JP2006050910A - Fat metabolism-improving food composition, and food containing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a fat metabolism-improving food composition obtained by utilizing bean curd refuse comprising by-products generated when producing bean curd, soy milk or the like, or oily food residue generated after squeezing oil so as to contribute reuse of waste products, possibly exhibiting more remarkable fat metabolism improving function: and to provide food containing the composition. <P>SOLUTION: The fat metabolism-improving food composition contains 10-50 mass% of dry bean curd refuse, and fish oil. The content of EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and/or DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) in the fish oil is within 0.5-5.0 mass% of the dry bean curd refuse. The fish oil is preferably contained in the bean curd refuse within 1-20 mass%. The fish oil preferably contains EPA and/or DHA at 30-50 mass% in total. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a food composition for improving lipid metabolism, which has a remarkable effect of improving lipid metabolism such as lowering plasma cholesterol concentration, and a food containing the same.

  In today's aging society, prevention of lifestyle-related diseases has become an important issue. It is a well-known fact that it is necessary to improve lipid metabolism such as lowering plasma cholesterol level in order to prevent cardiovascular diseases such as heart disease, which is one of lifestyle-related diseases. Many functional foods have already been reported.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses that whey protein and / or the whey protein hydrolyzate and phospholipid are combined to reduce serum and liver total cholesterol and liver triglycerides rather than using them alone. A composition for improving lipid metabolism is disclosed.

  Patent Document 2 discloses a nutritional composition containing soy protein, milk protein, calcium and isoflavone as active ingredients, having lipid metabolism improving effect, blood pressure lowering effect and bone strengthening effect, and having a good flavor. The However, there is still room for improvement with respect to the above effects, particularly the lipid metabolism improving effect.

  In Japan, a large amount of okara is discharged after processing soy beans into tofu, soy milk, etc., and there is a need to reuse okara as a raw material for soy protein-containing foods. In addition to soy protein and dietary fiber, soybean contains physiologically active ingredients such as isoflavones and saponins, but since the above ingredients are also abundant in okara, it can also be used as a food for improving health of okara. It is being considered. However, Okara has the disadvantage that it has a high nutritional value but has a high rate of spoilage. Therefore, it is necessary to devise a method for ensuring storage stability. Moreover, when reusing okara as a food, a rough feeling peculiar to okara derived from dietary fibers contained in a large amount in okara becomes a drawback in taste.

For example, in Patent Document 3, okara and oil are dispersed in an aqueous solvent in such a ratio that the crude fat in the finally obtained okara (dehydrated state) is 20 to 85 w%, and then the solvent is added. Oil-containing okara, which is characterized by being removed, has been proposed. Patent Document 3 discloses that the oil-containing okara is useful as a composition for health foods and pharmaceuticals, in addition to noodle making, bread making, confectionery, sausage, rice cake, and the like. However, since Patent Document 3 has a problem of improving the taste when okara is reused as a food composition, the health improvement effect is hardly considered, and it cannot be said that a sufficient health improvement effect is obtained.
JP 2002-226394 A JP 2003-26571 A JP-A-5-336915

  The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, contributes to the reuse of waste by effectively using the okara which is a by-product generated in the production of tofu, soy milk, etc. or the oil residue generated after oil extraction, It is an object of the present invention to provide a food composition for improving lipid metabolism capable of exhibiting a more remarkable lipid metabolism improving action such as a plasma cholesterol concentration lowering action, and a food containing the same.

  The food composition for improving lipid metabolism of the present invention is characterized by using dry okara in combination with fish oil containing EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and / or DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). Dried okara alone has a lipid metabolism improving action such as a plasma cholesterol concentration reducing action, but there is still room for improvement in the effect as a food composition for improving lipid metabolism. In the present invention, by using a predetermined amount of EPA and / or DHA in combination with dried okara, a synergistic effect is produced by the combination, and a food composition having a remarkable lipid metabolism improving effect can be obtained.

