EP4422422A1

EP4422422A1 - Composition for enhancing spicy flavor and food

Info

Publication number: EP4422422A1
Application number: EP22887178.6A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Xiaoying TAN; Mingwei SHI; Yimin SHI; Hui Song
Original assignee: Ajinomoto Co Inc
Current assignee: Ajinomoto Co Inc
Priority date: 2021-10-29
Filing date: 2022-10-28
Publication date: 2024-09-04
Also published as: CN116058486A; CN118175935A; WO2023074853A1; EP4422422A4; JP2024538456A

Abstract

The present invention relates to a composition for enhancing spicy flavor comprising a monosodium glutamate (MSG) type amino acid, a nucleotide type umami substance, and an oxamide compound represented by the following formula (I) or a salt thereof: (I) wherein one of R1 and R2 represents a hydrogen atom and the other represents an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms or an alkoxy group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, and R3 represents a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms. The composition can enhance the spicy flavor of the food without adding extra spicy substances.

Description

COMPOSITION FOR ENHANCING SPICY FLAVOR AND FOOD

The present invention relates to the field of food seasoning agents, in particular, to a composition for enhancing spicy flavor by using umami substances. The present invention also relates to seasoning agents and foods containing the composition for enhancing spicy flavor.

In recent years, with the continuous improvement of people's living standards, people's requirements for food tastes and flavors rise and become more diversified, among which spicy flavor is widely welcomed by people because of its function of promoting secretion of human digestive juice and appetite. Sichuan cuisine, one of the eight major cuisines in China, has gradually reached the first place in the market share of Chinese cuisines. According to the statistics of 2018, the number of Sichuan cuisine restaurants in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen accounts for about 20% of all restaurants, which is almost doubled comparing to that of the Chinese cuisine ranking in the second place. At the same time, green prickleyash fish, Chongqing small noodles and double-flavor hot pot are familiar dishes.

The reason why Sichuan cuisine is popular with diners is that it is "fresh umami, mellow, spicy and spicily fragrant". The "spicy" flavor is mainly adjusted by traditional food materials and seasonings, such as pepper, pricklyash and spices, while the "umami" taste is mainly adjusted by various seasoning agents, and a commonly used umami agent is monosodium glutamate (MSG). However, due to high content of sodium in MSG and poor utilization of calcium and magnesium resulted by excessive intake of MSG, natural substances are used to enhance the effect of MSG as an umami agent. Commonly used nucleotide compounds, such as inosine monphosphate (IMP) and guanosine monophosphate (GMP), are usually used in combination as (I+G) to enhance the flavor of dishes, especially to enhance the umami taste of MSG. On the other hand, some synthetic umami agents, such as specific oxamide compounds, such as N-(2, 4-dimethoxybenzyl) -N'-[2-(pyridin-2-yl)ethyl] oxamide (CAS No.: 745047-53-4, sometimes hereinafter also referred to as “compound A”), can be used as an umami agent efficiently and/or synergistically enhance the umami taste of MSG.

Patent Literature 1 discloses a composition containing an umami agent, wherein the umami agent is mainly MSG to enhance the umami taste of dishes.

Patent Literature 2 discloses a flavoring sauce, which is compounded with soy sauce, vinegar, salt, MSG, I+G and several spices, etc., and has sour, fresh and outstanding umami taste and texture.

Patent Literature 3 discloses an efficient umami taste seasoning, which uses N-(2, 4-dimethoxybenzyl)-N'-[2-(pyridin-2-yl)ethyl] oxamide, an efficient umami compound, to produce umami taste and/or enhance the umami taste of MSG, the compound sometimes causing tingling or numbness of tongue.

US20170143022A CN105475948A CN101426381A

However, spicy substances are irritating to human body. It can promote secretion of human digestive juice and appetite, and on the other hand, excessive intake of the spicy substances will cause a burning sensation in human stomach, leading to gastroesophageal reflux or constipation. Therefore, there is a need in the art for a composition for enhancing spicy flavor, which can bring "spicy" taste to diners or enhance the spicy flavors of dishes without adding extra spicy substances.

