EC number 5.3.1.5.

[0047] The food composition of the present invention may contain any combination of the above-mentioned enzymes, i.e., at least one, two, three, four, or five or more enzymes selected from glutaminase, 6-α-glucanotransferase, maltotriohydrolase, 4-α-glucanotransferase, β-amylase, phospholipase A1, pullulanase, hemicellulase, α-amylase, cyclodextrin glucanotransferase, pectinase, glucose oxidase, polyphenol oxidase, glucoamylase, transglucosidase, pectin methylesterase, phospholipase A2, protease, α-galactosidase, invertase, cellulase, glucose isomerase, α-glucosyltransferase, xylanase, fructosyltransferase, β-glucosidase, and lipase. Among these, the food composition of the present invention may contain 6-α-glucanotransferase and maltotriohydrolase, 4-α-glucanotransferase and β-amylase, protease and lipase, cellulase, hemicellulase, and pectinase, or glutaminase and α-amylase. Furthermore, the food composition of the present invention may not contain at least one, two, three, four, or five or more types of enzymes selected from the above-mentioned enzymes.

[0048] The food composition of the present invention preferably contains at least one enzyme whose substrate is at least one selected from amino acids, peptides, starch, phospholipids, hemicellulose, pectin, phospholipids, oligosaccharides, glycolipids, cellulose, glucose, xylan, sucrose, proteins, and simple lipids, and may contain two, three, four, five, six, seven, or eight or more enzymes whose substrate is at least one selected from amino acids, peptides, starch, hemicellulose, pectin, phospholipids, oligosaccharides, glycolipids, cellulose, glucose, xylan, sucrose, proteins, and simple lipids. The amino acid preferably has a substrate of at least one selected from histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, valine, arginine, cysteine, glutamine, glycine, proline, tyrosine, alanine, aspartic acid, asparagine, glutamic acid, and serine. The amino acid generally refers to at least one selected from histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, valine, arginine, cysteine, glutamine, glycine, proline, tyrosine, alanine, aspartic acid, asparagine, glutamic acid, and serine. The term "amino acid" as used herein encompasses D-, L-, and DL-isomers.

[0049] Furthermore, the food composition of the present invention may not contain glucose oxidase, or may not contain α-amylase and glucose oxidase.

[0050] The enzyme contained in the food composition of the present invention may be, for example, a commercially available enzyme (for example, β-amylase such as β-amylase F "Amano" manufactured by Amano Enzyme Co., Ltd.).

[0051] In particular, when the food composition of the present invention is used in a method for producing cooked rice, in an embodiment in which the food composition of the present invention contains α-amylase, adding the food composition of the present invention before cooking can inhibit staling of cooked rice, particularly by softening the cooked rice immediately after cooking, thereby resulting in inhibition of staling. Furthermore, it may be possible to improve the release of cooked rice from the rice cooker (preventing cooked rice from sticking to the rice cooker after cooking). Furthermore, improving the release of cooked rice can improve the yield of cooked rice, particularly in large-scale rice cooking. Furthermore, in an embodiment in which the food composition of the present invention contains maltotriohydrolase, adding the food composition of the present invention before cooking can inhibit staling of cooked rice, particularly by preventing the cooked rice from becoming dry after long-term storage. Furthermore, in an embodiment in which the food composition of the present invention contains 6-α-glucanotransferase, adding the food composition of the present invention before cooking can inhibit staling of cooked rice, particularly by maintaining the elasticity of cooked rice after long-term storage. Furthermore, in embodiments in which the food composition of the present invention contains 4-α-glucanotransferase, adding the food composition of the present invention before cooking rice can inhibit staling of cooked rice, particularly inhibiting the cooked rice from becoming hard after long-term storage. Furthermore, in embodiments in which the food composition of the present invention contains β-amylase, adding the food composition of the present invention after cooking rice can inhibit staling of cooked rice, particularly inhibiting the cooked rice from becoming less sticky after long-term storage. In embodiments in which the food composition of the present invention contains glutaminase, adding the food composition of the present invention before cooking rice can improve convection inside the rice cooker during cooking, thereby inhibiting uneven heating or burning, improving the ease of release of cooked rice from the rice cooker, and improving the loosening of cooked rice.

[0052] The commercially available enzymes can be added to the food composition in a predetermined amount. The content of the enzyme (e.g., the commercially available enzyme) in the food composition of the present invention is not particularly limited to a lower limit, but may be, for example, 0.001% by mass or more, 0.01% by mass or more, 0.05% by mass or more, 0.1% by mass or more, 0.3% by mass or more, 0.5% by mass or more, 0.7% by mass or more, 0.9% by mass or more, 1.0% by mass or more, 1.2% by mass or more, 1.5% by mass or more, 1.7% by mass or more, 1.8% by mass or more, 2.0% by mass or more, 2.2% by mass or more, 2.5% by mass or more, 2.7% by mass or more, or 3.0% by mass or more. The upper limit may be, for example, 10% by mass or less, 8.0% by mass or less, 7.0% by mass or less, 6.0% by mass or less, 5.0% by mass or less, 4.0% by mass or less, or 3.0% by mass or less. The range may be, for example, 0.001 to 10.0% by mass. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limits are also disclosed in the present invention. According to one aspect of the present invention, the various enzymes contained in the food composition of the present invention may be contained in a state in which the enzyme activity is within a predetermined range. The range of the enzyme activity of the various enzymes in the food composition of the present invention may be, for example, 100 U / L or more and 10,000,000 U / L or less. More specifically, the lower limit may be 150 U / L or more, 200 U / L or more, 250 U / L or more, 300 U / L or more, 400 U / L or more, 500 U / L or more, 600 U / L or more, 650 U / L or more, 700 U / L or more, 800 U / L or more, 900 U / L or more, 950 U / L or more, 1000 U / L or more, 1200 U / L or more, 1500 U / L or more, 1700 U / L or more, 1800 U / L or more, or 2000 U / L or more.On the other hand, the upper limits are 10,000,000 U / L or less, 9,000,000 U / L or less, 8,000,000 U / L or less, 7,000,000 U / L or less, 6,000,000 U / L or less, 5,000,000 U / L or less, 4,000,000 U / L or less, 3,000,000 U / L or less, 2,000,000 U / L or less, 1,800,000 U / L or less, 1,600,000 U / L or less, 1,400,000 U / L or less, 1,200,000 U / L or less, 1,100,000 U / L or less, 1,000,000 U / L or less, 900,000 U / L or less, 80,000 U / L or less It may be 0 U / L or less, 700,000 U / L or less, 600,000 U / L or less, 500,000 U / L or less, 400,000 U / L or less, 300,000 U / L or less, 200,000 U / L or less, 100,000 U / L or less, 90,000 U / L or less, 80,000 U / L or less, 70,000 U / L or less, 60,000 U / L or less, 50,000 U / L or less, 40,000 U / L or less, 30,000 U / L or less, 20,000 U / L or less, 10,000 U / L or less, 5,000 U / L or less, or 1,000 U / L or less. The enzymatic activity of the various enzymes in the food compositions of the present invention is preferably 150 U / L to 10,000,000 U / L, more preferably 200 U / L to 8,000,000 U / L, even more preferably 300 U / L to 6,000,000 U / L, even more preferably 600 U / L to 4,000,000 U / L, particularly preferably 900 U / L to 2,000,000 U / L, and particularly preferably 1,000 U / L to 1,000,000 U / L. Regarding the enzymatic activity of various enzymes, one unit (1 U / L) can be defined as the amount of enzyme capable of converting 1 μmol of substrate per minute at 30°C in 1 L of sample under optimal conditions. 1 U (μmol / min) can also be converted to the SI unit kat (mol / sec). For example, in the case of glutaminase enzyme activity, 2.0 mL of 30 mM L-glutamine solution is added to 0.1 mL of an enzyme solution appropriately diluted with 10 mM phosphate buffer (pH 7.0), and the mixture is reacted at 30°C for 30 minutes. The glutamic acid produced is then quantified by a known method (for example, using a glutamic acid measurement kit (manufactured by Seikagaku Corporation)). The amount of enzyme that produces 1 μmol of glutamic acid per minute is defined as 1 unit (1 U = 1000 mU).Furthermore, for example, amylase activity can be measured by a known method using starch (soluble) as a substrate, at 40°C and pH 5.0, in 30 minutes, where the activity to decompose 1 ml of a 1% starch solution until the iodine color index reaches a transmittance of 66% at a wavelength of 670 nm and an optical path length of 10 mm is defined as 1 unit (1 U = 1000 mU) (see, for example, https: / / www.jfrl.or.jp / storage / file / 222.pdf or https: / / web.archive.org / web / 20220918072602 / https: / / www.jfrl.or.jp / storage / file / 222.pdf).

[0053] In addition, the acetic acid in the food composition of the present invention may be contained in part in the form of an acetate salt. Specifically, the ratio of the total acetic acid content measured by the high-performance liquid chromatography method of the present invention to the titratable acidity determined by neutralization titration (total acetic acid content / titratable acidity determined by neutralization titration) may be 1.1 or more, 1.2 or more, 1.3 or more, 1.4 or more, 1.5 or more, 1.6 or more, 1.7 or more, 1.8 or more, 1.9 or more, 2.0 or more, 2.5 or more, 3.0 or more, 3.5 or more, 4.0 or more, 4.5 or more, 5.0 or more, 5.5 or more, 6.0 or more, 6.5 or more, 7.0 or more, 7.5 or more, 8.0 or more, 8.5 or more, 9.0 or more, 9.5 or more, or 10.0 or more. The upper limit may be, for example, 20.0 or less, 18.0 or less, 16.0 or less, 14.0 or less, 12.0 or less, or 11.0 or less. Furthermore, the range may be, for example, 2.0 to 18.0. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limit values ​​are also disclosed in the present invention. By satisfying these requirements, it is possible to easily obtain the effect of enhancing the flavor of the food material to be seasoned, for example, in an embodiment in which the food composition of the present invention is added directly to a food as a seasoning (e.g., a seasoning used to improve the shelf life of ready-to-eat prepared meals).

[0054] Another preferred feature of the food composition of the present invention is that it contains a predetermined amount of dissociated acetic acid. This allows the excessive sourness of the food to be suppressed, particularly in cases where the food composition of the present invention is added directly to a food (e.g., a seasoning used to improve the shelf life of ready-to-eat meals). Therefore, according to one aspect of the present invention, the food composition of the present invention can be a seasoning, more specifically, a seasoning used to improve the shelf life of ready-to-eat meals, and even more specifically, a seasoning used to improve the shelf life of ready-to-eat meals. The content of dissociated acetic acid in the food composition of the present invention can be calculated by subtracting the content of undissociated acetic acid from the total acetic acid content. In particular, the ratio of the dissociated acetic acid content (mass%) to the total acetic acid content (total acetic acid content) (mass%) of the food composition of the present invention may typically be 0.10 or more, 0.20 or more, 0.30 or more, 0.40 or more, 0.45 or more, 0.49 or more, 0.50 or more, 0.55 or more, 0.60 or more, 0.65 or more, or 0.70 or more. The upper limit is not particularly limited, and may typically be less than 1, less than 0.98, 0.90 or less, 0.85 or less, 0.80 or less, 0.75 or less, or 0.72 or less. The range may be, for example, 0.10 or more but less than 0.98, preferably 0.49 or more but less than 0.80, more preferably 0.49 or more but less than 0.75, and particularly preferably 0.55 or more but less than 0.72. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limits are also disclosed in the present invention. In particular, in an embodiment in which the food composition of the present invention is used as a seasoning by adding it directly to food, the ratio of the dissociated acetic acid content (mass%) to the total acetic acid content (total acetic acid content) (mass%) is 0.49 or more and 0.75 or less, so that, for example, in an embodiment in which the food composition of the present invention is used as a seasoning by adding it directly to food (for example, a seasoning used for the purpose of improving the shelf life of ready-to-eat meals), the flavor of the food material to be seasoned can be enhanced.Although the mechanism is unclear, it is presumed that the inclusion of a predetermined amount of dissociated acetic acid suppresses the sourness of undissociated acetic acid while exerting the flavor-enhancing effect of undissociated acetic acid on food materials, thereby enhancing the flavor of the food materials. Furthermore, if the ratio of the dissociated acetic acid content (mass%) to the total acetic acid content (total acetic acid content) (mass%) is less than 0.49, the sourness may be perceived as being too strong. On the other hand, if the ratio of the dissociated acetic acid content (mass%) to the total acetic acid content (total acetic acid content) (mass%) exceeds 0.75, the effect of enhancing the flavor of the food materials is not obtained, and the unpleasant taste may be perceived as being too strong. Dissociated acetic acid can be supplied by sodium acetate, potassium acetate, or the like. For example, the ratio of the content (mass%) of dissociated acetic acid derived from sodium acetate to the content (mass%) of dissociated acetic acid in the food composition of the present invention may be in the range of 0.5 or more and 1 or less, with the lower limit being 0.6 or more, 0.7 or more, 0.8 or more, or 0.9 or more, and the upper limit being 1 or less, 0.97 or less, or 0.95 or less.

[0055] Furthermore, the acetic acid in the food composition of the present invention may be contained in a food material, extracted from a food material, added as a compound, or a combination thereof. However, the food composition of the present invention preferably contains vinegar, more preferably contains vinegar and sodium acetate, and even more preferably contains brewed vinegar as defined by the JAS Law, which will come into effect on October 1, 2022. This is because the aroma of foods obtained using the food composition of the present invention is improved. The content of brewed vinegar is not particularly limited, but, for example, the upper limit may be 90% by mass or less, 80% by mass or less, 70% by mass or less, 60% by mass or less, 50% by mass or less, 40% by mass or less, 30% by mass or less, 29% by mass or less, 28% by mass or less, 27% by mass or less, 25% by mass or less, 23% by mass or less, 22% by mass or less, 21% by mass or less, 20% by mass or less, 19% by mass or less, 18.5% by mass or less, 18% by mass or less, 17.8% by mass or less, 17.5% by mass or less, 17.3 mass% or less, 16.7 mass% or less, 16.5 mass% or less, 16.0 mass% or less, 15.5 mass% or less, 15.0 mass% or less, 14.5 mass% or less, 14.0 mass% or less, 13.0 mass% or less, 12.5 mass% % or less, 12.0 mass% or less, 11.5 mass% or less, 11.0 mass% or less, 10.5 mass% or less, 10.0 mass% or less, 9.5 mass% or less, 9.0 mass% or less, 8.5 mass% or less, 8.0 mass% or less, 7.5 mass% or less The lower limit is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 0.1 mass% or more, 0.2 mass% or more, 0.3 mass% or more, 0.5 mass% or more, 0.7 mass% or more, 0.9 mass% or more, 1.0 mass% or more, 1.1 mass% or more, 1.3 mass% or more, 1.5 mass% or more, 1.7 mass% or more, 1.8 mass% or more, 1.9 ... % by mass or more, 2.0% by mass or more, 2.2% by mass or more, 2.4% by mass or more, or 2.6% by mass or more, and the range is, for example, 0.1 to 90% by mass, 0.1 to 30% by mass, 0.1 to 28% by mass, 0.1 to 25% by mass, 0.1 to 20% by mass, 0.1 to 17.5% by mass, 0.1 to 16.5% by mass, 0.1 to 15.5% by mass, 0.5 to 14.5% by mass, 0.7 to 13.0% by mass, 0.9 to 12.0% by mass, or 1.0 to 8.0% by mass.The present invention also discloses a numerical range defined by combining the above upper and lower limit values.

[0056] Furthermore, the food composition of the present invention preferably has a predetermined content of dissociated acetic acid, the upper limit of which is not limited, and may be, for example, 25.0% by mass or less, 22.0% by mass or less, 20.0% by mass or less, 18.0% by mass or less, 15.0% by mass or less, 12.0% by mass or less, 11.5% by mass or less, 11.0% by mass or less, 10.5% by mass or less, 9.3% by mass or less, 9.1% by mass or less, 8.9% by mass or less, 8.7% by mass or less, 8.3% by mass or less, 7.7% by mass or less, 7.3% by mass or less, 7.2% by mass or less, 6.9% by mass or less, 6.8% by mass or less, or 6.7% by mass or less. On the other hand, the lower limit is not limited, and may be, for example, 1.0 mass% or more, 1.5 mass% or more, 2.1 mass% or more, 2.2 mass% or more, 2.3 mass% or more, 2.4 mass% or more, 2.7 mass% or more, 2.9 mass% or more, 3.1 mass% or more, 3.2 mass% or more, 3.3 mass% or more, 3.5 mass% or more, 3.7 mass% or more, 3.9 mass% or more, 4.1 mass% or more, 4.3 mass% or more, 4.5 mass% or more, 4.7 mass% or more, or 4.9 mass% or more. Furthermore, the range may be, for example, 1.0 to 25.0 mass%, 1.5 to 18.0 mass%, or 1.9 to 11.9 mass%, more preferably 2.1 to 11.0 mass%, more preferably 2.2 to 10.0 mass%, more preferably 2.3 to 9.5 mass%, even more preferably 2.4 to 9.0 mass%, still more preferably 2.6 to 8.8 mass%, particularly preferably 2.8 to 8.5 mass%, and particularly preferably 3.0 to 8.0 mass%, or 4.0 to 7.5 mass%, or 4.3 to 7.0 mass%. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limits are also disclosed in the present invention.

[0057] Furthermore, the ratio of the content (mass%) of acetic acid derived from vinegar to the total acetic acid content (mass%) of the food composition of the present invention may usually be less than 0.50, particularly less than 0.40, or less than 0.30, or less than 0.20, or less than 0.15, or less than 0.10. The lower limit is not particularly limited and is usually greater than 0, or greater than 0.02, or greater than 0.05. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limit values ​​are also disclosed in the present invention.

[0058] When the food composition of the present invention contains vinegar, the content thereof is preferably within a predetermined range from the viewpoint of improving the aroma of the food obtained when using the food composition while ensuring the stability of quality, and the upper limit of the content is, for example, 90% by mass or less, 80% by mass or less, 70% by mass or less, 60% by mass or less, 50% by mass or less, 40% by mass or less, 30% by mass or less, 29% by mass or less, 27% by mass or less, 25% by mass or less, 23% by mass or less, 22% by mass or less, 21% by mass or less, 19% by mass or less, 18.5% by mass or less, 18% by mass or less, 17.8% by mass or less, 17.3% by mass or less, 16.7% by mass or less, or 16.0% by mass or less. , 15.0 mass% or less, 14.0 mass% or less, 12.5 mass% or less, 11.5 mass% or less, 11.0 mass% or less, 10.5 mass% or less, 10.0 mass% or less, 9.5 mass% or less, 9.0 mass% or less, It can be 8.5 mass% or less, 7.5 mass% or less, 7.0 mass% or less, 6.5 mass% or less, 6.0 mass% or less, 5.5 mass% or less, 5.0 mass% or less, 4.5 mass% or less, 4.0 mass% or less. Furthermore, the lower limit of the vinegar content in the food composition of the present invention can be, for example, 0.1% by mass or more, 0.2% by mass or more, 0.3% by mass or more, 0.5% by mass or more, 0.7% by mass or more, 0.9% by mass or more, 1.1% by mass or more, 1.3% by mass or more, 1.5% by mass or more, 1.7% by mass or more, 1.8% by mass or more, 2.0% by mass or more, 2.2% by mass or more, 2.4% by mass or more, or 2.6% by mass or more. Furthermore, the range of the vinegar content in the food composition of the present invention may be, for example, 0.1 to 90% by mass, 0.1 to 80% by mass, 0.1 to 70% by mass, 0.1 to 60% by mass, 0.1 to 50% by mass, 0.1 to 40% by mass, 0.1 to 90% by mass, 0.1 to 30% by mass, 0.1 to 28% by mass, 0.1 to 25% by mass, or 0.1 to 20% by mass, preferably 0.1 to 17.5% by mass, more preferably 0.1 to 16.5% by mass, even more preferably 0.1 to 15.5% by mass, even more preferably 0.5 to 14.5% by mass, even more preferably 0.7 to 13.0% by mass, particularly preferably 0.9 to 12.0% by mass, and particularly preferably 1.0 to 8.0% by mass. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limits are also disclosed in the present invention. The food composition of the present invention may also contain brewed vinegar as the vinegar within the above numerical range.

