JP2000093125A - Drink or food comprising edible fibers - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a drink or food which comprises edible fibers, can easily be drunk and can be expected to act in bodies. SOLUTION: This drink or food comprising edible fibers uses an acidic polysaccharide which can be cross-linked with polyvalent metal ions. Therein, the acidic polysaccharide is used in a state substantially not cross-linked, and has a viscosity of 2-10 mm2/s in a 0.5% aqueous solution.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] The present invention relates to a food or drink comprising dietary fiber.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Food and drink products using dietary fiber are known as dietary supplements. Dietary fiber is defined as the total of indigestible components in food that cannot be digested by human digestive enzymes, and is classified into water-soluble dietary fiber and insoluble dietary fiber based on its properties. Dietary fiber was previously considered unnecessary,
In recent years, the effects of preventing constipation, adsorbing harmful substances in food and excreting the same outside the body, and the like, have been observed to prevent diabetes and colorectal cancer.

[0003] Specific physiological actions of dietary fiber mainly include an increase in gastrointestinal contents and a change in gastrointestinal transit time, effects on digestive absorption of nutrients and harmful substances, mainly on gastrointestinal functions, and lipids. Many effects have been reported, such as metabolism and the effect on intestinal flora. Due to these physiological effects, application to a wide variety of diseases such as obesity, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, arteriosclerosis, colorectal disease, constipation, gallstones, and cholecystitis is expected.

[0004]

Many of the physiological effects of dietary fiber are found in water soluble dietary fiber which is higher in molecular weight and has higher viscosity. However, the high molecular weight of the water-soluble dietary fiber and the high viscosity of the aqueous solution, when used as a food or drink, have the disadvantage of being very difficult to use, making the application of the water-soluble dietary fiber difficult. That is the current situation.

For example, when drinking water-soluble dietary fiber in the form of a powder, it becomes a highly viscous mass in the mouth, and the above-mentioned effects in the body cannot be expected. In addition, when drinking as an aqueous solution, it is very difficult to drink due to high viscosity, and since the concentration cannot be increased in an aqueous solution within a practical viscosity range, the effect of dietary fiber cannot be expected. .

[0006] In addition, water-soluble dietary fiber currently marketed as a dietary supplement has good solubility in water, but is also soluble in 50% ethanol water. Since such a substance is not a polymer and has a low viscosity, the above physiological action cannot be expected.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art, and has as its object to provide a food or drink made of dietary fiber which is easy to eat and drink and can be expected to have a sufficient effect in the body. I do.

[0008]

The present invention provides (1) a food or drink comprising dietary fiber, characterized by using an acidic polysaccharide which can be cross-linked by a polyvalent metal ion; The food or drink according to the above (1), which is in an uncrosslinked state,
(3) The viscosity of a 0.5% aqueous solution of an acidic polysaccharide is 2 to 10 m.
A food or drink comprising the dietary fiber according to the above (2), which has a m ² / s.

[0009]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION In the present invention, an acidic polysaccharide refers to a polysaccharide containing an acidic group such as a sulfate group and a carboxyl group.
Acidic polysaccharides are not particularly limited in structure, molecular weight, etc., and natural products such as those extracted from plants or animals and their decomposed products,
Alternatively, any of synthetic compounds may be used.

Specific examples of acidic polysaccharides include those containing carboxyl groups, such as alginic acid and pectic acid; those containing sulfate groups, such as carrageenan and colloidan; hyaluronic acid consisting of hexosamine and uronic acid; chondroitin sulfate; Sulfated polysaccharides include dextran sulfate, cellulose sulfate, chitosan and the like. Of the above, alginic acid or pectic acid is preferred because of its low cost. Alginic acid is D-mannuronic acid and L
-A linear polymer composed of guluronic acid.

