JP2003093014A - Liquid sweetener - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a liquid sweetener suitable for being packed in a portion container and having low calorie and sweet quality which is similar to that of saccharose. SOLUTION: This liquid sweetener contains saccharides, acesulfame kalium, and if desired, a sweetener with high degree of sweetness excluding acesulfame kalium and has a viscosity of 20-80 mPa.s.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a liquid sweetener, and more particularly to a liquid sweetener suitable for filling a potion container, having a low calorie content and a sweetness similar to that of sucrose.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a sweetener used for ice coffee or the like, a liquid sweetener for packaging a portion container, which is a small capacity container made of resin generally called a portion container and filled with gum syrup, is commercially available. Such potion container packaging liquid sweeteners are usually manufactured in a consistent line consisting of molding the container, filling the container with the liquid sweetener, and sealing the sealing film that becomes the lid. Here, in the case of the conventional gum syrup, the liquid is not easily drained at the filling nozzle, and the contents stain the machine or adhere to the lid of the container, which is not hygienic. Further, it is difficult to increase the filling speed, and there is a problem in terms of production efficiency. Further, in the case of the conventional gum syrup, there are problems that it has a high calorie content and that it does not mix quickly with ice coffee or the like. As a liquid sweetener that is easily mixed with a liquid beverage or the like, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-220069 discloses that it contains a high-intensity sweetener and water and has a viscosity of 0.1 to 20 mPa · s.
Liquid sweeteners are described.

[0003]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to increase the filling rate in the production of potion container packaging liquid sweeteners. Another object of the present invention is to provide a low-calorie potion container packaging liquid sweetener which has high production efficiency, is easily mixed with liquid beverages and the like.

[0004]

Means for Solving the Problems As a result of earnest research, the present inventors have found that adjusting the liquid sweetener to a specific viscosity makes it possible to increase the filling speed without contaminating machines and products. The present invention has been completed by further studies. That is, the present invention includes (1) a liquid sweetener containing a saccharide and acesulfame potassium and having a viscosity of 20 to 80 mPa · s; (2) the above (1) containing 0.01 to 2% by weight of acesulfame potassium. (3) Liquid sweetener according to (1) above, which further contains a high-intensity sweetener other than acesulfame potassium; (4) Content of acesulfame potassium and high-intensity sweetener other than acesulfame potassium. And the content ratio of acesulfame potassium to the content ratio of the high-potency sweetener other than acesulfame potassium is 1: 9 to 9: 1. 3) The liquid sweetener according to 3); (5) One or more high-intensity sweeteners other than acesulfame potassium selected from stevia, sucralose, and aspartame. The liquid sweetener according to the above (3), which is a high-intensity sweetener; (6) The liquid sweetener according to the above (1), which has a pH of 3.0 to 7.0; and (7) The above (1) to (6) A liquid sweetener or the like for packaging a potion container, which is obtained by filling the liquid sweetener according to any one of items above into a soft container.

[0005]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Numerical values of viscosity in this specification are
B-type viscometer (DEGITAL VISCOMETER
Model DV-II) means the numerical value measured under the following conditions. [Measurement conditions] Rotor: No. 1 or 2 Rotational speed: 60 rpm Measuring time: 60 seconds Sample temperature: 25 ° C. Sample amount: 200 ml

Examples of sugars used in the present invention include sugars (eg, glucose, fructose, lactose, maltose, sucrose, trehalose, etc.) and sugar alcohols (eg, erythritol, xylitol, sorbitol, mannitol, maltitol, lactitol, Reduced palatinose, isomaltitol, maltotriitol, reduced branched oligosaccharides, reduced starch hydrolysates, etc.) and the like. These may be anhydrous or hydrated. Further, as sugars, for example, starch syrup (eg, acid saccharified starch syrup, maltose starch syrup,
(Himaltose syrup, etc.) and their reduced products, etc., isomerized liquid sugar (eg, glucose fructose liquid sugar, fructose glucose liquid sugar, etc.), honey, etc. (In the present specification, “sugar” is used to include those containing water).
The saccharides may be used alone or in combination of two or more. Of these, isomerized liquid sugar is preferable.

Acesulfame potassium is a sweetener having a high degree of sweetness, and is available as a commercial product (trade name: SANET, Takeda Yakuhin Kogyo). By using acesulfame potassium, a liquid sweetener having an appropriate viscosity, a high degree of sweetness, and a sweetness similar to that of sucrose can be obtained.