[0059] The food composition of the present invention preferably contains a sodium salt. Examples of the "sodium salt" include sodium chloride, sodium acetate, sodium citrate, disodium citrate, trisodium citrate, sodium gluconate, monosodium succinate, disodium succinate, sodium DL-tartrate, sodium L-tartrate, sodium lactate, monosodium fumarate, and sodium DL-malate. These sodium salts may be used alone or in any combination of two or more. The food composition of the present invention may preferably contain at least one selected from the group consisting of sodium chloride, sodium acetate, sodium citrate, disodium citrate, trisodium citrate, and sodium lactate, and particularly preferably contains sodium chloride and sodium acetate. The food composition of the present invention preferably contains less than 8.5% by mass of sodium citrate, more preferably less than 8.0% by mass, less than 7.5% by mass, even more preferably less than 7.0% by mass, even more preferably less than 6.5% by mass, less than 6.0% by mass, less than 5.5% by mass, or may even be 0% by mass. The food composition of the present invention may also contain sodium citrate in an amount less than the above-mentioned upper limit.

[0060] When the food composition of the present invention contains sodium acetate, the sodium acetate content in the food composition is preferably 1.0% by mass or more, more preferably 1.5% by mass or more, even more preferably 2.0% by mass or more, even more preferably 2.5% by mass or more, particularly preferably 3.0% by mass or more, particularly preferably 3.5% by mass or more, 4.0% by mass or more, 4.5% by mass or more, 5.0% by mass or more, 5.5% by mass or more, 6.0% by mass or more, 6.5% by mass or more, 7.0% by mass or more, or 7.5% by mass or more. The upper limit of the sodium acetate content may be, for example, 30% by mass or less, 25.0% by mass or less, 22.0% by mass or less, 20.0% by mass or less, 18.0% by mass or less, 16.0% by mass or less, 15.0% by mass or less, 14.0% by mass or less, 12.0% by mass or less, 10.0% by mass or less, 9.0% by mass or less, or 8.0% by mass or less. The range may be, for example, 1.0 to 30.0 mass%, preferably 1.0 to 20.0 mass%, more preferably 2.0 to 18.0 mass%, even more preferably 3.0 to 16.0 mass%, still more preferably 3.5 to 14.0 mass%, particularly preferably 4.0 to 10.0 mass%, and particularly preferably 4.5 to 8.0 mass%. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limit values ​​are also disclosed in the present invention.

[0061] When the food composition of the present invention contains sodium chloride, the upper limit of the sodium chloride content in the food composition is not limited, and may be, for example, 22.0% by mass or less, 21.0% by mass or less, 20.5% by mass or less, 19.5% by mass or less, 18.5% by mass or less, 18.0% by mass or less, 17.5% by mass or less, 17.0% by mass or less, 16.7% by mass or less, 16.2% by mass or less, 15.5% by mass or less, 15.0% by mass or less, 14.5% by mass or less, or 14.0% by mass or less. On the other hand, the lower limit is not limited, and may be, for example, 4.3 mass% or more, 4.7 mass% or more, 4.9 mass% or more, 5.5 mass% or more, 6.0 mass% or more, 6.5 mass% or more, 7.0 mass% or more, 7.5 mass% or more, 8.0 mass% or more, 8.3 mass% or more, 8.7 mass% or more, 9.0 mass% or more, 9.5 mass% or more, 9.6 mass% or more, 9.8 mass% or more, 9.9 mass% or more, 10.2 mass% or more, 10.5 mass% or more, 10.8 mass% or more, 11.1 mass% or more, 11.3 mass% or more, or 11.5 mass% or more. Furthermore, the sodium chloride content in the food composition of the present invention may be preferably 4.0 to 23.0% by mass, more preferably 5.0 to 22.0% by mass, even more preferably 6.0 to 20.0% by mass, even more preferably 7.0 to 19.0% by mass, particularly preferably 8.0 to 18.0% by mass, and particularly preferably 10.0 to 17.0% by mass, 10.5 to 16.5% by mass, or 11.0 to 16.0% by mass. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limits are also disclosed in the present invention. Furthermore, when the food composition of the present invention is used, particularly in the production of cooked rice, adding a food composition satisfying the above specifications before and / or after cooking can improve the firmness and loosening of cooked rice. Furthermore, the resulting plumpness of cooked rice can be used to inhibit aging and improve uneven cooking.

[0062] <Chloride Ions> The chloride ion content in the food composition of the present invention is measured by the Mohr method. The food composition of the present invention preferably has a ratio of chloride ion content (% by mass) to sodium content (% by mass) within a predetermined range. This further enhances the effects of the present invention. Although the mechanism is unclear, it is presumed that the effects of the present invention are further enhanced because the synergistic effect of sodium ions and chloride ions inhibits the growth of spoilage bacteria, and the pH change is small even when the food composition of the present invention is added to food ingredients. Preferably, the ratio of chloride ion content (% by mass) to sodium content (% by mass) in the food composition of the present invention is relatively higher than the ratio in sodium chloride (1.54) (since the molar mass of chloride ions is 35.45 g / mol and the molar mass of sodium ions is 23 g / mol, the ratio of chloride ion content (% by mass) to sodium content (% by mass) in sodium chloride is calculated to be approximately 1.54). In addition, by using sodium chloride in combination with other sodium salts (e.g., sodium acetate) as the source of sodium, the balance between chloride ions and sodium ions can be adjusted to produce a composition with a ratio lower than that of sodium chloride. Specifically, the upper limit is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 1.5 or less, 1.47 or less, 1.46 or less, 1.45 or less, 1.44 or less, 1.43 or less, 1.4 or less, 1.39 or less, 1.38 or less, 1.37 or less, 1.35 or less, 1.33 or less, 1.3 or less, 1.2 or less, 1.1 or less, 1.05 or less, 1.0 or less, 0.97 or less, 0.95 or less, 0.90 or less, 0.85 or less, 0.8 or less, 0.7 or less, 0.6 or less, or 0.5 or less.Furthermore, the lower limit value is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, 0.1 or more, 0.12 or more, 0.14 or more, 0.15 or more, 0.18 or more, 0.20 or more, 0.31 or more, 0.4 or more, 0.5 or more, 0.6 or more, 0.62 or more, 0.67 or more, 0.75 or more, 0.77 or more, 0.81 or more, 0.84 or more, 0.87 or more, 0.91 or more, 0.93 or more, 0.95 or more, 0.97 or more, 0.99 or more, 1.03 or more, 1.05 or more, 1.07 or more, 1.09 or more, 1.1 or more, 1.11 or more, or 1.12 or more. Furthermore, the range of the ratio of the chloride ion content (% by mass) to the sodium content (% by mass) in the food composition of the present invention may be preferably 0.1 to 1.5, more preferably 0.4 to 1.47, even more preferably 0.5 to 1.45, still more preferably 0.6 to 1.45, particularly preferably 0.6 to 1.4, and particularly preferably 0.6 to 1.3. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limit values ​​are also disclosed in the present invention.

[0063] The chloride ion content per 100 g of water in the food composition of the present invention is preferably a predetermined amount, and the upper limit may be, for example, 28 g or less, 27 g or less, 26 g or less, 24.5 g or less, 23.5 g or less, 23 g or less, 21.5 g or less, 20.5 g or less, 19.5 g or less, 19 g or less, 18.5 g or less, 18 g or less, 17.5 g or less, 17 g or less, 16.5 g or less, 15.5 g or less, 14.5 g or less, 13.5 g or less, 12.5 g or less, 12.0 g or less, 11.5 g or less, 11.0 g or less, or 10.5 g or less. The lower limit of the chloride ion content in the food composition of the present invention may be, for example, 1.0 g or more, 2.0 g or more, 3.0 g or more, 4.0 g or more, 4.5 g or more, 5.0 g or more, 5.5 g or more, 6 g or more, 8 g or more, 8.5 g or more, 9 g or more, 10.5 g or more, 11 g or more, 11.5 g or more, 12.5 g or more, 13 g or more, 13.5 g or more, or 14.5 g or more. Furthermore, the chloride ion content per 100 g of water in the food composition of the present invention may be preferably 2 to 30 g, more preferably 4 to 25 g, even more preferably 7 to 24 g, even more preferably 8 to 22 g, particularly preferably 9 to 21 g, and particularly preferably 10 to 20 g. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limits are also disclosed in the present invention.

[0064] The chloride ion content (% by mass) in the food composition of the present invention is preferably a predetermined amount, and the upper limit may be, for example, 15.3% by mass or less, 14.5% by mass or less, 13.5% by mass or less, 12.7% by mass or less, 12.5% ​​by mass or less, 11.8% by mass or less, 11.5% by mass or less, 11.3% by mass or less, 11% by mass or less, 10.8% by mass or less, 10.5% by mass or less, 10.3% by mass or less, 10% by mass or less, 9.8% by mass or less, or 9.5% by mass or less. The lower limit of the chloride ion content (% by mass) in the food composition of the present invention may be, for example, 1.0% by mass or more, 1.5% by mass or more, 2.0% by mass or more, 2.5% by mass or more, 3.5% by mass or more, 4.2% by mass or more, 5.3% by mass or more, 5.5% by mass or more, 5.7% by mass or more, 6% by mass or more, 6.2% by mass or more, 6.8% by mass or more, or 7% by mass or more. Furthermore, the chloride ion content (% by mass) in the food composition of the present invention may be preferably in the range of 1.8 to 15.5% by mass, more preferably 3 to 15% by mass, even more preferably 4 to 14% by mass, even more preferably 5 to 13% by mass, particularly preferably 6.5 to 12.5% ​​by mass, and particularly preferably 7.3 to 12% by mass. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limits are also disclosed in the present invention.

[0065] The food composition of the present invention preferably contains a predetermined amount of chloride ions derived from sodium chloride. Specifically, the ratio of the chloride ion content (mass%) derived from sodium chloride to the chloride ion content (mass%) in the food composition of the present invention may be, for example, 0.30 or more, 0.40 or more, 0.50 or more, 0.60 or more, 0.70 or more, 0.80 or more, 0.90 or more, or 0.95 or more. The upper limit of this ratio is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, 1 or less, 0.99 or less, 0.98 or less, 0.95 or less, or 0.92 or less. The range may be, for example, 0.30 to 1. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limits are also disclosed in the present invention.

[0066] The food composition of the present invention preferably has a Brix value (refractive index sugar content) within a predetermined range. The upper limit of the Brix value of the food composition of the present invention is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, 70 or less, 69 or less, 68 or less, 67 or less, 66 or less, 65 or less, 64 or less, 63 or less, 62 or less, 60 or less, 59 or less, 58 or less, 57 or less, 55 or less, 53 or less, 52 or less, 51 or less, 50 or less, 49 or less, 48 ​​or less, 47 or less, or 46 or less. Furthermore, the lower limit may be, for example, 15 or more, 18 or more, 21 or more, 22 or more, 23 or more, 24 or more, 26 or more, 27 or more, 28 or more, 29 or more, 30 or more, preferably 31 or more, 32 or more, more preferably 34 or more, even more preferably 35 or more, even more preferably 37 or more, particularly preferably 39 or more, and particularly preferably 40 or more, 41 or more, or 43 or more. The Brix value of the food composition of the present invention may also be in the range of, for example, 15 to 70, preferably 18 to 68, more preferably 24 to 66, even more preferably 26 to 60, still more preferably 28 to 55, particularly preferably 30 to 50, and particularly preferably 32 to 48. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper or lower limit values ​​are also disclosed in the present invention.

[0067] <Carbohydrates> "Carbohydrates" refers to the mass of a food product excluding protein, lipids, dietary fiber, ash, and moisture, as defined in the Food Labeling Standards based on Article 4, Paragraph 1 of the Food Labeling Act (Act No. 70 of 2013). The carbohydrates contained in the food composition of the present invention are preferably contained as soluble carbohydrates. "Soluble carbohydrates" in the present invention refers to carbohydrates soluble in water, and is a general term for monosaccharides and oligosaccharides (sugars consisting of 2 to 10 monosaccharides bonded together), as well as sugar alcohols. Therefore, starch, which has a much larger number of sugars bonded to it, is not included. Examples of soluble carbohydrates include glucose, fructose, galactose, sucrose, maltose, lactose, trehalose, sorbitol, etc. These may be contained as compounds alone, or as sweeteners containing them, such as brown sugar, honey, and starch syrup.

[0068] The inclusion of carbohydrates in the food composition of the present invention can inhibit the growth of spoilage bacteria in the food composition. Furthermore, when the food composition of the present invention contains a sugar alcohol, the present invention is useful because it can inhibit burning even when producing food by adding the food composition of the present invention and then heating it (for example, when adding the food composition of the present invention and then cooking rice to produce cooked rice, or when adding the food composition of the present invention and then baking dough to produce bread).

[0069] The carbohydrate content (total carbohydrate content) per 100 g of water in the food composition of the present invention is preferably within a predetermined range. Specifically, the upper limit is not limited, and may be, for example, 70.0 g or less, 68.0 g or less, 66.0 g or less, 65.0 g or less, 64.0 g or less, 63.0 g or less, 61.0 g or less, 60.0 g or less, 59.0 g or less, 58.5 g or less, 58.0 g or less, 57.0 g or less, 56.0 g or less, 55.0 g or less, 54.5 g or less, 53.5 g or less, 52.0 g or less, 50.8 g or less, 50.0 g or less, or 49.0 g or less. On the other hand, the lower limit is not limited, and may be, for example, 4.0 g or more, 4.5 g or more, 5.0 g or more, 5.5 g or more, 8.0 g or more, 10.0 g or more, 13.0 g or more, 15.0 g or more, 18.0 g or more, 20.0 g or more, 22.0 g or more, 25.0 g or more, 28.0 g or more, 30.0 g or more, 31.0 g or more, 33.0 g or more, 35.0 g or more, 37.5 g or more, 39.0 g or more, 40.0 g or more, 42.0 g or more, 43.5 g or more, 45.0 g or more, or 47.0 g or more. Furthermore, the carbohydrate content per 100 g of water in the food composition of the present invention may be preferably in the range of 4.0 to 70.0 g, more preferably 8.0 to 66.0 g, even more preferably 15.0 to 63.0 g, still more preferably 20.0 to 60.0 g, particularly preferably 25.0 to 58.0 g, and particularly preferably 30.0 to 55.0 g. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limit values ​​are also disclosed in the present invention.

[0070] The carbohydrate content (total carbohydrate content) in the food composition of the present invention is preferably a predetermined amount. Specifically, the upper limit is not limited, and may be, for example, 45.0% by mass or less, 40.0% by mass or less, 36.0% by mass or less, 35.0% by mass or less, 34.0% by mass or less, 33.0% by mass or less, 31.0% by mass or less, 29.0% by mass or less, 28.5% by mass or less, 27.5% by mass or less, 27.0% by mass or less, 26.8% by mass or less, or 26.3% by mass or less. On the other hand, the lower limit is not limited, and may be, for example, 0.5 mass% or more, 1.0 mass% or more, 1.5 mass% or more, 2.0 mass% or more, 2.5 mass% or more, 3.0 mass% or more, 3.5 mass% or more, 4.0 mass% or more, 6.0 mass% or more, 7.0 mass% or more, 7.5 mass% or more, 8.0 mass% or more, 9.0 mass% or more, 10.0 mass% or more, 11.5 mass% or more, 12.0 mass% or more, 12.5 mass% or more, 13.0 mass% or more, 13.5 mass% or more, 14.0 mass% or more, 16.0 mass% or more, 17.0 mass% or more, 17.5 mass% or more, or 18.0 mass% or more. Furthermore, the carbohydrate content in the food composition of the present invention may be preferably 0.5 to 50.0% by mass, more preferably 1.0 to 40.0% by mass, even more preferably 2.0 to 36.0% by mass, even more preferably 3.0 to 29.0% by mass, particularly preferably 4.0 to 27.0% by mass, and particularly preferably 5.0 to 25.0% by mass or 13.0 to 25.0% by mass. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limit values ​​are also disclosed in the present invention.

[0071] Furthermore, the food composition of the present invention may preferably contain reduced starch syrup as the source of carbohydrates, from the viewpoints of suppressing deterioration of the taste of foods produced by the taste of sugar itself and preventing burning in embodiments in which the food composition of the present invention is added and then heated. Reduced starch syrup is a sugar produced by reducing starch syrup, which is obtained by hydrolyzing starch with acid or enzymes. When the food composition of the present invention contains carbohydrates in the form of reduced starch syrup, the ratio of the content (mass%) of reduced starch syrup to the total content (mass%) of carbohydrates is preferably 0.40 or more, more preferably 0.50 or more, even more preferably 0.60 or more, even more preferably 0.70 or more, particularly preferably 0.80 or more, and particularly preferably 0.90 or more, or even 1. Furthermore, according to one aspect of the present invention, the content of reduced starch syrup in the food composition of the present invention may be 0.0 to 50.0% by mass, and may further satisfy the above-mentioned upper and lower limits of the carbohydrate content. Furthermore, when the food composition of the present invention is used particularly in the production of cooked rice, the water retention capacity of cooked rice can be improved by adding a food composition that satisfies the above-mentioned specifications before and / or after cooking, which can ultimately lead to the prevention of aging of cooked rice.

[0072] Furthermore, the food composition of the present invention may preferably contain a sugar alcohol, from the viewpoints of suppressing deterioration of the taste of the food produced by the taste of sugar itself and preventing burning in the case of heating after the addition of the food composition of the present invention. Sugar alcohol refers to a sugar in which the reducing group (aldehyde group, carbonyl group) of the sugar is converted to an alcohol group by hydrogenation, and examples thereof include sorbitol, iditol, xylitol, mannitol, lactitol, maltitol, palatinite, maltotriitol, isomalt, etc. The sugar alcohol content is measured according to the high-performance liquid chromatography method (monosaccharides, disaccharides, sugar alcohols) described in Appendix 1 of the Analysis Manual Supplement to the 2015 Edition (7th Edition) of the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan. Specifically, the food composition of the present invention may contain sorbitol and / or mannitol, and the ratio of the combined sorbitol and mannitol content (% by mass) to the total carbohydrate content (% by mass) may be, for example, 0.05 or more, 0.08 or more, preferably 0.10 or more, 0.12 or more, 0.14 or more, 0.18 or more, 0.20 or more, more preferably 0.24 or more, even more preferably 0.28 or more, still more preferably 0.30 or more, 0.40 or more, particularly preferably 0.50 or more, especially preferably 0.60 or more, 0.70 or more, 0.80 or more, 0.90 or more, or 1. Furthermore, according to one aspect of the present invention, the combined sorbitol and mannitol content in the food composition of the present invention may be 0.0 to 50.0% by mass, and may further satisfy the above-mentioned upper and lower limits of the carbohydrate content.

[0073] Furthermore, the food composition of the present invention preferably has a ratio of carbohydrate content (% by mass) to salt equivalent content (% by mass) within a specified range. This embodiment is useful in that the effects of the present invention are further enhanced and the taste balance between sodium and carbohydrates is improved. Specifically, the upper limit of this ratio is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 8.0 or less, 7.0 or less, 6.0 or less, 5.0 or less, 4.5 or less, or 4.0 or less. The lower limit may be 0.1 or more, 0.2 or more, 0.3 or more, 0.4 or more, 0.5 or more, 0.6 or more, 0.7 or more, 0.8 or more, 0.9 or more, 1.0 or more, 1.5 or more, 2.0 or more, 2.5 or more, or 3.0 or more. Furthermore, in the food composition of the present invention, the ratio of the carbohydrate content (% by mass) to the salt equivalent amount (% by mass) in the food composition of the present invention may preferably be 0.5 to 8, more preferably 0.5 to 7, even more preferably 0.5 to 6, even more preferably 0.5 to 5, particularly preferably 0.5 to 4, and especially preferably 1 to 3. Furthermore, the ratio of the soluble carbohydrate content (% by mass) to the salt equivalent amount (% by mass) in the food composition of the present invention may satisfy the above-mentioned regulation. Furthermore, the ratio of the reduced starch syrup content (% by mass) to the salt equivalent amount (% by mass) in the food composition of the present invention may satisfy the above-mentioned regulation.