The solubility, viscosity, gelling properties, coagulation properties, etc. of acidic polysaccharides vary depending on their constituent sugars, bonding modes, molecular weight, and the degree of substitution of acidic groups. Has a high viscosity. Since the above acidic polysaccharides are all high molecular compounds and have high viscosities, the structure is changed using the above acidic polysaccharides as a raw material so as to be a low-viscosity aqueous solution in consideration of ease of drinking when drinking. It is preferable to use them. Particularly, acidic polysaccharides have a viscosity of 0.5% aqueous solution (2
5 ° C., measured with an Ostwald viscometer) 2-10 mm ²
/ S is preferred because it can be more easily used as food and drink.

The acidic polysaccharide is reduced in molecular weight by hydrolysis, and an aqueous solution having low viscosity is obtained. The hydrolysis is
Decomposition using an acid, an alkali, an enzyme, a decomposing agent, and the like, and other operations required for decomposition can be used. Specific examples of the decomposition conditions are shown in the following experimental examples.

Experimental Example 1 [Alkaline hydrolysis of pectin]
Dissolve in 1 mol / L sodium hydroxide, 80
Heated at 0 ° C for 4 hours. After cooling, an equal volume of ethanol was added and the resulting precipitate was filtered off. The precipitate was washed with ethanol and dried to obtain 21.3 g of low molecular weight pectin.

Experimental Example 2 [Alkaline hydrolysis of alginic acid] Alginic acid (30 g) was dissolved in 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide,
Heated at 80 ° C. for 4 hours. After cooling, an equal volume of ethanol was added and the resulting precipitate was filtered off. The precipitate was washed with ethanol and dried to obtain 25.1 g of low molecular weight alginic acid.

[Measurement of Viscosity and Gel Forming Amount] The pectin and alginic acid used in Experimental Examples 1 and 2, and the low-molecular-weight pectin and low-molecular-weight alginic acid obtained in Experimental Examples 1 and 2 were used as samples. Table 1 shows the measurement results obtained by measuring the kinematic viscosity and the gel formation amount. The viscosity was measured by measuring the viscosity of a 0.5% aqueous solution of the sample at 25 ° C. using an Ostwald viscometer. The amount of gel formed was determined by dissolving 500 mg of each sample in 100 ml of purified water, adding an equal amount of calcium chloride to form a gel, performing natural filtration on filter paper, measuring the amount of filtrate, and calculating the following [Equation 1]. The amount of gel formed was determined from.

## EQU00001 ## Gel formation amount (ml) = 100-filtrate amount (ml)

[0016]

[Table 1]

As shown in Table 1, the kinematic viscosity of alginic acid was significantly reduced by the hydrolysis. Pectin showed almost no change in kinematic viscosity after hydrolysis, but showed good solubility.

The acidic polysaccharide is formed by an acidic group in the molecule.
Gels easily due to the presence of polyvalent metal ions. This is because the polyvalent metal ion bonds to the acidic group and crosslinks the molecules of the acidic polysaccharide. After eating and drinking, the acidic polysaccharide can be gelled in the stomach by the action of polyvalent metal ions. Gel formation is carried out in substantially the same manner whether the acidic polysaccharide used is a polymer or a small molecule, so that the same physiological action as that of a polymer compound can be obtained using the above-mentioned reduced-molecular substance. Can be expected.

The food or drink using the dietary fiber of the present invention is preferably in an uncrosslinked state in which the acidic polysaccharide does not contain a polyvalent metal ion. As described above, when the acidic polysaccharide is not crosslinked by the polyvalent metal ion, it is in a state of low viscosity or in a state of being easy to use without being gelled during eating and drinking. Ingestion of polyvalent metal ions together with acidic polysaccharides causes the acidic polysaccharides to react with polyvalent metal ions in the digestive tract and cross-link to form a thickened gel. be able to.

As the above polyvalent metal ion, a divalent metal ion is suitable for the above purpose, but a metal salt harmful to the human body cannot be used. Therefore, an alkali metal salt such as a calcium ion or a magnesium ion is particularly suitable. I have. Further, not only by directly drinking the alkali metal salt but also by simultaneously ingesting a food containing a large amount of the alkali metal salt, the acidic polysaccharide can be gelled inside the stomach or the like.