  That is, the present invention is a food composition containing 10 to 50% by mass of dry okara and fish oil, wherein the content of EPA and / or DHA in the fish oil is 0.5 to The present invention relates to a food composition for improving lipid metabolism within a range of 5.0% by mass.

  The fish oil in the food composition of the present invention is preferably contained within a range of 1 to 20% by mass with respect to dry okara. Moreover, it is preferable that fish oil is a fish oil containing 30-50 mass% of EPA and / or DHA in total.

  The food composition of the present invention preferably contains starch and / or flour.

  The dry okara blended in the present invention contains isoflavone and protein, the isoglycone content of the isoflavone in the dry okara is 40 mg / 100 g or more, and the content of the protein in the dry okara is It is preferable to be within the range of 20 to 30% by mass.

  The present invention also relates to a food comprising the above-described food composition for improving lipid metabolism.

  According to the present invention, by using dry okara in combination with fish oil containing a predetermined amount of EPA and / or DHA, it is possible to effectively use okara that is usually treated as waste, and more prominently. It is possible to provide a food composition having an action of improving lipid metabolism and a food containing the same.

  In the food composition for improving lipid metabolism of the present invention, a lipid metabolism improving action is imparted by a combination of dried okara and fish oil containing a predetermined amount of EPA and / or DHA. Okara in the present invention refers to “go” produced by heating and grinding water-absorbing soybeans that have been soaked and swollen in water in the process of producing soy milk or tofu using soybeans as a raw material. It refers to solid by-products obtained by liquid separation, or oil residues after soybean oil extraction. The dry okara in the present invention refers to a product obtained by drying the solid by-product or oil residue obtained above and having a water content of 12% by mass or less.

  Among soybean components, most of water-soluble proteins, lipids, water-soluble dietary fibers, and minerals are transferred to soy milk or tofu, but a large amount of nutrients remain in okara, especially insoluble proteins and insoluble dietary fibers. In addition, components such as isoflavones and saponins having physiological activity are also included.

  Raw okara usually contains about 75-80% by weight of water, about 5-6% by weight of protein, about 4% by weight of lipid, about 10-14% by weight of carbohydrates, and about 1% by weight of minerals. Here most of the carbohydrates are dietary fiber. On the other hand, the moisture normally contained in dry okara is about 10% by mass or less, about 25% by mass of protein, and about 50% by mass of carbohydrate (about 40% by mass as dietary fiber). That is, dried okara contains a high concentration of soybean-derived protein and dietary fiber as raw materials. In the food composition of the present invention, by using dried okara, processability is improved and useful components such as protein and dietary fiber can be contained in the food composition at a high concentration.

  The food composition of the present invention contains 10-50% by mass of dry okara and fish oil, and the content of EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and / or DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) in the fish oil is It is set within the range of 0.5 to 5.0% by mass. If the dry okara content in the food composition is 10% by mass or more, a lipid metabolism improving action such as a plasma cholesterol concentration reducing action is preferably obtained to a desired degree, and is preferably 50% by mass or less, and further 30% by mass or less. Furthermore, if it is 20 mass% or less, it is preferable at the point which can prevent the fall of tastes, such as a rough feeling, and can also prevent the fall of workability or storage stability by water absorption etc. Further, if the content of EPA and / or DHA is 0.5% by mass or more of the dry okara, it is preferable because a lipid metabolism improving effect can be obtained to a desired degree. In addition, if the content of EPA and / or DHA is about 5.0% by mass of dry okara, a lipid metabolism improving effect is sufficiently obtained, and the content of EPA and / or DHA is increased from 5.0% by mass. However, since the lipid metabolism improving action does not change so much, it is preferably 5.0% by mass or less, more preferably 3.0% by mass or less, and further 2.0% by mass or less from the viewpoint of production cost.