[0074] Furthermore, from the viewpoint of improving the taste of foods obtained using the food composition of the present invention, it is preferable that the ratio (by mass) of the content of at least one selected from fructose, glucose, and maltose to the total carbohydrate content (by mass) of the food composition of the present invention is not more than a predetermined value. This value may be preferably 0.90 or less, 0.80 or less, 0.70 or less, 0.60 or less, 0.50 or less, 0.40 or less, 0.30 or less, 0.20 or less, 0.15 or less, or 0.10 or less. Furthermore, the ratio of the content (by mass) of maltose to the total carbohydrate content (by mass) of the food composition of the present invention may be 0.80 or less, 0.70 or less, 0.60 or less, 0.50 or less, 0.40 or less, 0.30 or less, 0.20 or less, 0.15 or less, or 0.10 or less. Furthermore, the ratio of the total content of at least two selected from fructose, glucose, and maltose to the carbohydrate content of the food composition of the present invention may be within the above-mentioned range, and the ratio of the total content (% by mass) of fructose, glucose, and maltose to the carbohydrate content (% by mass) of the food composition of the present invention may be within the above-mentioned range. The contents of fructose, glucose, and maltose in the food composition of the present invention are measured by high-performance liquid chromatography (monosaccharides, disaccharides) in accordance with the Analysis Manual for "Starch, Monosaccharides, Disaccharides" of the 2015 Edition (7th Edition) of the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan.

[0075] According to one aspect of the present invention, the food composition of the present invention may contain dextrin. When the food composition of the present invention contains dextrin, particularly when the present invention relates to the production of cooked rice, the graininess of cooked rice stored for a long period after cooking may be improved. Examples of dextrin include dextrins with a DE value of 4 to 40. More specifically, examples include Pine Index #100, Max 1000, Pine Index #2, Glister P, TK-16, Pine Index #4, Pine Oligo 20, Pine Index #3, and Pine Index #6, all of which are manufactured by Matsutani Chemical Industry Co., Ltd. When the food composition of the present invention contains dextrin, the total content of dextrin in the food composition may be, for example, 0.5% by mass or more, 1.0% by mass or more, 5.0% by mass or more, 10% by mass or more, 15% by mass or more, or 20% by mass or more. The upper limit may be, for example, 40% by mass or less, 30% by mass or less, 20% by mass or less, or 10% by mass or less. The range may be, for example, 0.5% by mass or more and 40% by mass or less. The present invention also discloses a numerical range specified by combining the above upper and lower limit values.

[0076] In a preferred embodiment, the food composition of the present invention has a succinic acid content within a predetermined range. This can improve the richness of the food composition. In the present invention, succinic acid is a substance designated by CAS number 110-15-6. The succinic acid content in the food composition of the present invention is measured by high-performance liquid chromatography in accordance with the measurement method for "organic acids" in the 2015 edition (7th revision) of the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan. The succinic acid content in the food composition of the present invention can be in the range of, for example, 1.0 to 10,000 ppm by mass, preferably 10 to 8,000 ppm by mass, more preferably 30 to 6,000 ppm by mass, and particularly preferably 500 to 3,000 ppm by mass. The upper limit is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 10,000 ppm by mass or less, 9,000 ppm by mass or less, 8,000 ppm by mass or less, 7,000 ppm by mass or less, 6,000 ppm by mass or less, 5,000 ppm by mass or less, 4,000 ppm by mass or less, 3,000 ppm by mass or less, 2,500 ppm by mass or less, 2,000 ppm by mass or less, or 1,500 ppm by mass or less. The lower limit may be, for example, 1.0 ppm by mass or more, 2.0 ppm by mass or more, 2.5 ppm by mass or more, 3.0 ppm by mass or more, 3.5 ppm by mass or more, 4.0 ppm by mass or more, 5.0 ppm by mass or more, 10 ppm by mass or more, 20 ppm by mass or more, 30 ppm by mass or more, 40 ppm by mass or more, 50 ppm by mass or more, 100 ppm by mass or more, 200 ppm by mass or more, 300 ppm by mass or more, 400 ppm by mass or more, 500 ppm by mass or more, 600 ppm by mass or more, 700 ppm by mass or more, 800 ppm by mass or more, 900 ppm by mass or more, or 1000 ppm by mass or more. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limits are also disclosed in the present invention. Furthermore, the food composition of the present invention preferably contains succinic acid derived from a natural product, and the ratio of the content (ppm by mass) of the naturally derived succinic acid to the content (ppm by mass) of succinic acid in the food composition may preferably be 0.5 or more, 0.6 or more, 0.7 or more, 0.8 or more, 0.9 or more, or 1. Satisfying this requirement is preferable because it can improve the richness of the food composition.The mechanism by which a small amount of succinic acid has this effect is unknown, but it may have some effect on how sourness is perceived.

[0077] In order to suppress the odor of oxidized oils and fats that occurs during long-term storage of a food composition, the acetoin content of the food composition of the present invention is preferably a predetermined value or less. In the present invention, acetoin is a substance designated by CAS number 513-86-0. The upper limit of the acetoin content in the food composition of the present invention can be, for example, 500 ppm by mass or less, preferably 400 ppm by mass or less, more preferably 100 ppm by mass or less, and particularly preferably 80 ppm by mass or less, or 30 ppm by mass or less. The lower limit can be, for example, 0 ppm by mass or more, 10 ppm by mass or more, or 20 ppm by mass or more. The range can be, for example, 0 to 500 ppm by mass. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limits are also disclosed in the present invention.

[0078] In order to suppress the odor of oxidized oils and fats that occurs during long-term storage of the food composition of the present invention, the diacetyl content is preferably a predetermined value or less. In the present invention, diacetyl is a substance designated by CAS number 431-03-8. The upper limit of the diacetyl content in the food composition of the present invention is, for example, 50 ppm by mass or less, preferably 40 ppm by mass or less, more preferably 30 ppm by mass or less, and particularly preferably 10 ppm by mass or less. The lower limit is not particularly limited, but can be, for example, 0 ppm by mass or more, or 5 ppm by mass or more. The range can be, for example, 0 to 50 ppm by mass. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limits are also disclosed in the present invention.

[0079] The content of diacetyl and acetoin in the food composition of the present invention is measured using GC (FID). FID is a method of measuring the content of the component in a sample by burning an organic compound in a hydrogen flame formed by air and hydrogen, detecting the change in the electrode when the ionized compound is collected at the electrode, analyzing a sample and a standard sample diluted to a desired content, and comparing the values. Specifically, according to the following conditions, the peak area of ​​each component is analyzed by gas chromatography, and diluting diacetyl and acetoin with known concentrations in anhydrous ethanol using the external standard method, and creating a calibration curve based on the detected peak area, and applying the analytical results of the analytical sample to the calibration curve to calculate the content. In addition, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, both the above-mentioned specifications regarding the content of diacetyl and the specifications regarding the content of acetoin may be satisfied. <Gas chromatograph conditions> Measurement equipment: Agilent Technologies 7820 GC System (Agilent Technologies) GC column: TC-WAX (GL Sciences) length 30 m, inner diameter 0.53 mm, film thickness 1.0 μm Gas flow rate: 5 mL / min (carrier: He gas) Temperature conditions: hold at 40°C (6 min) → increase temperature at 8°C / min → hold at 130°C (0 min) → post-run 230°C (10 min) Injection volume: 0.5 μL Injection port mode: split (split ratio 5:1 split flow rate 25 mL / min) Detector: FID (Agilent Technologies) Measurement method: FID_FLAVOR_SP5 Analysis method: FID_FLAVOR_SP5_Analysis

[0080] In a preferred embodiment, the food composition of the present invention contains a predetermined amount of the amino acids described below. The amino acid content in the food composition of the present invention refers to the content of free amino acids. Free amino acids are measured using the following method. Specifically, the composition sample to be analyzed is first pretreated according to its properties. When the composition sample is liquid, the composition sample is diluted with a solution of half distilled water and half lithium citrate buffer (pH 2.2), filtered through a 0.2 μm filter to remove coarse particles, and then subjected to analysis. On the other hand, when the composition sample is solid or semisolid, a certain amount of the composition sample is weighed out, appropriately diluted with distilled water, and suspended under sufficient stirring at room temperature. This suspension is filtered through No. 2 filter paper to obtain a filtrate. The subsequent process is the same as for the liquid sample. The amino acid content of the pretreated composition sample is measured according to the amino acid analysis method described in the "Analysis Manual for the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan, 2015 Edition (7th Edition)." Specifically, measurement can be performed using an automatic amino acid analyzer (for example, a JLC-500 / V2 (manufactured by JEOL Ltd.) or an equivalent product). When the food composition of the present invention contains D- or DL-amino acids, the L-amino acids can be analyzed using known analytical techniques (for example, the LC-MS / MS method described in Biochemistry, Vol. 91, No. 3, pp. 301-308 (2019) in which amino acids are derivatized with an optically active reagent and then diastereomers are separated by reversed-phase HPLC). Furthermore, the food composition of the present invention preferably contains naturally occurring free amino acids, and the ratio of the total content of naturally occurring free amino acids to the total content (ppm by mass) of free amino acids in the food composition may be preferably 0.2 or more, 0.3 or more, 0.4 or more, 0.5 or more, 0.6, 0.7 or more, 0.8 or more, 0.9 or more, or 1. Furthermore, the ratio of the content of each free amino acid derived from a natural product to the content (ppm by mass) of each free amino acid in the food composition may preferably be 0.2 or more, 0.3 or more, 0.4 or more, 0.5 or more, 0.6 or more, 0.7 or more, 0.8 or more, 0.9 or more, or 1. By satisfying this requirement, the mellow sourness that remains after ingesting acetic acid can be enhanced, and a particularly remarkable effect can be obtained when the food composition is stored for a long period of time.Although the mechanism behind this is unclear, it is speculated that the food composition of the present invention exhibits this effect due to the synergistic effect of the effect of suppressing quality deterioration during storage of the food composition, which is achieved by containing a predetermined amount of acetic acid or more, and the effect on taste due to the inclusion of a predetermined amino acid. The "mild sourness remaining after ingesting acetic acid" refers to the mild sourness that remains in the back of the throat after swallowing the food composition. Normally, when ingesting acetic acid, a stinging sourness remains after swallowing, causing a burning sensation in the throat. However, this sensation is suppressed in food compositions in which the mild sourness remaining after ingesting acetic acid is enhanced. The mechanism by which such an effect is achieved with trace amounts of amino acids is unknown, but it is possible that it has some effect on the perception of sourness.

[0081] From a similar viewpoint, the content of L-glutamic acid (CAS number: 56-86-0) in the food composition of the present invention is preferably within a predetermined range, for example, 0.2 to 500 ppm by mass, preferably 5.0 to 400 ppm by mass, more preferably 7 to 300 ppm by mass, and particularly preferably 10 to 200 ppm by mass. The upper limit is not particularly limited, but can be, for example, 500 ppm by mass or less, 450 ppm by mass or less, 400 ppm by mass or less, 350 ppm by mass or less, 300 ppm by mass or less, 250 ppm by mass or less, 200 ppm by mass or less, 150 ppm by mass or less, 130 ppm by mass or less, 110 ppm by mass or less, 100 ppm by mass or less, 90 ppm by mass or less, 80 ppm by mass or less, 70 ppm by mass or less, 60 ppm by mass or less, 55 ppm by mass or less, 50 ppm by mass or less, 40 ppm by mass or less, or 30 ppm by mass or less. The lower limit can be, for example, 0.2 mass ppm or more, 0.5 mass ppm or more, 3 mass ppm or more, 5 mass ppm or more, 8 mass ppm or more, 9 mass ppm or more, 12 mass ppm or more, 15 mass ppm or more, 20 mass ppm or more, or 25 mass ppm or more. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limits are also disclosed in the present invention. By satisfying this requirement, the mellow sourness remaining after ingesting acetic acid can be enhanced, and unpleasant sourness during long-term storage of the food composition can be suppressed. The L-glutamic acid content in this requirement refers to the content of free L-glutamic acid. The mechanism by which trace amounts of L-glutamic acid achieve this effect is unknown, but it may have some effect on the perception of sourness.

[0082] From a similar viewpoint, the content of L-alanine (CAS No.: 56-41-7) in the food composition of the present invention is preferably within a predetermined range, for example, 0.2 to 500 ppm by mass, preferably 5.0 to 200 ppm by mass, more preferably 7 to 150 ppm by mass, and particularly preferably 8 to 100 ppm by mass. The upper limit is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, 500 ppm by mass or less, 400 ppm by mass or less, 300 ppm by mass or less, 250 ppm by mass or less, 220 ppm by mass or less, 180 ppm by mass or less, 150 ppm by mass or less, 130 ppm by mass or less, 110 ppm by mass or less, 100 ppm by mass or less, 90 ppm by mass or less, 80 ppm by mass or less, 70 ppm by mass or less, 60 ppm by mass or less, 50 ppm by mass or less, 40 ppm by mass or less, or 35 ppm by mass or less. The lower limit may be, for example, 0.2 ppm by mass or more, 0.5 ppm by mass or more, 3 ppm by mass or more, 5 ppm by mass or more, 7 ppm by mass or more, 10 ppm by mass or more, 15 ppm by mass or more, or 20 ppm by mass or more. The present invention also discloses a numerical range specified by combining the above upper and lower limits. By satisfying this requirement, the mellow sourness that remains after ingesting acetic acid can be enhanced, and the unpleasant sourness that occurs when the food composition is stored for a long period of time can be suppressed. The L-alanine content in this requirement refers to the content of free L-alanine. The mechanism by which trace amounts of L-alanine achieve this effect is unknown, but it may have some effect on the perception of sourness.

[0083] From a similar viewpoint, the content of glycine (CAS No.: 56-40-6) in the food composition of the present invention is preferably within a predetermined range. This range can be, for example, 0.01 to 500 ppm by mass, preferably 2 to 300 ppm by mass, more preferably 3 to 200 ppm by mass, and particularly preferably 5 to 150 ppm by mass. The upper limit is not particularly limited, but can be, for example, 500 ppm by mass or less, 400 ppm by mass or less, 300 ppm by mass or less, 250 ppm by mass or less, 180 ppm by mass or less, 140 ppm by mass or less, 120 ppm by mass or less, 100 ppm by mass or less, 90 ppm by mass or less, 80 ppm by mass or less, 70 ppm by mass or less, 60 ppm by mass or less, 50 ppm by mass or less, 40 ppm by mass or less, 30 ppm by mass or less, or 25 ppm by mass or less. The lower limit may be, for example, 0.01 ppm by mass or more, 1 ppm by mass or more, 4 ppm by mass or more, 6 ppm by mass or more, 8 ppm by mass or more, or 9 ppm by mass or more. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limit values ​​are also disclosed in the present invention.

[0084] From a similar viewpoint, the total content of free amino acids in the food composition of the present invention is preferably within a predetermined range. This range is, for example, 0.5 to 8,000 ppm by mass, or 10 to 4,000 ppm by mass, preferably 20 to 1,000 ppm by mass, more preferably 30 to 800 ppm by mass, and particularly preferably 100 to 600 ppm by mass. The upper limit is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 8,000 ppm by mass or less, 4,000 ppm by mass or less, 3,000 ppm by mass or less, 2,000 ppm by mass or less, 1,000 ppm by mass or less, 900 ppm by mass or less, 800 ppm by mass or less, 700 ppm by mass or less, 600 ppm by mass or less, 500 ppm by mass or less, 400 ppm by mass or less, or 370 ppm by mass or less. The lower limit may be, for example, 0.5 ppm by mass or more, 0.8 ppm by mass or more, 10 ppm by mass or more, 20 ppm by mass or more, 30 ppm by mass or more, 40 ppm by mass or more, 80 ppm by mass or more, 100 ppm by mass or more, 120 ppm by mass or more, 150 ppm by mass or more, 180 ppm by mass or more, 200 ppm by mass or more, 220 ppm by mass or more, 240 ppm by mass or more, 260 ppm by mass or more, 280 ppm by mass or more, 290 ppm by mass or more, or 300 ppm by mass or more. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limits are also disclosed in the present invention. By satisfying this requirement, the mellow sourness remaining after ingesting acetic acid can be enhanced, and unpleasant sourness can be suppressed when the food composition is stored for a long period of time.

[0085] The content of the amino acids may be adjusted by adding commercially available purified amino acids, or by adding extracts of kelp, fish, shellfish, or meat, as described below. According to one aspect of the present invention, the content may also be adjusted by adding yeast extract.

[0086] The food composition of the present invention may also contain a kelp extract. The kelp extract refers to a product obtained by extracting a food ingredient made from kelp with water or an organic solvent, or a concentrated version of the extract, and may be in liquid or solid form. This enhances the refined flavor of the food composition of the present invention and / or processed grain products or side dishes obtained using the food composition of the present invention. The lower limit of the kelp extract content in the food composition of the present invention can be, for example, 0.03% by mass or more, 0.05% by mass or more, 0.08% by mass or more, 0.1% by mass or more, 0.3% by mass or more, or 0.5% by mass or more. The upper limit can be, for example, 5% by mass or less, 4% by mass or less, 3% by mass or less, 2.5% by mass or less, 2% by mass or less, 1.5% by mass or less, or 1.2% by mass or less. Furthermore, the range can be, for example, 0.1 to 5% by mass. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limits are also disclosed in the present invention.

[0087] The food composition of the present invention may also contain a fish extract. The fish extract refers to a product obtained by extracting a fish-based food ingredient with water or an organic solvent, or a concentrated version of the extract, and may be in liquid or solid form. The food composition of the present invention and / or processed grain products or side dishes obtained using the food composition of the present invention can be enhanced with a rich umami flavor. The lower limit of the fish extract content in the food composition of the present invention can be, for example, 0.1% by mass or more, 0.3% by mass or more, or 0.5% by mass or more. The upper limit can be, for example, 5% by mass or less, 4% by mass or less, 3% by mass or less, 2.5% by mass or less, or 2% by mass or less. Furthermore, the range can be, for example, 0.1 to 5% by mass. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limits are also disclosed in the present invention.

[0088] When the food composition of the present invention contains a fish extract, examples of the fish include mackerel, bonito (especially black bonito), flying fish, sea bream, flounder, flatfish, ray, saury, tuna, swordfish, cod, monkfish, rockfish, sweetfish, trout, salmon, herring, yellowtail, sardine, mullet, Spanish mackerel, filefish, and smelt. Among these, it is preferable to contain an extract of at least one species selected from mackerel, bonito (especially black bonito), flying fish, and sea bream, and more preferably two or more species. When the food composition of the present invention contains extracts derived from multiple species of fish, the content of the fish extracts refers to the total content of the extracts of each fish.

[0089] The food composition of the present invention may also contain a shellfish extract. Shellfish extract refers to a product obtained by extracting a shellfish-based food ingredient with water or an organic solvent, or a concentrated version of the extract, and may be in liquid or solid form. This enhances the refreshing umami flavor of the food composition of the present invention and / or processed grain products or side dishes obtained using the food composition of the present invention. The lower limit of the content of the shellfish extract in the food composition of the present invention can be, for example, 0.1% by mass or more, 0.3% by mass or more, or 0.5% by mass or more. The upper limit can be, for example, 5% by mass or less, 4% by mass or less, 3% by mass or less, 2.5% by mass or less, or 2% by mass or less. Furthermore, the range can be, for example, 0.1 to 5% by mass. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limits are also disclosed in the present invention.

