CN108882735B

CN108882735B - Flavor improving material

Info

Publication number: CN108882735B
Application number: CN201780022006.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 栗桥泰子; 水谷佳奈子; 根津亨
Original assignee: Adeka Corp
Current assignee: Adeka Corp
Priority date: 2016-04-27
Filing date: 2017-04-21
Publication date: 2023-03-31
Anticipated expiration: 2037-04-21
Also published as: KR20180134904A; CN108882735A; JPWO2017188161A1; PH12018502164A1; JP7015236B2; MY192787A; SG11201808694UA; WO2017188161A1

Abstract

The invention provides a flavor improving material containing a partial hydrolysate of animal or vegetable fat after contacting with an adsorbent as an active ingredient. The adsorbent preferably has a pH of 3.0 to 8.0, and the adsorbent is preferably silica gel. The above-mentioned partial hydrolysate of animal or vegetable fat is preferably obtained by a column type enzymatic hydrolysis method. The above-mentioned enzymatic hydrolysis method preferably uses an immobilized enzyme using an ion exchange resin as a carrier. The partial hydrolysate of animal or vegetable fat is preferably subjected to the following step (a) before or after the contact with the adsorbent: the oxidation treatment is carried out so that the peroxide number of the partial hydrolysate of the animal or vegetable fat is 5 to 60.

Description

Flavor improving material

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a flavor improving material which can impart a rich flavor to foods and beverages.

Background

In recent years, along with the increase in preference of consumers for processed foods, the demand for the processed foods tends to be diversified and have a high level. In particular, not only the taste directly affecting the sense of taste such as sweetness, saltiness, sourness, etc., but also a secondary taste which is first obtained by processing a raw material in general as a thick taste is demanded. On the other hand, since a flavor sensation such as a rich taste is related to components different from each raw material, studies have been generally made in accordance with raw materials and applications. Therefore, a material which can improve the characteristics of the material and impart a rich taste to the material for a wide range of uses is desired. In order to solve such problems, various methods have been studied.

As one of the methods, the use of a partial hydrolysate of animal or vegetable fats and oils has been studied.

The partial hydrolysate of animal or vegetable fat is obtained by reacting edible animal or vegetable fat with alkali or lipolytic enzyme, and is a mixture containing various flavor components derived from fatty acid or glycerol in addition to the fatty acid or glycerol.

In the food industry, a technology of using a partial hydrolysate of animal or vegetable fat as an effective flavor component of a flavor improving material has been conventionally studied for the purpose of imparting a rich taste or a rich flavor to a food or drink, regardless of the type of the animal or vegetable fat.

For example, patent document 1 proposes a dairy product flavor produced by the action of a lipolytic enzyme produced by a specific microorganism. Patent document 2 proposes a flavor improving material for foods and beverages containing a whey protein degradation product and a milk fat degradation product as active ingredients. Patent document 3 proposes a flavor improving material containing an alkali hydrolysis product of milk fat as an active ingredient. Patent document 4 proposes an enzymatic hydrolysate of a vegetable oil or fat rich in oleic acid as a constituent fatty acid. Patent document 5 proposes a material for improving impact and texture of foods and beverages containing a diglyceride fraction of a hydrolysate of animal or vegetable fats and oils as an active ingredient.

However, in the method of patent document 1, proteins contained in the enzyme-treated product are heated by heating at the time of enzyme inactivation after the enzyme treatment of the milk fat-containing food material, and thus an off-flavor is easily imparted.

In addition, the method of patent document 2 has the following problems: since it is necessary to separately prepare and mix the whey protein degradation product and the milk fat degradation product, the productivity is low, and different flavors derived from both the whey protein degradation product and the milk fat degradation product are imparted to the added food or drink.

The method of patent document 3 has a problem that not only the purification step is complicated due to the necessity of neutralization treatment with an acid, but also the number of necessary facilities is increased.

In addition, the method disclosed in patent document 4 has a low decomposition rate, and therefore, a large amount of the compound is required to exhibit a sufficient effect, and when an amount capable of exhibiting an effect is added, the texture of a food or drink may change.

The method of patent document 5 has a rich taste and gives a creamy texture, but this method is a method of improving the taste or flavor called mouth feel, that is, a method of changing the physical properties of the added food or drink, and is not a method of improving the taste of the food or drink itself.

In addition, in these methods, in general, components related to off-flavor and off-odor or components that tend to exhibit pungent taste are generated together with good flavor components and co-exist, and off-flavor and off-odor are directly imparted to food and drink, and therefore there is a possibility that the quality of the food and drink may be degraded.

Therefore, when considering the use of a partial hydrolysate of animal or vegetable fat as an active ingredient of a flavor improving material, it is necessary to reduce, remove or modify a component associated with off-flavors or off-odors or a component liable to exhibit pungent taste after partial hydrolysis, and to adjust the flavor of the partial hydrolysate of animal or vegetable fat to a preferable flavor.

For example, patent document 6 proposes a composition in which branched cyclodextrin is added to a milk fat-containing food material when the food material is treated with a lipolytic enzyme or a treated product treated with a lipolytic enzyme, and patent document 7 proposes a method for producing a milk fat decomposition product in which a substance obtained by hydrolyzing milk fat is irradiated with ultraviolet light to enhance the flavor and suppress the pungent decomposition odor.

However, the method of patent document 6 shows that in order to impart a rich taste excellent in palatability to a food or beverage, it is necessary to use protease, lactase, or the like in combination, and a problem of remaining enzyme activity is likely to occur due to the addition of a large amount of enzyme. In addition, although the examples and the like suggest that the effects of improving the final aftertaste or the decomposition odor presumably attributable to the irritation by the medium-or higher-grade fatty acids are exhibited, there is no description or suggestion of the low-grade fatty acids having a low boiling point, particularly, being likely to be the source of odor.

In addition, the method of patent document 7 has a problem that after a long time of enzymatic decomposition, ultraviolet irradiation is required for a further 24 to 100 hours, but the production cost is high and the production efficiency is very low. In addition, as a result, a strong milk-based flavor and an oxidized odor coexist, and therefore, it cannot be said that a preferable flavor is imparted to a food or drink.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese laid-open patent publication No. Sho 64-002549

Patent document 2: japanese laid-open patent publication No. 9-037735

Patent document 3: japanese laid-open patent publication No. 58-175468

Patent document 4: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2011-223942

Patent document 5: US5695802 (A)

Patent document 6: japanese laid-open patent publication No. 6-125733

Patent document 7: US5753281 (A)

Disclosure of Invention

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a flavor-improving material which does not impart an off-flavor or an offensive taste, can impart a sufficiently rich taste to foods and beverages, and comprises a partial hydrolysate of an animal or vegetable oil or fat as an active ingredient, and a method for producing the same.

The present inventors have conducted intensive studies to solve the problem of reducing off-flavor, off-odor, pungent taste, and the like associated with decomposition of partial hydrolysates of animal and vegetable fats and oils, and as a result, have unexpectedly found that: the above problems are solved by bringing a partial hydrolysate of a plant oil or fat into contact with an adsorbent, and the rich taste and flavor of a food or beverage contained therein are improved, as well as the flavor intensity is improved.

The present invention has been made based on the above findings, and provides a flavor improving material containing a partial hydrolysate of animal or vegetable fat or oil brought into contact with an adsorbent as an active ingredient, and a method for producing the same.

In addition, the partial hydrolysate of animal or vegetable fat or oil as an active ingredient of the flavor improving material of the present invention is difficult to analyze the reaction kinetics because the animal or vegetable fat or oil serving as a substrate of the lipolytic enzyme is insoluble in water and the reaction system for hydrolysis is not uniform. The present inventors have made intensive studies, but it is difficult to grasp the actual behavior of the enzyme, and as a result, the partial hydrolysate of animal and vegetable fats and oils cannot be directly identified by the structure or characteristics.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on preferred embodiments thereof.

First, a partial hydrolysate of animal or vegetable fat will be described (hereinafter, animal or vegetable fat is sometimes referred to simply as "fat", and a partial hydrolysate of animal or vegetable fat is sometimes referred to simply as "partial hydrolysate").

The partial hydrolysate of animal or vegetable fat or oil in the present invention is obtained by partially hydrolyzing (hereinafter, may be simply referred to as "decomposing") any edible fat or oil by allowing an alkali or a lipolytic enzyme to act on the fat or oil, and is a mixture of flavor components derived from fats or oils such as fatty acids, glycerin, monoglycerides, diglycerides, triglycerides, etc., and flavor components such as organic acids, hydrocarbons, alcohols, aldehydes, esters, sulfur-containing compounds, ketones, fatty acids, fatty acid esters, aromatic compounds, lactones, etc., which are secondarily produced in the decomposition step.

The partial hydrolysis of the animal or vegetable fat or oil can be carried out by a conventional method, and as the partial hydrolysate of the animal or vegetable fat or oil used in the present invention, a commercially available product can be used, or a partial hydrolysate produced by the following production method can be used.

Hereinafter, a preferred method for producing a partial hydrolysate of animal or vegetable fat and oil according to the present invention will be described.

In the production of the partial hydrolysate of animal or vegetable fat, the fat or oil which can be used as the base is not particularly limited as long as it is edible, and any edible fat or oil can be used. Examples of the base used in the present invention include edible oils and fats including 1 or 2 or more kinds of various vegetable and animal oils and fats selected from palm oil, palm kernel oil, coconut oil, microalgal oil, corn oil, cottonseed oil, soybean oil, rapeseed oil, rice oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, olive oil, canola oil, beef tallow, milk fat, lard, mutton fat, cocoa butter, shea butter, mango kernel oil, horse chest nut fat, illite, fish oil, whale oil, phospholipids, and processed oils and fats obtained by subjecting 1 or 2 or more kinds of oils and fats selected from hydrogenation, fractionation, and transesterification, and foods processed from the above-mentioned edible oils and fats as a part of raw materials.