  In the food composition of the present invention, the same lipid metabolism improving action can be expressed by using either EPA or DHA. Therefore, the content of EPA and / or DHA may be controlled by the sum of both, and the blending amounts of EPA and DHA are not limited, but for example, EPA is 0.5% by mass or more to dry okara. It is preferable that 0 mass% or less and DHA be 0.5 mass% or more and 5.0 mass% or less.

  Both EPA and DHA are generally abundant in fish oil. In the present invention, the content of EPA and / DHA is controlled to be within a predetermined range by adding fish oil to the food composition. In particular, fish oil contains EPA and / or DHA so that the total concentration of EPA and / or DHA is 30% by mass or more, further 35% by mass or more, 50% by mass or less, and further 40% by mass or less. It is preferable to use purified fish oil.

  In the present invention, when adjusting the content of EPA and / or DHA within a predetermined range, the fish oil is preferably blended so as to be 1% by mass or more with respect to the dry okara, and 20% by mass or less, Furthermore, it is preferable to mix | blend so that it may become 15 mass% or less, and also 10 mass% or less. Since such fish oil contains EPA and / or DHA at a relatively high concentration, there is a risk of deterioration in product stability and processability of food compositions due to components that do not contribute to lipid metabolism improving action in fish oil. Sex can be avoided.

  Fish oils preferably blended in the present invention include, for example, horse mackerel, anglerfish, eelfish, isaki, oyster, sardine, skipjack, barracuda, flounder, kiss, salmon, mackerel, sawara, saury, scallop, sea bass, cod, flying fish, herring , Fish oil collected from grouper, yellowtail, sea bream, Japanese flounder, Japanese flounder, pufferfish, yellowtail, tuna, trout, red sea bream, red bonito, mabaru and the like. It is preferable to refine | purify the fish oil extract | collected from these fishes so that the sum total of the density | concentration of EPA and DHA may exist in the range of 30-50 mass%.

  In addition, as a method of obtaining refined fish oil, the method of refine | purifying fish oil by processes, such as a degumming process, a dehydration process, a deoxidation process, a decoloring process, a dewaxing process, a deodorizing process, a filtration process, etc. can be employ | adopted preferably, for example.

  The food composition of the present invention includes dried okara, fish oil containing EPA and / or DHA, as well as connecting materials such as starch and flour, as well as vitamin E, spices, sugar alcohol, tea catechin, sesame Antioxidants such as seed components and tomato components can be blended.

  When starch and / or flour is blended in the food composition, the starch or flour acts as a connecting material when the dry okara and EPA and / or DHA are mixed, thereby facilitating the production of the food composition. For example, it is preferable because it can be used as it is as a nutritional composition for animals. Further, for example, by adding vitamin E, oxidation of EPA and / or DHA is prevented, so that the storage stability of the food composition is improved.

  Since isoflavones, saponins, and soy proteins contained in dried okara have an antioxidant effect on fats and oils, they contribute to the role of suppressing the oxidation of unsaturated fatty acids, EPA and DHA.

  Furthermore, in the present invention, dry okara also contributes to the role of masking the fish oil odor possessed by fish oil. Therefore, the food composition of the present invention has an advantage that the taste of the food itself is hardly impaired even when applied to everyday food.

  The food composition of the present invention is characterized by having an action of improving lipid metabolism such as a plasma cholesterol concentration lowering effect. Plasma cholesterol is roughly classified into LDL (bad) cholesterol and HDL (good) cholesterol. Numerous epidemiological studies have shown that the progression of ischemic heart disease and the like is promoted when the plasma LDL cholesterol concentration increases. On the other hand, since HDL cholesterol removes cholesterol accumulated in the blood vessel wall and antagonizes LDL cholesterol that carries cholesterol into blood vessels, it is known to have a preventive effect on ischemic heart disease and the like.

  Although the food composition of the present invention has almost no action of lowering plasma HDL cholesterol concentration, it can selectively lower plasma LDL cholesterol concentration by a mechanism described later. That is, the food composition of the present invention has an effect of lowering the total plasma cholesterol concentration and an effect of improving the abundance ratio of LDL (bad) cholesterol / HDL (good) cholesterol.