[0090] When the food composition of the present invention contains an extract from a shellfish, examples of shellfish include scallops, ark shells, giant clams, aerial shells, turban shells, oysters, surf clams, littleneck clams, Japanese medaka, and freshwater clams. Among these, it is preferable to contain at least one selected from scallops, oysters, littleneck clams, Japanese medaka, and freshwater clams, and it is particularly preferable to contain an extract from a scallop. Note that when the food composition of the present invention contains extracts derived from multiple types of shellfish, the content of the shellfish extract refers to the total content of the extracts from each shellfish.

[0091] The food composition of the present invention may also contain a meat extract. The meat extract refers to a product obtained by extracting a food material made from meat with water or an organic solvent, or a concentrated version of the extract, and may be in liquid or solid form. This enhances the full-bodied flavor of the food composition of the present invention and / or processed grain products or side dishes obtained using the food composition of the present invention. The lower limit of the content of the meat extract in the food composition of the present invention can be, for example, 0.1% by mass or more, 0.3% by mass or more, or 0.5% by mass or more. The upper limit can be, for example, 5% by mass or less, 4% by mass or less, 3% by mass or less, 2.5% by mass or less, or 2% by mass or less. Furthermore, the range can be, for example, 0.1 to 5% by mass. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limits are also disclosed in the present invention.

[0092] The food composition of the present invention is preferably used for producing a processed grain product. The processed grain product refers to a food or drink that uses at least one type of grain as a raw material.

[0093] In this specification, the term "cereal" refers to at least one selected from pulses (legumes), cereals (grass), and pseudocereals. Specifically, the cereal in the present invention is preferably at least one pulse selected from the genus Pisum, Phaseolus, Pigeonpea, Vigna, Vicia, Chickpea, Glycine, and Lentil, or at least one cereal or pseudocereal selected from rice, wheat, barley, foxtail millet, barnyard millet, millet, sorghum, rye, oats, Job's tears, corn, buckwheat, amaranth, and quinoa.

[0094] The processed grain product of the present invention may contain at least one, two, or three or more pulses selected from the genera Pisum, Phaseolus, Pigeonpea, Vigna, Vicia, Chickpea, Glycine, and Lentil, or may contain at least one, two, three, four, five, six, or seven or more cereals or pseudocereals selected from rice, wheat, barley, foxtail millet, barnyard millet, millet, sorghum, rye, oats, Job's tears, corn, buckwheat, amaranth, and quinoa. Among these, the processed grain product of the present invention preferably contains at least one selected from rice, wheat, barley, yellow pea, and corn. The processed grain product of the present invention may contain, in its entirety, pulses, cereals, or pseudocereals described above as raw grains.

[0095] Furthermore, when the processed grain product of the present invention contains rice, the rice may be polished rice or brown rice. In the processed grain product of the present invention, all of the grains used as raw materials may be polished rice, all of the grains used as raw materials may be brown rice, or the raw materials may consist of brown rice and polished rice. When the processed grain product of the present invention contains brown rice, the proportion of brown rice in the total rice contained in the processed grain product may be, for example, 1 to 100% by mass. The lower limit may be, for example, 1% by mass or more, 3% by mass or more, 5% by mass or more, 7% by mass or more, 9% by mass or more, 10% by mass or more, 12% by mass or more, 14% by mass or more, 16% by mass or more, 18% by mass or more, 20% by mass or more, 25% by mass or more, 30% by mass or more, 35% by mass or more, 40% by mass or more, or 45% by mass or more. The upper limit may be 100% by mass or less, 95% by mass or less, 90% by mass or less, 85% by mass or less, 80% by mass or less, 75% by mass or less, 70% by mass or less, 65% by mass or less, 60% by mass or less, or 55% by mass or less. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limits are also disclosed in the present invention. When the processed grain product of the present invention contains brown rice, it is particularly preferable for the food composition of the present invention to contain at least one enzyme selected from the group consisting of cyclodextrin glucanotransferase, xylanase, lipase, and β-glucosidase, among the enzymes described above, in order to improve the gritty texture that occurs during long-term storage. While the mechanism underlying this is unclear, it is possible that the inclusion of such enzymes contributes in some way to the retention of moisture in the brown rice. When the processed grain product of the present invention contains polished rice, the proportion of polished rice in the total rice may be, for example, 1 to 100% by mass. The lower limit may be, for example, 1% by mass or more, 3% by mass or more, 5% by mass or more, 7% by mass or more, 9% by mass or more, 10% by mass or more, 12% by mass or more, 14% by mass or more, 16% by mass or more, 18% by mass or more, 20% by mass or more, 25% by mass or more, 30% by mass or more, 35% by mass or more, 40% by mass or more, or 45% by mass or more.The upper limit may be 100% by mass or less, 95% by mass or less, 90% by mass or less, 85% by mass or less, 80% by mass or less, 75% by mass or less, 70% by mass or less, 65% by mass or less, 60% by mass or less, or 55% by mass or less. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limit values ​​are also disclosed in the present invention.

[0096] Furthermore, according to one aspect of the present invention, when the processed grain product of the present invention contains rice, the processed grain product may contain rice with a predetermined polishing rate, where polished rice is rice with a 100% polishing rate and brown rice is rice with a 0% polishing rate. The polishing rate can be, for example, 70% or less, 50% or less, or 30% or less. Examples of rice with a predetermined polishing rate include "70% polished rice" with a 70% polishing rate, "50% polished rice" with a 50% polishing rate, and "30% polished rice" with a 30% polishing rate. In other words, according to one aspect of the present invention, the processed grain product of the present invention may contain 70% polished rice, 50% polished rice, or 30% polished rice. When the processed grain product of the present invention contains rice with a predetermined polishing rate (e.g., 70% polished rice, 50% polished rice, or 30% polished rice), the proportion of the rice with the predetermined polishing rate (e.g., 70% polished rice, 50% polished rice, or 30% polished rice) in the total rice may be, for example, 1 to 100% by mass. The lower limit may be, for example, 1% by mass or more, 3% by mass or more, 5% by mass or more, 7% by mass or more, 9% by mass or more, 10% by mass or more, 12% by mass or more, 14% by mass or more, 16% by mass or more, 18% by mass or more, 20% by mass or more, 25% by mass or more, 30% by mass or more, 35% by mass or more, 40% by mass or more, or 45% by mass or more. The upper limit may be 100% by mass or less, 95% by mass or less, 90% by mass or less, 85% by mass or less, 80% by mass or less, 75% by mass or less, 70% by mass or less, 65% by mass or less, 60% by mass or less, or 55% by mass or less. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limit values ​​are also disclosed in the present invention. In addition, when the processed grain product of the present invention contains rice with a specified polishing ratio (e.g., 70-minute polished rice, 50-minute polished rice, or 30-minute polished rice), it is particularly preferable that the food composition of the present invention contain at least one enzyme selected from the above-mentioned enzymes: cyclodextrin glucanotransferase, xylanase, lipase, or β-glucosidase, from the viewpoint of improving the gritty texture that occurs during long-term storage. Although the mechanism behind this is unclear, it is possible that the inclusion of the enzyme contributes in some way to the retention of moisture in rice with a specified polishing ratio (e.g., 70-minute polished rice, 50-minute polished rice, or 30-minute polished rice).

[0097] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the processed grain product of the present invention may contain miscellaneous grains. In the present invention, "miscellaneous grains" generally refers to grains other than the major grains of rice, wheat, and barley, and is a concept that includes so-called pseudo-miscellaneous grains (Chenopodiaceae, Amaranthaceae) other than Gramineae grains. When the processed grain product of the present invention contains miscellaneous grains, the type of miscellaneous grain contained is not limited, but preferably, for example, one or more types of miscellaneous grains selected from the Poaceae, Chenopodiaceae, and Amaranthaceae families, and more preferably, Gramineae. Specific examples include, but are not limited to, foxtail millet, barley, millet, sorghum, rye, oats, Job's tears, corn, buckwheat, amaranth, and quinoa. It is particularly preferable to use one or more of oats, amaranth, quinoa, and millet, with oats, which contain a high amount of soluble dietary fiber, being particularly preferable. Furthermore, it is preferable that the miscellaneous grains are substantially free of gluten (specifically, a gluten content of less than 10 ppm by mass), and more preferably, they are free of gluten. When the processed grain product of the present invention contains miscellaneous grains, the proportion of the miscellaneous grains in the total grains contained in the processed grain product may be, for example, 1 to 100% by mass. The lower limit may be, for example, 1% by mass or more, 3% by mass or more, 5% by mass or more, 7% by mass or more, 9% by mass or more, 10% by mass or more, 12% by mass or more, 14% by mass or more, 16% by mass or more, 18% by mass or more, 20% by mass or more, 25% by mass or more, 30% by mass or more, 35% by mass or more, 40% by mass or more, or 45% by mass or more. The upper limit may be 100% by mass or less, 95% by mass or less, 90% by mass or less, 85% by mass or less, 80% by mass or less, 75% by mass or less, 70% by mass or less, 65% by mass or less, 60% by mass or less, or 55% by mass or less. When the processed grain product of the present invention contains two or more types of minor grains, the content of the minor grains refers to the total content of the two or more types of minor grains. In this case, the individual content of each minor grain may be, for example, 1 to 90% by mass.The lower limit may be, for example, 1% by mass or more, 3% by mass or more, 5% by mass or more, 7% by mass or more, 9% by mass or more, 10% by mass or more, 12% by mass or more, 14% by mass or more, 16% by mass or more, 18% by mass or more, 20% by mass or more, 25% by mass or more, or 30% by mass or more. The upper limit may be, for example, 90% by mass or less, 85% by mass or less, 80% by mass or less, 75% by mass or less, 70% by mass or less, 65% by mass or less, 60% by mass or less, or 55% by mass or less. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limit values ​​are also disclosed in the present invention. In addition, when the processed grain product of the present invention contains miscellaneous grains, it is particularly preferable that the food composition of the present invention contain at least one enzyme selected from the group consisting of cyclodextrin glucanotransferase, xylanase, lipase, and β-glucosidase, among the enzymes described above, from the viewpoint of improving the gritty texture that occurs during long-term storage. Although the mechanism behind this is unclear, it is possible that the inclusion of the enzyme contributes in some way to the moisture retention of grains.

[0098] The processed grain product of the present invention may further contain raw materials of animal or plant origin in addition to the above-mentioned grains. Examples of raw materials of animal or plant origin include meat (e.g., beef, pork, chicken, lamb, horse meat, etc.), seafood (e.g., tuna, sea bream, bonito, flying fish, squid, octopus, scallop, shrimp, crab, etc.), dairy products (e.g., cow's milk, goat's milk, etc.), eggs (e.g., chicken eggs, duck eggs, quail eggs, etc.), or vegetables, fruits, herbs or spices, or nuts and seeds described below. That is, the processed grain product of the present invention may contain the grain disclosed herein and at least one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, or ten or more types selected from the meat, seafood, dairy products, eggs, vegetables, fruits, herbs or spices, or nuts and seeds disclosed herein.

[0099] Furthermore, the processed grain product of the present invention is preferably at least one selected from the group consisting of cooked rice, noodles, cereals, and breads, and may be particularly preferably cooked rice. Therefore, according to one aspect of the present invention, the food composition of the present invention can be at least one manufacturing composition selected from the group consisting of cooked rice, noodles, cereals, and breads. Also, according to one aspect of the present invention, the food composition of the present invention can be at least one improving composition selected from the group consisting of cooked rice, noodles, cereals, and breads.

[0100] When the food composition of the present invention is used for cooked rice, the timing of adding the food composition of the present invention may be either before or after cooking. Specifically, depending on the type of enzyme, the timing described in the Examples of this specification (before or after cooking) or the timing described in Tables 4 to 9 (before or after cooking) can be selected. In the present invention, examples of cooked rice include white rice, sushi rice (vinegared rice), red rice, pilaf, fried rice, seasoned rice, steamed rice, paella, doria, dry curry, rice porridge, rice balls, barley rice, mixed grain rice, and brown rice. In addition, the cooked rice of the present invention may have a rice content within a predetermined range of the total grains contained in the cooked rice. Specifically, the lower limit may 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, or 80% by mass or more, and the upper limit is not particularly limited, but can be, for example, 100% by mass, 98% by mass or less, 95% by mass or less, 93% by mass or less, 90% by mass or less, or 85% by mass or less. The range can be, for example, 30 to 100% by mass. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limits are also disclosed in the present invention.

[0101] Furthermore, the food composition of the present invention can improve the shelf life of foods obtained by using the food composition while maintaining a relatively high pH, ​​thereby providing foods in which flavor deterioration due to a decrease in pH is suppressed. From this perspective, the food composition of the present invention may be added so that the pH of foods produced by adding the food composition of the present invention falls within a predetermined range. The pH of foods produced by adding the food composition refers to the pH measured at 20°C under 1 atmosphere. The pH of a sample produced by adding distilled water in an amount twice the mass (wet mass) of the food can be measured, followed by homogenization (homogenization treatment). (For example, in an embodiment in which the food is cooked rice and the food composition of the present invention is added before cooking, the pH of a sample produced by homogenizing the cooked rice can be measured by adding distilled water in an amount twice the mass of the cooked rice.) Specifically, the food composition of the present invention may be added so that the pH of a food or beverage produced by adding the food composition of the present invention is preferably greater than 6.20, more preferably 6.30 or higher, even more preferably 6.35 or higher, even more preferably 6.40 or higher, particularly preferably 6.45 or higher, and particularly preferably 6.50 or higher, 6.60 or higher. The upper limit of the pH of a food produced by adding the food composition of the present invention is not particularly limited, and the food composition may be added so that the pH of the food produced by adding the food composition of the present invention is, for example, 8.0 or lower, 7.5 or lower, 7.0 or lower, or 6.9 or lower. Furthermore, the food composition of the present invention may be added so that the pH of the food produced by adding the food composition of the present invention is, for example, 6.2 to 8.0, 6.3 to 7.5, or 6.4 to 7.0. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limits are also disclosed in the present invention. The food may preferably be a processed grain product, more preferably cooked rice, bread, cereal, or noodles, particularly preferably cooked rice or noodles, and particularly preferably cooked rice.

[0102] Furthermore, when the food composition of the present invention is added, the amount added may be, for example, 0.0005 to 10% by mass relative to the mass (wet mass equivalent) of the raw material (e.g., uncooked rice, etc.). The lower limit is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, 0.001% by mass or more, 0.005% by mass or more, 0.01% by mass or more, 0.05% by mass or more, 0.1% by mass or more, 0.15% 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, 0.4% by mass or more, 0.45% by mass or more, 0.5% by mass or more, 0.55% by mass or more, 0.6% by mass or more, 0.65% by mass or more, 0.7% by mass or more, 0.75% by mass or more, 0.8% by mass or more, 0.85% by mass or more, 0.9% by mass or more, 0.95% by mass or more, 0.95% by mass or more, 1.0% by mass or more, 1.5% by mass or more, 2.0% by mass or more, 3.0% by mass or more, 4.0% by mass or more, 5.0% by mass or more, or 5.5% by mass or more. The upper limit is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, 6.0% by mass or less, 5.0% by mass or less, 4.0% by mass or less, 3.0% by mass or less, 2.0% by mass or less, 1.0% by mass or less, 0.8% by mass or less, 0.6% by mass or less, 0.5% by mass or less, 0.3% by mass or less, 0.2% by mass or less, 0.1% by mass or less, 0.05% by mass or less, 0.03% by mass or less, or 0.01% by mass or less. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limit values ​​are also disclosed in the present invention.

[0103] The raw material refers to the object to which the food composition of the present invention is added. Specifically, in an embodiment in which the food composition of the present invention is used to produce cooked rice, the raw material refers to the mass of raw rice (pre-cooked rice) before soaking and before cooking (if ingredients other than rice are included, the total mass of the raw rice and the ingredients), in an embodiment in which the food composition of the present invention is used to produce cooked rice, the raw material refers to the mass of bread dough when the food composition of the present invention is used before baking bread, and in an embodiment in which the food composition of the present invention is used for noodle dough, the raw material refers to the mass of noodle dough.

[0104] Second Embodiment The present invention also relates to a method for producing the food composition according to the first embodiment (second embodiment). The second embodiment will be described below.

[0105] For example, for the purpose of simplifying production or, in embodiments where the food composition of the present invention contains an enzyme, maintaining enzymatic activity, the food composition of the present invention is preferably sterilized at a maximum temperature of less than 124°C during production, and preferably does not include a heat sterilization step (e.g., heat sterilization at a maximum temperature of 100°C or higher, particularly heat sterilization at a maximum temperature of 124°C or higher). Specifically, for example, if the Z value of an indicator bacterium is 10 minutes, it is preferable not to perform a sterilization step equivalent to 1.5925 minutes at 124°C. Furthermore, for the purpose of simplifying production or maintaining enzymatic activity in embodiments where the food composition of the present invention contains an enzyme, the food composition of the present invention may not include a pressure sterilization step in which pressure is applied above atmospheric pressure, and specifically, may not include a pressure sterilization step under pressure conditions of 0.01 MPa or higher. The second embodiment also encompasses a method for preparing a food composition that satisfies any of the aspects disclosed in the first embodiment.

[0106] <Third embodiment> The present invention also relates to a method for producing a processed grain product, which uses the food composition of the present invention disclosed in the first embodiment. The third embodiment will be described below.

[0107] The food composition of the present invention can improve the shelf life of processed grain products while maintaining a relatively high pH, ​​thereby providing processed grain products with reduced flavor deterioration due to a drop in pH. Therefore, when producing processed grain products using the food composition of the present invention, it is preferable to produce the processed grain products so that their pH is within a predetermined range. The pH may satisfy the requirements disclosed in the first embodiment, preferably greater than 6.20, more preferably at least 6.30, even more preferably at least 6.35, even more preferably at least 6.40, particularly preferably at least 6.45, and particularly preferably at least 6.50 or 6.60. The upper limit may be adjusted to, for example, 8.0 or less, 7.5 or less, 7.0 or less, or 6.9 or less. Furthermore, the range may be adjusted to, for example, 6.2 to 8.0, 6.3 to 7.5, or 6.4 to 7.0. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limits are also disclosed in the present invention.

[0108] In the third embodiment, the specific types of processed grain products can be the same as those disclosed in the first embodiment.

[0109] Furthermore, in the third embodiment, the food composition disclosed in the first embodiment may be added to the raw material, followed by a step of heating the raw material to 90°C or higher at a heating rate of 6.0°C / min or higher, and then a step of maintaining the raw material at 90°C or higher for 15 minutes or longer. This embodiment can be actively implemented, for example, when the processed grain product is cooked rice. Furthermore, when the processed grain product is cooked rice, this embodiment can be implemented by adding the food composition disclosed in the first embodiment to raw rice before cooking, and then cooking the rice.

[0110] Furthermore, in the third embodiment, the food composition disclosed in the first embodiment may be added to the raw material, followed by an enzymatic reaction at a temperature of 80° C. or less for 30 minutes or more. This embodiment can be actively implemented, for example, when the processed grain product is cooked rice. Furthermore, when the processed grain product is cooked rice, this embodiment can be implemented by adding the food composition disclosed in the first embodiment to raw rice before cooking, and then cooking the rice.

[0111] Furthermore, in the third embodiment, a particularly preferred embodiment can be one in which the processed grain product is cooked rice. Cooked rice is eaten and distributed in a variety of situations, and maintaining its taste and texture is a major challenge. When the food composition of the present invention is applied to a method for producing cooked rice, it may be possible to solve various problems related to the method for producing cooked rice. From this perspective, the food composition of the present invention disclosed in the first embodiment can also be a food composition for use in a method for producing cooked rice. A method for producing cooked rice using the food composition of the present invention will be described in detail below.

