JP2006014634A - Edible coloring material and method for producing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an edible coloring material such as edible or drinkable ink hard to cause clogging: and to provide a method for producing the edible coloring material. <P>SOLUTION: The edible coloring material comprises water-soluble liquid containing a natural pigment, and is reduced in an amount of macromolecular components. The natural pigment raw material is dissolved in the edible coloring material, and is produced by processes comprising a precipitation process where solid is precipitated through heating a pigment raw material solution containing water and an edible organic solvent incorporated in the water so as to have temperature of ≤50°C, and a collection process where the precipitated solid is eliminated from the mixture to collect a transparent solution. The edible coloring material is reduced in the amount of water-soluble proteins or water-soluble polysaccharides mixedly dissolved in the pigment solution when extracting the natural pigment, so that clogging is hardly caused because precipitation of the solid or increase in viscosity at a portion, such as an ink jet outport, where liquid components are easy to be vaporized is prevented owing to these macromolecular components. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an edible coloring material such as ink that can be consumed, and a method for producing such an edible coloring material.

For example, various foods such as decoration cakes, cookies, rice crackers, kamaboko, rice cakes, etc. are given designs with colors such as patterns, designs, letters, etc. (referred to as “color designs” in this specification) on the surface. Sometimes. These color designs can be made by placing colored materials directly on food to form patterns, designs, characters, or forming color designs by printing etc. on a sheet of food that can be eaten and then adhered to the food together with this sheet. Provided by. Since the color design imparts a visual added value to the food, it is preferable that the color design can be formed into various complicated patterns and designs, can be provided with various colors, and can be easily changed. For example, in a birthday cake, if a color design that meets the needs of the customer can be applied, there is an impact and the added value is high.
In order to satisfy such needs, the present inventor has already developed a coloring material having high safety and capable of obtaining various colors (see Patent Document 1).
Japanese Patent No. 3527481

By the way, as coloring materials that can be edible, only pigment materials that are recognized by the Food Sanitation Act in Japan can be used. The recognized dye materials include synthetic dye materials, but even though they have been recognized in the past, there are many synthetic dye materials that have been recognized as toxic and harmful later and cannot be used. For this reason, it is preferred to use naturally-derived pigment materials that are not harmful to the human body and are expected to be used continuously, for example, naturally-derived pigment materials such as gardenia pigments, but discoloration is poor. It is often complicated to handle.
In addition, as a result of obtaining good color development in the edible coloring material by the coloring material proposed by the present inventor, even in edible coloring, a more precise color design, for example, the same as non-edible ink such as ink jet printing There is also a desire to use printing technology. However, even if a known natural pigment material is mixed with a vehicle or the like to prepare an ink, the nozzle for ejecting the ink is clogged.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an edible coloring material that is less likely to be clogged.
In addition, another object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing an edible coloring material that can be prepared into an ink that does not easily cause clogging, using a naturally occurring pigment raw material.