  Soy protein, isoflavone, dietary fiber, saponin and the like contained in dried okara act as physiologically active ingredients in the present invention. In the present invention, dry okara is blended in the food composition so as to have a predetermined concentration, and due to the contribution of these physiologically active ingredients, the plasma total cholesterol concentration lowering effect, LDL (bad) cholesterol / HDL (good) cholesterol It is characterized by obtaining an improvement effect of lipid metabolism represented by an improvement effect of abundance ratio.

  Soy protein such as β-conglycinin and dietary fiber bind to cholesterol and its metabolite bile acid, suppress the absorption of the cholesterol and bile acid, and promote the excretion outside the body. Thereby, the amount of cholesterol and bile acids transported to the liver is reduced, and the plasma cholesterol concentration is lowered. In addition, β-conglycinin degradation product peptides and isoflavones activate the tissue LDL receptor, and thus have a function of lowering plasma LDL cholesterol concentration and improving lipid metabolism.

  On the other hand, EPA and DHA are also physiologically active components having an action of improving lipid metabolism, and contribute to the reduction of plasma total cholesterol concentration and the abundance ratio of LDL (bad) cholesterol / HDL (good) cholesterol. That is, EPA and DHA, which are n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids contained in fish oil, suppress the action of the transcriptional regulatory factor SREBP-1 and suppress fatty acid synthesis. Has the effect of lowering, lowering plasma cholesterol levels and improving lipid metabolism.

  As described above, the physiologically active ingredient in dry okara and EPA and / or DHA have an action of lowering plasma cholesterol concentration by different mechanisms. In the food composition of the present invention, a synergistic effect is produced by the coexistence of a physiologically active ingredient in dried okara and EPA and / or DHA. Thus, even if the content of EPA and / or DHA is relatively low, it is not a mere sum of the physiological activity when dry okara and EPA and / or DHA are used alone, Significant improvement in lipid metabolism improving action by synergistic effect is realized.

  The shape of the dry okara to be blended in the present invention is not limited and can be appropriately selected depending on the type and shape of the blended food composition. For example, when it has a powder form, it is preferable because the food composition can be easily produced. The particle diameter of the powder is preferably 50 μm or more, and more preferably 60 μm or more. In this case, an increase in manufacturing cost can be prevented. Moreover, it is preferable that a particle diameter shall be 125 micrometers or less, and also 80 micrometers or less, and in this case, while being excellent in workability, the fall of the taste by a rough feeling can be prevented.

  The particle diameter of the dry okara can be adjusted within a desired range by controlling the number of times the dry okara is pulverized, the pulverization time, and the like. When the food composition of the present product is applied to an application in which smoothness of taste is important, such as noodles, it is preferable that the particle size is adjusted to be relatively small. In general, when the particle size is 125 μm or less, it can be uniformly and easily mixed with other compounding components such as starch and wheat flour. The average particle diameter can be adjusted by a method of classifying pulverized dry okara with a mesh or the like.

  Dry okara usually contains abundant isoflavones, but in the present invention, when the content of isoflavones in terms of aglycone is, for example, 40 mg / 100 g or more, further 50 mg / 100 g or more, and further 60 mg / 100 g or more, plasma cholesterol concentration lowering action It is preferable because a food composition excellent in lipid metabolism improving action such as the above can be obtained. Further, when the content of isoflavone in terms of aglycone is, for example, 80 mg / 100 g or less, and further 70 mg / 100 g or less, it is preferable in terms of low production cost.

  When the content of soy protein in the dried okara is, for example, 20% by mass or more, and further 25% by mass or more, a food composition excellent in lipid metabolism improving action such as plasma cholesterol concentration reducing action is preferable. Moreover, when content of soybean protein shall be 35 mass% or less and also 30 mass% or less, it is preferable at the point that manufacturing cost is cheap.