In particular, from the viewpoint of having a high effect of imparting a rich taste or a thick feel, it is preferable that the base material contains animal fats and oils such as lard, tallow, and milk fat, or processed fats and oils obtained by subjecting these animal fats and oils to the above-described 1 or 2 or more treatments. Even when a vegetable oil or fat or a processed oil or fat obtained by subjecting a vegetable oil or fat to the above-described 1 or 2 or more treatments is used, it is needless to say that a rich taste or a rich texture more than that of the conventional products can be imparted. However, animal fats and oils are preferred because the composition of fatty acids constituting fats and oils is often more complicated than vegetable fats and oils, and a partial hydrolysate of an aroma component having a very complicated composition is easily obtained by hydrolysis described later, and as a result, the effect of imparting a rich taste or a rich texture to foods and beverages becomes high.

The fat or oil used as the base may be changed depending on the food or beverage to be improved in flavor. In particular, it is preferable that the food or drink containing the fat or oil used as a base contains a partial hydrolysate of the fat or oil because the flavor of the food or drink is further enhanced.

Further, in order to prevent oxidative deterioration of animal and vegetable fats and oils as a base in the hydrolysis reaction, the base may contain an antioxidant such as tocopherol in an amount of 50 to 1000ppm in advance.

The method for hydrolysis to obtain a partial hydrolysate is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include hydrolysis by alkali treatment, hydrolysis using a lipolytic enzyme (hereinafter, may be simply referred to as an enzyme), and the like, but from the viewpoint of producing a partial hydrolysate under mild conditions, hydrolysis using a lipolytic enzyme is preferred.

Examples of the lipolytic enzyme include, but are not particularly limited to, lipolytic enzymes derived from animals and lipolytic enzymes derived from microorganisms, and examples thereof include those derived from the genus Candida (Candida), the genus Aspergillus (Aspergillus), the genus Mucor (Mucor), the genus Chromobacterium (Chromobacterium), the genus Penicillium (Penicillium), the genus Rhizopus (Rhizopus), the genus Rhizomucor (Rhizomucor), the genus Thermomyces (Thermomyces), the genus Pseudomonas (Pseudomonas), the genus Alcaligenes (Alcaligenes), the genus Burkholderia (Burkholderia), the genus Geotrichum (Geotrichum), the genus Torulopsis (Torulopsis), the genus Bacillus (Bacillus), the genus Pichia, the genus Acthrobacter (Acthrobacter), the genus Achromobacter (Achromobacter), the lipase produced by decomposing the animal, and the like, and those derived from animal, and the lipase produced by decomposing and the animal. As the lipolytic enzyme, any of random enzymes and 1, 3-position specific enzymes can be used.

The above-mentioned lipolytic enzymes may be used alone or in any combination, and among the lipolytic enzymes mentioned above, enzymes derived from the genus Mucor, rhizopus, rhizomucor and Candida are particularly preferably used from the viewpoint of obtaining a partial hydrolysate in which the pungent taste derived from a lower fatty acid is suppressed.

Examples of the method for incorporating the relevant lipolytic enzyme into the animal or vegetable fat or oil as the substrate include a method in which the lipolytic enzyme itself is contained in the form of a powder or an aqueous solution, a method in which an immobilized lipolytic enzyme (immobilized enzyme) is used, and a method in which a microorganism itself such as a mold or a yeast having an ability to produce a lipolytic enzyme is used. When an immobilized enzyme is used, the method of immobilizing the enzyme is not particularly limited, and any of the carrier bonding method, crosslinking method, and entrapping method may be used, and the carrier bonding method is preferable from the viewpoint of 2 points of reduction in residual enzyme activity and maintenance of enzyme activity.

Examples of the carrier used for the immobilized enzyme include inorganic carriers such as cerite (cerite), diatomaceous earth, kaolinite, bentonite, silica gel, molecular sieves, porous glass, activated carbon, calcium carbonate, ceramics, and hydroxyapatite, and organic polymers such as polyvinyl alcohol, polypropylene, chitosan, ion exchange resins, hydrophobic adsorption resins, chelate resins, and synthetic adsorption resins, regardless of the organic and inorganic components. Among them, ion exchange resins are preferred from the viewpoint of obtaining high enzyme activity and production efficiency, and among the ion exchange resins, nonionic exchange resins are preferred from the viewpoint of high retention ability of lipolytic enzyme.

The particle size of the carrier is preferably 150 to 1000. Mu.m, more preferably 200 to 800. Mu.m, and most preferably 200 to 600. Mu.m. When the particle size of the carrier is less than 150 μm, pressure loss may occur or the separation step may become difficult. When the particle size exceeds 1000. Mu.m, the contact area between the substrate and the immobilized enzyme is small, and it may take too much time to decompose the animal or vegetable fat. Further, it is preferable that the carrier particles having a particle size of 200 to 600 μm are 90% or more by volume.

In the present invention, the process of the enzymatic reaction in the case of obtaining a partial hydrolysate of animal or vegetable fat using a lipolytic enzyme may be a batch process in which the lipolytic enzyme is directly charged into the animal or vegetable fat to be subjected to hydrolysis, or a column process in which the lipolytic enzyme is charged into a cylindrical container (column) and the animal or vegetable fat to be subjected to hydrolysis is passed through the column in a liquid state, but the enzymatic hydrolysis method is preferably a column process in which the adjustment of the reaction rate of the hydrolysis reaction and the stoppage of the hydrolysis reaction can be easily performed by adjusting the amount of the liquid substrate to be fed into the column filled with the enzyme, or the continuous performance of these operations by circulation or the like.

In the case of partially hydrolyzing animal or vegetable fats and oils selected from the above-described group of fats and oils, in the present invention, it is necessary to add a certain amount of water to the fat and oil as a base in the hydrolysis step. In the present invention, the fat or oil as the base material preferably contains water in an amount of 500 to 30000ppm, more preferably 650 to 15000ppm, and most preferably 800 to 4000ppm at the start of hydrolysis.

When the moisture content in the oil or fat as the base is less than 500ppm, the transesterification of the oil or fat in equilibrium with the decomposition reaction of the oil or fat tends to proceed more preferentially than the decomposition reaction of the target animal or vegetable oil or fat, and there is a possibility that the effect as the flavor improving agent is hardly obtained. If the water content in the fat or oil exceeds 30000ppm, it takes time to perform the dehydration treatment described later, and therefore, there is a possibility that a large amount of volatile flavor components in the partial hydrolysate is lost.

As a method for containing water in the fat or oil, animal or vegetable fat or oil with water adjusted in advance can be used, but since the water contained therein gradually decreases as the fat or oil is hydrolyzed by the lipolytic enzyme, the following method is preferably employed in order to allow the hydrolysis of the substrate to proceed efficiently while water is continuously supplied to the animal or vegetable fat or oil in the hydrolysis step: after the addition of water of 30 mass% or less to 100 mass% of the fat in the reaction vessel and sufficient standing to confirm the separation of the animal or vegetable fat and water from each other, the animal or vegetable fat is stirred by raising the stirring blade from the oil-water interface to the animal or vegetable fat side so as not to disturb the oil-water interface, thereby forming the above-mentioned preferable water content, and then the hydrolysis reaction is started as it is.

The animal or vegetable fat is preferably stirred using a stirring blade or the like at an arbitrary stirring speed of preferably 300rpm or less, more preferably 5 to 150 rpm.

In addition, in the middle of hydrolysis of the base oil or fat, it is preferable to appropriately adjust the water content so that the water content becomes 10000ppm or less in a range where the measured value of the acid value of the oil phase is less than 50 and 20000ppm or less in a range where the measured value of the acid value of the oil phase is 50 or more.

The amount of the lipolytic enzyme varies depending on the amount of the fat or oil to be hydrolyzed as the substrate and the titer or type of the lipolytic enzyme, and is suitably set in various systems. In general, the enzyme is contained in an amount of 0.01 to 10.0% by mass, preferably 0.01 to 5% by mass, more preferably 0.01 to 1.0% by mass based on the weight of the fat or oil as the base, for example, in the case of a batch type. In the case of hydrolyzing animal and vegetable fats and oils in a column, it is preferable to use an immobilized enzyme as the enzyme packed in the column, and the amount of the immobilized enzyme to be packed is preferably 0.1 to 10% by mass, particularly preferably 0.5 to 5% by mass, based on the weight of the fat and oil, from the viewpoint of efficiently producing a partial hydrolysate of animal and vegetable fats and oils.

The flow rate of the oil or fat flowing through the column is preferably appropriately set in accordance with the relationship with the amount of the enzyme, and specifically, the ratio of the flow rate of the animal or vegetable oil or fat to the amount of the immobilized enzyme packed in the column (animal or vegetable oil or fat flow rate/immobilized enzyme weight, unit "/hour") is adjusted.

From the viewpoints of controlling the degree of decomposition of animal and vegetable fats and oils which greatly affect the flavor, controlling the flow rate of fats and oils relative to the amount of immobilized enzyme so that the reaction does not proceed sufficiently and takes time, and also controlling the reaction so that the reaction is likely to be incomplete, and avoiding deterioration in a heated state for a long period of time, the flow rate of animal and vegetable fats and oils/weight of immobilized enzyme is preferably 15 to 150/hour, and more preferably 40 to 125/hour.