That is, in view of the current situation in the field, the technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to enhance the spicy flavor of dishes without adding extra spicy substances.

In order to achieve the above purpose, the inventor unexpectedly discovered that by combining umami substances, specifically a monosodium glutamate (MSG) type umami agent and a nucleotide type umami substance, and preferably also a specific oxamide type compound having umami-enhancing effect, the spicy flavor of dishes can be enhanced without adding extra spicy substances, and the present invention has been completed based on the above finding.

That is, the present invention provides a composition for enhancing spicy flavor comprising a monosodium glutamate (MSG) type amino acid, a nucleotide type umami substance, and an oxamide compound represented by the following formula (I) or a salt thereof:

wherein one of R¹ and R² represents a hydrogen atom and the other represents an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms or an alkoxy group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, and R³ represents a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms.

Preferably, the monosodium glutamate (MSG) type amino acid is at least one of monosodium glutamate and monosodium aspartate, especially monosodium glutamate.

Preferably, the nucleotide type umami substance is at least one of inosine monphosphate disodium and guanosine monophosphate disodium, especially preferably the combination of inosine monphosphate disodium (IMP) and guanosine monophosphate disodium (GMP) (hereinafter referred to as "I+G").

Preferably, in formula (I), one of R¹ and R² represents a hydrogen atom, the other represents a methyl group or a methoxy group, and R³ represents a hydrogen atom or a methyl group.

Preferably, the compound represented by formula (I) is selected from the group consisting of N1-(2, 4-dimethoxybenzyl)-N2-(2-(pyridin-2-yl)ethyl) oxamide, N1-(2-methoxy-4-methylbenzyl)-N2-(2-(5-methylpyridin-2-yl)ethyl) oxamide, N1-(2-methoxy-4-methylbenzyl)-N2-(2-(pyridin-2-yl)ethyl) oxamide, and N1-(2, 3-dimethoxybenzyl)-N2-(2-(pyridin-2-yl)ethyl) oxamide.

Preferably, the monosodium glutamate type amino acid, the nucleotide type umami substance, and the oxamide compound represented by formula (I), or its salt are in a weight ratio of 5 to 30: 1:0.2×10^-3 to 6×10^-3, more preferably 10 to 20: 1: 0.6×10^-3 to 4×10^-3.

Preferably, when the total weight of the food is calculated as 100% by weight, the monosodium glutamate type amino acid is 0.2 to 0.4% by weight, the nucleotide type umami substance (preferably I+G) is 0.01 to 0.04% by weight, and the oxamide compound represented by formula (I), or its salt is 0.00001 to 0.00007% by weight.

The present invention further provides a seasoning agent comprising the above composition for enhancing spicy flavor and a food to which the seasoning agent has been added.

Further, the food is preferably Chongqing noodles, and the amount of MSG is 0.2-0.4%, the amount of I+G is 0.01-0.035%, and the amount of compound of formula (I) is 0.00001-0.00006% (0.1-0.6 ppm), based on the total weight of the food calculated as 100% by weight.

Further, the food is preferably green prickleyash fish, and the amount of MSG is 0.2-0.35%, the amount of I+G is 0.015-0.04%, and the amount of compound of formula (I) is 0.00001-0.00007% (0.1-0.7 ppm), based on the total weight of the food calculated as 100% by weight.

Further, the food is preferably red soup hotpot, and the amount of MSG is 0.2 to 0.35%, the amount of I+G is 0.01 to 0.035%, and the amount of compound of formula (I) is 0.00001 to 0.00004% (0.1 to 0.4 ppm), based on the total weight of the food calculated as 100% by weight.

According to the present invention, there is provided a composition for enhancing spicy flavor, and a seasoning agent and a food containing the same, which can enhance the spicy flavor of the food without adding extra spicy substances.

The inventor made intensive investigations and unexpectedly found that the combination of a monosodium glutamate (MSG) type amino acid, a nucleotide type umami agent and an oxamide compound represented by formula (I), which were used as umami agents in the past, can enhance the spicy flavor of foods, when added into the foods, without adding extra spicy substances.