  Of the soybean protein in the dry okara blended in the present invention, 80 to 100% by mass of protein is preferably denatured and solidified by heating. In this case, a food composition having excellent processability and storage stability can be obtained.

  The water absorption of the dry okara blended in the present invention is preferably 3 ml / g or more, and more preferably 4 ml / g or more. In this case, the dry okara can be produced at a relatively low cost. Further, the water absorption is preferably 6 ml / g or less, more preferably 5 ml / g or less. In this case, there is little risk that the physical properties change due to water absorption of the food composition.

  An example of a process for obtaining dried okara in the present invention will be described below. The dried okara of the present invention can be produced through the process of drying raw okara or oiled soybean, but the process of measuring the aglycone equivalent content of isoflavones in unadjusted dried okara obtained by drying raw okara, And adjusting the aglycone equivalent content of isoflavones in the unadjusted dry okara. The measurement of the content of isoflavones in terms of aglycone can be performed by, for example, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).

  The drying in the step of obtaining the unadjusted dry okara from raw okara or oiled soybean is preferably performed by hot air drying. By drying with hot air immediately after squeezing, it is possible to reduce the denaturation of active ingredients in raw okara, and the risk of microbial propagation is also effectively suppressed.

  The step of obtaining the unadjusted dry okara preferably includes a step of adjusting the water absorption of the unadjusted dry okara according to the use by adjusting the drying temperature and the heating time. In this case, the water absorption amount of the unadjusted dry okara can be adjusted relatively easily without adding a special device to the production line.

  The step of adjusting the aglycone equivalent content of isoflavones in unadjusted okara includes the step of adding, to the unadjusted dry okara, an organic solvent-dissolved component extracted in advance from raw okara or dried okara with an organic solvent that can be added to food. It is preferable. Since the organic solvent-soluble component contains isoflavone, according to the above method, the content of isoflavone in unadjusted okara can be adjusted to a desired concentration by a relatively simple operation.

  After adjusting the average particle size of the dried okara obtained by the above method appropriately within a desired range, for example, it is mixed with flour, starch, etc., blended with fish oil containing EPA and / or DHA, vitamin E, etc. The food composition of the present invention can be obtained by adding the additive and performing processing such as heating.

  In addition, when preparing a food composition in the present invention, dry okara may be directly mixed with other ingredients, but after adding water in advance to bring it into a raw okara state, it is mixed with other ingredients You may do it. In this case, the taste as a food becomes better by preventing the uneven dispersion of the dried fiber, particularly the dietary fiber.

  When the food composition of the present invention is applied to daily foods, the odor peculiar to soybeans in dried okara can be reduced by thermally inactivating the lipoxygenase activity generated during the grinding of soybeans in the production process. Moreover, the smell peculiar to soybeans can be reduced also by selection of cooking operation, the kind of food composition, and the amount of blending.

  The food composition of the present invention can be used by kneading into foods such as noodles, bread, cakes, okonomiyaki, fried, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, white balls, gnocchi, etc., and can also be mixed with soups, juices, etc. preferable. In addition to the above-mentioned daily foods, it can be suitably used as animal feed by mixing with starch, for example. Furthermore, the food composition of the present invention can be suitably provided as a health food molded into a powder, granule, pellet, sheet or the like.

<Example>
EXAMPLES Hereinafter, although an Example is given and this invention is demonstrated in detail, this invention is not limited to these.

(Examples 1-3, Comparative Examples 1-3)
Casein / starch feed containing dried okara (isoflavone aglycone equivalent content 60 mg / 100 g, protein content 25% by mass), EPA and / or DHA and cholesterol at the concentrations shown in Table 1, respectively, to improve lipid metabolism As a comparative food composition, a 5-week-old SD male rat was habitually ingested for 1 week.