[0112] That is, the third embodiment encompasses the following invention: A method for producing cooked rice comprising all of the following steps (S1) to (S2), which includes adding a food composition that satisfies all of the following requirements (a) to (d) before step (S2) and / or after step (S3). (S1) A step of preparing uncooked rice. (S2) A heating step of heating the uncooked rice after (S1) to 95°C or higher at a heating rate of 6.0°C / min or more. (S3) A warming step of maintaining the composition after the heating step (S2) at a pot bottom temperature of 95°C or higher for 2 minutes or more. (a) The moisture content converted to wet mass is 20% by mass or more. (b) The pH at 20°C and 1 atmosphere is 4.0 or more. (c) The titratable acidity when measured by Measurement Method A is 0.1% by mass or more. Measurement Method A: 10 g of the food composition is accurately taken and diluted 10 times with ion-exchanged water. 0.08 ml of 3.1% phenolphthalein solution is added to the diluted solution (100 g) as an indicator, and the diluted solution is subjected to neutralization titration with 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution of known potency, and the titratable acidity is calculated using the following formula. Titratable acidity (mass%) of food composition = {(60.05 x 0.1 x F x V) x 100} / {sample amount (10 g) x 1000}, where 60.05 is the molecular weight of acetic acid, 0.1 is the molar concentration of sodium hydroxide solution (mol / L), F is the titer of 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution, and V is the titer of 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution (mL). (d) Satisfying the following requirements (i) and / or (ii): Requirement (i): When the salt equivalent amount per 100 g of water in the food composition is X g and the undissociated acetic acid content per 100 g of water in the food composition is Y g, the following formula is satisfied: 4Y + X ≧ 10 (where X ≧ 3 and Y > 0.03). Requirement (ii): Satisfying the following formula: 4Y + X ≧ 10 (where X ≧ 3 and Y > 0.03). The food composition has a salt equivalent of 3.0 g or more per 100 g of water, and an ethanol content of 8.0 g or more per 100 g of water.

[0113] The third embodiment also encompasses the following invention: A food composition to be added before step (S2) and / or after step (S3) in order to improve the quality of cooked rice in a method for producing cooked rice that includes all of the following steps (S1) to (S2), and that satisfies all of the following requirements (a) to (d): (S1) A step of preparing uncooked rice. (S2) A heating step of heating the uncooked rice after (S1) to 95°C or higher at a heating rate of 6.0°C / min or more. (S3) A warming step of maintaining the composition after the heating step (S2) at a pot bottom temperature of 95°C or higher for 2 minutes or more. (a) The moisture content converted to wet mass is 20% by mass or more. (b) The pH at 20°C and 1 atmosphere is 4.0 or more. (c) The titratable acidity of the food composition, as measured by Measurement Method A, is 0.1% by mass or more. Measurement Method A: 10 g of the food composition is accurately sampled and diluted 10 times with ion-exchanged water. 0.08 ml of 3.1% phenolphthalein solution is added to the diluted solution (100 g) as an indicator, and the diluted solution is subjected to neutralization titration with 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution of known potency, and the titratable acidity is calculated using the following formula. Titratable acidity (mass%) of food composition = {(60.05 x 0.1 x F x V) x 100} / {sample amount (10 g) x 1000}, where 60.05 is the molecular weight of acetic acid, 0.1 is the molar concentration of sodium hydroxide solution (mol / L), F is the titer of 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution, and V is the titer of 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution (mL). (d) Satisfying the following requirements (i) and / or (ii): Requirement (i): When the salt equivalent amount per 100 g of water in the food composition is X g and the undissociated acetic acid content per 100 g of water in the food composition is Y g, the following formula is satisfied: 4Y + X ≧ 10 (where X ≧ 3 and Y > 0.03). Requirement (ii): Satisfying the following formula: 4Y + X ≧ 10 (where X ≧ 3 and Y > 0.03). The food composition has a salt equivalent of 3.0 g or more per 100 g of water, and an ethanol content of 8.0 g or more per 100 g of water.

[0114] As described above, the food composition satisfying all of requirements (a) to (d) in the third embodiment, or the production method including the step of adding the composition, can optionally employ the aspects disclosed in the first and second embodiments. However, the advantage of employing such an aspect in this embodiment is that cooked rice having the various effects disclosed in the first embodiment can be obtained, for example. Therefore, specific examples of the quality to be improved when "improving quality" as described above can be arbitrarily extracted from the effects disclosed in the first embodiment. In particular, when an aspect containing one or more enzymes with an optimum pH of 4.0 or higher is employed, the effect of improving the quality of cooked rice by the enzyme can be easily obtained, and therefore this can be employed as a particularly preferred embodiment.

[0115] (S1) Step of preparing rice before cooking In the present invention, "rice" refers to a plant that corresponds to rice. In particular, a preferred embodiment of the method for producing cooked rice in the present invention is one in which brown rice and / or polished rice is included. Examples of rice in the present invention include varieties such as Japonica rice, Indica rice, and Javanica rice. In particular, a preferred embodiment of the present invention is one in which the food ingredient C contains Japonica rice as the rice. While Japonica rice is preferred for its chewy texture, this chewy texture can be lost if stored for a long period of time, and further, the chewy texture can deteriorate the filling and moldability immediately after cooking. This is because the problem of the present invention is significant and its effects can be easily enjoyed. Examples of Japonica rice include Aichi no Kaori, Akita Komachi, Ichihomare, Oborozuki, Kaze Sayaka, Kinuhikari, Kirara 397, Ginga no Shizuku, Koshihibuki, Koshihikari, Golden Wind, Sakihokore, Sasanishiki, Satoyama no Tsubu, Shinnosuke, Aozora no Bolt, Date Masayume, Tsugaru Roman, Tsukiakari, Tsuyahime, Tentakaku, Ten no Tsubu, Donpishari, Nanatsuboshi, Nikomaru, Haenuki, Hatsushimo, Hitomebore, Hyakumankoku, Fusakogane, Fukkuriinko, Fufutomi, Masshigura, Mineasahi, Mori no Kumasan, Yukiwakamaru, Yume Obako, Yumepirika, and Yumemizuho, ​​as well as California rice (such as Calrose). In particular, in the present invention, the inclusion of calrose can be considered a preferred embodiment of the present invention, since texture-related issues become more pronounced during long-term storage. Furthermore, in the method for producing cooked rice of the present invention, the inclusion of foreign-produced rice as the rice variety can be considered a preferred embodiment. Foreign-produced rice refers to rice grown and harvested outside of Japan. Typical examples of this embodiment include indica rice and javanica rice, but japonica rice may also be used. A particularly preferred embodiment is when calrose is included. Furthermore, in the method for producing cooked rice of the present invention, the inclusion of rice that has been harvested for one year or more can be considered a preferred embodiment. Typical examples of this embodiment include old rice (rice that has been harvested for one year or more but less than two years), old rice (rice that has been harvested for two years or more but less than three years), etc.These types of rice have significant texture issues when stored for long periods of time, and are therefore a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The raw rice used in step (S1) is not particularly limited, but from the perspective of more effectively using the present invention, raw rice with an apparent amylose content of 30% or less may be used. In this embodiment, in addition to rice, the rice may also contain the aforementioned miscellaneous grains and pulses. In this embodiment, "uncooked rice" generally refers to rice in a raw state (raw rice).

[0116] Step (S1) may also include a step of sorting the uncooked rice. Specific examples of this step include removing damaged rice grains and cracked rice grains. This step can be performed by a known method, such as a method of sorting the uncooked rice by spraying compressed air from an air nozzle, or a method of automatically sorting the uncooked rice by a color sorter.

[0117] Step (S1) may also include a step of adjusting the type of uncooked rice used. For example, when it is necessary to use polished rice with a high apparent amylose content, the step may include a step of adjusting the apparent amylose content of the entire cooked rice by replacing part of the polished rice with a variety with a low apparent amylose content.

[0118] Furthermore, step (S1) preferably includes a step of weighing the pre-cooked rice, and it is preferable to add water to the pre-cooked rice in accordance with the weighed value of the pre-cooked rice.

[0119] In the step of preparing pre-cooked rice, for example, 100 g or more, 200 g or more, 300 g or more, 400 g or more, 500 g or more, 600 g or more, 1000 g or more, 200 g or more, or 3000 g or more of pre-cooked rice (rice in a raw state) can be weighed and filled into a rice cooker. However, it is preferable to weigh 4000 g or more of pre-cooked rice at once and fill the rice cooker, followed by the heating step described below. This allows for the production of large amounts of cooked rice at once, and when using the food composition of the present invention, the moisture content is above a predetermined value, making it easy to mix uniformly, allowing for the production of high-quality cooked rice extremely efficiently. Therefore, in a preferred embodiment of the method for producing cooked rice of the present invention, the step (S1) of preparing pre-cooked rice includes, for example, a step of filling 4000 g or more of pre-cooked rice into a rice cooker, or a step of weighing 4000 g or more of pre-cooked rice and filling the rice cooker. In this embodiment, the amount of uncooked rice to be filled or measured and filled is more preferably 4500 g or more, 5000 g or more, 5500 g or more, 6000 g or more, 6500 g or more, 7000 g or more, 7500 g or more, 8000 g or more, 9000 g or more, or 10000 g or more. The lower limit is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, 100,000 g or less, 90,000 g or less, 80,000 g or less, 70,000 g or less, 60,000 g or less, 50,000 g or less, 40,000 g or less, 30,000 g or less, 20,000 g or less, or 15,000 g or less. The range may be, for example, 4000 g or more and 100,000 g or less. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limits are also disclosed in the present invention. A specific embodiment of this aspect is, for example, a method of continuous rice cooking using a continuous rice cooker such as the "Rice Friend Super." In the present invention, "continuous rice cooking" refers to a rice cooking method in which a rice cooker is placed on a rice cooking line and moves along the line to perform each stage of rice cooking (S2 and S3).

[0120] In one embodiment of the present invention, step (S1) can be performed by arranging the uncooked rice on a belt conveyor. This embodiment can be performed by steam-type rice cooking, for example, using the continuous rice cooker "Rice Friend Steam Shower" (steam type) manufactured by AIHO Co., Ltd.

[0121] In the present invention, "hydration" refers to adding water to uncooked rice, and the amount of water added refers to the mass of water relative to the mass of raw rice before hydration (particularly raw rice before soaking, as described below). The water used in the hydration of the present invention may be derived from a water-containing food material or the food composition disclosed in the first embodiment, may be added as water, may be water absorbed by the uncooked rice in the soaking step described below, or may be a combination thereof. The amount of water added in step (S1) can be adjusted as desired, but is preferably 1.10 to 2.00 times the mass of the raw rice before hydration, more preferably 1.12 to 1.90 times, even more preferably 1.15 to 1.80 times, even more preferably 1.17 to 1.70 times, particularly preferably 1.18 to 1.60 times, and particularly preferably 1.2 to 1.55 times, or 1.20 to 1.50 times. The upper limit is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, 2.00 times or less, 1.90 times or less, 1.80 times or less, 1.75 times or less, 1.65 times or less, 1.55 times or less, 1.50 times or less, 1.45 times or less, or 1.40 times or less. The lower limit is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, 1.05 times or more, 1.10 times or more, 1.12 times or more, 1.13 times or more, 1.14 times or more, 1.15 times or more, 1.16 times or more, 1.17 times or more, 1.18 times or more, 1.19 times or more, 1.20 times or more, 1.21 times or more, 1.22 times or more, 1.23 times or more, or 1.24 times or more. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limits are also disclosed in the present invention. Furthermore, one preferred embodiment of the cooked rice manufacturing method of the present invention includes a step (S1) of preparing pre-cooked rice, in which the pre-cooked rice is weighed and the amount of water to be added is calculated based on the weighed value. This is particularly useful in a commercial rice cooking line where large amounts of cooked rice are produced simultaneously and continuously, and can be implemented in a labor-saving and simple manner by automatically calculating the hydration ratio based on the amount of water to be added in advance using an electronic device or the like. Another particularly preferred embodiment includes a mode in which the weighed value of the pre-cooked rice is obtained, the amount of water to be added based on the weighed value, and the automatically calculated amount of water is added. This embodiment can be implemented with any rice cooking system equipped with such an information processing mechanism.

[0122] Furthermore, a more preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a step of adjusting the amount of water to be added in accordance with the characteristics (particularly the water absorption rate) of the pre-cooked rice. For example, when the pre-cooked rice contains brown rice or miscellaneous grains, the amount of water is adjusted to be about 1.1 to 2.0 times larger than when the pre-cooked rice consists solely of polished rice, or when the pre-cooked rice contains imported rice such as Calrose rice, the amount of water is adjusted to be about 1.1 to 2.0 times larger than when the pre-cooked rice consists solely of Japonica rice produced in Japan. In addition, when cooked rice is intended to be stored for a long period of time, the water addition ratio relative to the pre-cooked rice is adjusted to about 1.20 to 2.00 to prevent hardening.

[0123] Furthermore, the pre-cooked rice in step (S1) may be raw rice that has been soaked in advance. "Soaking" refers to adding water to raw rice and then holding the mixture of raw rice and water for a specific period of time before starting cooking. In the present invention, soaked raw rice, in which water-added raw rice is soaked for a specified period of time, may be used to facilitate heat penetration to the center of the raw rice. Soaking of raw rice may be performed, for example, by adding water to raw rice, holding the rice for a specific period of time, and then cooking the rice as is, or by adding water to raw rice, holding the rice for a specific period of time, discarding the water, adding water again, and then cooking the rice. Note that when soaking is performed, the weight of the raw rice before soaking can be measured in advance, and the weight of water absorbed by the raw rice during soaking can be determined by measuring the weight of the raw rice before soaking and the difference between the weight of the raw rice after soaking and the weight of the raw rice after soaking. The soaking time is not particularly limited as long as water penetrates into the raw rice, but may be, for example, 10 minutes to 48 hours, more preferably 15 minutes to 36 hours, even more preferably 20 minutes to 24 hours, even more preferably 25 minutes to 20 hours, particularly preferably 30 minutes to 16 hours, and particularly preferably 45 to 12 hours. More specifically, the lower limit is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 10 minutes or more, 20 minutes or more, 30 minutes or more, 40 minutes or more, 50 minutes or more, or 60 minutes or more. The upper limit is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 48 hours or less, 36 hours or less, 24 hours or less, 30 hours or less, 24 hours or less, 20 hours or less, 16 hours or less, or 12 hours or less. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limits are also disclosed in the present invention. Furthermore, this embodiment may include a step of adjusting the soaking time depending on the ambient temperature. For example, when the outside temperature is around 10°C, the water absorption of uncooked rice is slow, so the soaking time can be adjusted to about 120 minutes, or when the outside temperature is around 33°C, the water absorption of uncooked rice is fast, so the soaking time can be adjusted to about 60 minutes.

[0124] In addition, a preferred embodiment of the method includes a step of washing the uncooked rice in step (S1) before subjecting it to step S2. Washing can be carried out by preparing a mixture of raw rice and water before the start of cooking and discarding the water, and this step may be repeated two or more times. Furthermore, the washing step may include a step of physically stimulating the uncooked rice by rubbing or stirring it.

[0125] Furthermore, the pre-cooked cooked rice in step (S1) can be kept at a general temperature, but pre-cooked cooked rice that has been preheated to a predetermined temperature or higher can also be used. Specifically, the temperature of the pre-cooked cooked rice can be 20°C or higher and 60°C or lower. More specifically, the lower limit is not particularly limited, but it can be 20°C or higher, or 25°C or higher, or 30°C or higher, or 35°C or higher, or 40°C or higher. Furthermore, the upper limit is not particularly limited, but it can be 60°C or lower, or 55°C or lower, or 50°C or lower. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limit values ​​are also disclosed in the present invention.

[0126] Furthermore, step (S1) may include a step of adding oil to the rice before cooking. This can improve the release of cooked rice from the pot after cooking. In particular, in the present invention, by using the food composition disclosed in the first or second embodiment in combination with oil, it is easy to prevent the oil itself from making the cooked rice sticky and resulting in a poor mouthfeel. Although the mechanism behind this is unclear, it is possible that acetic acid makes the oil less sticky. There are no particular restrictions on the oil to be added, and it can be a common edible oil. Specific examples include salad oil, rice oil, corn oil, safflower oil, olive oil, lard, beef tallow, butter, etc., and it can also be one commercially available as "rice cooking oil." Furthermore, these edible oils and fats may be combined in any desired manner.

[0127] When step (S1) includes a step of adding oil or fat to the pre-cooked rice, the amount of oil or fat added is, from the viewpoint of improving the release of cooked rice from the pot after cooking and minimizing the effect of the oil or fat itself on the flavor of the cooked rice, preferably 0.03 to 2.0% by mass, more preferably 0.15 to 1.5% by mass, even more preferably 0.3 to 1.2% by mass, still more preferably 0.35 to 1.0% by mass, particularly preferably 0.40 to 0.90% by mass, and particularly preferably 0.45 to 0.80% by mass, expressed as a mass ratio relative to the mass of the pre-cooked rice before water is added (more specifically, raw rice). The upper limit may be, for example, 4.0% by mass or less, 3.5% by mass or less, 2% by mass or less, 1.8% by mass or less, 1.6% by mass or less, or 1.4% by mass or less, and the lower limit may be, for example, 0.03% by mass or more, 0.05% by mass or more, 0.08% by mass or more, 0.03% by mass or more, 0.1% by mass or more, 0.2% by mass or more, or 0.4% by mass or more. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limit values ​​are also disclosed in the present invention.

[0128] Furthermore, step (S1) may include a step of adding the food composition disclosed in the first or second embodiment. That is, the method for producing cooked rice may include adding a food composition that satisfies all of the above requirements (a) to (d) in step (S1).

[0129] When this aspect is adopted, it is particularly preferable that the food composition disclosed in the first or second embodiment is a food composition containing the enzyme disclosed in the first embodiment. This can promote the enzymatic reaction in step S2, allowing cooked rice with the desired quality to be obtained. When this aspect is adopted, the method may include a step of carrying out the enzymatic reaction at a temperature of 80°C or less, 60°C or less, 40°C or less, or 30°C or less, with no particular limitation on the lower limit, for example, 15°C or more or 20°C or more, in the range of, for example, 15 to 80°C, and for a lower limit of 5 minutes or more, 10 minutes or more, 20 minutes or more, 30 minutes or more, 40 minutes or more, 50 minutes or more, or 60 minutes or more, with no particular limitation on the upper limit, for example, 10 hours or less, 8 hours or less, 6 hours or less, 4 hours or less, 2 hours or less, or 150 minutes or less, in the range of, for example, 5 minutes to 10 hours. In addition, even if the food composition disclosed in the first embodiment or the second embodiment does not contain an enzyme, the enzyme disclosed in the first embodiment may be added in step (S1).

[0130] (S2) A temperature-raising step in which the pre-cooked rice after (S1) is heated to 95°C or higher at a temperature-raising rate of 6.0°C / min or higher. In this step, the pre-cooked rice after (S1) is heated to 95°C or higher, more specifically 98°C or higher, at a temperature-raising rate of 6.0°C / min or higher (this will be referred to as appropriate as the "temperature-raising step"). The upper limit of the temperature-raising rate is, for example, 100°C or lower, and can be in the range of 95 to 100°C. Furthermore, the lower limit of the heating rate for heating the uncooked rice after step (S1) to 95°C or higher, more specifically 98°C or higher, is not particularly limited, but may be 6.5°C / min or higher, or 7.0°C / min or higher, or 7.5°C / min or higher, or 8.0°C / min or higher, or 8.5°C / min or higher, or 9.0°C / min or higher, or 9.5°C / min or higher, or 10.0°C / min or higher, or 11.0°C / min or higher, or 12.0°C / min or higher, or 13.0°C / min or higher, or 14.0°C / min or higher, or 15.0°C / min or higher. The upper limit is not particularly limited, but may typically be 23°C / min or lower, or 20°C / min or lower. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limits are also disclosed in the present invention.