The reaction temperature when enzymatically decomposing an oil or fat, that is, the oil or fat temperature, may be appropriately set according to the optimum temperature for maximizing the activity of the selected enzyme, and is, for example, preferably 35 to 75 ℃, more preferably 40 to 70 ℃, and most preferably 45 to 65 ℃.

If the temperature of the oil or fat is lower than 35 ℃, the enzyme activity may not be sufficiently improved, and the oil or fat selected as a substrate, such as oil or fat exhibiting solid properties at room temperature, may not have fluidity, and may be difficult to decompose by the enzyme. In addition, when the temperature exceeds 75 ℃, proteins constituting the enzyme may be denatured, and the fat or oil of the substrate may be thermally cracked, thereby impairing the flavor of the obtained flavor improving material.

The end point of the hydrolysis reaction of the partial hydrolysate for obtaining fats and oils can be determined depending on the Acid Value (AV), and the reaction is preferably terminated when AV =10 to 120 is reached, and more preferably terminated when AV =30 to 100 is reached.

When the acid value is less than 10, the flavor of the obtained flavor improving material itself tends to be weak, and the flavor improving effect tends to be insufficient. When the acid value exceeds 120, the flavor of the obtained flavor improving material itself may be a material having strong astringency such as sour taste or metallic taste, and there is a possibility that foreign odor may be given to the contained food or beverage.

After the reaction is completed, it is preferable to perform dehydration treatment. The method of dehydration treatment is not particularly limited, and for example, dehydration treatment of the partial hydrolysate of animal and vegetable oils and fats can be carried out by taking out only the obtained partial hydrolysate from the system by a conventional method, reducing the pressure to 0.01MPa or less, and heating at 70 to 100 ℃, preferably 80 to 100 ℃ for about 0.5 to 1.0 hour.

In the case where the dehydration treatment is not conducted, the activity of the adsorbent may be lowered in the contact step with the adsorbent described below, and the flavor or rich taste imparting effect of the partial hydrolysate itself of the obtained animal or vegetable fat may be lowered.

After the dehydration treatment, the step of inactivating and removing the enzyme may be further performed. The conditions for inactivating the enzyme are not particularly limited as long as they are conditions for denaturing the protein constituting the enzyme, and the enzyme can be inactivated by heating or changing the pH, and the like, and preferably by heat inactivation treatment, for example, by treatment at 90 ℃ for 30 minutes with stirring.

In addition, when an immobilized enzyme is used, the lipolytic enzyme is supported on the surface of the carrier and can be removed by filtration separation. Further, the above-mentioned inactivation treatment and the removal treatment by filtration separation may be performed together. The step of inactivating and removing the enzyme may be performed before or after the contact treatment with the adsorbent described later.

Next, a process of contacting the partial hydrolysate of animal or vegetable fat with the adsorbent will be described.

In the present invention, the above-described partial hydrolysate of animal or vegetable fat is preferably used as an active ingredient of a flavor improving material by contacting the partial hydrolysate with an adsorbent.

Although the principle is not clear at this stage, the step of contacting with the adsorbent can reduce and remove off-flavors and offensive odors or pungent flavors possessed by the partial hydrolysate of animal and vegetable fats and oils immediately after decomposition, and can impart a preferable flavor.

The adsorbent used in the present invention includes adsorbents used as food additives, for example, silicates such as zeolite, silica gel, talc and kaolin, activated alumina, anhydrous calcium carbonate and anhydrous sodium sulfate, and among them, silicates are preferable, silica gel and zeolite are more preferable, and silica gel is most preferable.

The adsorbent used is preferably fine particles for improving the contact efficiency, and the shape thereof may be powder or spherical, and is preferably powder in view of particularly high effect of reducing the offensive odor or odor of the decomposition product.

The average particle diameter of the adsorbent used is preferably 3 to 60 μm, more preferably 10 to 40 μm.

When the average particle diameter is less than 3 μm, the mesh tends to be clogged during filtration, and the filtration efficiency tends to be lowered. In addition, when the average particle diameter is larger than 60 μm, the surface area of the particles becomes small, so that the effect of reducing the pungent odor or the unpleasant odor of the decomposition product tends to be reduced, and the effect of the flavor improving material obtained by the present invention may become difficult to obtain.

The adsorbent used preferably has a specific surface area of 250m ² A value of at least one of,/g, more preferably 300m ² More than g, most preferably 400 to 800m ² /g。

The adsorbent used has a specific surface area of less than 250m ² In the case of/g, the contact efficiency between the partial hydrolysate of animal or vegetable fat and the adsorbent may be low, and the rich taste obtained when the flavor improving material of the present invention is contained in a food or beverage may be insufficient.

When silica gel is used as the adsorbent to be brought into contact with the partial hydrolysate of animal or vegetable fat, silica gel whose surface is not modified or chemically modified may be used, and silica gel whose surface is chemically or physically modified may be used.

The pH of the silica gel to be used is preferably 3.0 to 8.0, more preferably 5.0 to 8.0, and most preferably 6.5 to 8.0.

Although the silica gel can sufficiently reduce off-flavor and off-odor even when the pH is on the side of being more acidic than 3.0, the silica gel may be decomposed in flavor components due to the acidity thereof, and the rich taste imparting effect or the flavor improving effect, which is the object of the present invention, may be lowered.

Further, as the silica gel having a pH exceeding 8.0, there is exemplified an aminated silica gel, but these silica gels themselves are expensive, and particularly strongly attract aldehydes, ketones and fatty acids contributing to the flavor, and there is a possibility that the flavor improving effect of a partial hydrolysate of animal and vegetable oils and fats is insufficient.

The step of bringing the partial hydrolysate of animal or vegetable fat into contact with the adsorbent may be carried out batchwise, or may be carried out by filling the adsorbent in a column and passing the adsorbent therethrough, and is preferably carried out batchwise from the viewpoint of industrial production because the amount of the partial hydrolysate of animal or vegetable fat that can be purified at a time increases. In addition, when the viscosity of the fat or oil after hydrolysis is easily increased by comparing before and after hydrolysis of the fat or oil, and the pressure is easily increased in the column type, and therefore, it is difficult to efficiently perform the contact treatment.

The amount of the adsorbent to be contacted with the partial hydrolysate of animal or vegetable fat is appropriately selected depending on the kind of the adsorbent and the strength of the flavor desired by the flavor improving material, and is preferably 1 to 20 parts by mass, more preferably 1 to 18 parts by mass, and most preferably 3 to 10 parts by mass, based on 100 parts by mass of the partial hydrolysate of animal or vegetable fat.

If the amount of the adsorbent is less than 1 part by mass based on 100 parts by mass of the partial hydrolysate, the pungent taste or the off-flavor and off-odor of the partial hydrolysate may not be reduced. In addition, when the amount of the adsorbent exceeds 20 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the partial hydrolysate, strong astringency or unpleasant taste may be generated.

The adsorbent is preferably reused after releasing water by heating or the like to improve its activity before the contact step.

When the adsorbent is brought into contact with the partial hydrolysate of animal or vegetable fat, the partial hydrolysate needs to be in a fluid state to a liquid state, preferably a liquid state, in order to increase the contact area between the adsorbent and the partial hydrolysate.

Therefore, when the adsorbent is brought into contact with the partial hydrolysate, the temperature needs to be adjusted to a temperature at which the partial hydrolysate changes its state from a fluid state to a liquid state, and in order to prevent loss or deterioration of a preferred flavor component, the temperature is preferably adjusted to less than 100 ℃.

The contact with the adsorbent is required to make the hydrolysate homogeneous, and any method such as shaking or stirring may be used as long as it is homogeneous. In particular, in the contact with the adsorbent in the batch process, since there is a possibility that the adsorbent precipitates, it is preferable to stir the adsorbent at about 350rpm by using a stirring blade, for example.

Further, the partial hydrolysate is contacted with the adsorbent preferably under reduced pressure, more preferably under 0.01MPa or less. Thereby, the off-flavor and off-odor of the resulting flavor improving material can be significantly reduced.

The end point of the contact step with the adsorbent can be determined at any time when the effect of the present invention is obtained, but it is preferable to determine the end point based on 1 or more of "(1) contact time with the adsorbent" or "(2) change amount of the analysis value due to contact with the adsorbent)" described below, because the off-flavor, off-odor and astringency can be sufficiently reduced and the flavor improving material having a high effect of imparting a rich flavor can be obtained.

(1) Contact time with adsorbent

The contact time is preferably 5 minutes to 5 hours, and more preferably 15 minutes to 2 hours. When the contact time is less than 5 minutes, there is a possibility that the effect of reducing the off-flavor or pungent taste by the contact with the adsorbent cannot be obtained. When the contact time exceeds 5 hours, undesirable flavor changes may occur due to excessive heating.

(2) Amount of change in analytical value due to contact with adsorbent

In the case of judging on the basis of the change amount of the analysis value due to contact with the adsorbent as the endpoint, it is preferable to appropriately analyze the partial hydrolysate by a conventional method and judge on the basis of either or both of the (i) content of Monoglyceride (MG) and the (ii) content of moisture in the partial hydrolysate, from the viewpoint of obtaining a flavor improving material in which the off-flavor and off-odor are further reduced.

