JP2006006251A - Method for improving taste of food - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a new method for utilizing a metal salt of gluconic acid. <P>SOLUTION: This method for improving the taste of a food is provided by adding the metal salt of gluconic acid, i.e. copper gluconate and/or zinc gluconate to the food, especially to a beverage so as to be able to reduce effectively a bitter taste, an astringent taste and an acid taste derived from a raw material, etc., of the food as a result of an earnest research on the gluconic acid salts. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a taste improving method comprising adding a metal salt of gluconic acid to a food, and more specifically, the metal salt of gluconic acid is copper gluconate and / or zinc gluconate, Provided is a method for reducing bitterness, astringency and sourness without impairing the flavor and quality of a beverage by adding it to foods, particularly beverages.

  Gluconate is abundant in nature and is present in foods such as brewed vinegar, wine, pickles and miso, and is known to affect the formation of a rich sour taste of fermented foods. Gluconate is also used as a food additive. For example, gluconic acid, glucono delta lactone, sodium gluconate, potassium gluconate are used as acidulants, calcium gluconate, zinc gluconate, copper gluconate are used as reinforcing agents, ferrous gluconate is used as a reinforcing agent, coloring aid. It is used as

  Furthermore, it is disclosed that sodium gluconate and potassium gluconate have a bitter and odor masking effect (Non-patent Document 1), and added by using sodium gluconate in combination with a composition containing a bitter amino acid. The effect of remarkably suppressing bitterness without strongly exhibiting salty taste, umami, etc. derived from foods (Patent Document 1), non-toxic salts of gluconic acid, for example, alkalis of gluconic acid such as sodium gluconate and potassium gluconate A umami enhancer (Patent Document 2) containing a metal salt and an alkaline earth metal salt of gluconic acid such as calcium gluconate and magnesium gluconate as an active ingredient, and a high-intensity sweetener using a sodium salt or potassium salt of gluconic acid. A method for improving sweetness after-treatment (Patent Document 3) and the like are disclosed.

Food Industry, Vol. 42, No. 9, 67-74, 1999 JP 2000-217547 A WO 01/60178 A1 JP 2003-210147 A

  However, the conventional techniques only disclosed a method of using gluconic acid as an acidulant or masking bitter amino acids, soybean protein odor, fish odor, magnesium bitterness, etc. with a specific gluconate. .

  The inventors of the present invention have made extensive studies on gluconate, and as a result, a metal salt of gluconic acid, that is, copper gluconate and / or zinc gluconate, can be effectively added to food by adding it to food, particularly beverages. It came to obtain the effect which reduces the bitterness, astringency, and acidity derived from the raw material contained. The present invention is based on such knowledge.

  According to the present invention, the bitterness unique to foods, particularly coffee, tea, vinegar-containing beverages, carbonated beverages, beverages such as fruit juice and fruit juice beverages, and the like, derived from the raw materials contained in the beverages, without affecting the flavor. It effectively reduces astringency and sourness and enables an invigorating intake.

  The present invention is characterized by improving the taste of foods, particularly beverages, by adding a metal salt of gluconic acid.

  The metal salt of gluconic acid used in the present invention is a copper salt and / or a zinc salt, and these may be used alone or in combination. In addition, the origin of the metal salt of gluconic acid used in the present invention can be used without any limitation. For convenience, a commercially available product may be used.

  The content of the metal salt of gluconic acid contained in the taste improver according to the present invention is 0.0001 to 0.05 parts by weight, preferably 0.001 to 0.01 parts by weight, based on 100 parts by weight of the food. If the amount of metal salt of gluconic acid added to the food is 0.0001 parts by weight or less, the effect of improving the flavor is not sufficiently obtained, and if it is 0.05 parts by weight or more, the flavor of the metal salt may affect the food. This is not preferable.

  The metal salts of gluconic acid according to the present invention are foods and drinks and orally ingested drugs, quasi drugs, coffee, tea, vinegar-containing drinks, carbonated drinks, fruit juices and fruit juice drinks, cocktails, Chuhai, etc. Alcoholic beverages with fruit juice, beverages such as near water and sports drinks, desserts such as jelly and pudding, cooked foods such as curry, stew, and soup, marine products such as kamaboko, instant noodles and their cooked soup, ham Examples include meat products such as sausages, and dairy products such as yogurt and shake beverages, preferably beverages.