[0131] As a preferred embodiment of step (S2) and / or step (S3) described below, the method for producing cooked rice of the present invention may include, for example, a step of measuring the temperature inside the rice cooker during cooking. More preferably, step (S2) and / or step (S3) described below may include a step of monitoring the temperature difference between the top and bottom of the rice cooker. This embodiment can be implemented, for example, by monitoring the temperature difference between the top and bottom of the rice cooker using a temperature measuring device (e.g., a DATATRACE (storage thermometer) Micropack III). This is preferable because it allows confirmation of whether rice is being cooked properly. Furthermore, as a preferred embodiment of the present invention, when the method for producing cooked rice of the present invention is carried out using continuous rice cooking, it may include a step of measuring the temperature inside the rice cooker during cooking and adjusting the temperature difference between the top and bottom of the rice cooker to reduce the temperature difference, for example, by adjusting the temperature rise rate of both the top and bottom of the rice cooker at the above-mentioned rate. To realize this embodiment, for example, the food composition disclosed in the first embodiment can be supplemented with sodium chloride in the manner disclosed in the first embodiment, or oil or fat can be added and cooked, or glutaminase can be added to the food composition disclosed in the first embodiment in step (S1).

[0132] In step (S2), adjustments to suppress uneven heating are a preferred embodiment. In the present invention, "uneven heating" refers to a state in which rice is not heated uniformly during cooking. Specifically, for example, when the cooked rice manufacturing method of the present invention is carried out using a rice cooker, a temperature gradient occurs from the top to the bottom of the cooker, resulting in uneven, non-uniform quality of the cooked rice. Cooking with heat changes the physical properties of components (such as starch) contained in the ingredients (rice, water, ingredients, seasoning, etc.) inside the rice cooker, increasing viscosity. If the increased viscosity prevents the ingredients from convection properly inside the cooker, a temperature gradient occurs from the top to the bottom of the cooker. When such a temperature gradient occurs, the surfaces of the cooked rice may stick together, forming clumps or sticky portions, resulting in uneven quality of the cooked rice. Uneven heating can be improved by reducing the temperature difference between the top and bottom of the cooker during cooking. Conversely, if the temperature difference between the top and bottom of the kettle is large, the heating state will not be appropriate and uneven heating will become more pronounced. In this invention, the "top of the kettle" and "bottom of the kettle" refer to the positions of the raw rice and cooked rice mixed inside the kettle before cooking. If an imaginary vertical line is assumed to pass through the center of the kettle opening, the "top of the kettle" refers to the position on the imaginary vertical line that is 1 cm below the liquid level (i.e., the center of the kettle and 1 cm below the liquid level of the prepared cooked rice), and the "bottom of the kettle" refers to the position on the imaginary vertical line that is 2 cm above the bottom of the kettle (i.e., the center of the kettle and 2 cm from the bottom).

[0133] One of the features of step (S2) of the present invention is that the rate of temperature rise of the pot bottom is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. While the underlying principle is unclear, the use of the food composition disclosed in the first embodiment is thought to improve heating unevenness inside the rice cooker and facilitate smooth thermal convection within the pot, thereby enabling not only the pot temperature rise rate, which tends to increase relatively quickly because the temperature rises first within the pot during the temperature rise stage, but also the pot bottom temperature rise rate, which rises later, to be equal to or greater than a predetermined value. Specifically, step (S2) may involve heating the pot bottom to 95°C or higher, more specifically, 98°C or higher, at a rate in the range of 6.0°C / min to 25°C / min. In step (S2), the rate at which the bottom of the vessel is heated to 95°C or higher, more specifically, 98°C or higher, is not particularly limited in its lower limit, but may be 6.5°C / min or higher, or 7.0°C / min or higher, or 7.5°C / min or higher, or 8.0°C / min or higher, or 8.5°C / min or higher, or 9.0°C / min or higher, or 9.5°C / min or higher, or 10.0°C / min or higher, or 11.0°C / min or higher, or 12.0°C / min or higher, or 13.0°C / min or higher, or 14.0°C / min or higher, or 15.0°C / min or higher. The upper limit is not particularly limited, but may typically be 23°C / min or lower, or 20°C / min or lower. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limits are also disclosed in the present invention.

[0134] In addition, in step (S2) of the present invention, it is also a preferred embodiment that the rate of temperature rise of the pot bottom of the pre-cooked rice is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, and also that the rate of temperature rise of the pot is equal to or higher than a predetermined value. Specifically, in step (S2), the pre-cooked rice may be heated to 95°C or higher, more specifically 98°C or higher, at a rate of temperature rise of the pot in the range of 6.0°C / min to 25°C / min. In step (S2), the rate of heating the vessel temperature to 95°C or higher, more specifically, 98°C or higher, is not particularly limited in its lower limit, but may be 6.5°C / min or higher, or 7.0°C / min or higher, or 7.5°C / min or higher, or 8.0°C / min or higher, or 8.5°C / min or higher, or 9.0°C / min or higher, or 9.5°C / min or higher, or 10.0°C / min or higher, or 11.0°C / min or higher, or 12.0°C / min or higher, or 13.0°C / min or higher, or 14.0°C / min or higher, or 15.0°C / min or higher. The upper limit is not particularly limited, but may typically be 23°C / min or lower, or 20°C / min or lower. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limits are also disclosed in the present invention.

[0135] Furthermore, in step (S2), the time required for both the temperature on top of the pot and the temperature at the bottom of the pot to reach 95°C or higher, preferably 98°C, may be within a predetermined time after the start of rice cooking. Specifically, the time required for both the temperature on top of the pot and the temperature at the bottom of the pot to reach 98°C may be 3 minutes or more and 15 minutes or less after the start of rice cooking. More specifically, the upper limit is not particularly limited, but may be 14 minutes or less, 13 minutes or less, 12 minutes or less, 11 minutes or less, 10 minutes or less, 9 minutes or less, or 8 minutes or less. The lower limit is not particularly limited, but may be 3 minutes or more, 4 minutes or more, or 5 minutes or more. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limit values ​​are also disclosed in the present invention.

[0136] Furthermore, it is preferable to start step (S2) within a predetermined time after step (S1). While the underlying mechanism is unclear, it is believed that, for example, if too much time passes after adding the food composition containing the enzyme disclosed in the first embodiment, the texture becomes softer due to the enzymatic reaction, resulting in a deterioration in taste. Specifically, the time from adding the food composition containing the enzyme disclosed in the first embodiment to cooked rice to the start of cooking may be 80 minutes or less, or 0 minutes or more. More specifically, the upper limit may be 80 minutes or less, or 70 minutes or less, or 60 minutes or less, or 50 minutes or less, or 40 minutes or less, or 30 minutes or less, or 20 minutes or less, or 15 minutes or less, or 10 minutes or less, or 5 minutes or less, or 1 minute or less, or 0.5 minutes or less, and the lower limit may be 0 minutes or more, 0.1 minutes or more, or 0.2 minutes or more. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limits are also disclosed in the present invention.

[0137] Step (S3) is a warming step in which cooked rice after the heating step is maintained at a pot bottom temperature of 95°C or higher. In this step (S3), the cooked rice obtained in step (S2) after the heating step is maintained at 95°C or higher, preferably 98°C or higher (this will be referred to as the "warming step"). One of the features of the warming step in step (S3) of the present invention is that the cooked rice after the heating step is maintained at a pot bottom temperature of 95°C or higher, preferably 98°C or higher, for a predetermined period of time or more. Although the principle behind this is unclear, it is believed that the food composition disclosed in, for example, the first or second embodiment, improves heating unevenness inside the rice cooker and facilitates smooth thermal convection within the cooker, thereby ensuring a warming time of 98°C or higher for a predetermined period of time or more, even for a pot bottom temperature that is relatively difficult to raise. Specifically, in step (S3), cooked rice after the heating step may be maintained at a pot bottom temperature of 95°C or higher, preferably 98°C or higher, for 2 to 120 minutes. More specifically, the lower limit is not particularly limited, but may be 3 minutes or more, 4 minutes or more, 5 minutes or more, 6 minutes or more, 7 minutes or more, 8 minutes or more, 9 minutes or more, 10 minutes or more, 11 minutes or more, 12 minutes or more, 13 minutes or more, 14 minutes or more, or 15 minutes or more, and particularly preferably 20 minutes or more. The upper limit is not particularly limited, but may be 100 minutes or less, 80 minutes or less, 60 minutes or less, 50 minutes or less, or 40 minutes or less. The upper limit of the warming temperature is, for example, 100°C or less, and may be in the range of 95 to 100°C. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limits are also disclosed in the present invention.

[0138] Furthermore, in the heat-retaining step in step (S3) of the present invention, in addition to maintaining the cooked rice after the temperature-raising step at a pot bottom temperature of 95°C or higher, preferably 98°C or higher, for a predetermined period of time or longer, the cooked rice may also be maintained at a pot top temperature of 98°C or higher for a predetermined period of time or longer. Specifically, in step (S3), the cooked rice after the temperature-raising step may be maintained at a pot top temperature of 95°C or higher, preferably 98°C or higher, for 2 minutes to 120 minutes. More specifically, the lower limit is not particularly limited, but may be 3 minutes or longer, or 4 minutes or longer, or 5 minutes or longer, or 6 minutes or longer, or 7 minutes or longer, or 8 minutes or longer, or 9 minutes or longer, or 10 minutes or longer, or 11 minutes or longer, or 12 minutes or longer, or 13 minutes or longer, or 14 minutes or longer, or 15 minutes or longer. The upper limit is not particularly limited, but may be 100 minutes or shorter, or 80 minutes or shorter, or 60 minutes or shorter, or 50 minutes or shorter, or 40 minutes or shorter. Furthermore, it is preferable that the time required for both the temperature on top of the kettle and the temperature at the bottom of the kettle to reach 98°C or higher is at least a predetermined time. Specifically, the time required for both the temperature on top of the kettle and the temperature at the bottom of the kettle to reach 98°C or higher may be 10 minutes or more and 100 minutes or less. More specifically, the lower limit is not particularly limited, but may be 11 minutes or more, or 12 minutes or more, or 13 minutes or more, or 14 minutes or more, or 15 minutes or more, and particularly preferably 20 minutes or more. Furthermore, the upper limit is not particularly limited, but may be 90 minutes or less, or 80 minutes or less, or 60 minutes or less, or 50 minutes or less, or 40 minutes or less, or 30 minutes or less. Numerical ranges specified by combining the above upper and lower limits are also disclosed in the present invention.

[0139] Furthermore, it is preferable that the difference in time required for the temperature on top of the rice cooker and the temperature at the bottom of the rice cooker to both reach 95°C or higher, preferably 98°C or higher, is within a predetermined time. While the underlying mechanism is unclear, it is believed that, for example, the food composition disclosed in the first or second embodiment improves heating unevenness inside the rice cooker and facilitates smooth thermal convection within the rice cooker, thereby reducing the time difference between the temperature on top of the rice cooker, which rises first in the rice cooker during the heating stage, and the temperature at the bottom of the rice cooker, which usually rises later. Specifically, the difference in time required for the temperature on top of the rice cooker and the temperature at the bottom of the rice cooker to both reach 98°C or higher may be 0 minutes or more and 15 minutes or less. More specifically, although not particularly limited, the upper limit may be 14 minutes or less, or 13 minutes or less, or 12 minutes or less, or 11 minutes or less, or 10 minutes or less, or 9 minutes or less, or 8 minutes or less, or 7 minutes or less. Although not particularly limited, the lower limit may be 1 minute or more, or 2 minutes or more. Furthermore, it is preferable that the time during which the temperature on top of the pot and the temperature on the bottom of the pot both reach 98°C or higher be a specified time or longer, and that the difference in the time during which the temperature on top of the pot and the temperature on the bottom of the pot both reach 98°C or higher be within a specified time, in order to produce high-quality cooked rice.Specifically, it is more preferable that the time during which the temperature on top of the pot and the temperature on the bottom of the pot both reach 98°C or higher be 15 minutes or longer, and that the difference in the time during which the temperature on top of the pot and the temperature on the bottom of the pot both reach 98°C or higher be within 10 minutes.

[0140] Furthermore, in the cooked rice manufacturing method of the present invention, cooked rice can be obtained through step (S3), but subsequent processing such as steps (S4) and (S5) described below may also be carried out. That is, the cooked rice manufacturing method of the present invention may include, for example, the following step (S4). (S4) Step of removing the cooked rice obtained after (S3) from the rice cooker. In this step, a particularly preferred embodiment is to include a step of removing the entire amount of cooked rice from the rice cooker at once. This allows the next cooking to be carried out efficiently, particularly when the cooked rice manufacturing method of the present invention involves continuous rice cooking. Therefore, a more preferred embodiment of this embodiment is one in which step (S4) is carried out on a production line. A preferred example of this embodiment is one in which cooked rice is removed by inverting the rice cooker on a production line.

[0141] According to one aspect of the present invention, the method for producing cooked rice of the present invention may further include, for example, the following step (S5): (S5) A step of cleaning the rice cooker after (S4). By including step (S5), the next cooking can be carried out efficiently, particularly when the method for producing cooked rice of the present invention involves continuous rice cooking. Therefore, a more preferred aspect of this embodiment is one in which step (S5) is carried out on a production line.

[0142] According to one aspect of the present invention, the method for producing cooked rice of the present invention may perform, for example, the next step (T1) on the cooked rice obtained after (S3) or (S4). (T1) By including this step, cooked rice after (S3) or (S4) is subjected to post-processing, can be obtained that is closer to the desired quality.

[0143] As a specific embodiment of the post-treatment in step (T1), for example, the method for producing cooked rice of the present invention may include a step of adding vinegar to the cooked rice after (S3) or after (S4). This step is a step of preparing vinegared rice by adding, for example, vinegar (preferably sushi vinegar) to the cooked rice. The vinegar addition can be carried out, for example, so that the acetic acid content in the vinegared rice is, for example, 0.01 to 1.0% by mass, preferably 0.05 to 0.8% by mass, and more preferably 0.1 to 0.5% by mass. Alternatively, the vinegar addition may be carried out by adding the food composition of the present invention described in the first embodiment.

[0144] Furthermore, as a specific aspect of post-treatment, for example, the method for producing cooked rice of the present invention may include a step of enzymatically treating cooked rice after (S3) or (S4). This step can be carried out by adding the enzyme disclosed in the first embodiment to the cooked rice after (S3) or (S4). In this aspect, the enzyme to be added is not particularly limited, and any of the enzymes disclosed in the first embodiment can be used, but it is particularly preferable to add β-amylase. This can suppress aging of the cooked rice and improve the texture when stored for a long period of time. Alternatively, the enzyme treatment may be carried out by adding the food composition of the present invention described in the first embodiment. The amount of enzyme to be added in the enzyme treatment can be the amount to be added to the rice before cooking, as specified in the first embodiment. In one preferred aspect of this embodiment, the cooked rice after (S3) or (S4) is subjected to a cooling step to 60°C or less, preferably 50°C or less, and more preferably 45°C or less, followed by an enzyme addition step in which an enzyme or an enzyme-containing food composition of the first embodiment is added to the cooked rice, followed by an enzyme reaction step in which the temperature is maintained at 15°C or higher, preferably 20°C or higher, for 1 hour or more, preferably 2 hours or more, and more preferably 3 hours or more to promote the enzymatic reaction. The lower limit of the temperature in the cooling step can be, for example, 15°C or higher, preferably 20°C or higher, and the upper limit of the temperature in the enzyme reaction step can be, for example, 50°C or lower, 45°C or lower, or 40°C or lower. The upper limit of the enzyme reaction time in the enzyme reaction step can be, for example, 6 hours or less, 5 hours or less, or 4 hours or less.

[0145] That is, since the above-mentioned post-treatment (e.g., mixing with vinegar or enzyme treatment) can be carried out by adding the food composition disclosed in the first embodiment after step (S3) or after step (S4), the third embodiment may be a method for producing cooked rice, which includes adding a food composition that satisfies all of the above requirements (a) to (d) after step (S3) or after step (S4).

[0146] Furthermore, as a more specific embodiment of the post-treatment, for example, the method for producing cooked rice of the present invention may include a step of cooling the cooked rice after (S3) or after (S4). In this embodiment, it is preferable to set the temperature of the cooked rice to 50°C or less. The cooling step can be carried out using a commercially available vacuum cooler (for example, GMJ-20QE manufactured by Miura Kogyo Co., Ltd.), or it may be carried out by allowing the cooked rice to cool at room temperature. In addition, the enzyme treatment may be carried out after this cooling step.

[0147] Furthermore, as a specific aspect of post-treatment, for example, the method for producing cooked rice of the present invention may include a step of shaping and / or filling the cooked rice after (S3) or after (S4). This makes it possible to easily transport the cooked rice. Furthermore, in this embodiment, a step of intermittently measuring the temperature of the filled cooked rice and adjusting it to an appropriate temperature state may be included. Furthermore, a step of filling the cooked rice into a container with thermal insulation may be included to make the cooked rice less susceptible to the influence of the outside temperature.

[0148] The cooked rice of the present invention can also be stored for a long period of time after completion of cooking until consumption. Specifically, a long-term storage mode may be, for example, a mode in which the rice is maintained for a predetermined period of time or more at a temperature range of 0°C to 40°C. Specifically, the cooked rice may be maintained for 8 to 72 hours at a temperature range of 0°C to 40°C after completion of cooking until consumption. The lower limit is not particularly limited, but may be 10 hours or more, 12 hours or more, 14 hours or more, or 16 hours or more. The upper limit is not particularly limited, but may be 68 hours or less, 60 hours or less, 54 hours or less, 48 ​​hours or less, 40 hours or less, 36 hours or less, 32 hours or less, 36 hours or less, or 24 hours or less. Furthermore, the present invention is particularly useful when the temperature range from completion of cooking until consumption is 0°C to 30°C, particularly 0°C to 20°C, for the above-mentioned period of time.

[0149] Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present invention, the rice cooker washed in the step (S5) may be used again in the step (S1). A more preferred embodiment is one in which the steps (S1) to (S5) are carried out on a line, and the rice cooker after (S5) is again (preferably continuously) supplied to the line for (S1).

[0150] That is, the third embodiment encompasses the following invention: A method for producing cooked rice in which the following steps (S1) to (S5) are carried out continuously on a rice cooking line, and the method includes adding a food composition that satisfies all of the following requirements (a) to (d) before step (S2) and / or after step (S3): (S1) A step of preparing uncooked rice. (S2) A temperature-raising step of heating the uncooked rice after (S1) to 95°C or higher at a temperature-raising rate of 6.0°C / min or more. (S3) A warming step of maintaining the composition after the temperature-raising step (S2) at a pot bottom temperature of 95°C or higher for 2 minutes or more. (S4) A step of removing the cooked rice obtained after (S3) from the rice cooker. (S5) A step of cleaning the rice cooker after (S4). (a) The moisture content converted to wet mass is 20% by mass or more. (b) The pH at 20°C and 1 atmosphere is 4.0 or more. (c) The titratable acidity when measured by Measurement Method A is 0.1% by mass or more. Accurately sample 10 g of the food composition and dilute it 10 times with ion-exchanged water. To the diluted solution (100 g), add 0.08 ml of 3.1% phenolphthalein solution as an indicator. Neutralization titration is performed with a 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution of known potency, and the titratable acidity is calculated using the following formula: Titratable acidity (mass%) of food composition = {(60.05 x 0.1 x F x V) x 100} / {sample amount (10 g) x 1000}, where 60.05 is the molecular weight of acetic acid, 0.1 is the molar concentration of sodium hydroxide solution (mol / L), F is the titer of 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution, and V is the titer of 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution (mL). (d) Satisfying the following requirements (i) and / or (ii): Requirement (i): When the salt equivalent amount per 100 g of water in the food composition is X g and the undissociated acetic acid content per 100 g of water in the food composition is Y g, the following formula is satisfied: 4Y + X ≧ 10 (where X ≧ 3 and Y > 0.03). Requirement (ii): Satisfying the following formula: 4Y + X ≧ 10 (where X ≧ 3 and Y > 0.03). The food composition has a salt equivalent of 3.0 g or more per 100 g of water, and an ethanol content of 8.0 g or more per 100 g of water.