As means for solving the above-mentioned problems, the first invention of the present invention provides an edible coloring material that is an aqueous solution containing a naturally-occurring pigment and has a reduced amount of polymer component.
According to the present invention, the amount of water-soluble proteins, water-soluble polysaccharides, and the like that are dissolved and mixed in the aqueous dye solution when the naturally derived dye is extracted is reduced. For this reason, solid substances are prevented from being deposited or viscosity is increased at sites where liquid components are likely to evaporate due to these polymer components, for example, ink ejection ports, and clogging occurs. It is a difficult edible coloring material.
In the second invention of the present invention, a naturally occurring pigment raw material is dissolved, and a solid solution obtained by heating a pigment stock solution containing water and an organic solvent capable of being mixed with water to 50 ° C. or less. Provided is a method for producing an edible coloring material, comprising a precipitation step for precipitation, and a collection step for collecting a transparent solution by removing the precipitated solid matter.
According to this production method, since the naturally-derived pigment raw material is dissolved in a solution containing water and an organic solvent miscible with water, the polypeptide contained in the pigment raw material has a relatively low temperature, specifically 50. Denature at temperatures below ℃. For this reason, polypeptide precipitates and it can coprecipitate with high molecular components, such as polysaccharide dissolved in the chromogen solution. Therefore, by solidifying the polymer components that cause stickiness and clogging in the precipitation process, and collecting a transparent solution of the chromogen solution in the collection process, it is difficult to clog and can develop color with naturally derived pigment raw materials. A food coloring material can be obtained.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an edible ink material for heating the chromogen solution containing gardenia yellow as a naturally occurring pigment raw material at a temperature of 25 ° C. or more and 35 ° C. or less in the precipitation step of the second invention. It is a manufacturing method.
A fourth invention of the present invention is the edible ink material in the second invention, wherein in the precipitation step, a chromogenic solution containing a red radish dye as the naturally derived dye material is heated at a temperature of 25 ° C. or more and 35 ° C. or less. It is a manufacturing method.
According to a fifth invention of the present invention, in the second invention, in the precipitation step, a chromogenic solution containing a gardenia blue pigment derived from gardenia as the naturally-derived pigment raw material is heated at a temperature of 40 ° C. or more and 50 ° C. or less. A method for producing an edible ink material.
According to these inventions, edible coloring materials having yellow, red and blue colors can be obtained. By appropriately adding water, glycerin, propylene glycol, etc. to these, it is possible to develop colors that are almost the same as yellow, magenta, and cyan, which can form a clear color design with an ink jet printer.
The sixth invention of the present invention is any one of the group consisting of the edible ink material obtained by the third invention, the edible ink material obtained by the fourth invention, and the edible ink material obtained by the fifth invention. This is a method for producing an edible ink material in which the above is mixed and heated at a temperature of 50 ° C. or less to precipitate a solid, and the solid is removed to obtain a transparent solution.
By mixing the edible coloring materials of yellow of the third invention, red of the fourth invention, and blue of the fifth invention, various colors including black can be created. Moreover, a polymer aggregate that is easily sticky by some action may be formed by mixing, but it can be precipitated by heating at a temperature of 50 ° C. or less, and a solid solution is removed to collect a transparent solution. Thus, an edible coloring material that is not easily clogged can be obtained.

  According to the present invention, there is no harm to the human body by providing a method for producing an edible coloring material that can be prepared into an ink that is less likely to be clogged using a naturally occurring pigment raw material, and ink jet printing or the like. An edible coloring material capable of forming a color design by various printing can be obtained.

The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below.
The edible coloring material according to the present invention is an aqueous solution containing a naturally occurring pigment and a naturally occurring pigment, and the amount of the polymer component is reduced.
The naturally derived pigment is not particularly limited, and is a known pigment collected from various plants, fungi, and insects. Typically, it is a food coloring material that satisfies the provisions of the Japanese Food Sanitation Law, and is a so-called natural coloring material. For example, red radish root, red beet root, red radish root, red cabbage leaf, purple potato tuber, elderberry fruit, capsicum fruit , Gardenia fruit, safflower flower, cacao seed, turmeric rhizome, oyster fruit, perilla leaf, grape skin, spinach and other green plants, oil palm fruit, tamarind seed, cucumber fruit and shell, spirulina Mention may be made of pigments collected from plants such as total algae. Moreover, the pigment raw material extract | collected from insects, such as fungi, such as beetle fungi, or the secretory substance of an endangered beetle and a scale insect, can be mentioned. Specifically, for example, gardenia yellow is preferable as the yellow pigment, red radish pigment is preferable as the red pigment, and gardenia blue pigment is preferable as the blue pigment material.

The aqueous solution that constitutes the edible coloring material contains at least water, and contains two or more organic solvents that can be properly eaten and mixed with water. The water is generally water that does not contain chlorine or the like, and is preferably purified water that does not contain yeast or the like. Purified water suppresses the decay of edible coloring materials and maintains a state in which food and drink can be consumed over a long period of time.
Moreover, the organic solvent which can be eaten / drinked is an organic component which is liquid at room temperature which is not harmful to the human body in the amount when the edible coloring material is used. Typically, there are lower alcohols such as ethanol and isopropanol, and glycols such as glycerin and propylene glycol. Lower alcohols can prevent spoilage and impart quick drying properties to edible coloring materials. In addition, the glycols can impart appropriate fluidity to the edible coloring material and can suppress drying in the storage state. Preferably, the aqueous solution contains one or more lower alcohols and one or more glycols. In addition, it is preferable that the organic solvent which can be consumed is 15 wt% or less in a weight ratio at the time of preparation of this edible coloring material. Of these, the lower alcohols are preferably 10 wt% by weight, and the glycols are preferably 4 to 5 wt%.