In terms of obtaining a flavor improving material with reduced off-flavor and off-odor based on the content of (i) Monoglyceride (MG), it is preferable to judge the end point as the point at which the MG content of the partial hydrolysate after the contact step reaches 75% or less, particularly 30 to 70% based on the MG content of the partial hydrolysate before the contact step. When the MG content exceeds 75%, the odor and astringency may not be sufficiently reduced, and the flavor of the added food or beverage may be deteriorated.

When the water content (ii) is used as a reference, the determination is preferably made at a point at which the water content in the partial hydrolysate after the contact step is 1500ppm or less, more preferably 50 to 300 ppm. When the water content in the partial hydrolysate is more than 1500ppm, the off-flavor and off-odor of the resulting flavor improving material cannot be sufficiently reduced, and there is a possibility that deterioration of the flavor with time may be accelerated during storage. From the above viewpoint, the moisture content in the partial hydrolysate after the contact step is preferably sufficiently reduced within a range in which the effects of the present invention can be obtained.

In the case where the partial hydrolysate is contacted with the adsorbent in a batch manner, the adsorbent is removed by filtration after the step of contacting the partial hydrolysate with the adsorbent. As a filtration method, natural filtration, suction filtration, pressure filtration, centrifugal separation, or the like can be used, and a filter press using a membrane filter or a filter cloth is preferred.

The flavor improving agent of the present invention is a material containing as an active ingredient the hydrolysate of the animal or vegetable fat or oil obtained as described above after contacting with the adsorbent, and may be used as it is, or may be mixed with other food materials such as water, edible animal or vegetable fat or oil, an emulsifier, an antioxidant, a saccharide and a sugar alcohol, a thickener, starch, wheat flour, inorganic and organic acid salts, a gelling agent, a dairy product, an egg product, a flavoring agent, a coloring agent, a preservative, a pH adjuster, and the like as necessary. The content of the other food material in the flavor improving material of the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it does not impair the rich taste imparting effect and flavor improving effect of the partial hydrolysate of animal or vegetable fat and oil after contact with the adsorbent, and is usually 20 parts by mass or less based on 100 parts by mass of the partial hydrolysate.

When the flavor improving material of the present invention obtained as described above is incorporated into foods and beverages, it is characterized in that the generation of off-flavor and off-flavor can be suppressed and a rich taste imparting effect and a flavor improving effect are excellent, as compared with when a flavor improving material containing a conventional oil-and-fat decomposition product is incorporated into foods and beverages. Therefore, it is preferable as a food material for imparting a rich taste to a food or drink.

In the product design of foods and beverages, since there are cases where only a small amount of flavor improving material is added in order to maintain compatibility with other components and cases where stronger flavor is desired for foods and beverages, a flavor improving material having a stronger rich taste imparting effect or a stronger body feeling imparting effect is preferred when the same amount of flavor improving material is added.

Therefore, a flavor improving material obtained by the above method and having a partial hydrolysate of animal or vegetable fat after contact with an adsorbent as an active ingredient, which is well enhanced in the effect of imparting a rich taste or a rich texture, and a method for obtaining the same will be described.

Specifically, by carrying out the following step (a) before or after contacting the partial hydrolysate of animal or vegetable fat with the adsorbent, a flavor improving material having a well-enhanced effect of imparting a rich taste and a rich texture can be obtained.

Further, the partial hydrolysate of animal or vegetable fat after the step (a) is subjected to the following step (B), whereby a flavor improving material having further enhanced effects of imparting a rich taste and a rich texture can be obtained.

In addition, hereinafter, a part of the hydrolysate after contact with the adsorbent may be described as an adsorption-treated product.

(A) Performing oxidation treatment so that the peroxide value of the partial hydrolysate of the animal and vegetable oil or fat is 5-60

(B) Reducing the peroxide contained in the partial hydrolysate of the animal or vegetable fat or oil subjected to the step (A) with hydrogen

By performing the oxidation treatment described later, preferably the reduction treatment after the oxidation treatment, a flavor improving material having a rich taste or a rich texture with good strength can be obtained not only in an adsorption-treated product based on animal fat and oil or processed fat thereof but also in an adsorption-treated product based on vegetable fat and oil or processed fat thereof having a relatively weak flavor.

In addition, when a vegetable oil or fat is selected as the base of the flavor improving agent of the present invention, the type thereof is not particularly limited as described above, and it is preferable to use a liquid oil or a palm-based oil or fat because a rich taste or a rich texture can be imparted to a food or drink without imparting an oily texture.

First, the step (a) of performing oxidation treatment so that the peroxide number becomes 5 to 60 (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as oxidation treatment, and regardless of whether it is before or after contact with the adsorbent, a partial hydrolysate of animal or vegetable fat after oxidation treatment may be referred to as an oxidation-treated product) will be described in detail.

In the present invention, the method and conditions of the oxidation treatment are not particularly limited, and known methods and conditions can be used. Specifically, the oxidation treatment may be performed by thermal oxidation, photo-oxidation, or the like. In addition, the partial hydrolysate of the animal or vegetable fat may be oxidized naturally or artificially.

In the case where the partial hydrolysate of the animal or vegetable fat is artificially oxidized, the method for subjecting the fat to the oxidation treatment is not particularly limited, but thermal oxidation by heat treatment is preferably performed in view of efficient oxidation and easy adjustment of the peroxide number to a specific range described below.

In any of the methods, it is preferable to perform the oxidation treatment uniformly while stirring.

The heating conditions in the thermal oxidation are not particularly limited as long as the peroxide value of the oxidation-treated product satisfies the range described below, and the heating temperature is preferably 80 to 180 ℃, more preferably 80 to 160 ℃, and still more preferably 80 to 140 ℃. The heating time may be appropriately selected depending on the heating temperature, and is preferably in the range of, for example, 5 minutes to 30 minutes at a heating temperature of 180 ℃ and 6 to 48 hours at 80 ℃.

When a partial hydrolysate of an animal or vegetable fat or oil is subjected to an oxidation treatment, it is necessary to perform the oxidation so that the peroxide number of the oxidation-treated product falls within the range of 5 to 60, from the viewpoint of sufficiently enhancing the rich taste-imparting effect or the rich texture-imparting effect.

Here, the oxidation is preferably carried out until the peroxide value of the oxidation-treated product becomes 10 to 40, and more preferably until the peroxide value becomes 20 to 35.

When the oxidation treatment product is oxidized to a peroxide value exceeding 60, the flavor improving material obtained can provide a rich taste or a rich texture when used in foods and beverages, and on the other hand, there is a possibility that an odor associated with the oxidation may be strongly exhibited.

In addition, when oxidation is performed so that the peroxide value of the oxidation-treated product is less than 5, and the obtained flavor improving material is used for foods and beverages, the effect of imparting a rich taste or the effect of imparting a rich texture obtained by comparing before and after the oxidation treatment hardly shows a difference, and there is a possibility that a significant effect cannot be obtained.

In the present invention, the peroxide value of the oil or fat can be measured, for example, by "Standard oil or fat analysis test method 2.5.2.1 to 2013 established by Japan oil chemical society".

Further, at the end point of the oxidation treatment, the above-mentioned range of the peroxide value is satisfied, and the anisidine value is preferably 35 or less, more preferably 30 or less, and most preferably 25 or less. The lower limit of the anisidine value is preferably 10 or more, more preferably 15 or more, and most preferably 18 or more.

When the anisidine value of the oxidation-treated product exceeds 35, an off-flavor is likely to be generated in the flavor of a food or beverage using the obtained flavor improving material. If the anisidine value of the oxidized product is less than 10, the oxidation treatment may be insufficient, and the effect of imparting a rich taste or the effect of imparting a rich texture may be insufficiently enhanced.

In the present invention, the anisidine value of a fat or oil can be measured, for example, by "Standard fat or oil analysis test method 2.5.3 to 2013 established by the Japan oil chemical society".

Further, it is preferable that an antioxidant such as tocopherol is contained in the oxidized product after the oxidation treatment, since further oxidation between steps and oxidative deterioration during storage can be suppressed. Here, when the partial hydrolysate of animal or vegetable fat is subjected to oxidation treatment before being brought into contact with the adsorbent, the antioxidant may be contained in the partial hydrolysate before being brought into contact with the adsorbent, or may be contained in the partial hydrolysate after being brought into contact with the adsorbent. When the oxidized product is subjected to a reduction treatment with hydrogen (step (B)) described later, the antioxidant may be contained at the following timings. That is, when the steps (a) and (B) are performed on the partial hydrolysate of animal or vegetable fat after the contact with the adsorbent, the antioxidant may be contained after the step (a) and before the step (B), or the antioxidant may be contained after the steps (a) and (B). When the steps (a) and (B) are performed on the partial hydrolysate of animal or vegetable fat before the step (a) and the step (B) are brought into contact with the adsorbent, an antioxidant may be added after the step (a) and before the step (B) are performed, an antioxidant may be added after the steps (a) and (B) are performed and before the step (B) is brought into contact with the adsorbent, and an antioxidant may be added after the steps (a) and (B) are performed and after the step (a) and the step (B) are brought into contact with the adsorbent. In the case where the step (a) is performed on the partial hydrolysate of animal or vegetable fat before the step (a) is contacted with the adsorbent, and the step (B) is performed on the partial hydrolysate after the step (a) is contacted with the adsorbent, the antioxidant may be contained before the step (B) is performed after the step (B) is contacted with the adsorbent, or the antioxidant may be contained after the step (B) is performed.

The antioxidant content in the oxidation-treated product may be 50ppm or more, preferably 100ppm or more, and in the oxidation-treated product, it is preferably 1000ppm or less, more preferably 700ppm or less, and most preferably 500ppm or less.