[0151] The third embodiment also encompasses the following invention: A method for producing cooked rice in which the following steps (S1) to (S5) are carried out consecutively, and a food composition to be added before step (S2) and / or after step (S3) in order to improve the quality of cooked rice, the food composition satisfying all of the following requirements (a) to (d): (S1) A step of preparing uncooked rice. (S2) A temperature-raising step of heating the uncooked rice after (S1) to 95°C or higher at a temperature-raising rate of 6.0°C / min or more. (S3) A warming step of maintaining the composition after the temperature-raising step (S2) at a pot bottom temperature of 95°C or higher for 2 minutes or more. (S4) A step of removing the cooked rice obtained after (S3) from the rice cooker. (S5) A step of cleaning the rice cooker after (S4). (a) The moisture content converted to wet mass is 20% by mass or more. (b) The pH at 20°C and 1 atmosphere is 4.0 or more. (c) The titratable acidity when measured by Measurement Method A is 0.1% by mass or more. Accurately sample 10 g of the food composition and dilute it 10 times with ion-exchanged water. To the diluted solution (100 g), add 0.08 ml of 3.1% phenolphthalein solution as an indicator. Neutralization titration is performed with a 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution of known potency, and the titratable acidity is calculated using the following formula: Titratable acidity (mass%) of food composition = {(60.05 x 0.1 x F x V) x 100} / {sample amount (10 g) x 1000}, where 60.05 is the molecular weight of acetic acid, 0.1 is the molar concentration of sodium hydroxide solution (mol / L), F is the titer of 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution, and V is the titer of 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution (mL). (d) Satisfying the following requirements (i) and / or (ii): Requirement (i): When the salt equivalent amount per 100 g of water in the food composition is X g and the undissociated acetic acid content per 100 g of water in the food composition is Y g, the following formula is satisfied: 4Y + X ≧ 10 (where X ≧ 3 and Y > 0.03). Requirement (ii): Satisfying the following formula: 4Y + X ≧ 10 (where X ≧ 3 and Y > 0.03). The food composition has a salt equivalent of 3.0 g or more per 100 g of water, and an ethanol content of 8.0 g or more per 100 g of water.

[0152] <Fourth embodiment> The present invention also relates to a processed grain product obtained by using the food composition according to the first embodiment. Specific types of processed grain products obtained by using the food composition of the present invention are as disclosed in the first embodiment. For example, in the case of a processed grain product produced by adding the food composition of the present invention to raw materials and then heating, the enzymes in the processed grain product may be inactivated.

[0153] <Fifth Embodiment> The present invention also relates to a method for inhibiting the growth of spoilage bacteria in a food composition that is not subjected to heat sterilization at 100° C. or higher. Hereinafter, the fifth embodiment will be described.

[0154] According to the aspect disclosed in the first embodiment, the food composition of the present invention can inhibit the growth of microorganisms (particularly lactic acid bacteria, particularly the thermotolerant lactic acid bacterium "Lactobacillus fructivorans") that cause food spoilage. That is, the present invention encompasses a method for inhibiting the growth of, for example, the microorganisms disclosed in the first embodiment (particularly lactic acid bacteria, particularly the thermotolerant lactic acid bacterium "Lactobacillus fructivorans") in a food composition by preparing or using the food composition disclosed in the first embodiment. Specifically, the present invention encompasses a method for inhibiting the growth of microorganisms in a food composition by preparing a food composition that satisfies all of the following requirements (a) to (d): Furthermore, as described in the first embodiment, the food composition of the present invention may be an unsterilized composition that can be filled into a container, stored at 20°C under 1 atmosphere for 1 month, 2 months, 3 months, 4 months, 5 months, 6 months, 7 months, or 8 months without being subjected to heat sterilization (for example, heat sterilization at a maximum temperature of 100°C or higher, particularly heat sterilization at a maximum temperature of 124°C or higher), and still be usable without generating a deterioration odor derived from microorganisms. From this perspective, the present embodiment also encompasses a "method for improving the shelf life of a food composition that is not subjected to heat sterilization at 100°C or higher." (a) The moisture content converted to wet mass is 20% by mass or more. (b) The pH at 20°C and 1 atmosphere is 4.0 or more. (c) The titratable acidity of the food composition, when measured by Measurement Method A, is 0.1% by mass or more. Measurement Method A: Accurately sample 10 g of the food composition and dilute it 10 times with ion-exchanged water. To the diluted solution (100 g), add 0.08 ml of 3.1% phenolphthalein solution as an indicator, and neutralize titrate it with 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution of known potency. The titratable acidity is calculated using the following formula:Titratable acidity (mass%) of food composition = {(60.05 x 0.1 x F x V) x 100} / {sample amount (10 g) x 1000}, where 60.05 is the molecular weight of acetic acid, 0.1 is the molar concentration of sodium hydroxide solution (mol / L), F is the titer of 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution, and V is the titer of 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution (mL). (d) Satisfying the following requirements (i) and / or (ii): Requirement (i): When the salt equivalent amount per 100 g of water in the food composition is X g and the undissociated acetic acid content per 100 g of water in the food composition is Y g, the following formula is satisfied: 4Y + X ≥ 10 (where X ≥ 3 and Y > 0.03). Requirement (ii): Satisfying the following formula: 4Y + X ≥ 10 (where X ≥ 3 and Y > 0.03). The food composition has a salt equivalent of 3.0 g or more per 100 g of water, and an ethanol content of 8.0 g or more per 100 g of water.

[0155] The preferred numerical ranges, upper limits, or lower limits for the above requirements (a) to (d) can be the values ​​disclosed in the first embodiment. Furthermore, the food composition of the fifth embodiment may contain the enzyme disclosed in the first embodiment in the manner disclosed in the first embodiment. Furthermore, since the food composition of the fifth embodiment can also be the food composition disclosed in the first embodiment, the manner disclosed in the first embodiment can be adopted even for matters not specified by the above requirements. For example, the method may be a method for inhibiting the growth of spoilage bacteria in a food composition that is filled without heat sterilization, or a method for inhibiting the growth of spoilage bacteria when the food composition is stored at 20°C under 1 atmosphere for 1 month, 2 months, 3 months, 4 months, 5 months, 6 months, 7 months, or 8 months. The present invention may also be a method of inhibiting the growth of putrefactive bacteria by adjusting the water activity of a food composition to satisfy the aspect disclosed in the first embodiment, a method of inhibiting the growth of putrefactive bacteria by adjusting the salt equivalent amount of a food composition to the aspect disclosed in the first embodiment, a method of inhibiting the growth of putrefactive bacteria by adjusting the sodium salt content (sodium acetate, sodium citrate, sodium chloride, etc.) of a food composition to the aspect disclosed in the first embodiment, a method of inhibiting the growth of putrefactive bacteria by adjusting the Brix value (refractive index sugar content) of a food composition to the aspect disclosed in the first embodiment, or a method of inhibiting the growth of putrefactive bacteria by adjusting the ratio of the chloride ion content (mass%) to the sodium content (mass%) of a food composition to the aspect disclosed in the first embodiment. a method of suppressing the growth of spoilage bacteria by adjusting the chloride ion content of a food composition to the aspect disclosed in the first embodiment; a method of suppressing the growth of spoilage bacteria by adjusting the non-dissociated acetic acid content of a food composition to the aspect disclosed in the first embodiment; a method of suppressing the growth of spoilage bacteria by adjusting the total acetic acid content of a food composition to the aspect disclosed in the first embodiment; a method of suppressing the growth of spoilage bacteria by adjusting the brewed vinegar content of a food composition to the aspect disclosed in the first embodiment; or a method of suppressing the growth of spoilage bacteria by adjusting the ratio of the dissociated acetic acid content (% by mass) to the total acetic acid content (% by mass) of a food composition to the aspect disclosed in the first embodiment.The method may be a method of suppressing the growth of putrefactive bacteria by adjusting the ratio of the total acetic acid content to the titratable acidity of the food composition (total acetic acid content / titratable acidity determined by neutralization titration) to the mode disclosed in the first embodiment, a method of suppressing the growth of putrefactive bacteria by adjusting the carbohydrate content of the food composition to satisfy the regulation disclosed in the first embodiment, a method of suppressing the growth of putrefactive bacteria by adjusting the ratio of the carbohydrate content (mass %) to the salt equivalent amount (mass %) of the food composition to satisfy the regulation disclosed in the first embodiment, or a method of suppressing the growth of putrefactive bacteria by adjusting the content of reduced starch syrup (mass %) to the carbohydrate content (mass %) of the food composition to satisfy the regulation disclosed in the first embodiment. %) to satisfy the specification disclosed in the first embodiment, or a method for suppressing the growth of spoilage bacteria by adjusting the ratio of the total content (mass%) of sorbitol and mannitol to the carbohydrate content (mass%) of the food composition to satisfy the specification disclosed in the first embodiment, or a method for suppressing the growth of spoilage bacteria by adjusting the ratio of the content (mass%) of at least one selected from fructose, glucose, and maltose to the carbohydrate content (mass%) of the food composition to satisfy the specification disclosed in the first embodiment.

[0156] Sixth Embodiment The present invention also relates to a method for improving the texture of a processed grain product by using the food composition according to the first embodiment. The use of the food composition of the present invention improves the texture of the processed grain product through the synergistic effect of the enzyme, sodium, and undissociated acetic acid and / or ethanol. Furthermore, the food composition of the present invention can maintain a relatively high pH in the food or drink (particularly the processed grain product) obtained by use thereof while inhibiting the growth of spoilage bacteria in the food or drink (particularly the processed grain product), thereby reducing the flavor deterioration of the processed grain product due to a decrease in pH. Examples of textures in the sixth embodiment can be those disclosed in the first embodiment. Specific types of processed grain products can be those disclosed in the first embodiment. The pH of the food or drink produced by adding the food composition of the present invention can be the same as that disclosed in the first embodiment.

[0157] <Seventh embodiment> The food composition of the present invention also relates to a food composition to be added to a composition containing an enzyme having an optimum pH of 4.0 or higher. The seventh embodiment will be described below.

[0158] The seventh embodiment is a food composition for adding to a composition containing an enzyme having an optimum pH of 4.0 or higher, which satisfies all of the requirements (a) to (d) disclosed in the first embodiment.

[0159] In the seventh embodiment, the preferred numerical ranges, upper and lower limits of the requirements (a) to (d) can be the values ​​disclosed in the first embodiment. Furthermore, the optimum pH of an enzyme having an optimum pH of 4.0 or higher and specific examples of the enzyme can be the same as those disclosed in the first embodiment. Furthermore, even for matters not specified in the above requirements, the provisions regarding food compositions disclosed in the first embodiment can be adopted. For example, the food composition is preferably liquid at 1 atmosphere and 20°C, more preferably liquid at 1 atmosphere and 0°C, and may be liquid at 1 atmosphere and -20°C. Furthermore, the food composition may be filled without heat sterilization and stored at 20°C at 1 atmosphere for 1 month, 2 months, 3 months, 4 months, 5 months, 6 months, 7 months, or 8 months, and still be usable under the Food Sanitation Act (corresponding to the Act amending the Food Sanitation Act, etc., which came into effect on June 1, 2021).Furthermore, the water activity of the food composition may satisfy the specification disclosed in the first embodiment, the salt equivalent amount of the food composition may satisfy the specification disclosed in the first embodiment, the sodium salt content (sodium acetate, sodium citrate, etc.) of the food composition may be in the form disclosed in the first embodiment, the Brix value (refractive index sugar content) of the food composition may satisfy the specification disclosed in the first embodiment, the ratio of the chloride ion content (mass%) to the sodium content (mass%) of the food composition may satisfy the specification disclosed in the first embodiment, the chloride ion content of the food composition may satisfy the specification disclosed in the first embodiment, the undissociated acetic acid content of the food composition may satisfy the specification disclosed in the first embodiment, the total acetic acid content of the food composition may satisfy the specification disclosed in the first embodiment, the brewed vinegar content of the food composition may satisfy the specification disclosed in the first embodiment, and the ratio of dissociated acetic acid to the total acetic acid content (mass%) of the food composition may satisfy the specification disclosed in the first embodiment. The ratio of the content (mass%) may satisfy the specifications disclosed in the first embodiment, the ratio of the total acetic acid content to the titratable acidity of the food composition (total acetic acid content / titratable acidity determined by neutralization titration) may satisfy the specifications disclosed in the first embodiment, the carbohydrate content of the food composition may satisfy the specifications disclosed in the first embodiment, the ratio of the carbohydrate content (mass%) to the salt equivalent amount (mass%) of the food composition may satisfy the specifications disclosed in the first embodiment, the ratio of the content (mass%) of reduced starch syrup to the carbohydrate content of the food composition may satisfy the specifications disclosed in the first embodiment, the ratio of the total content (mass%) of sorbitol and mannitol to the carbohydrate content (mass%) of the food composition may satisfy the specifications disclosed in the first embodiment, or the ratio of the content (mass%) of at least one selected from fructose, glucose, and maltose to the carbohydrate content (mass%) of the food composition may satisfy the specifications disclosed in the first embodiment.

[0160] In the seventh embodiment, the "composition containing the enzyme having an optimum pH of 4.0 or higher" is not particularly limited as long as it is a composition containing an enzyme having a pH of 4.0 or higher, and may be, for example, an enzyme preparation containing the enzyme and other mineral salts, meat, seafood, eggs, milk, or plants containing the enzyme, or the "enzyme having an optimum pH of 4.0 or higher" itself.

[0161] The plant may be preferably a grain, vegetable, fruit, herb, spice, or seed, and particularly preferably a grain. When the plant is a grain, the preferred types of grain are as disclosed in the first embodiment.

[0162] Examples of the vegetables include tomatoes, bell peppers, paprika, cucumbers, eggplants, red bell peppers, pumpkins, ginger, garlic, radishes, corn, carrots, beets, onions, cabbage, lettuce, spinach, Chinese cabbage, celery, komatsuna (Japanese mustard spinach), bok choy, mulukhiyah (mulukhiya), kale, shiso (perilla), chives, parsley, green onions, asparagus, bamboo shoots, broccoli, and cauliflower.

[0163] Examples of the fruits include apples, peaches, grapes, acerola, blueberries, pears, apricots, citrus fruits (oranges, lemons, yuzu, kabosu, sudachi, limes, mandarins, grapefruit, pink grapefruit, hassaku persimmons, calamansi, etc.), strawberries, pineapples, bananas, melons, kiwifruits, black currants, apricots, guavas, plums, mangoes, papayas, lychees, plums, pomegranates, acai, raspberries, white grapes, bergamot, and passion fruit.

[0164] Examples of the herbs or spices include roselle, watercress, arugula, artichoke, calendula, tarragon, chicory, stevia, dandelion, basil, perilla, oregano, shiso, savory, sage, thyme, mint, lemon balm, rosemary, parsley, anise, angelica, cumin, coriander, water parsley, chervil, hawthorn, allspice, lemon myrtle, Japanese pepper, nasturtium, laurel, hops, rooibos, chamomile, safflower, elderflower, pepper, cinnamon, and plantain.

[0165] Examples of the nuts and seeds include almonds, cashew nuts, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts, walnuts, chestnuts, and chestnuts.

[0166] Eighth Embodiment The present invention also encompasses the following aspects, for example: A method for improving the quality of cooked rice, comprising: evaluating issues related to uneven heating or aging of cooked rice by measuring at least one selected from the temperature of a rice cooker pot during cooking, the temperature of cooked rice from cooking until consumption, and the time from cooking until consumption; and adding a food composition disclosed in the first embodiment, which is effective in solving the issues, before and / or after cooking. A cooked rice cooking system, comprising: evaluating issues related to uneven heating or aging of cooked rice by measuring at least one selected from the temperature of a rice cooker pot during cooking, the temperature of cooked rice from cooking until consumption, and the time from cooking until consumption; and adding a food composition disclosed in the first embodiment, which is effective in solving the issues, before and / or after cooking. For specific rice cooking conditions according to this embodiment, see the aspects disclosed in the third embodiment. Furthermore, for specific aspects of the food composition disclosed in the first embodiment according to this embodiment, reference can be made to the aspects disclosed in the first embodiment (for example, an embodiment effective in improving uneven heating or an embodiment effective in inhibiting aging disclosed in the first embodiment can be adopted).

[0167] The present invention 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 invention is not limited to these examples in any sense.

[0168] <Test 1: Verification of the microbial growth inhibitory effect of the food composition of the present invention> Sodium acetate, rice vinegar (manufactured by Mitsukan Co., Ltd.), sodium chloride, sucrose, reduced starch syrup, water, and ethanol were appropriately mixed to obtain the compositions shown in Tables 1 and 2, to prepare food compositions to be used as test products (Test Examples 1 to 45). 10 lactic acid bacteria (Lactobacillus fructivorans) were added to each test product. 5 The inoculated sections were inoculated to a concentration of 0.1% / ml, sealed, and cultured at 25°C for 3 days to prepare two groups: an inoculated section and an uninoculated section, which was refrigerated without inoculation. Titratable acidity was measured using the method described above. The post-culture odor of each test product in the inoculated section was compared with that in the uninoculated section to evaluate the degree of inhibition of the growth of microorganisms that cause food deterioration. Evaluations were conducted by 10 expert panelists using the following evaluation criteria. The sensory testers for each sensory test were selected after undergoing training in identifying food taste, odor, texture, and appearance (see A) to C) below), and were selected based on their outstanding performance, product development experience, extensive knowledge of food quality such as taste, odor, texture, and appearance, and the ability to make absolute evaluations for each sensory test item. For each of the above evaluation items, all panelists evaluated Test Example 1 in advance, standardizing the scores for each evaluation criterion, and then conducting an objective sensory test. The final score was determined by calculating the average of the scores of the 10 sensory panelists and rounding off to the nearest tenth. The results are shown in Tables 1 and 2. The numerical values ​​for each standard in the tables are rounded off to the nearest tenth or tenth.

[0169] 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.

[0170] <Evaluation of deterioration odor> 1: Deterioration odor is very strong, undesirable 2: Deterioration odor is strong, somewhat undesirable 3: Deterioration odor is weak, somewhat preferable 4: Deterioration odor is very weak, preferable

[0171]

[0172]

[0173] As shown in Tables 1 and 2, it was shown that the deterioration odor can be suppressed by adjusting the salt equivalent amount and the undissociated acetic acid content, or the salt equivalent amount and the ethanol content, and it was found that the growth of microorganisms that cause food deterioration can be suppressed.

[0174] <Test 2: Verification of the effect when the food composition of the present invention is used in the production of food and beverages> <Preparation of each test product> Brewed vinegar, sodium acetate, sucrose, reduced starch syrup, sodium chloride, water, ethanol, and a commercially available enzyme or a mixture of commercially available enzymes (enzyme samples 1 to 31) shown in Table 3 were appropriately blended to prepare food compositions (compositions for producing cooked rice) to serve as test products with the compositions shown in Tables 4 to 9 (Test Examples 46 to 104). Each test product was placed in a container with a lid and left to stand at 20°C for 2 weeks. After confirming that there was no deterioration odor, it was subjected to Test 2-1 or Test 2-2 below.