  The edible coloring material contains various components present in the pigment extract together with the pigment when the naturally derived pigment is extracted. However, the amount of components having a large molecular weight, such as polypeptides, polysaccharides or sugar alcohols, glycoproteins, and water-soluble lipids, is reduced from the ratio in conventional naturally-derived pigment raw materials. The molecular weight and structure of the reduced polymer component are not clear, and vary depending on the natural component contained, but in particular, the solubility in an aqueous solution containing an organic solvent is low, or the steric structure is likely to change (modified) The amount of the component whose solubility is changed by this is reduced, and more of the polymer component that is likely to co-precipitate with the precipitation from the aqueous solution is reduced. These polymer components can be removed from the aqueous solution by the method described below. The small amount of the polymer component in the edible coloring material is considered to be clarified by comparison with a known natural pigment raw material by, for example, high performance liquid chromatography.

  This edible coloring material uses naturally-occurring ingredients that can be eaten and consumed as pigments, and is extremely unlikely to be harmful to the human body such as carcinogenicity compared to synthetic pigments. Usage has been reduced. Moreover, it is an edible coloring material in which the occurrence of precipitation and the increase in viscosity due to solvent (vehicle) evaporation are well suppressed. For this reason, this edible coloring material is packed in a cartridge or the like and ejected and exuded from the nozzle, and good ejection and exudation continue. In addition, the components in the aqueous solution are more homogenized due to the reduction of the polymer components that are likely to precipitate, and stable color development is easily obtained, and it can withstand long-term storage.

  Next, a method for producing the edible coloring material according to the present invention will be described. The production method according to the present invention includes a precipitation step of depositing a solid material by heating a chromogen solution containing a naturally-derived pigment raw material to a temperature of 50 ° C. or less, and collecting a transparent solution by removing the precipitated solid material A sampling step.

(Chromogen solution)
The chromogen solution contains a naturally-occurring pigment raw material and contains a water-soluble organic solvent miscible with water and water.
The pigment raw material is a food pigment raw material that satisfies the provisions of the Japanese Food Sanitation Law, and is a so-called natural pigment raw material. For example, red radish (Brassicaceae) root, red beet root, red cabbage leaf, purple potato tuber, elderberry fruit, capsicum fruit, gardenia fruit, Plants such as safflower flowers, cacao seeds, turmeric rhizomes, oyster fruits, perilla leaves, grape skins, spinach green plants, oil palm fruits, tamarind seeds, cucurbit seeds and shells, spirulina whole algae The pigment raw material obtained by extracting from can be mentioned. Moreover, the pigment | dye raw material extracted from insects, such as fungi, such as a beetle fungus, or a secretory substance of a rotifer and a rack beetle, can be mentioned. Preferably, the yellow pigment raw material may be a gardenia yellow pigment raw material, the red pigment raw material may be a red radish pigment raw material, and the blue pigment raw material may be a gardenia blue pigment raw material. The pigment raw material is preferably one that can maintain stable color development at a temperature of 35 ° C. or lower for the precipitation step described later and for convenience of storage.

  The chromogen solution can be an extract obtained by extracting the pigment component from the above raw materials, and is appropriately prepared by adding water or an edible organic solvent miscible with water such as ethanol, isopropanol, glycerin, propylene glycol, etc. To do. Alternatively, the pigment raw material prepared by absorbing or adsorbing the pigment raw material on a carrier such as corn starch or dextrin is dissolved in a liquid containing water and an edible organic solvent that is miscible with water.

For example, as a chromogen solution containing a yellow pigment raw material, for example, an extract obtained by extracting a yellow pigment raw material at room temperature with water or hydrous ethanol from gardenia fruit can be used. In addition, this extract can be appropriately distilled to obtain a chromogen solution by adding water or any one or more of ethanol, glycerin, and propylene glycol. Alternatively, a powder in which gardenia yellow is absorbed in a medium such as corn starch can be dissolved in water to which ethanol and / or glycerin is added to prepare a chromogen solution.
For example, a pigment raw solution may be prepared by mixing powdery gardenia yellow raw material using corn starch as a carrier in a ratio of 6.7 wt%, ethanol 10 wt%, glycerin 4 wt%, and water 79.3 wt%. it can.