Particularly, the composition for enhancing spicy flavor of the present invention comprises MSG, I+G and an oxamide compound represented by the following formula (I), or salts thereof:

wherein one of R¹ and R² represents a hydrogen atom, the other represents an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms or an alkoxy group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, and R³ represents a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms.

Monosodium glutamate (MSG) type amino acids
Monosodium glutamate (MSG) type amino acids are known umami substances, mainly including glutamic acid and aspartic acid and their salts. Theanine, a special kind of free amino acid in tea, is similar to glutamic acid in structure, and has a fresh and refreshing taste similar to monosodium glutamate. Existing studies have found that MSG type amino acids can interact with T1R1/T1R3 umami receptors, and activate cascade signal transmission of taste system, rendering brain perceive umami taste.

In the present invention, the MSG type amino acid is preferably monosodium glutamate (MSG, commonly known as ajinomoto) and monosodium aspartate, especially monosodium glutamate. The taste threshold of monosodium glutamate is 0.012% (120 ppm), and that of monosodium aspartate is 0.01% (100 ppm).

The MSG type amino acids suitable for use in the present invention may be hydrated crystals or anhydrous crystals obtainable by drying or the like. Food materials containing high concentrations of MSG type amino acids can also be used.

In the present invention, the concentration of MSG type amino acids added to foods in terms of anhydrous crystals is usually preferably 0.2-0.4% by weight. If the concentration is insufficient, the umami flavor would not be strong, and the effect of enhancing the spicy flavor would not be obvious. If the concentration is too high, the taste would not be good, and too much intake would break the metabolic balance in the body and hinder the absorption of other nutrients. Moreover, too much sodium ion would cause the blood pressure to increase.

Nucleotide type umami agent
More than 30 kinds of nucleotides and their derivatives are known to have umami characteristics. Representative examples are 5-inosine monophosphate (IMP), 5-guanosine monophosphate (GMP) and 5-adenylic acid (AMP).

In the present invention, it is preferable to use at least one of disodium inosine monphosphate (IMP) and disodium guanosine monophosphate (GMP), especially preferably to use IMP and GMP together (hereinafter referred to as "I+G"). The taste threshold of disodium inosine monphosphate (IMP) is 0.025% (250 ppm), and that of disodium guanosine monphosphate (GMP) is 0.012% (120 ppm).

I+G is a new generation of umami agent prepared by mixing disodium inosine monophosphate (IMP) and disodium guanosine monophosphate (GMP) in a ratio of 1: 1, and its degree of umami taste is more than 200 times that of monosodium glutamate. Among them, IMP has a chicken-like umami taste, and its degree of umami taste is more than 40 times that of MSG. GMP has a fresh mushroom-like umami taste, and its degree of umami is more than 160 times that of monosodium glutamate. There is a strong positive correlation between inosine monphosphate and sodium glutamate. Mixing inosine monphosphate and sodium glutamate in the ratio of 1: 5 to 1: 20 can increase the flavor of sodium glutamate by 6 times. Nucleotide flavor compounds, alone or in combination with other flavoring agents such as MSG type amino acids, can improve the flavor of food, enhance the natural delicious and sweet taste of food, and kill fishy smell, burnt taste, bitter taste and sour taste.

In the present invention, the content of I+G is generally preferably 0.01-0.04%.

The oxamide compound represented by formula (I)
Prior art documents, for example, the aforementioned Patent Literature 3, have disclosed that the oxamide compound represented by formula (I) or its salt is an agonist of hT1R1/hT1R3 "umami" receptor and can be used as an umami agent or an umami taste enhancer.

The composition for enhancing spicy flavor of the present invention comprises an oxamide compound represented by the following formula (I) or salts thereof:

When R¹ or R² represents an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, it may be straight chain or branched chain, for example, methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, butyl, isobutyl, sec-butyl, tert-butyl, etc., and methyl is preferred.

When R¹ or R² represents an alkoxy group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, it may be straight chain or branched chain, for example, methoxy, ethoxy, propoxy, isopropoxy, butoxy, isobutoxy, sec-butoxy, tert-butoxy, etc., and methoxy is preferred.