  The plasma total cholesterol concentration before intake and after intake for 1 week was measured, and the decrease rate (%) of plasma total cholesterol concentration after intake for 1 week relative to before intake was determined. The results are shown in Table 1. In Examples 1 to 3 and Comparative Examples 1 to 3, the amount of feed intake and the weight change behavior of the rats were almost the same, and it was confirmed that a sufficient amount of feed was ingested in the above Examples and Comparative Examples. It was done.

  In Comparative Examples 2 and 3 not containing EPA or DHA, the plasma total cholesterol concentration lowering effect was not observed, but the dry okara content was 10% by mass or more, and EDA and DHA were combined in a total of 0.2% by mass. In Examples 1 to 3, good plasma total cholesterol concentration lowering effects were observed. Comparative Example 1 having a dry okara content of 5% by mass was inferior in plasma total cholesterol concentration lowering effect as compared with Examples 1 to 3.

(Example 4, Comparative Examples 4-6)
A casein / starch feed containing dried okara (isoflavone aglycone equivalent content 60 mg / 100 g, protein content 25% by mass), EPA and / or DHA and cholesterol at the concentrations shown in Table 2, respectively, for improving lipid metabolism As a comparative food composition, 5-week-old SD male rats were habitually ingested for 8 weeks, and plasma HDL cholesterol concentration was measured every week. In Example 4 and Comparative Examples 4 to 6, the amount of feed intake and the weight change behavior of rats were almost the same, and it was confirmed that a sufficient amount of feed was ingested in the above Examples and Comparative Examples. .

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing changes in rat plasma total cholesterol levels, and FIG. 2 is a diagram showing changes in rat plasma HDL-cholesterol levels. As can be seen from FIG. 2, the plasma HDL-cholesterol levels in Example 4 and Comparative Examples 4 to 6 were not significantly different except after intake for 4 weeks. On the other hand, as can be seen from FIG. 1, there was a significant difference in plasma total cholesterol levels in Example 4 and Comparative Examples 4-6. Compared with Comparative Example 6 which does not contain any of dry okara, EPA and / or DHA, Comparative Example 4 which contains dry okara and Comparative Example 5 which contains EPA and / or DHA have a small increase in the total plasma cholesterol level, and the drying In Example 4 containing both okara, EPA and / or DHA, the amount of increase in plasma total cholesterol level was smaller than that in Comparative Example 4 and Comparative Example 5.

  From the above results, it is possible to obtain a food composition for improving lipid metabolism having an excellent action for improving lipid metabolism by containing dried okara and fish oil containing EPA and / or DHA at a predetermined concentration. It turns out that it is.

  It should be understood that the embodiments and examples disclosed herein are illustrative and non-restrictive in every respect. The scope of the present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, rather than the description above, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims.

  The food composition of the present invention is prominent due to the synergistic effect of the dried okara and EPA and / or DHA by blending the dried okara and fish oil containing EPA and / or DHA at a predetermined concentration. It is possible to provide a food composition having an action of improving lipid metabolism and a food containing the same. Moreover, it can contribute to the effective use of Okara that is usually treated as waste.

It is a figure which shows the change of the plasma total cholesterol level of a rat. It is a figure which shows the change of the plasma HDL-cholesterol level of a rat.

Claims (6)

  A food composition containing 10 to 50% by mass of dry okara and fish oil, wherein the content of eicosapentaenoic acid and / or docosahexaenoic acid in the fish oil is 0.5 to 5.0 mass of the dry okara. %, A food composition for improving lipid metabolism.   The food composition according to claim 1, wherein the fish oil is contained within a range of 1 to 20% by mass with respect to the dry okara.   The food composition according to claim 1, wherein the fish oil is a fish oil containing 30 to 50% by mass of the EPA and / or the DHA in total.   The food composition according to claim 1, comprising starch and / or flour.   The dried okara contains isoflavone and protein, the isoglycone content of the isoflavone in the dried okara is 40 mg / 100 g or more, and the content of the protein in the dried okara is 20 to 30% by mass The food composition according to claim 1, which is within a range.   A food comprising the food composition according to claim 1.

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