[0175] <Test 2-1: Evaluation of the taste of cooked rice when a test product was used before cooking> Polished rice (apparent amylose content 17.3%) was weighed and washed, and then water was added so that the raw rice was completely submerged, followed by soaking at room temperature (20 ° C) for 60 minutes. After soaking, the water used for soaking was discarded, and each test product (any of Test Examples 46 to 104) was added to the raw rice after soaking so that the amount added was 1% by mass relative to the weight of the raw rice before adding water. Furthermore, water was added so that the hydration ratio was 1.4 times the weight of the raw rice before adding water. Within 30 minutes after adding water, cooking was started in the quick-cook mode of an induction rice cooker (manufactured by Tiger Corporation: JKT-G101) and the resulting cooked rice was used as the test group. In addition, instead of each test product, a control test solution having the same composition as each test product except that it did not contain enzymes was added, and cooked in the same manner. This was used as a negative control. Additionally, cooked rice was prepared in the same manner as the positive control, except that the commercially available enzyme contained in each test product was added in place of the test product, with the enzyme content relative to the weight of raw rice before water addition being equal to that of the test product. The cooked rice was cooled to 45°C using a vacuum cooler (Miura Industrial Co., Ltd.: GMJ-20QE) and then molded into 20g sushi rice balls using a rice ball molding machine (Suzumo Machinery Co., Ltd.: SSN-FRA). The rice balls prepared as described above were stored at 4°C for 24 hours and then subjected to the following sensory evaluation test. Sensory evaluation was conducted by 10 expert panelists to confirm whether the enzyme activity of each test product was maintained by storage at 20°C, depending on the type of enzyme added during cooking. Specifically, for enzymes involved in inhibiting cooked rice aging, the softness of the positive control and test group was evaluated in comparison to the negative control using the following evaluation criteria. In addition, for the enzymes involved in improving the elasticity of cooked rice, the elasticity was evaluated in the positive control and the test group compared to the negative control. The average of the scores of the 10 sensory examiners was calculated and rounded to the nearest decimal place to obtain the final score. Any comments other than those on the evaluation items were also noted as remarks.As with Test 1, the sensory inspectors conducting each sensory test were trained in distinguishing the taste, smell, texture, and appearance of food products in advance, and were selected based on their outstanding performance, product development experience, and extensive knowledge of food quality such as taste, smell, texture, and appearance, and their ability to make absolute evaluations of each sensory test item. Furthermore, for each of the above evaluation items, all inspectors evaluated Test Example 46 in advance, standardizing the scores for each evaluation criterion, and then conducting an objective sensory test. The results are shown in Tables 4 to 9. The numerical values ​​for each provision in the tables are rounded to two or three decimal places.

[0176] <Evaluation of softness after storage at 4°C for 24 hours> 1: Softness is impaired to the same extent as the negative control, undesirable 2: Improved compared to the negative control, but still impaired, slightly undesirable 3: Improved softness compared to the negative control, slightly preferable 4: Much softer than the negative control, preferable <Evaluation of elasticity after storage at 4°C for 24 hours> 1: Elasticity is impaired to the same extent as the negative control, undesirable 2: Improved compared to the negative control, but still impaired, slightly undesirable 3: Elasticity is improved compared to the negative control, slightly preferable 4: Much softer than the negative control, preferable

[0177] <Test 2-2: Evaluation of the taste of cooked rice when test products were used after cooking> Polished rice (apparent amylose content 17.3%) was weighed and washed, and then water was added so that the raw rice was completely submerged, and the rice was soaked at room temperature (20 ° C) for 60 minutes. After soaking, the water used for soaking was discarded, and water was added to the raw rice after soaking so that the hydration ratio relative to the weight of the raw rice before adding water was 1.4 times. Within 30 minutes after the addition of water, cooking was started in the quick-cook mode of an IH rice cooker (manufactured by Tiger Corporation: JKT-G101) to obtain cooked rice. The entire amount of cooked rice obtained was transferred to a bucket and allowed to cool for 10 minutes in an environment of 20 ° C., and then each test product (any of Test Examples 46 to 104) was added so that the amount added relative to the weight of the raw rice before adding water was 1% by mass. The cooked rice was stirred with a rice paddle and allowed to cool for a further 30 minutes to allow the enzyme reaction to occur. This was the test group. In addition, cooked rice obtained by adding a control test solution having the same composition as each test product except that it did not contain enzymes instead of each test product was used as a negative control. Furthermore, cooked rice obtained in the same manner as each test product but with the addition of the commercially available enzyme contained in each test product so that the amount of enzyme added relative to the weight of raw rice before water addition was equal to that of each test product was used as a positive control. After cooling, the cooked rice was cooled to 45 ° C in a vacuum cooler (Miura Kogyo Co., Ltd.: GMJ-20QE) and then molded into 20 g rice balls using a rice ball molding machine (Suzumo Machinery Co., Ltd.: SSN-FRA). The rice balls produced as described above were stored at 4 ° C for 24 hours, and then subjected to the same sensory evaluation as in Test 2-1 to evaluate softness and elasticity.

[0178]

[0179]

[0180]

[0181]

[0182]

[0183]

[0184]

[0185] Test 2 demonstrated that the food composition of the present invention maintains enzyme activity while inhibiting the growth of microorganisms that cause food deterioration. Furthermore, some test plots showed superior effects compared to the positive control, demonstrating the usefulness of adding enzymes to the food composition of the present invention. Furthermore, for test examples in which the pH of the food composition was 5.3 or higher, the resulting cooked rice was homogenized with distilled water in an amount twice the mass of the cooked rice, and the pH was measured at 20°C and 1 atmosphere. As a result, the pH of the cooked rice in all cases was greater than 6.2. Tests 2-1 and 2-2 were also conducted under the same conditions, except that 30% by mass of the total amount of polished rice was replaced with brown rice. Results similar to those obtained with polished rice were obtained. Similarly, in Tests 2-1 and 2-2, 30% by mass of the total amount of polished rice was replaced with soybeans (5% by mass), barley (5% by mass), red beans (5% by mass), brown rice (5% by mass), foxtail millet (5% by mass), and barnyard millet (5% by mass). When the tests were conducted under the same conditions, results similar to those for polished rice were obtained. In addition, in Test Examples 63, 64, 67, 81, 85, 99, and 104, when 30% by mass of the total amount of polished rice was replaced with brown rice, and when 30% by mass of the total amount of polished rice was replaced with soybeans (5% by mass), barley (5% by mass), red beans (5% by mass), brown rice (5% by mass), foxtail millet (5% by mass), and barnyard millet (5% by mass), the effect of improving the crumbly texture of cooked rice was observed. Furthermore, in Test Example 73, when the time for the enzyme reaction after cooking was extended to 60 minutes, 90 minutes, and 180 minutes under conditions where the cooked rice was kept at 20°C, the decrease in the stickiness of the cooked rice was significantly suppressed, and the difference in the evaluation results between the test group and the positive control also became smaller. Therefore, it was considered more preferable to carry out the enzyme reaction for 60 minutes or more under conditions where the cooked rice was kept at 20°C.

[0186] <Test 2-3: Test Assuming a Large-Scale Rice Cooking System> This test was conducted assuming a large-scale rice cooking system, particularly an embodiment using continuous rice cooking. Specifically, to confirm whether adding edible oil during rice cooking improves rice ...

Claims

A food composition that satisfies all of the following requirements (a) to (d): (a) The moisture content converted to wet mass is 20% by mass or more. (b) pH at 20°C and 1 atmosphere is 4.0 or more (c) The food composition has a titratable acidity of 0.1% by mass or more when measured by measurement method A. Measurement method A Accurately sample 10 g of the food composition and dilute it 10 times with ion-exchanged water. To the diluted solution (100 g), add 0.08 ml of 3.1% phenolphthalein solution as an indicator. Neutralization titration is performed with a 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution of known potency, and the titratable acidity is calculated using the following formula: 　　 Titratable acidity of food composition (mass%)={(60.05×0.1×F×V)×100} / {sample amount (10 g)×1000} 　　 60.05: Molecular weight of acetic acid 0.1: Molar concentration of sodium hydroxide solution (mol / L) F: Potency of 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution V: Titration volume (mL) of 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution (d) Satisfy the following requirements (i) and / or (ii): Requirement (i) When the salt equivalent amount per 100 g of water in the food composition is X g and the undissociated acetic acid content per 100 g of water in the food composition is Y g, the following formula is satisfied: 4Y + X ≧ 10 (where X ≧ 3 and Y > 0.03) Requirement (ii) The food composition has a salt equivalent of 3.0 g or more per 100 g of water, and an ethanol content of 8.0 g or more per 100 g of water.

2. The food composition according to claim 1, wherein the salt equivalent amount per 100 g of water in the food composition is 4.0 g or more.

3. The food composition according to claim 1, wherein the total acetic acid content of the food composition is 0.4 g or more per 100 g of water. The food composition according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which contains one or more enzymes having an optimum pH of 4.0 or higher. The food composition according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the food composition contains brewed vinegar. The food composition according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the ratio of the dissociated acetic acid content (% by mass) to the total acetic acid content (% by mass) of the food composition is 0.10 or more. The food composition according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the ratio of the chloride ion content (mass%) of the food composition to the sodium content (mass%) of the food composition is 0.1 to 1.

5. The food composition according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the Brix value of the food composition is 15 or more. The food composition according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the carbohydrate content of the food composition per 100 g of water is 4.0 g or more. The food composition according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the food composition contains a sugar alcohol. The food composition according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the food composition contains reduced starch syrup. The food composition according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the ratio of the maltose content (% by mass) to the total carbohydrate content (% by mass) of the food composition is 0.80 or less.

5. The food composition of claim 4, wherein the enzyme comprises a transferase and / or a hydrolase.

14. The food composition according to claim 13, wherein the enzyme contains at least one transferase selected from 6-α-glucanotransferase, 4-α-glucanotransferase, and cyclodextrin glucanotransferase. The food composition according to claim 13 or 14, wherein the enzyme comprises at least one hydrolase selected from glutaminase, maltotriohydrolase, β-amylase, phospholipase A1, pullulanase, hemicellulase, α-amylase, pectinase, glucoamylase, transglucosidase, pectin methylesterase, phospholipase A2, protease, α-galactosidase, invertase, cellulase, fructosyltransferase, β-glucosidase, and lipase. The food composition according to any one of claims 13 to 15, wherein the enzymes comprise 6-α-glucanotransferase and maltotriohydrolase. The food composition according to any one of claims 13 to 16, wherein the enzymes comprise 4-α-glucanotransferase and β-amylase. The food composition according to any one of claims 13 to 17, wherein the enzymes include a protease and a lipase. The food composition according to any one of claims 13 to 18, wherein the enzymes include cellulase, hemicellulase, and pectinase. The food composition according to any one of claims 4 and 13 to 19, wherein the enzyme comprises at least one selected from glucose oxidase, polyphenol oxidase, and glucose isomerase. The food composition according to any one of claims 1 to 20, for use in a method for producing a processed grain product. The food composition according to claim 21, wherein the processed grain product is at least one selected from the group consisting of cooked rice, noodles, cereals, and breads. The food composition of claim 21 , wherein the processed grain product contains rice. The food composition according to claim 21, wherein the processed grain product is cooked rice. The food composition according to claim 21, wherein the food composition is used so that when the processed grain product is homogenized (homogenized) by adding distilled water in an amount twice the mass (wet mass equivalent) of the produced processed grain product, the pH at 20°C under 1 atmosphere is greater than 6.

20. The food composition according to any one of claims 1 to 25, wherein the food composition is a liquid composition.

27. The food composition of claim 26, wherein the food composition is an unpasteurized liquid composition. A method for producing the food composition according to any one of claims 1 to 26, comprising sterilization at a maximum temperature of less than 124°C. A method for producing the food composition according to any one of claims 1 to 27, wherein the production does not include a heat sterilization treatment step. A method for producing a processed grain product, comprising adding the food composition according to any one of claims 1 to 27. The method for producing a processed grain product according to claim 30, wherein the processed grain product is at least one selected from the group consisting of cooked rice, noodles, cereals, and breads. A processed grain product produced using the food composition according to any one of claims 1 to 27. The processed grain product according to claim 32, wherein the processed grain product is at least one selected from the group consisting of cooked rice, noodles, cereals, and breads. A method for inhibiting the growth of spoilage bacteria in a food composition that has not been sterilized by heating at 100°C or higher, wherein the food composition satisfies all of the following requirements (a) to (d): (a) The moisture content converted to wet mass is 20% by mass or more. (b) pH at 20°C and 1 atmosphere is 4.0 or more (c) The food composition has a titratable acidity of 0.1% by mass or more when measured by measurement method A. Measurement method A Accurately sample 10 g of the food composition and dilute it 10 times with ion-exchanged water. To the diluted solution (100 g), add 0.08 ml of 3.1% phenolphthalein solution as an indicator. Neutralization titration is performed with a 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution of known potency, and the titratable acidity is calculated using the following formula: 　　 Titratable acidity of food composition (mass%)={(60.05×0.1×F×V)×100} / {sample amount (10 g)×1000} 　　 60.05: Molecular weight of acetic acid 0.1: Molar concentration of sodium hydroxide solution (mol / L) F: Potency of 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution V: Titration volume (mL) of 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution (d) Meet the following requirements (i) and / or (ii): Requirement (i) When the salt equivalent amount per 100 g of water in the food composition is X g and the undissociated acetic acid content per 100 g of water in the food composition is Y g, the following formula is satisfied: 4Y + X ≧ 10 (where X ≧ 3 and Y > 0.03) Requirement (ii) The food composition has a salt equivalent of 3.0 g or more per 100 g of water, and an ethanol content of 8.0 g or more per 100 g of water. The method for inhibiting the growth of spoilage bacteria according to claim 34, wherein the spoilage bacteria include lactic acid bacteria.

36. The method for inhibiting the growth of spoilage bacteria according to claim 34 or 35, wherein the food composition is a food composition that has not been subjected to heat sterilization. A method for improving the texture of processed grain products, comprising using the food composition according to any one of claims 1 to 27. A food composition to be added to a composition containing an enzyme having an optimum pH of 4.0 or higher, which satisfies the following requirements (a) to (d): (a) The moisture content converted to wet mass is 20% by mass or more. (b) pH at 20°C and 1 atmosphere is 4.0 or more (c) The food composition has a titratable acidity of 0.1% by mass or more when measured by measurement method A. Measurement method A Accurately sample 10 g of the food composition and dilute it 10 times with ion-exchanged water. To the diluted solution (100 g), add 0.08 ml of 3.1% phenolphthalein solution as an indicator. Neutralization titration is performed with a 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution of known potency, and the titratable acidity is calculated using the following formula: 　　 Titratable acidity of food composition (mass%)={(60.05×0.1×F×V)×100} / {sample amount (10 g)×1000} 60.05: Molecular weight of acetic acid 0.1: Molar concentration of sodium hydroxide solution (mol / L) F: Potency of 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution V: Titration volume (mL) of 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution (d) Meet the following requirements (i) and / or (ii): Requirement (i) When the salt equivalent amount per 100 g of water in the food composition is X g and the undissociated acetic acid content per 100 g of water in the food composition is Y g, the following formula is satisfied: 4Y + X ≧ 10 (where X ≧ 3 and Y > 0.03) Requirement (ii) The food composition has a salt equivalent of 3.0 g or more per 100 g of water, and an ethanol content of 8.0 g or more per 100 g of water. The food composition according to claim 13, wherein the enzyme comprises 4-α-glucanotransferase.

14. The food composition of claim 13, wherein the enzyme comprises α-amylase.

14. The food composition of claim 13, wherein the enzyme comprises maltotriohydrolase. The food composition of claim 13, wherein the enzyme comprises glutaminase.

14. The food composition according to claim 13, wherein the enzyme comprises at least one selected from cyclodextrin glucanotransferase, xylanase, lipase, and β-glucosidase. The food composition according to any one of claims 21 to 24, wherein the processed grain product contains miscellaneous grains. The food composition according to any one of claims 21 to 24, wherein the processed grain product contains brown rice. The method according to claim 35, wherein the lactic acid bacterium is a lactic acid bacterium belonging to the genus Lactobacillus fructivorans. The food composition according to any one of claims 1 to 27, wherein the succinic acid content is 1.0 ppm by mass or more. The food composition according to any one of claims 1 to 27 and 47, wherein the L-glutamic acid content is 0.2 mass ppm or more. The food composition according to any one of claims 1 to 27, 47 and 48, wherein the L-alanine content is 0.2 mass ppm or more.

50. The food composition according to any one of claims 1 to 27 and 47 to 49, comprising an extract of kelp. A method for producing cooked rice comprising all of the following steps (S1) to (S3), which includes adding a food composition containing one or more enzymes that satisfy all of the following requirements (a) to (d) and have an optimum pH of 4.0 or higher before step (S2) and / or after step (S3). (S1) Step of preparing pre-cooked rice (S2) A temperature-raising step in which the uncooked rice after (S1) is heated to 95°C or higher at a temperature-raising rate of 6.0°C / min or higher. (S3) (S2) A heat-retaining step in which the composition after the temperature-raising step is kept at a bottom temperature of 95°C or higher for 2 minutes or more. (a) The moisture content converted to wet mass is 20% by mass or more. (b) pH at 20°C and 1 atmosphere is 4.0 or more (c) The titratable acidity measured by measurement method A is 0.1% by mass or more. Measurement method A Accurately sample 10 g of the food composition and dilute it 10 times with ion-exchanged water. To the diluted solution (100 g), add 0.08 ml of 3.1% phenolphthalein solution as an indicator. Neutralization titration is performed with a 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution of known potency, and the titratable acidity is calculated using the following formula: 　　 Titratable acidity of food composition (mass%)={(60.05×0.1×F×V)×100} / {sample amount (10 g)×1000} 　　 60.05: Molecular weight of acetic acid 0.1: Molar concentration of sodium hydroxide solution (mol / L) F: Potency of 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution V: Titration volume (mL) of 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution (d) Satisfy the following requirements (i) and / or (ii): Requirement (i) When the salt equivalent amount per 100 g of water in the food composition is X g and the undissociated acetic acid content per 100 g of water in the food composition is Y g, the following formula is satisfied: 4Y + X ≧ 10 (where X ≧ 3 and Y > 0.03) Requirement (ii) The food composition has a salt equivalent of 3.0 g or more per 100 g of water, and an ethanol content of 8.0 g or more per 100 g of water. The method for producing cooked rice according to claim 51, wherein the step (S1) includes a step of adding oil or fat. The method for producing cooked rice according to claim 51 or 52, further comprising the following steps (S4) and (S5), wherein steps (S1) to (S5) are continuously performed on a rice cooking line. (S4) A step of removing the cooked rice obtained after (S3) from the rice cooker. (S5) Step of cleaning the rice cooker after (S4) A food composition to be added before step (S2) and / or after step (S3) in order to improve the quality of cooked rice in a method for producing cooked rice that includes all of the following steps (S1) to (S3), the food composition containing one or more enzymes that satisfy all of the following requirements (a) to (d) and have an optimum pH of 4.0 or higher. (S1) Step of preparing pre-cooked rice (S2) A temperature-raising step in which the uncooked rice after (S1) is heated to 95°C or higher at a temperature-raising rate of 6.0°C / min or higher. (S3) (S2) A heat-retaining step in which the composition after the temperature-raising step is kept at a bottom temperature of 95°C or higher for 2 minutes or more. (a) The moisture content converted to wet mass is 20% by mass or more. (b) pH at 20°C and 1 atmosphere is 4.0 or more (c) The titratable acidity measured by measurement method A is 0.1% by mass or more. Measurement method A Accurately sample 10 g of the food composition and dilute it 10 times with ion-exchanged water. To the diluted solution (100 g), add 0.08 ml of 3.1% phenolphthalein solution as an indicator. Neutralization titration is performed with a 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution of known potency, and the titratable acidity is calculated using the following formula: 　　 Titratable acidity of food composition (mass%)={(60.05×0.1×F×V)×100} / {sample amount (10 g)×1000} 　　 60.05: Molecular weight of acetic acid 0.1: Molar concentration of sodium hydroxide solution (mol / L) F: Potency of 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution V: Titration volume (mL) of 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution (d) Satisfy the following requirements (i) and / or (ii): Requirement (i) When the salt equivalent amount per 100 g of water in the food composition is X g and the undissociated acetic acid content per 100 g of water in the food composition is Y g, the following formula is satisfied: 4Y + X ≧ 10 (where X ≧ 3 and Y > 0.03) Requirement (ii) The food composition has a salt equivalent of 3.0 g or more per 100 g of water, and an ethanol content of 8.0 g or more per 100 g of water.

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