When R³ represents an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, it may be straight chain or branched chain, for example, methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, butyl, isobutyl, sec-butyl, tert-butyl, etc., and methyl is preferred.

Among the compounds represented by the general formula (I), it is preferable that one of R¹ and R² represents a hydrogen atom, the other represents a methyl group or a methoxy group (preferably a methoxy group), and R³ represents a hydrogen atom or a methyl group (preferably a hydrogen atom).

The compound represented by the general formula (I) is preferably N1-(2, 4-dimethoxybenzyl)-N2-(2-(pyridin-2-yl) ethyl) oxamide,

N1-(2-methoxy-4-methylbenzyl)-N2-(2-(5-methylpyridin-2-yl) ethyl) oxamide,

N1-(2-methoxy-4-methylbenzyl)-N2-(2-(pyridin-2-yl) ethyl) oxamide, and

N1-(2, 3-dimethoxybenzyl)-N2-(2-(pyridin-2-yl) ethyl) oxamide.

N1-(2, 4-dimethoxybenzyl)-N2-(2-(pyridin-2-yl)ethyl) oxamide (CAS No.: 745047-53-4) is particularly preferred.

When the oxamide compound represented by the general formula (I) is in the form of a salt, examples thereof include salts of inorganic acids such as hydrochloric acid, hydrofluoric acid, trifluoroacetic acid, sulfuric acid and phosphoric acid; salts of organic acids such as acetic acid, succinic acid, citric acid, lactic acid, maleic acid, fumaric acid, palmitic acid, cholic acid, pamoic acid, D-glutamic acid, D-camphor acid, glutaric acid, phthalic acid, tartaric acid, dodecyl acid, stearic acid, salicylic acid, methanesulfonic acid, benzenesulfonic acid, sorbic acid, picric acid, benzoic acid and cinnamic acid.

The oxamide compounds represented by the general formula (I) and their salts are well-known substances, and can be produced by well-known methods (for example, the method described in WO2005/041684, etc.).

In the food of the present invention, the amount of the compound represented by formula (I) and its salt is preferably 0.1 to 0.7 ppm.

In the invention, according to the spicy and pungent feeling and flavor characteristics of various peppers, spiciness is subdivided into the following types: mixture spiciness, dried chilies flavor, burning spiciness, hot spiciness and fresh spiciness. In this specification, the term "spicy flavor" includes not only spiciness and numbness, but also spicy flavor.

In this specification, "mixture spiciness" means a spicy and fragrant flavor. The early middle-taste is a taste of pepper mixed with various spices, and the late middle-taste is spicy.

In this specification, "dried chilies flavor" means that the middle feeling taste is spicy and thick, and has a fragrant flavor similar to that of dry pepper.

In this specification, "burning spiciness" means that the first feeling taste (beforetaste) has a strong burnt flavor, or a burnt flavor (dry and bitter) brought by frying of dry pepper, which is similar to sesame flavor, and the middle feeling taste and aftertaste is spicy.

In this specification, "hot spiciness" means that the first feeling taste is spicy, and a strongly spicy sensation is felt when the spicy substance enters into mouth. There is a stimulating feeling in mouth and nasal cavities, and the spicy taste does not last long.

In this specification, "fresh spiciness" means that the first feeling taste and middle taste are fresh pepper-like spicy, and fragrant, and the aftertaste is strongly spicy.

In addition, pricklyash is also a common spice used with chili in Sichuan cuisine. Adding a proper amount of pricklyash to the composition for enhancing spicy flavor of the present invention can further endow foods with unique numbness and aroma of pricklyash.

In the present invention, the flavors brought by pricklyash are subdivided into the following categories: numbness, fresh flavor of pricklyash and full-bodied flavor of pricklyash.

In this specification, "numbness" refers to a numb feeling in the mouth and tongue, and an unsmooth feeling in tongue (slight needling feeling).

In this specification, "fresh flavor of pricklyash" means that the first feeling flavor is moderate and mild (with fragrance of a green plant), and the middle feeling taste is a cool sensation in the mouth and the aftertaste is a strongly bitter feeling (and numb feeling). The fragrance is usually brought by green pricklyash.