The liquid sweetener of the present invention may further contain a high-intensity sweetener other than acesulfame potassium. By using acesulfame potassium and a high-intensity sweetener other than acesulfame potassium in combination, a sweetener more similar to the sweetness of sucrose can be obtained. The high intensity sweetener preferably includes, for example, stevia, sucralose and aspartame. Stevia is a well-known sweetener and is a chrysanthemum plant Stevia rebaudiana BE native to South America.
Extracted and purified from the leaves of RTONI, the sweeteners of which are the diterpene glycosides stevioside and rebaudiosides. There is also an enzyme-treated product obtained by transferring glucose to these with an enzyme. Any of these extracts, purified products, and enzyme-treated products can be used as stevia, or they may be used in combination.
Aspartame and sucralose are also known sweeteners and are commercially available. Among them, sucralose is particularly preferable.

The content or blending ratio of sugars, acesulfame potassium, and high-intensity sweeteners other than acesulfame potassium in the liquid sweetener of the present invention is determined by the designed viscosity, sweetness intensity and calorie reduction of the liquid sweetener of the present invention. It is determined in consideration of the sugars to be used and the sweetness intensity of the high-intensity sweetener, etc., based on the target and the like. If the viscosity of the liquid sweetener is too high, the liquid will run out in the filling nozzle as in the conventional gum syrup. On the other hand, when the viscosity of the liquid sweetener is too low, the splashing of the liquid in the potion pack at the time of filling is strong and stains the machine or the product, or adheres to the heat-sealed portion, resulting in a high rate of defective sealing. Therefore, the suitable viscosity of a liquid sweetener has an upper limit and a lower limit. Suitable viscosity of liquid sweetener is about 20-80 mP
a · s (preferably 20 to 70 mPa · s, more preferably 25 to 60 mPa · s). The viscosity of the liquid sweetener can be increased by increasing the ratio of sugars, and the viscosity of the liquid sweetener can be decreased by decreasing the ratio of sugars. Moreover, you may adjust a viscosity using a suitable thickener. Examples of such thickeners include xanthan gum, locust bean gum, guar gum, carrageenan, pectin and the like.

The preferred content of acesulfame potassium in the liquid sweetener of the present invention is about 0.01 to 2% by weight.
(Particularly preferably 0.05 to 1.0% by weight).

When acesulfame potassium and a high intensity sweetener other than acesulfame potassium are used in combination, the weight ratio of acesulfame potassium to a high intensity sweetener other than acesulfame potassium is preferably 1: 9 to 9: 1.
It is more preferably 1: 3 to 3: 1. In such a case, acesulfame potassium is used after reducing the weight of the high-intensity sweetener. That is, the sum of the content rate of acesulfame potassium and the content rate of the high intensity sweetener other than acesulfame potassium is preferably about 0.01 to 2% by weight (particularly preferably 0.05 to 1.0% by weight).

The liquid sweetener of the present invention contains, if necessary,
Fragrances (for example, fruits such as oranges, lemons, apples, natural flavors such as nuts and caramel, synthetic flavors, etc.), colorants (for example, natural colorants such as caramel, carotenoids, yellow No. 4, synthetic colorants, etc.), pH adjusters (eg, citric acid, lactic acid, succinic acid, organic acids such as L-ascorbic acid and salts thereof), preservatives (benzoic acid and salts thereof, esters of paraoxybenzoic acid, sorbic acid and salts thereof) , Dehydroacetic acid and salts thereof, etc.) may be added. The pH of the liquid sweetener of the present invention is 3.0.
The pH is preferably 3.0 to 4.5, particularly from the viewpoint of preventing spoilage by microorganisms.

The liquid sweetener of the present invention can be produced by mixing the above-mentioned sugar, acesulfame potassium, and a high-intensity sweetener other than acesulfame potassium and dissolving them in water. However, it is not necessary to add water when a saccharide containing water such as an isomerized liquid sugar is used and a desired viscosity can be obtained without adding water separately. The mixing and dissolution may be performed by a known method, and may be performed in any order. The dissolution is preferably performed at about 25 to 60 ° C to prevent browning of the sugar by heat.

The potion container-packed liquid sweetener of the present invention can be produced by filling the potion container with the liquid sweetener thus obtained. If the liquid sweetener of the present invention is used, the filling nozzle has good drainage, and there is little bounce of the liquid in the potion pack, so that the rate of occurrence of defective seals is not increased even if the filling speed is increased without contaminating the machine or the product. A high-quality potion container packaging liquid sweetener can be produced with high production efficiency without increasing the cost. The potion container may be filled according to a known method, for example, using a commercially available device (eg, MB-10-35H, Meiwa Co., Ltd.), a series of sterilization, cooling, filling, and packaging of the liquid sweetener. It is performed according to the process. The production of the potion container packaging liquid sweetener of the present invention is preferably carried out under the following conditions. Sterilization: Heat sterilization (85 to 120 ° C, 30 minutes to 8 seconds, heat sterilization) Cooling: 20 to 80 ° C Filling: 1 to 50 g

A soft container is preferred as the portion container. Examples of the material for such a portion container include polypropylene, polystyrene, and amorphous polyethylene terephthalate. Although the thickness of the container varies depending on the amount of liquid to be filled and the height of the container at the time of molding, it is usually about 700 to 800 μm. A laminated packaging material of, for example, polyethylene terephthalate 10 to 30 μm / aluminum foil 5 to 15 μm / polyethylene 20 to 40 μm is used for the lid portion from the viewpoints of ease of opening the lid, sealing properties, maintaining the quality of the contents, and the like. The lid part may be sealed by a known method such as a heat sealing method or an impulse sealing method.