In the present invention, the step (a) may be performed before the partial hydrolysate of animal or vegetable fat is contacted with the adsorbent, and the step (a) may be performed on the partial hydrolysate after the contact with the adsorbent. The step (a) is selected to be carried out before the step (a) is contacted with the adsorbent or after the step (a) is contacted with the adsorbent, and the step (a) is preferably carried out before the step (a) is contacted with the adsorbent when the aftertaste is particularly desired to be enhanced, and the step (a) is preferably carried out after the step (a) is contacted with the adsorbent when the aftertaste is particularly desired to be enhanced.

Next, the step (B) of reducing the peroxide contained therein with hydrogen (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as a reduction treatment, and sometimes a product after the reduction treatment is referred to as a reduction-treated product) will be described.

By performing the step (a) on the partial hydrolysate of animal or vegetable oil or fat, the effect of imparting a rich taste or richness possessed by the obtained flavor improving material is enhanced, and the oxidized product after the step (a) can be subjected to the step (B) to obtain a flavor improving material in which the effect of imparting a rich taste or richness is further enhanced.

In addition, when the step (a) is performed on the partial hydrolysate of animal or vegetable fat before the adsorbent treatment, the step (B) may be performed before the adsorbent treatment, or the step (B) may be performed after the adsorbent treatment. It is preferable to perform the step (B) before the adsorbent treatment because the effect of imparting a rich taste or a rich texture can be more easily obtained.

Specifically, the reduction treatment in the present invention is carried out by heating the oxidized product in the presence of hydrogen together with a hydrogenation catalyst at 60 to 130 ℃. The reduction treatment in the present invention is intended to reduce peroxide generated in the partial hydrolysate through the step (a) without variation in iodine value, thereby obtaining a favorable flavor component.

In the present invention, the phrase "iodine value does not change" means that the iodine value before the reduction step is compared with the iodine value after the reduction step, and the rate of change in iodine value is preferably 5% or less, more preferably 3% or less.

Here, a description will be given of a hydrogenation catalyst used for the reduction treatment.

The hydrogenation catalyst used in the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it is capable of reducing a peroxide in an oxidized product by hydrogen, and a nickel catalyst, a platinum catalyst, a palladium catalyst, or the like can be selected. Among these hydrogenation catalysts, a nickel catalyst is preferably selected because it is inexpensive and can stably reduce a peroxide even in a low temperature range. The nickel catalyst may be a selective nickel catalyst or a non-selective nickel catalyst.

The hydrogenation catalyst may be in the form of a powder or a sheet, and in the case of a sheet, it is preferably added without scattering to the fat or oil.

The amount of the hydrogenation catalyst to be added is preferably 0.01 to 0.5% by mass, more preferably 0.05 to 0.3% by mass, based on the amount of the fat or oil degradation product after the step (A). If the amount of the hydrogenation catalyst added is less than 0.01% by mass, the peroxide contained in the oxidized product may not be efficiently reduced. When the amount of the hydrogenation catalyst added exceeds 0.5% by mass, the multiple bonds of the fatty acids constituting the glycerin fatty acid ester contained in the oxidized product are easily reduced, and trans fatty acids are easily produced.

In addition, the reduction step in the present invention is carried out in the presence of hydrogen gas, in which case the hydrogen gas is in the range of 0.5 to 2.5kg/cm ² When the pressure is increased in the range of (4), the present invention is preferable because the fluctuation of the iodine value is minimized and only the peroxide in the oxidation-treated product is easily reduced. Further, the hydrogen gas is more preferably 0.5 to 1.7kg/cm ² Most preferably 0.6 to 1.5kg/cm ² Pressure injection in the pressure range of (1).

In addition, from the viewpoint of suppressing the fluctuation of the iodine value before and after the reduction treatment, it is preferable to sufficiently replace the air in the headspace of the vessel in which the reduction reaction is performed with hydrogen gas and start heating after the pressure range is established.

In the reduction step using a nickel catalyst, the oxidation-treated product may be heated to a temperature in the range of 60 to 130 ℃, preferably 70 to 120 ℃, and more preferably 80 to 115 ℃. When the temperature of the oxidation-treated product is lower than 60 ℃, reduction of peroxide or carbonyl compound in the oxidation-treated product may not be sufficiently performed, and crystallization of oil or fat may occur depending on the kind of oil or fat selected as a raw material for adsorbing the oxidation-treated product. When the temperature of the oxidation-treated product exceeds 130 ℃, there is a possibility that the reduction of the peroxide or the carbonyl compound cannot be performed while the control is performed so that the iodine value does not vary.

In the present invention, stirring is preferably performed during heating in the reduction step, since the peroxide or carbonyl compound can be efficiently reduced.

The stirring in the heating in the reduction step is preferably performed at a speed of 100 to 750rpm, more preferably at a speed of 150 to 600rpm, and most preferably at a speed of 200 to 500rpm, using a stirring blade or the like. If the stirring speed during heating is less than 100rpm, hydrogen may not be sufficiently contained in the oxidized product, and the progress of the reduction reaction of the peroxide or carbonyl compound may be extremely slow. If the stirring speed during heating is higher than 750rpm, hydrogen may be excessively contained, and it may be difficult to control the reduction reaction.

The end point of the reduction step is preferably a point at which the peroxide value becomes 15 or less, more preferably a point at which the peroxide value becomes 10 or less, and most preferably a point at which the peroxide value becomes 1 or less, in a range in which the rate of change in the iodine value is 5% or less, more preferably 3% or less, based on the iodine value of the oxidation-treated product before the reduction step. When the end point is a range in which the iodine value variation rate exceeds 5%, the physical properties of the resulting reduced product, and hence the flavor improving material, may change, and the resulting product may be easily solidified. Further, when added to foods and drinks, localization may occur. In addition, although the iodine value fluctuation rate is within the range of 5% or less, when the peroxide value exceeds 5, the degradation of the resulting reduction-treated product, and further the flavor improving agent, is likely to be accelerated.

From the viewpoint of obtaining a preferable reduction-treated product, the anisidine value at the end point of the reduction step judged by the peroxide value is preferably 20 or less, more preferably 15 or less. In the case where the adsorption treatment is performed after the reduction step, the rate of change in the iodine value is calculated based on the iodine value of the partial hydrolysate obtained by the adsorption treatment. Similarly, in the case where the adsorption treatment is performed after the reduction step, the peroxide value and anisidine value of the partial hydrolysate subjected to the reduction step are the peroxide value and anisidine value of the partial hydrolysate obtained by the adsorption treatment.

After the reduction step, the hydrogenation catalyst needs to be removed from the system. The method for removing the hydrogenation catalyst is not particularly limited, and filtration with a filter cloth or the like may be carried out as it is, or a filter aid such as silica gel, brucite, or activated carbon may be used.

In addition, in order to remove the hydrogenation catalyst, in the case of using a filter aid such as silica gel, brucite, activated carbon, etc., the amount of the filter aid used is not particularly limited as long as the hydrogenation catalyst can be removed, and for example, by using 0.5 to 5 mass% with respect to the reduction-treated product, the hydrogenation catalyst can be sufficiently well removed from the system.

The adsorption-treated product, oxidation-treated product, and reduction-treated product obtained in this way may be further subjected to 1 or more of purification such as decolorization and deodorization, separation treatment, and processing such as transesterification. These treatments may be carried out according to conventional methods.

In particular, the decolorization or deodorization is preferably performed under mild temperature conditions from the viewpoint of preventing dissipation of flavor components or aroma components, and specifically, the decolorization is preferably performed so that the measurement temperature becomes 80 to 100 ℃, and the deodorization is preferably performed so that the measurement temperature becomes 180 to 220 ℃.

Examples

The flavor improving material of the present invention is further described in detail based on specific examples and the like. The present invention is not limited to the following examples.

[ example 1]

3000g of melted refined milk fat was weighed in a four-necked flask having a capacity of 5000mL, and then 300g of ion-exchanged water was added thereto, followed by standing until separation into two phases of an oil phase and a water phase and a stable oil-water interface were achieved. Subsequently, the anchor-type stirring vanes were set so as to slightly float from the interface so as not to disturb the oil-water interface, and stirred at 100rpm for 90 minutes so that the oil and fat contained 1000ppm of water. During this period, heating was continued so that the temperature of the fat was about 60 ℃.

Then, in a state where the flow rate of the oil and the amount of the immobilized enzyme packed in the column were adjusted so that the ratio of the flow rate of the oil and the amount of the immobilized enzyme packed in the column was 50/hour, a line was connected so that only the oil and fat in the four-necked flask was allowed to pass through the column and then returned to the flask, and the mixture was circulated by a pump to constitute a system capable of continuously hydrolyzing the oil and fat with the enzyme. In addition, all lines through which the fat flows are subjected to heat preservation treatment so that the temperature of the fat can be maintained at about 60 ℃. The immobilized enzyme is a lipolytic enzyme derived from the genus Rhizomucor (Rhizomucor miehei).

While this system was circulated, the acid value of the oil and fat portion was appropriately measured, and when the acid value exceeded 70, the flow was stopped, and only a partial hydrolysate was transferred to another flask.

Then, while the pressure in the flask containing the partial hydrolysate was reduced to 0.01MPa or less, the liquid temperature in the flask was adjusted to 90 ℃ and the flask was stirred at 250rpm, and dehydration treatment was performed for 60 minutes.