In this specification, "full-bodied flavor of pricklyash" means that the first and middle feelings are rich flavors (similar to floral, woody and meat flavor), slightly bitter (and numb feeling), and the aftertaste is relatively weak. The strong fragrance is usually brought by red pricklyash.

In the present invention, the weight ratio of MSG, I+G and the compound of formula (I) is 5 to 30: 1: 0.2×10^-3 to 6×10^-3. When the weight ratio of the components is within the above range, it is possible to enhance the spicy flavor of a food to which the components are added.

Other spicy agents (such as capsaicin) and/or flavor enhancers (such as hydrolyzed animal protein) can be added as required, and other additives can be further added, as long as it does not deviate from the purpose of the present invention. Examples of the additives include preservatives, colorants, antioxidants, sweeteners, stabilizers, enzymes, emulsifiers, thickeners, acidity regulators, flavoring essences, etc., as described in Chinese Standards for the Use of Food Additives (GB 2760-2014).

The composition for enhancing spicy flavor of the present invention can be in any form. Examples include solid (including powder and granule), liquid (including slurry), gel and paste.

The present invention also includes flavoring agents and foods containing the composition for enhancing spicy flavor of the present invention.

Compared with foods without the composition for enhancing spicy flavor of the present invention, peppery foods, tongue-tingling foods and spicy foods added with the composition for enhancing spicy flavor of the present invention have improved the mouthfeel and smell of peppery taste, tongue-tingling taste and spicy flavor.

Example

The embodiments of the present invention will be further described below by way of example, so that the features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and the invention will be better understood. However, the examples described below are merely illustration of the embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to unduly limit the scope of the invention.

In the examples below, the percentages of used amounts or contents for ingredients are all calculated in weight.
MSG: manufactured by Ajinomoto KK under the brand name of Red Bowel^(R) (monosodium glutamate content: not less than 99.0%).
Inosine monophosphate (IMP) and guanosine monophosphate (GMP): “AJITIDE^(R)” (I+G) (mixture of 50% disodium inosine monophosphate and 50% disodium guanosine monophosphate) manufactured by Ajinomoto KK, which is sometimes abbreviated to “IG”.
N1-(2,4-dimethoxybenzyl)-N2-(2-(pyridin-2-yl)ethyl) oxamide (compound A): prepared by the method recited in WO2005/041684.

Fresh food materials were purchased from Dingdong e-shop, and other materials such as spices, flavorings and seasonings were purchased from Jingdong e-shop.

Example 1: Preparation and flavor evaluation for Chongqing noodle
The chili oil was prepared according to the formulation shown in Table 1 below.

Chili oil was prepared by the following steps:
1. Er Jing Tiao pepper was cut as small pieces and took with millet pepper and bell pepper into a wok heated by big fire, then the fire was turned to gentle fire and the materials were stir-dried for 1 minute. The dried Er Jing Tiao pepper, millet pepper and bell pepper were grinded into small particles, and left the resulted chili powder in a bowl, then add green pricklyash, red pricklyash, pricklyash peppercorn powder and pricklyash oil into the bowl.
2. Corn oil was heated to 170°C, then the fire was turned into gentle fire, green onion, ginger, star anise, Shan nai, bay leaves and cardamon were added into corn oil to be fried by using middle or gentle fire with oil temperature around 150°C-160°C. After 2 minutes, the materials were scooped up from the corn oil and the oil is left.
3. The oil poured into the bowl.
4. Thirteen-spices were fully mixed with the oil in the bowl.
5. The bowl was left for a whole night, and the insoluble materials were filtrated and chili oil was thus obtained.

Further, the bone soup seasoning was prepared according to the formulation shown in Table 2 below.

Primary soup base (NC) was obtained by mixing chili oil, bone soup seasoning and water in a ratio of 5.5%: 1.58%:92.92% (100% in total).