The liquid sweetener and the liquid sweetener for packaging a portion container of the present invention thus obtained can be used in the same manner as conventional products. Its uses include, for example, liquid beverages (eg ice coffee, ice tea, cocoa, etc.)
Liquid sweeteners, liquid sweeteners for dairy products (eg, yogurt, milk, etc.), liquid sweeteners for confectionery products (eg, pancakes, pudding, etc.), liquid seasonings (eg, udon or soba sauce, cold noodles) And a liquid sweetener for cooking (eg, sweet and sour sauce dishes, Japanese-style boiled dishes, Western-style boiled dishes, etc.) and the like. The liquid sweetener of the present invention has good drainage during use, is easily mixed with a liquid beverage or the like to which sweetening is to be applied, and has low calories.

[0017]

Example 1 Portion container packaging liquid sweeteners of compositions A and B of Table 1 were produced. For composition A, acesulfame potassium and sucralose were dissolved in tap water at about 40 ° C.
To this, fructose-glucose liquid sugar was mixed at about 30 ° C. The resulting liquid sweetener is sterilized by heating at about 180 ° C for 8 seconds to give about 2
After cooling to 5 ° C, add 7 to a 9.5 ml capacity portion container.
ml was filled at a rate of 2 seconds / piece and sealed to obtain a potion container packaging liquid sweetener. Regarding composition B, acesulfame potassium, sucralose, erythritol, citric acid and xanthan gum were mixed in advance with powder and dissolved in tap water at about 20 ° C. with stirring with a propeller stirrer. Each of the obtained liquid sweeteners was sterilized by heating at about 180 ° C. for 8 seconds, cooled to about 25 ° C., and then filled in a portion container having a capacity of 9.5 ml with 8.2 ml at a rate of 2 seconds / piece,
Sealed to obtain a potion container packaging liquid sweetener. During normal operation, there were no stains on the machine, stains on the lid of the container after filling, and poor sealing.

[0018]

[Table 1]

Test Example 1 The viscosity of each liquid sweetener of the liquid sweetener obtained in Example 1 is shown in Table 2. Table 3 shows comparison with the conventional gum syrup when used in coffee. The liquid sweetener itself and the sweetness of the liquid sweetener when used in coffee were very similar to those of gum syrup.

The viscosity is measured by a B-type viscometer (DEGITA).
L VISCOMETER Model DV-II) was used and measured under the following conditions. [Measurement conditions] Rotor: No. 1 or 2 Rotational speed: 60 rpm Measuring time: 60 seconds Sample temperature: 25 ° C. Sample amount: 200 ml

According to the notification of May 27, 1996, Shinei No. 47 and April 17, 1997, Shinei No. 44, newly developed food health measures section, Food and Health Division, Food and Health Division, Health and Sanitation Bureau, Ministry of Health and Welfare. It was calculated by integrating the energy of the raw materials. In addition, fructose glucose was calculated at a solid content of 66.7%, citric acid was 3 kcal / g, and xanthan gum was 0 kcal / g.
And

[0022]

[Table 2]

[0023]

[Table 3]

[0024]

As is apparent from the above, according to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a liquid sweetener suitable for filling a portion container, having a low calorie content, and a sweetness similar to that of sucrose, and having a high content. It was possible to produce quality potion container packaging liquid sweetener with high production efficiency.

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A liquid sweetener containing a saccharide and acesulfame potassium and having a viscosity of 20 to 80 mPa · s. 2. Acesulfame potassium in an amount of 0.01 to 2
The liquid sweetener according to claim 1, wherein the liquid sweetener is contained in a weight percentage. 3. The liquid sweetener according to claim 1, which further contains a high-intensity sweetener other than acesulfame potassium. 4. The sum of the content of acesulfame potassium and the content of a high intensity sweetener other than acesulfame potassium is 0.01 to 2% by weight, and the content of acesulfame potassium and the high sweetness other than acesulfame potassium. The ratio of the content rates of the sweeteners is 1: 9 to 9: 1.
Liquid sweetener as described. 5. The liquid sweetener according to claim 3, wherein the high-potency sweetener other than acesulfame potassium is one or more high-potency sweeteners selected from stevia, sucralose and aspartame. 6. The liquid sweetener according to claim 1, which has a pH of 3.0 to 7.0. 7. A liquid sweetener for packaging a portion container, which is obtained by filling the liquid sweetener according to claim 1 in a soft container.