Then, the pressure was once returned to normal pressure, 250g of silica gel (SYLOPUTE 130, manufactured by Fuji Silysia) having a pH of 7.5 was added as an adsorbent, and the pressure was again reduced to 0.01MPa or less, and the mixture was brought into contact with the silica gel at a fat temperature of 90 ℃ at a stirring speed of 350 rpm. The content of monoglyceride in the partial hydrolysate was appropriately measured while the contact was performed, and at the time point when the content of monoglyceride in the partial hydrolysate after the contact step became 60% or less based on the content of monoglyceride in the partial hydrolysate before the contact, the depressurization was released, and the silica gel (adsorbent) was directly separated by filtration without lowering the temperature. In this way, a partial hydrolysate (hereinafter referred to as a milk fat hydrolysate) obtained by partially enzymatically decomposing milk fat is obtained.

[ examples 1-2]

2000g of the milk fat decomposition product produced in example 1 was weighed into a four-necked flask having a capacity of 5000mL, heated by a mantle heater so that the fat temperature reached 90 ℃ while blowing dry air at 3.0L/min without closing, and further stirred at 300rpm using an anchor stirring blade, and oxidized until the peroxide value reached 6. To the oxidized milk fat breakdown, 300ppm of tocopherol was added as an antioxidant to obtain milk fat breakdown (Ox).

The iodine value of the milk fat decomposition product (Ox) was 35.5, the peroxide value was 6.3, the anisidine value was 3.1, and the trans fatty acid content was 2.5 mass%.

[ example 2]

Using 3000g of the purified lard, a partial hydrolysate obtained by partially enzymatically decomposing the lard (hereinafter referred to as "lard hydrolysate") was obtained in the same manner as in example 1.

[ examples 2-2]

The lard decomposition product produced in example 2 was oxidized in the same manner as in example 1-2 until the peroxide number reached 6, thereby obtaining lard decomposition product (Ox).

Further, the iodine value of the lard decomposition product (Ox) was 65.0, the peroxide value was 6.5, the anisidine value was 2.5, and the trans fatty acid content was 2.1 mass%.

[ example 3]

A partial hydrolysate (hereinafter referred to as a mixed fat/oil degradation product a) was obtained in the same manner as in example 1 for a mixed fat/oil obtained by uniformly mixing 900g of fat/oil obtained by randomly transesterifying palm fractionated soft oil (palm oil) having IV =57.0 with 2100g of milk fat and then refining the mixture.

[ example 3-2]

2000g of the mixed oil and fat decomposition product A (untreated) produced in the same manner as in comparative example 3 described below was weighed into a four-necked flask having a capacity of 5000mL, and dehydration treatment was performed for 60 minutes by stirring at 250rpm while adjusting the liquid temperature in the flask to 90 ℃ under reduced pressure so that the air pressure in the flask became 0.01MPa or less in the same manner as in example 1. Then, while blowing dry air at 3.0L/min without closing, the oil was heated to 120 ℃ with a sheath resistance heater, and oxidized until the peroxide value reached 25. During this period, stirring was carried out at 300rpm using an anchor-type stirring blade.

Further, 150g of silica gel was added, the pressure was reduced to 0.01MPa or less, the mixed fat and oil decomposition product A (. Alpha.1) was obtained by contacting silica gel (SYLOPUTE 130, manufactured by Fuji Silysia) at a stirring speed of 350rpm and a fat and oil temperature of 90 ℃ and measuring the monoglyceride content as appropriate, and the mixed fat and oil decomposition product A (. Alpha.1) was obtained by removing the pressure reduction, directly filtering and separating the silica gel (adsorbent) without lowering the temperature, and adding 300ppm of tocopherol as an antioxidant, with the monoglyceride content of the mixed fat and oil decomposition product A (untreated) before the contact as an end point.

Further, the iodine value of the mixed oil-and-fat decomposition product a (. Alpha.1) was 35.5, the peroxide value was 24.5, the anisidine value was 17.4, and the trans fatty acid content was 2.5% by mass.

[ examples 3 to 3]

The mixed fat/oil decomposition product a produced in example 3 was weighed 2000g into a four-necked flask having a capacity of 5000mL, heated by a mantle heater so that the fat/oil temperature reached 90 ℃ while blowing dry air at 3.0L/min without closing the mouth, and further stirred at 300rpm using an anchor-type stirring blade until the peroxide value reached 25. To the oxidized mixed oil and fat decomposition product A, 300ppm of tocopherol was added as an antioxidant to obtain a mixed oil and fat decomposition product A (. Alpha.2).

Further, the iodine value of the mixed oil-and-fat decomposition product a (. Alpha.2) was 35.7, the peroxide value was 27.3, the anisidine value was 18.1, and the trans-fatty acid content was 2.7% by mass.

[ examples 3 to 4]

2000g of the mixed fat and oil decomposition product a (untreated) produced in the same manner as in comparative example 3 described below was weighed into a four-necked flask having a capacity of 5000mL, and dehydration treatment was performed for 60 minutes by stirring at 250rpm while adjusting the liquid temperature in the flask to 90 ℃ under reduced pressure so that the air pressure in the flask became 0.01MPa or less in the same manner as in example 3. Then, while blowing dry air at 3.0L/min without closing, the grease was heated to 120 ℃ by a mantle heater, and further stirred at 300rpm using an anchor stirring blade until the peroxide value reached 25. Here, the oxidized mixed oil-and-fat decomposition product a (untreated) had an iodine value of 35.5, a peroxide value of 25.6, an anisidine value of 16.8, and a trans fatty acid content of 2.5 mass%.

Subsequently, 1000g of oxidized mixed fat and oil decomposition product A (untreated) was transferred to a pressure resistant container, 0.1 mass% of a nickel catalyst for curing (made by Sakai chemical Co., ltd.) was added as a hydrogenation catalyst, the head space portion was sufficiently replaced with hydrogen gas, and the mixture was heated to 90 ℃ to a hydrogen pressure of 1.0kg/cm in the pressure resistant container ² Next, stirring was carried out at 300rpm using an anchor-type stirring blade. Go on the wayThe sample was taken out, the peroxide value was analyzed, and the hydrogenation catalyst was separated by filtration when the peroxide value first became 10 or less. The filtrate was transferred to a 3000ml four-necked flask, the pressure was reduced to 0.01MPa or less, the monoglyceride content was appropriately measured while contacting with silica gel at a stirring speed of 350rpm and an oil temperature of 90 ℃, the pressure reduction was released at the point where the monoglyceride content of the mixed oil and fat decomposition product a (untreated) before the contact step reached 50% or less, the silica gel (adsorbent) was directly separated by filtration without lowering the temperature, and 300ppm of tocopherol was added as an antioxidant to obtain a mixed oil and fat decomposition product a (. Beta.1) with the monoglyceride content after the contact step as an end point. The iodine value of the mixed oil and fat degradation product a (. Beta.1) was 33.2, the peroxide value was 4.5, the anisidine value was 11.1, and the trans-fatty acid content was 3.0% by mass.

[ examples 3 to 5]

1000g of the mixed fat and oil decomposition product A (. Alpha.2) produced in example 3-3 was weighed into a pressure resistant container, 0.1 mass% of a nickel catalyst for curing (made by Sakai chemical Co., ltd.) was added as a hydrogenation catalyst, the head space portion was sufficiently replaced with hydrogen gas, and then the mixture was heated to 90 ℃ to a hydrogen pressure of 1.0kg/cm in the pressure resistant container ² Next, stirring was carried out at 300rpm using an anchor type stirring blade. A sample was taken in the middle of the run, the peroxide value was analyzed, and when the peroxide value first became 10 or less, the hydrogenation catalyst was separated by filtration, and 300ppm of tocopherol was added as an antioxidant to obtain a mixed oil and fat decomposition product A (. Beta.2). The iodine value of the resulting mixed fat/oil degradation product a (. Beta.2) was 34.5, the peroxide value was 4.2, the anisidine value was 10.0, and the trans-fatty acid content was 3.0% by mass.

[ example 4]

A partial hydrolysate (hereinafter referred to as "mixed fat/oil decomposition product B") was obtained by performing the same operation as in example 1 on a mixed fat obtained by uniformly mixing 900g of soybean solidified oil having an iodine value of 5 or less and 2100g of milk fat and then purifying the mixture.

[ example 5]

3000g of sweet butter (without using common salt) produced in Yotsuba milk was subjected to the same operation as in example 1 to obtain a partial hydrolysate (hereinafter referred to as butter decomposition product).

[ example 6]

3000g of palm oil having an iodine value of 51.0 was subjected to the same operation as in example 1 to obtain a partial hydrolysate (hereinafter referred to as a palm oil hydrolysate).

[ example 6-2]

The palm oil hydrolysate (untreated) produced in the same manner as in comparative example 6 described below was decomposed with the immobilized enzyme and then subjected to oxidation treatment in the same manner as in example 3-2, to obtain a palm oil hydrolysate (. Alpha.1) that was brought into contact with the adsorbent.

Further, the palm oil hydrolysate (. Alpha.1) had an iodine value of 51.0, a peroxide value of 25.3, an anisidine value of 17.5, and a trans-fatty acid content of 0.8% by mass.

[ examples 6 to 3]

The palm oil hydrolysate produced in the same manner as in example 6 was decomposed with the immobilized enzyme in the same manner as in example 3-3, and then contacted with the adsorbent to obtain an oxidation-treated palm oil hydrolysate (. Alpha.2).

Further, the palm oil hydrolysate (. Alpha.2) had an iodine value of 51.0, a peroxide value of 26.8, an anisidine value of 18.3, and a trans-fatty acid content of 0.8 mass%.