The amount of the chili oil was increased gradually on the basis of the primary soup base and soup bases PC0-PC5 were obtained. a score criteria corresponding to the Ratio of the chili oil was set up for each of the soup bases PC0-PC5 to evaluate the intensity of spicy flavor. The intensity of spicy flavor was divided into 1-5 grades from base spicy flavor to stronger spicy flavor, wherein the score for the intensity of spicy flavor of the primary soup base was graded as 1, as shown in Table 3.

MSG, I+G and compound A were mixed to formulate the composition for enhancing spicy flavor according to the present invention, and added into the primary soup base NC so as to have the contents as shown in Table 4, then the intensity of the spicy flavor was evaluated by a panel consisting of 5 experts specialized in taste. The final score was the average value of the scores given by the 5 experts. The primary soup base NC without the three ingredients mentioned above was taken as a control having the intensity of spicy flavor of 1.0. Then the intensity of the spicy flavor was evaluated in 6 aspects, i.e. mixture spiciness, dried chilies flavor, burning spiciness, numbness, fragrance of pricklyash, and strong fragrance of pricklyash, divided into 1-5 grades from weak to strong feelings felt from the senses.

As can be seen from Table 4, the enhancing effect to the spicy flavor of the soup base is limited (not over 2.5 for the score) by merely adding MSG and I+G (sample 1) or adding compound A (sample 2) to the soup base. However, since MSG, I+G, compound A were added in to the primary soup base, the enhancing effect of the spicy flavor became apparent for sample 3 (over 3.2 for all aspects), implying that there might be a synergistic effect between MSG, I+G and compound A that enhance the intensity of the spicy flavor of the soup base.

In the samples shown in Table 4, the enhancing effect for spicy flavor can take place when the amount of MSG is in the range of 0.2-0.4% which is usually used for food, and when the amount of I+G is 0.01% (10ppm) or more in food, the amounts being close to or slightly higher than the thresholds for the taste enhancement of umami flavor of the aforementioned substances. These results indicate that when adding the composition for enhancing the spicy flavor according to the present invention to enhance the spicy taste, there is no need to worry about the overuse of the substances and potential problems brought thereby.

As can also been seen from Table 4, when the amount of compound A reaches 0.00001% (0.1ppm) (sample 4), the intensity of the spicy flavor is obviously improved.

As for MSG and I+G, the preferable amounts are 0.2-0.4% and 0.01-0.035%, respectively. The enhancing effect of the spicy flavor tends to decrease when the range is exceeded.

Example 2: Preparation and flavor evaluation of green prickleyash fish
Preparation of Snakehead fish soup
Materials were prepared according to Table 5.

The fish soup was prepared by the following steps:
1. fish head and tail were cut from the snakefish and washed thoroughly;
2. corn oil was placed into a wok, then the fish head and tail were decocted with big fire after the wok was heated;
3. green onion and ginger were stir-fried until fragrance come out, then the fish head and tail, cooking wine were added and stir-fried, and water was added thereafter to stew for about 10 minutes until boiling with continuous stirring,
4. cooking was completed, and the fish head and tail were removed, and snakehead fish soup was obtained after filtration.

Preparation of green prickleyash fish soup base
Green prickleyash fish soup base NC’ was prepared by the following steps:
1. materials were prepared according to Table 6 below, and corn oil was added into a wok, fire was turned to gentle fire until the oil temperature heats to 200°C;
2. ginger (slices) and green onion (pieces) were added into the wok and stir-fried for 40s;
3. bubble ginger, wild Sansho, green pricklyash, small red hot pepper (beveled), cooking wine were added into the wok and stir-fried for 45s;
4. said the previously prepared snakehead fish soup and water were added into the wok and heated for 2minutes and 45 seconds with big fire;
5. white pepper powder, salt and sugar were added into the wok and heated for 50s with big fire;
6. corn oil was added into a sauce pan and heated to 150°C, then the fire was turned to gentle fire;
7. green pricklyash, pricklyash oil, and sesame oil were added into the sauce pan and stir-fried for 1 minute;
8. small red hot pepper (beveled) was added into the sauce pan and stir-fried for 1 minute;
9. green hot pepper (beveled) was added into the sauce pan and stir-fried for 1 minute so as to obtain pepper sides;
10. the pepper sides is added into the snakehead fish soup obtained in step 5, then the solids were filtered to obtain the green prickleyash fish soup base.