Moreover, as a chromogen solution containing a red pigment raw material, for example, a squeezed juice obtained by pulverizing a red radish root and squeezing only water can be used. Further, the squeezed juice can be appropriately distilled to obtain a chromogen solution by adding at least one of water, ethanol, glycerin and propylene glycol.
For example, it can be mixed at a ratio of 85 wt% of a liquid (pigment raw material) squeezed red radish, 10 wt% of ethanol, and 5 wt% of citric acid to make a chromogenic solution.

In addition, as a chromogen solution containing a blue pigment raw material, for example, an extract such as β-glucosidase is added to a liquid extracted from gardenia fruit and heated, and then separated by filtration or the like. It can be a solution. Further, this solution can be appropriately distilled to obtain a chromogen solution by adding at least one of water, ethanol, propylene glycol, and glycerin. In addition, a solution prepared by drying this solution by spray drying can be dissolved in a solution containing at least one of water, ethanol, glycerin, and propylene glycol to prepare a chromogen solution.
For example, 50 wt% of the above gardenia blue pigment raw material solution (a solution of 10 wt% blue pigment raw material using corn starch as a carrier, 80 wt% water, 10 wt% ethanol), 10 wt% ethanol, 35 wt% water, 14 wt% glycerin To obtain a chromogen solution.

  An edible organic solvent that is miscible with water is added to the chromogen solution. This organic solvent is preferably an organic solvent contained in the final edible coloring material. Therefore, at least one or more of the above-mentioned lower alcohols such as isopropanol and ethanol and / or glycols such as glycerin and propylene glycol are added. The addition amount is not particularly limited, but is preferably about 10 to 15 wt% in the chromogen solution.

(Precipitation process)
In the precipitation step, the chromogen solution is heated to a temperature of 50 ° C. or lower to precipitate a solid. The precipitation step is performed at a temperature and time at which the color of the dye raw solution does not change beyond the desired color range, and these temperature and time vary depending on the characteristics of each dye material and the desired color. In the precipitation step, the water-soluble protein contained in the naturally derived pigment raw material is denatured and insolubilized and precipitated by heating in organic solvent mixed water. Further, other polymer components contained in the chromogen solution are coprecipitated. The polymer component to be coprecipitated is, for example, corn starch used as a carrier for a pigment raw material, polysaccharides such as dextrin having a large molecular weight, sugar alcohol, glycoprotein, and the like. In addition, it is considered that an organic substance having a relatively low molecular weight such as an oligopeptide or oligosaccharide, a metal salt, or the like is co-precipitated as appropriate.

  The heating method is not particularly limited. However, since the color is likely to change at a high temperature, the heating method can be uniformly heated so as not to be locally high. Preferably, a method such as a water bath, an oil bath, or the like in which a high temperature portion is not locally formed and the whole can be heated in a short time. In the precipitation step, heating is terminated when precipitation is observed. In addition, for example, when the temperature can be 25 ° C. or more and 35 ° C. or less by standing at room temperature such as in summer, the heating is not particularly performed, and the mixture may be left stirring for a predetermined time after mixing. After heating, it may be left as it is, but preferably cooled. Although cooling temperature is not specifically limited, For example, it is preferable that it is 10 degreeC or more and 15 degrees C or less since precipitation of precipitation becomes favorable.

For example, the yellow pigment raw solution containing the gardenia yellow pigment raw material is preferably heated to a temperature of 25 ° C. or higher and 35 ° C. or lower, more preferably 27 ° C. If it is less than 25 degreeC, it will be hard to precipitate a solid substance. If it exceeds 35 ° C, discoloration tends to be remarkable. The heating time is 5 to 10 minutes, and in order to suppress discoloration, it is preferable to process at a high temperature in a short time.
In addition, the red pigment raw solution containing the red radish red pigment raw material is preferably heated to a temperature of 25 ° C. or higher and 50 ° C. or lower, more preferably 25 ° C. or higher and 35 ° C. or lower. If it is less than 25 degreeC, it will be hard to precipitate a solid substance, and if it exceeds 50 degreeC, discoloration will become remarkable. The heating time is preferably 5 to 10 minutes.
The blue pigment stock solution containing the gardenia blue pigment raw material is preferably heated to a temperature of 40 ° C. or higher and 50 ° C. or lower. The preferred heating time is 1 to 2 minutes. If it is less than 40 degreeC, a solid substance cannot precipitate easily, and when it exceeds 50 degreeC, discoloration will become remarkable. Moreover, when heating time exceeds 2 minutes, discoloration will become remarkable.