[ examples 6 to 4]

Palm oil hydrolysate (untreated) produced by the same method as in comparative example 6 described below was decomposed and oxidized with an immobilized enzyme in the same manner as in example 3-4, and peroxide generated by the oxidation was reduced with hydrogen and then brought into contact with an adsorbent to obtain palm oil hydrolysate (. Beta.1).

The palm oil hydrolysate (untreated) subjected to oxidation treatment had an iodine value of 51.0, a peroxide value of 25.3, an anisidine value of 17.5, and a trans-fatty acid content of 0.8 mass%. The palm oil hydrolysate (. Beta.1) had an iodine value of 49.8, a peroxide value of 5.8, an anisidine value of 12.1, and a trans-fatty acid content of 1.3% by mass.

[ examples 6 to 5]

The palm oil decomposition product (. Alpha.2) produced in example 6-3 was subjected to the same operation as in example 3-5 to obtain a palm oil decomposition product (. Beta.2) in which the peroxide generated by the oxidation treatment was reduced with hydrogen.

Further, the palm oil hydrolysate (. Beta.2) had an iodine value of 50.1, a peroxide value of 6.2, an anisidine value of 13.3, and a trans fatty acid content of 1.2% by mass.

Comparative example 1

A partial hydrolysate of refined milk fat, which was subjected to partial hydrolysis in the same manner as in example 1 but not subjected to contact treatment with silica gel, was used as a milk fat degradation product (untreated).

Comparative example 2

The partial hydrolysate of purified lard, which was partially hydrolyzed in the same manner as in example 1 but was not subjected to the contact treatment with silica gel, was used as a lard hydrolysate (untreated).

Comparative example 3

A partial hydrolysate of a mixed fat and oil in the same formulation as in example 3, but not subjected to contact treatment with silica gel, which was subjected to partial hydrolysis in the same manner as in example 1, was used as a mixed fat and oil resolvent a (untreated).

Comparative example 4

A partial hydrolysate of a mixed fat and oil, which was prepared in the same manner as in example 4 but was not subjected to contact treatment with silica gel, was treated as a mixed fat and oil decomposition product B (untreated) in the same manner as in example 1.

Comparative example 5

A partial hydrolysate obtained by hydrolyzing butter in the same manner as in example 1 but without contact treatment with silica gel was used as a butter decomposition product (untreated).

Comparative example 6

A partial hydrolysate obtained by hydrolyzing palm oil in the same manner as in example 1 but without contact treatment with silica gel was used as a palm oil hydrolysate (untreated).

Evaluation example 1 evaluation of flavor Using Complex cream

100 parts by mass of compound cream (12517501255012524125125125318920 \\ 12452124124124830320 ″, cream content 20 mass%) and 7 parts by mass of high-quality white sugar were added to a stirring bowl, and 0.03 part by mass of the cream hydrolyzate prepared in example 1 was added thereto as a flavor improving material of the present invention, and then the mixture was stirred at high speed in a bench mixer for 6 minutes to obtain whipped cream a containing the cream hydrolyzate.

Similarly, whipped cream B containing a milk fat decomposition product (untreated) and whipped cream C containing a milk fat decomposition product (Ox) were obtained.

On the other hand, the whipped cream D is obtained by whipping only the above-mentioned compound cream without containing the decomposed milk fat.

The obtained whipped cream a to D cream D were added to respective flower-squeezing bags equipped with star-shaped caps, and squeezed out into plastic cups for flavor evaluation. As a result, in particular, in the whipped cream a, a thick milk flavor is sufficiently perceived as compared with the whipped cream D, and the thick taste of the milk remaining from the middle to the end is enhanced. In addition, the whipped cream B has an unpleasant taste, which is perceived as a pungent off-flavor from the beginning to the end after eating, and the effect of enhancing a milk flavor or a rich flavor is insufficient. In addition, in the case of the whipped cream C, a stronger milk flavor is felt at the beginning compared to the whipped cream a, and the rich taste is also increased.

Evaluation example 2 evaluation of flavor Using hamburger

39.0 parts by mass of mixed minced pork (7 by mass for beef and pork), 0.7 parts by mass of pepper salt, 0.1 parts by mass of nutmeg, 30.8 parts by mass of fried onion, 5.1 parts by mass of egg, 6.1 parts by mass of water, 3.1 parts by mass of milk, 5.1 parts by mass of bread flour, and 9.8 parts by mass of lard were put into a stirring pot, and after mixing at a low speed for 1 minute using a table mixer, 0.2 parts by mass of the lard decomposition product prepared in example 2 was put as the flavor improving material of the present invention, and further mixed at a low speed for 1 minute, and a meat dough was obtained. The resulting meat dough was grilled in a fixed oven (set temperature 190 ℃) for 10 minutes to obtain hamburger a.

Similarly, hamburger B containing decomposed product of lard (untreated) and hamburger C containing decomposed product of lard (Ox) were obtained.

On the other hand, the decomposed pork fat was replaced with pork fat to obtain hamburger D containing 10 parts by mass of pork fat in total and containing no decomposed pork fat.

After the flavor evaluation of the obtained hamburgers a to D, the hamburger a containing the lard decomposition product was observed to have a thick and wide taste from the middle to the end, and a thick or rich aftertaste remained, as compared with the hamburger C containing no lard decomposition product, and it was confirmed that the hamburger a had a flavor improving effect. In hamburger B, in particular, astringency was felt, and the effect of enhancing a rich taste was also insufficient. In hamburger C, not only the thickness of the taste and the richness of the aftertaste were perceived from the middle to the end as in hamburger a, but the top taste was also well enhanced.

Evaluation example 3 evaluation of flavor Using bread roll (butter rolled type)

Using the partial hydrolysates obtained in examples 3 to 5 and comparative examples 3 to 5 as flavor improving materials, bread rolls (butter-rolled type) were produced according to the formulation shown in table 1 and the following preparation method. The obtained bread roll was evaluated for flavor by the following method. The evaluation results are shown in table 2.

TABLE 1

TABLE 2

	Degree of off-flavor	Degree of top taste	Degree of richness of taste
				Control	3.8	1.0	1.0
Bread roll A	4.0	2.3	3.5
				Bread roll B	4.8	4.0	4.5
Bread roll C	4.5	4.5	3.8
				Bread roll D	0.25	1.3	0.88
Bread roll E	0.38	1.3	1.3
				Bread roll F	0.63	1.4	1.1

Preparation method of bread roll (butter roll type)

All the raw materials of the above-mentioned medium dough formulation (sponge-dough blend) were mixed in a vertical mixer at a low speed for 3 minutes and at a medium speed for 2 minutes to obtain a medium dough (kneading temperature 26 ℃). The resulting medium dough was subjected to medium fermentation at 28 ℃ and 80% relative humidity for 120 minutes.

The above-mentioned medium-size dough, strong flour of the present kneaded dough formulation (kneaded dough blend), granulated sugar, salt, skim milk powder, whole egg and water were mixed in a vertical mixer at a low speed for 3 minutes and at a medium speed for 3 minutes, and then mixed in a margarine of the present kneaded dough formulation to contain a mixture of various partial hydrolysates, and further mixed at a low speed for 3 minutes and at a medium speed for 4 minutes to obtain the present kneaded dough (kneading temperature 28 ℃). The margarine used had a butter compounding ratio of 10%.

The obtained kneaded dough was subjected to 30-minute delay fermentation (floor time), divided (45 g), kneaded into dough, subjected to 30-minute intermediate fermentation (bench time), and then subjected to butter-roll forming. Placing the bread on a baking plate, baking the bread for 50 minutes at 38 ℃ and a relative humidity of 80%, and then baking the bread for 13 minutes in an oven at 190 ℃ to obtain the bread rolls A-F.

In addition, rolls were prepared in the same manner as the dough preparation without partial hydrolyzates, as a control.

< method for evaluating flavor >

The bread roll produced by the above formulation and preparation method was evaluated by 8 members using 3 items such as "degree of off-flavor, degree of top-flavor" and degree of full-bodied flavor "as evaluation items according to the following evaluation criteria. The average of the resulting scores is compared. The degree of top taste and the degree of body taste were evaluated by comparison with a formulation without partial hydrolysate as a control.

The top note means a good flavor that is swollen immediately after eating. The rich flavor means a rich flavor which is well felt in the oral cavity and nasal cavity from the middle of chewing to immediately after swallowing.

Evaluation criteria

(degree of foreign odor)

No off-flavor or miscellaneous taste was found in 5 minutes, and the taste was very good.

3 minutes, almost no peculiar smell and foreign flavor, and good.

The user can feel peculiar smell and foreign flavor in 1 minute.

0 minute, strong and bad smell, strong foreign flavor.

(degree of top note)

When the 5 points are compared with the control, the superior fore taste is sensed.

When compared with the control, the 3 points feel the former taste.

1 is the same top taste as the control.

Score 0 did not experience a top taste compared to the control.

(degree of richness of taste)

The 5 point was found to be superior in rich taste to the control.

A 3 point provides a strong taste compared to the control.

1 was assigned a full body taste equivalent to the control.

Score 0 did not feel a strong taste compared to the control.

The flavor evaluation of the bread rolls A to F obtained revealed that the flavor itself or the flavor pattern was different depending on the presence or absence of the contact treatment with silica gel (adsorbent). The breads D to F using the partial hydrolysates not subjected to the contact treatment with silica gel (adsorbent) were similarly perceived as unpleasant odors, and as a result, the flavor of the breads was greatly impaired. On the other hand, the breads A to C using the partial hydrolysates subjected to the contact treatment with silica gel (adsorbent) experienced almost no unpleasant odor. In addition, in the case of the breads A to C, the top and rich tastes were confirmed to be enhanced and the flavor was improved as a whole as compared with the controls or the breads D to F. Further, it was confirmed that the flavor expression tendency was different depending on the type of fat and oil as a base of the partial hydrolysate.