Preparation of cooked snakehead fish fillet
Materials were prepared according to Table 7.

Cooked snakehead fish fillet was prepared by the following steps:
1. frozen snakehead fillet was defrozed and thoroughly washed, then salt, sugar, whiter pepper powder, cooking wine, egg white, starch were added and mixed with the snakehead fillet and marinated for 2 hours;
2. the marinated snakehead fillet was deep-fried under oil temperature of 200°C, then the fire was turned to medium fire.

<Preparation of green prickleyash fish soup>
The deep-fried marinated snakehead fish fillet was put into the green prickleyash fish soup base to obtain the green prickleyash fish soup.

Flavor evaluation of the green pricklyash fish
The amount of the spicy ingredient was increased gradually on the basis of the soup base NC’ served as the primary soup base so as to obtain soup bases PC0’-PC3’. The intensity of spicy flavor was divided into 1-5 grades from base spicy flavor to stronger spicy flavor, wherein the score for the strength of spicy flavor of the soup base NC was graded as 1, as shown in Table 8.

50g of snakehead fish fillet was added into 100g of green pricklyash fish soup for to form a primary soup base used as a control, then different amounts of MSG, I+G and compound A were added into the primary soup base and heated for 10 minutes in 80°C water bath. Then the strength intensity of the spicy flavor was evaluated by a panel consisting of 5 experts specialized in taste. The strength intensity of the spicy flavor was evaluated in 4 aspects and the final score was the average value of the scores given by the 5 experts. The results are shown in Table 9 below.

As can be seen Table 9, the enhancing effect to the spicy flavor of the soup base was limited (not over 2.8 for the score) by merely adding MSG and I+G (sample 1) or adding compound A (sample 2) to the soup base. However, since MSG, I+G, compound A were added into the primary soup base, the enhancing effect of the spicy flavor became apparent for sample 3 (the score increases by 0.3-0.9), implying that there might be a synergistic effect between MSG, I+G and compound A that enhances the intensity of the spicy flavor of the soup base.

In particular, the amount of compound A reaches 0.00001% (0.1ppm), the intensity of the spicy flavor is obviously improved. As the amount of compound A becomes 0.00005% (0.5ppm), the best enhancing effect of the intensity of the spicy flavor can be achieved.

As for MSG and I+G, the preferable amounts are 0.2-0.35% and 0.015-0.04%, respectively. The enhancing effect of the spicy flavor tends to decrease when the range is exceeded.

Example 3. Preparation and flavor evaluation of red soup hotpot
The materials of red soup for red soup hotpot were prepared according to Table 10 shown below.

Ciba pepper mentioned in the table above was prepared by the following steps:

100g of Er Jing Tiao pepper was heated with 400g of water for 10 minutes, then further adding 160g of water and heating for 6 minutes. The Er Jing Tiao pepper was drawn from the water, and grinded to obtain Ciba pepper.

Red oil was prepared by the following steps:
1. beef fat and corn oil were heated to 150°C in a wok, then fire was turned to gentle fire (maintaining the oil temperature at around 150°C);
2. minced garlic, fermented soy bean and thick broad-bean sauce were added into the wok and mixed thoroughly;
3. ciba pepper, crushed millet pepper, thirteen-spices, fennel, red pricklyash, pricklyash powder, green pricklyash were further added into the wok and mixed thoroughly;
4. cinnamon, dry tsaoko, Er Jing Tiao, rock sugar and salt were further added into the wok and mixed thoroughly;
5. dark soy sauce was added into the wok and mixed thoroughly;
6. all the ingredients were mixed for 15 minutes while the oil temperature was maintained at around 110°C, then the mixture was moved to a bowl;
7. solids were scooped up from the bowl and red oil was left.

The red oil, water and salt were mixed in a weight ratio of 18: 81.74: 0.26 to obtain the soup base for red soup hotpot.