  In addition, after heating, it may be left at room temperature as it is, but may be cooled appropriately. Preferably, the temperature is lowered to the lowest temperature assumed in the storage or use state.

(Collection process)
In the collection step, the precipitated solid is removed and a clear solution is collected.
The method for collecting the transparent solution is not particularly limited, and is a known operation such as collection of a supernatant or filtration using a material that does not absorb pigment, such as a glass filter. In addition, in collecting the supernatant, a portion containing about 2 to 3 mm above the precipitate is collected by a known liquid recovery means such as a suction device such as a syringe, thereby efficiently obtaining a dye-containing solution that is difficult to clog. be able to.

  In the collecting step, the supernatant may be collected simply, but preferably, the step of collecting the supernatant is repeated twice or more after filtration with a glass filter. Thereby, precipitation can be further precipitated by filtration and the edible coloring material which is hard to clog can be obtained. Moreover, although the roughness of the eyes in filtration is not specifically limited, For example, by applying to a glass filter of 200-400 mesh, preferably 300-400 mesh, an edible coloring material that is not easily clogged for a long time is produced. be able to.

  The obtained dye-containing solution can be used as it is as an edible coloring material. Further, after this, coloring may be improved by adding glycols or water as appropriate. Furthermore, by adding glycols, lower alcohols, or water to adjust the desired pigment concentration, viscosity, storage stability, quick drying property, etc., an edible coloring material can be obtained. Examples of adjustment suitable for ink for an ink jet printer are shown below.

For example, when obtaining magenta ink, a red radish dye aqueous solution obtained by crushing red radish roots and squeezing water by centrifugation is mixed with 85 wt%, ethanol 10 wt%, and citric acid 5 wt% at about 35 ° C. After heating with minute stirring, the solution was cooled to 10 to 15 ° C., filtered through a glass filter, and a solution 2 to 3 mm or more above from the precipitate was collected to obtain a transparent pigment-containing solution. Thereafter, glycerin was added in an amount of 0.5 wt% and water in a range of 1 to 3 wt% with a color.
Further, when obtaining yellow ink, 6.7 wt% of gardenia yellow pigment (manufactured by Taisho Techno Co., Ltd.) supported on corn starch was mixed with 10 wt% of ethanol, 4 wt% of glycerin, and 79.3 wt% of water. Thereafter, the mixture was heated at 35 ° C. with stirring for about 5 minutes, cooled to 10 to 15 ° C., filtered through a glass filter, and a solution 2 to 3 mm or more above the precipitate was collected to obtain a transparent pigment-containing solution. To this, 3 wt% water and 1 wt% glycerin were added to obtain a yellow ink.
When obtaining cyan ink, the extract obtained by heating and boiling the gardenia fruit is added with β-glucosidase, the enzyme is inactivated, the enzyme is deactivated, purified to a transparent solution, heated, spray dried The powder was prepared into a gardenia blue pigment solution containing 10 wt%, 80 wt% water, and 10 wt% ethanol. The prepared dye solution was mixed at a ratio of 50 wt%, ethanol 10 wt%, glycerin 3 wt%, and water 37 wt%, heated at 50 ° C. for about 2 minutes, cooled to 10-15 ° C., filtered through a glass filter, and precipitated. 2 to 3 mm or more of the solution was collected to obtain a transparent dye-containing solution. To this solution, 3 wt% water and 1 wt% glycerin were added to obtain a cyan ink.