As is clear from the flavor evaluations of evaluation examples 1 to 3, by using a flavor improving material containing a partial hydrolysate of animal or vegetable fat or oil after contact with an adsorbent as an active ingredient, a rich texture or a rich taste can be imparted to foods and beverages. In addition, it was found that the effect of imparting a rich taste or a rich flavor to the flavor improving material of the present invention was enhanced while the reduction of off-flavor and off-flavor was confirmed by the contact treatment with the adsorbent.

Evaluation example 4 evaluation of flavor Using cream cake

Cream cakes A to J were prepared according to the formulation shown in Table 3 and the preparation method described below, using the partial hydrolysates obtained in examples 3 to 5 and comparative example 3, and the treated products thereof as flavor improving materials. The obtained creamy cakes a to J were subjected to flavor evaluation by 8 members based on the above evaluation criteria, and the average values of the obtained scores were compared. The degree of top taste and the degree of body taste were evaluated by comparison with a formulation without partial hydrolysate as a control. The evaluation results are shown in Table 4.

< preparation method of cream cake >

A mixture was prepared by adding and uniformly mixing 70 parts of margarine (sorel, ADEKA) with 5 parts of butter and 40 parts of powdered sugar as a flavor improving agent obtained in comparative example 1, examples 3 to 3-5, or comparative example 3 in advance in an amount shown in table 3, and stirring the mixture with a beater until the specific gravity was about 0.8, and then adding and mixing 10 parts of egg yolk. To the resulting mixture, 100 parts of the sieved weak flour was added and mixed to obtain a dough. The resulting dough was placed in a freezer overnight, rolled, die cut to 2.5mm, and baked at 160 ℃ for about 15 minutes to obtain cream cakes A-J.

TABLE 4

	Degree of off-flavor	Degree of top taste	Degree of richness of taste
				Control	3.13	1.00	1.00
Cream cake A	0.75	1.25	1.13
				Cream cake B	3.38	3.50	3.63
Cream cake C	4.50	4.00	4.13
				Cream cake D	4.38	3.88	4.00
Cream cake E	3.25	4.38	4.00
				Cream cake F	3.88	4.13	3.75
Butter cake G	4.75	4.50	4.63
				Cream cake H	4.88	4.25	4.50
Cream cake I	4.25	4.88	4.75
				Cream cake J	4.63	4.50	4.38

When a partial hydrolysate obtained by hydrolysis of only animal or vegetable fat is used, i.e., cream cake a, the former taste and the rich taste are slightly superior to those of the control cream cake, but the off-flavor and the off-flavor are large, and therefore, it is not preferable food. Next, as is clear from comparison of the cream cakes using the mixed fat and oil decomposition product a, the mixed fat and oil decomposition product a (α 1), and the mixed fat and oil decomposition product a (α 2), the top taste and the rich taste were enhanced by subjecting a part of the hydrolysate to the oxidation treatment regardless of the order of the steps, as compared with the case where the oxidation treatment was not performed. On the other hand, the cream cake using the mixed oil and fat decomposition product a (α 2) subjected to oxidation treatment at the end of the step had a slightly lower score related to off-flavor than the cream cake using the mixed oil and fat decomposition product a (α 1) subjected to silica gel treatment after oxidation. This suggests that components preferable for imparting a top note or a rich note increase with the oxidation treatment, and that components perceived as an off-taste or a foreign taste are only slightly generated.

Next, in the cream cake using the mixed oil and fat degradation product a (β 1) and the mixed oil and fat degradation product a (β 2) subjected to both the oxidation treatment and the reduction treatment with hydrogen gas, off-flavor and foreign taste were hardly felt, and the degree of top taste or rich taste was further enhanced as compared with the cream cake using the mixed oil and fat degradation product subjected to only the oxidation treatment. This is presumably because the mixed fat and oil degradation product a (. Beta.1) and the mixed fat and oil degradation product a (. Beta.2) form a complicated fragrance component composition by the reduction treatment with hydrogen gas, and the flavor is enhanced well.

As a result, the cream cake using the mixed oil and fat decomposition product a (β 2) obtained by subjecting the partial hydrolysate subjected to the silica gel treatment to both the oxidation treatment and the reduction treatment slightly had an off-flavor as compared with the cream cake using the mixed oil and fat decomposition product a (β 1) obtained by subjecting the partial hydrolysate subjected to both the oxidation treatment and the reduction treatment to the silica gel treatment. This also suggests that the amount of substances causing off-flavors can be reduced by performing the silica gel treatment.

In addition, although cream cakes were prepared by reducing the amount of the flavor improving material in comparison with cream cake C, cream cake E, cream cake G and cream cake I, cream cake D, cream cake F, cream cake H and cream cake J, a good top taste or a rich taste was obtained in comparison with control or cream cake B. This also suggests that the flavor intensity can be further improved by oxidation treatment, or by a combination of oxidation treatment and reduction treatment.

Evaluation example 5 evaluation of flavor Using frying oil and French fries

Palm fractionated soft oil (iodine value 56, manufactured by ADEKA corporation) was used as frying oil by adding palm oil hydrolysates produced in examples 6 to 6-5 and comparative example 6 as flavor improving agents (see table 5).

1kg of the resulting frying oil was added to a pot, heated to 180 ℃ and 100g of frozen french fries (Oreida cut french fries (elongated potato strips), heinz Japan) were fried for 3 minutes.

The flavor evaluation was performed on the resultant french fries by 8 members according to the above evaluation criteria, and the average values of the resultant scores were compared. The degree of full body taste was evaluated by comparison with a formulation without partial hydrolysate as a control. The evaluation results are shown in Table 6.

TABLE 6

	Degree of off-flavor or off-flavor	Degree of richness of taste
			Control	3.38	1.00
Frying oil A	1.63	1.25
			Frying oil B	3.38	2.38
Frying oil C	3.88	3.00
			Frying oil D	3.50	2.75
Frying oil E	3.13	3.75
			Frying oil F	3.00	4.13
Frying oil G	4.63	4.38
			Frying oil H	4.75	4.00
Frying oil I	3.88	4.50
			Frying oil J	4.50	4.13

In the case of the fries, the rich taste was confirmed to be enhanced by frying with the frying oil containing the palm oil hydrolysate subjected to the oxidation treatment regardless of the order of the steps, as compared with the fries fried with the frying oil containing the palm oil hydrolysate not subjected to the oxidation treatment. In addition, the mixed oil and fat decomposition product subjected to both the oxidation treatment and the reduction treatment with hydrogen gas hardly feels off-flavors and off-tastes, and the degree of top taste or rich taste is further enhanced as compared with the mixed oil and fat decomposition product subjected to only the oxidation treatment.

It was also found that the flavor intensity was further improved by oxidation treatment or by combination of oxidation treatment and reduction treatment regardless of the type of oil.

Industrial applicability

The flavor improving material of the present invention can impart a rich taste or a rich texture to a food or beverage without imparting an off-flavor or an offensive taste to the food or beverage.

Claims

1. A flavor improving material, characterized in that it comprises as an active ingredient a partial hydrolysate of an animal or vegetable oil or fat after contact with an adsorbent having a pH of 3.0 to 8.0, the adsorbent being a silica gel, the partial hydrolysate of the animal or vegetable oil or fat being obtained by hydrolyzing the animal or vegetable oil or fat with a lipolytic enzyme by a column-type enzymatic hydrolysis method to an acid value of 10 to 120, the adsorbent being contacted with the partial hydrolysate of the animal or vegetable oil or fat at a temperature of less than 100 ℃ and at a pressure of 0.01MPa or less, the end point of the step of contacting the partial hydrolysate of the animal or vegetable oil or fat being determined on the basis of at least one of a contact time of 5 minutes to 5 hours or a change in the content of an analyte value of either one or both of a monoglyceride content and a moisture content of the partial hydrolysate of the animal or vegetable oil or fat, and the end point of the step of contacting the partial hydrolysate being determined on the basis of the monoglyceride content being that when the partial hydrolysate of the animal or vegetable oil or fat has reached the end point, the water content of the partial hydrolysate of the animal or vegetable oil or fat having reached the end point being determined on the basis of the water content of the partial hydrolysate of the contact step being 1500ppm, the animal or vegetable oil or fat being determined on the basis of the animal or fat after the contact step being determined on the water content of the animal or vegetable oil having reached the water content of the animal or fat.

2. The flavor improving material according to claim 1, wherein the enzymatic hydrolysis method uses an immobilized enzyme on an ion exchange resin as a carrier.

3. The flavor improving material according to claim 1, wherein the partial hydrolysate of animal or vegetable fat or oil is subjected to the following step A before or after being contacted with the adsorbent: step A: and (3) carrying out oxidation treatment so that the peroxide value of the partial hydrolysate of the animal and vegetable oil is 5 to 60.

4. The flavor improving material according to claim 3, wherein the partial hydrolysate of animal or vegetable fat or oil subjected to the step A is subjected to the step B: and a step B: and (c) reducing the peroxide contained in the partial hydrolysate of the animal or vegetable fat or oil after the step (A) with hydrogen.

5. A method for producing the flavor improving material according to any one of claims 1 to 4, comprising a step of bringing a partial hydrolysate of an animal or vegetable fat into contact with an adsorbent.