Flavor evaluation of red soup hotpot
Beancurd sticks were put into the red soup hotpot having the materials as shown in Table 11 below. Then the beancurd sticks were evaluated by a panel consisting of 5 experts specialized in taste in 6 aspects, i.e., mixture spiciness, spicy, dried chilies flavor, numbness, fragrance of pricklyash and strong fragrance of pricklyash, and the intensity of the aforementioned 6 aspects were further evaluated from the points of first feeling taste (beforetaste), middle feeling taste and aftertaste. The evaluation scores for umami enhancing effect are: △ a little intensity, ○ adequate intensity, ◎ strong intensity. The evaluation scores for spicy enhancing effect are: [blank] no change, △ a little intensity, ○ strong intensity, ◎ very strong intensity. The evaluation results are shown in Table 12 below.

As can be seen from Table 12, the inventive example P having the composition for enhancing spicy flavor comprising MSG, I+G and compound A according to the present invention enhanced the spicy flavor of the red soup hotpot, in particular, enhanced the hot spiciness flavor and strong fragrance of pricklyash, and further enhanced the mixture spiciness and dried chilies flavor.

The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above. It should be understood that many modifications and changes can be made in accordance with the concept of the present invention without creative work. Therefore, all technical solutions that can be obtained by those skilled in the art through logical analysis, reasoning or limited times of experiments based on the concept of the present invention and the prior art should fall within the scope defined by the accompanying claims.

This application is based on a patent application No. 202111272640.4 filed in China, the contents of which are incorporated in full herein.

Claims

A composition for enhancing spicy flavor, characterized in that the composition comprises a monosodium glutamate type amino acid, a nucleotide type umami substance, and an oxamide compound represented by formula (I) shown below, or its salt,
wherein one of R¹ and R² represents a hydrogen atom, and the other one represents a C1-C4 alkyl or a C1-C4 alkoxy, R³ represents a hydrogen atom or a C1-C4 alkyl.
The composition according to claim 1, wherein the monosodium glutamate type amino acid is at least one of glutamic acid monosodium and aspartic acid monosodium.
The composition according to claim 1, wherein the nucleotide type umami substance is at least one of disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate.
The composition according to claim 1, wherein, in formula (I), one of R¹ and R² represents a hydrogen atom, and the other one represents methyl or methoxy, R³ represents a hydrogen atom or methyl.
The composition according to claim 1, wherein the compound represented by formula (I) is selected from the group consisting of N1-(2, 4-dimethoxybenzyl)-N2-(2-(pyridin-2-yl)ethyl) oxamide, N1-(2-methoxy-4-methylbenzyl)-N2-(2-(5-methylpyridin-2-yl)ethyl) oxamide, N1-(2-methoxy-4-methylbenzyl)-N2-(2-(pyridin-2-yl)ethyl) oxamide, and N1-(2, 3-dimethoxybenzyl)-N2-(2-(pyridin-2-yl)ethyl) oxamide.
The composition according to claim 1, wherein the monosodium glutamate type amino acid, the nucleotide type umami substance, and the oxamide compound represented by formula (I) shown below, or its salt are in a weight ratio of 5 to 30: 1: 0.2×10^-3 to 6×10^-3.
The composition according to claim 1, wherein the composition is suitable for enhancing at least one of mixture spiciness, dried chilies flavor, burning spiciness, numbness, fresh flavor of pricklyash, and full bodied flavor of pricklyash.
A seasoning agent, comprising the composition according to any one of claims 1 to 7.
A food, comprising at least one of the composition according to any one of claims 1 to 7, or the seasoning agent according to claim 8.
The food according to claim 9, wherein when the total weight of the food is calculated as 100% by weight, the monosodium glutamate type amino acid is 0.2 to 0.4% by weight, the nucleotide type umami substance is 0.01 to 0.04% by weight, and the oxamide compound represented by formula (I), or its salt is 0.00001 to 0.00007% by weight.
Use of a composition comprising at least a glutamic acid monosodium salt type amino acid and a nucleotide type umami substance for enhancing spicy flavor.
The use according to claim 1, wherein the composition is the composition according any one of claims 1 to 6.