  In addition, various dye-containing solutions obtained by the above method can be mixed at various ratios to prepare dye-containing solutions having different colors. In this case, since a polymer aggregate may be formed by non-covalent bonding by mixing, the mixture is heated again to a temperature of 50 ° C. or lower after mixing to try to precipitate a solid. The conditions of the temperature and the heating time at this time are the same as in the case of the precipitation step, and the heating is performed in a shorter time when the temperature is higher. If there is precipitation, the sampling process is performed in the same manner. In this step, an edible coloring material that is difficult to be clogged only by filtration can be obtained satisfactorily. In addition, glycols, water, and lower alcohols are appropriately added to adjust the color development, viscosity, and drying properties as desired.

  For example, when black ink for an ink jet printer is made from the magenta, yellow, and cyan inks described in the above embodiments, the obtained inks are mixed at a weight ratio of 2: 1: 7. Thereafter, the mixture was heated at 45 to 50 ° C. for 5 minutes and then cooled to 10 to 15 ° C. Then, it filtered with the glass filter and obtained the transparent pigment | dye containing solution, Furthermore, 1 wt% of glycerol and 3 wt% of water were added, and it was set as the black ink.

  In the edible coloring material obtained by this method, since the polymer component is removed, the components that are solidified by drying are reduced. For this reason, the edible coloring material is difficult to solidify at the ink extraction port, the ejection port, and the exudation portion of the cartridge, and clogging is difficult. In addition, the removal of the polymer component makes the component more homogeneous and makes it difficult to separate it even if it is left standing. For this reason, it can be applied to various types of printing and known stationery. For example, an ink filling shaft used in an ink pen such as a sign pen, a cartridge used in a fountain pen, or a cartridge applicable to various printing machines, printers, plotters, and copiers may be emphasized. Moreover, it is applicable also to the coloring material holding body of the form which can hold | maintain edible coloring materials, such as a stamp stand, and exudes by pressurization.

  In particular, since various colors can be obtained, for example, inks for printers, that is, magenta, yellow, cyan, and black can be prepared, so that various printing is possible. In particular, since it is difficult to clog, it can be used as an ink for an ink jet printer that is versatile and provides a clear color design. In this case, particularly when the final form contains lower alcohols and glycols, it is easy to store and good quality printing with reduced bleeding can be performed in a short time.

In any form, it can be used when a color design is imparted to paper or the like, but it can also be used for coloring foods and drinks such as confectionery. In particular, since color can be imparted directly without applying heat, it is possible to impart a color design immediately before eating, and entertainment can be added in addition to eating and drinking. Since this edible coloring material does not contain any material harmful to the human body, it can be used safely by infants and children. Of course, it may be used in the same manner as a normal coloring material as long as the color is not destroyed, such as fresh cream, mixed with a liquid such as a liquid that does not require heating, or a fluid such as a paste. .

Claims (6)

  An edible coloring material, which is an aqueous solution containing a naturally occurring pigment, wherein the amount of the polymer component is reduced. A precipitation step in which a naturally occurring pigment raw material is dissolved, and a pigment stock solution containing water and an organic solvent that can be mixed with water is heated to 50 ° C. or less;
A method for producing an edible coloring material, comprising: a collecting step of removing the precipitated solid matter and collecting a transparent solution.   The manufacturing method of the edible coloring material of Claim 2 which heats the pigment | dye raw solution containing gardenia yellow yellow as the said naturally-derived pigment raw material at the temperature of 25 degreeC or more and 35 degrees C or less at the said precipitation process.   The manufacturing method of the edible coloring material of Claim 2 which heats the pigment raw solution which contains a red radish pigment | dye as said naturally-derived pigment raw material at the temperature of 25 degreeC or more and 35 degrees C or less at the said precipitation process.   The edible coloring material according to claim 2, wherein in the precipitation step, a chromogenic solution containing gardenia blue pigment derived from gardenia as the naturally occurring pigment raw material is heated at a temperature of 40 ° C. or more and 50 ° C. or less. Method. It consists of the edible coloring material obtained by the manufacturing method of Claim 3, the edible coloring material obtained by the manufacturing method of Claim 4, and the edible coloring material obtained by the manufacturing method of Claim 5. A method for producing an edible coloring material, in which any two or more members of a group are mixed, heated at a temperature of 45 ° C. or higher and 50 ° C. or lower to precipitate a solid, remove the solid, and collect a transparent solution.