  The method for improving the taste of a food according to the present invention comprises adding a metal salt of gluconic acid to a food or its material during the production, processing or cooking of the food to improve the taste by adding a metal salt of gluconic acid, The mixing may be carried out by any method such as spraying, and since it is not necessary to prepare special manufacturing equipment and manufacturing conditions, the present invention can be easily carried out industrially.

  In addition, the amount and timing of addition of the metal salt of gluconic acid may be appropriately increased or decreased or adjusted depending on the type of food to be added, flavor, production method, and the like.

  Hereinafter, the content of the present invention will be specifically described using the following test examples. However, the present invention is not limited to these. In addition, * in the prescription described below indicates that it is a trademark of San-Ei Gen FFI Co., Ltd., and * indicates that it is a product of San-Ei Gen FFI Co., Ltd.

Example 1
A beverage was prepared based on the following formulation. In order to compare with other gluconates, a comparison was made by adding sodium salt, potassium salt, ferrous salt and calcium salt, respectively.

Formula 1 Lemon Tea Sugar 7
L-ascorbic acid 0.03
Citric acid (anhydrous) 0.02
Fruit juice 0.5
(Concentrated reduced lemon transparent fruit juice *)
Black tea extract 0.05
(SD black tea extract powder No. 16693 *)
Gluconate Table 1 Perfume (Lemon Flavor No. 21-B *) 0.08
Fragrance (Black Tea Flavor No. 69856 *) 0.02
100 L in water

Formula 2 Straight Tea Sugar 7
L-ascorbic acid 0.03
Sodium L-ascorbate 0.03
Black tea extract 0.05
(SD black tea extract powder No. 16693 *)
Gluconate See Table 1
Fragrance (Black Tea Flavor No. 69856 *) 0.02
100 L in water

Formula 3 Coffee Sugar 3.5
Coffee extract (coffee extract C100 *) 6.5
Gluconate See Table 1
Fragrance (coffee essence *) 0.05
100 L in water

Formula 4 Vinegar-containing beverage Fructose glucose liquid sugar 13.3
Apple cider vinegar (acidity 5% made by Tamanoi Vinegar)
Trisodium citrate 0.02
Gluconate See Table 1
Fragrance (Apple Essence (N) *) 0.05
100 L in water

Formula 5 Fruit juice drink (20%)
Fructose dextrose liquid sugar 11.7
Fruit juice (Orange frozen fruit juice 55 manufactured by Ehime Beverage Co., Ltd.) 4.4
Citric acid 0.3
Trisodium citrate 0.05
Gluconate See Table 1
Fragrance (Orange Essence No. 51237 (N) *) 0.05
100 L in water

<Manufacturing method>
A beverage in which a predetermined amount (see Tables 1 and 2) of a gluconate was added to 100 parts by weight of the beverage was adjusted according to a known production method for each beverage, and evaluated by a well-trained panel. The test results with copper gluconate and zinc gluconate as examples in the present invention are shown in Table 1, while the test results with sodium gluconate, potassium gluconate, ferrous gluconate and calcium gluconate as comparative examples are shown in Table 1. It is shown in 2.

* 1 Although a taste improvement effect was observed, a metallic taste derived from copper was strongly felt.
* 2 Although a taste improvement effect was observed, a metallic taste derived from zinc was strongly felt.

<Evaluation>
As a result of the above test, when adding 0.001 to 0.01 parts by weight of copper gluconate to 100 parts by weight of beverage, the astringency of black tea and the bitterness of coffee are reduced, and the acidity of vinegar and fruit juice is mellow. The results were obtained, and the same taste improving effect was observed even when 0.001 to 0.05 parts by weight of zinc gluconate was added to 100 parts by weight of the beverage. However, when 0.01 parts by weight of copper gluconate or 0.05 parts by weight or more of zinc gluconate is added to a beverage with respect to 100 parts by weight of the beverage, the effect of improving the taste is seen depending on the beverage, but the metal taste is I felt strongly.

  On the other hand, even if the sodium salt, potassium salt, ferrous salt, and calcium salt of gluconic acid that are conventionally used are added, effects such as suppressing astringency and mellow acidity can be obtained at any added amount. I couldn't.

Claims (4)

A method for improving the taste of food, comprising adding a metal salt of gluconic acid.
The method for improving taste according to claim 1, wherein the metal salt of gluconic acid is copper gluconate and / or zinc gluconate.
The method for improving taste according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the amount added to the food is 0.0001 to 0.05 parts by weight of a metal salt of gluconic acid with respect to 100 parts by weight of the food.
The taste improvement method whose food of Claim 1 is a drink.