The food containing the alkali metal salt for the above purpose contains a large amount of calcium ions, magnesium ions and the like, and is preferably a liquid beverage, and specifically, milk, skim milk, yogurt (milk semen) and the like. Dairy products. In cow's milk and skim milk, etc., an increase in viscosity is observed but it does not gel, so that an alkali metal salt is preferably added. When yogurt milk was used, a sufficient gel was formed.

In the present invention, the non-crosslinked state in which the acidic polysaccharide does not contain a polyvalent metal ion means that the acidic polysaccharide is not substantially crosslinked by the polyvalent metal ion, and a trace amount of the polyvalent metal ion. It does not deny the existence of metal ions. For example, when provided as an aqueous beverage, generally used water contains a trace amount of polyvalent metal ions such as calcium ions and magnesium ions, even if these polyvalent metal ions are present, At that level, there is no particular problem because the viscosity of the beverage is not significantly affected.

The form of the food or drink of the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it contains dietary fiber comprising at least an acidic polysaccharide. Specifically, it may be in the form of drinking water in the form of an aqueous solution or in the form of a solid food or the like. Further, other additives may be added to the food or drink.

[0024]

The food and drink comprising the dietary fiber of the present invention is easy to eat and drink and can be expected to have a sufficient action in the body by using an acidic polysaccharide which can be crosslinked by polyvalent metal ions. is there.

Foods and drinks made of dietary fiber can be used for treating diabetes. Diabetes mellitus is a disease in which glucose utilization is impaired due to a lack of insulin, blood glucose levels increase, and urinary glucose is excreted, causing a wide range of metabolic abnormalities including glucose metabolism and various complications. Diet therapy, exercise therapy, oral drug therapy, and insulin therapy have been used as treatments for diabetes. In particular, diet is very important, and the basic principle is to limit the caloric intake to the minimum necessary, thereby reducing the lack of action of insulin in the body. The water-soluble fiber composed of an acidic polysaccharide increases the volume of food in the stomach by swelling in the stomach and increases the viscosity, and thus has an effect of suppressing an increase in blood glucose by extending the residence time of the food in the stomach. It has long been known that insulin can work efficiently as a result.

Table 2 shows the results of a glucose tolerance test performed on the food or drink comprising the dietary fiber of the present invention to test the effect of suppressing an increase in blood glucose. As is evident from Table 2, a clear blood sugar suppressing effect was observed when eating and drinking. The test method was as follows. In a 75 g glucose tolerance test using a male, 43 years old as a subject, 1.5 g of the low-molecular-weight alginic acid and 1.0 g of calcium sulfate obtained in Experimental Example 2 were orally administered immediately before. In the case of no administration, the blood glucose level was measured and compared.

[0027]

[Table 2]

Next, Table 3 shows the results of comparing the amount of insulin at the time of fasting and 30 minutes after the load in the glucose tolerance test.

[0029]

[Table 3]

Further, dietary fiber promotes excretion of bile acids and lowers cholesterol level, so that the effect of preventing hyperlipidemia can be expected. In addition, dietary fiber adsorbs harmful substances such as heavy metals in foods and reduces the rate of absorption in the body. Therefore, in order to reduce the manifestation of its toxicity, it protects foods contaminated with dioxins, etc., and has atopic skin. It is said to have an improving effect on allergic diseases such as inflammation. Therefore, the same effects can be obtained with food and drink using the dietary fiber of the present invention.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A food or drink comprising dietary fiber, wherein an acidic polysaccharide crosslinkable by a polyvalent metal ion is used. 2. The food or drink comprising dietary fiber according to claim 1, wherein the acidic polysaccharide is in a substantially uncrosslinked state. 3. A 0.5% aqueous solution of an acidic polysaccharide has a viscosity of 2%.
3. A food or drink comprising the dietary fiber according to claim 2, wherein the food and drink is from 10 to 10 mm ² / s.