JP2006280294A - Honey-producing method and honey - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a stable honey-producing method for producing modified honey containing specific functional components and active components. <P>SOLUTION: This honey-producing method comprises feeding a mixed liquid of a solution containing the specific functional components and a sugar-containing solution as feed of honeybee. The honey produced by the method is also provided. It is preferable that the solution containing specific functional components comprises fruit juice and/or sap of plants and/or an extracted solution of plants, the sugar-containing solution is honey, and the sugar concentration of the mixed liquid is 15-80 Brix%. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for producing honey, and more particularly to honey produced by using a solution containing a specific functional ingredient as a food for bees.

  The fruits, roots, and foliage of many plants are used as health foods or functional foods. For example, Morinda citrifolia is a fruit tree belonging to the Morinda genus of the Rubiaceae family. It is distributed mainly in the tropical and subtropical regions such as Polynesia, India, Southeast Asia, and Australia, and in Japan it grows naturally in Okinawa. When the fruit ripens, it changes from dark green to yellow or cream color, and the fruit juice obtained by squeezing the fruit is known to be effective in the prevention and treatment of many diseases including diabetes (non-patent literature). 1).

  Further, Morinda citrifolia dry root extract, and damnacanthal or nordamnacantal isolated from them have been reported to be effective in the treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection (Patent Document 1, and 2). However, Morinda citrifolia juice has a strong odor and unique bitterness, and it is difficult to drink as it is.

  Therefore, there is a demand for alleviating the malodor and bitterness of this fruit juice and facilitating its administration. As a solution to this problem, processing such as mixing these fruit juices and bees was performed to provide foods that are easy to drink (see Patent Documents 3 and 4). As a result of heating or the like, many of the functional substances are altered and the original effect is impaired.

  The fruits, roots, foliage, etc. of plants that have specific functions and are recommended as health foods or functional foods are not limited to Morinda citrifolia, but are often difficult to take in terms of smell, taste, etc. Therefore, there has been a demand for a material that is easy to ingest without altering these functional ingredients.

JP-A-8-208461 JP-A-8-217686 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-300895 JP 2004-229575 A Deana Fairchild “What is Morinda Citrifolia” Stable 2002

  This invention solves said problem and makes it a subject to provide the stable production method of the honey which contains the specific functional ingredient, the active ingredient, or was modified.

  The present invention is a method for producing honey, characterized by feeding a mixed solution of a solution containing a specific functional ingredient and a solution containing sugar as a bee feed.

  The solution containing the specific functional component is preferably plant juice and / or juice and / or plant extract.

  Furthermore, the solution containing the specific functional component is preferably Morinda citrifolia fruit juice or Morinda citrifolia fruit juice.

  The solution containing the sugar is preferably honey, and the sugar concentration of the mixed solution is preferably 15 to 80 Brix%.

  Furthermore, the present invention is honey produced by any of the honey production methods described above.

  The honey produced by the production method of the present invention is a natural food in which specific functional components are modified in the body of the bee, have high health effects, and have not been artificially processed. In addition, long-term storage similar to conventional honey is possible without special management. Furthermore, the production method of the present invention enables planned honey production regardless of the season.

  The present invention is a method for producing honey characterized by feeding a mixed solution of an aqueous solution containing sugar and a solution containing a specific functional ingredient as a bee feed, wherein the solution containing the specific functional ingredient is: It is preferably a plant juice and / or juice, and / or a plant extract, and the sugar concentration of the compounded solution is preferably 15 to 80 Brix%. The contents of the present invention will be described in detail below.

  As the bees used in the present invention, Japanese bees and varieties normally raised by beekeepers such as American / Italian species (three-band type), carniolan species (black type), and other western bees can be used. From the viewpoints of easiness of beekeeping, amount of honey, etc., Western bees of American and Italian species are preferable.

  The beekeeping method is raised in the same manner as the normal beekeeping method except for feeding. Specifically, a Langstrong type nest box is used, and 8 to 10 nest plates are provided in a single nest box (hereinafter referred to as a single box). Commercially available nest boxes and nest boards can be used. It is preferable to breed bees in the range of 1500 to 2000 bees per nest board. The number of nest boards is appropriately adjusted according to changes in the season and environment, such as a small number in winter.

  The single boxes can be reared by stacking 2 to 3 stages. When using the above stacks, the queen bee spawning and breeding area is provided on the first tier, and a queen bee separator is provided between the first and second tiers to adjust the queen bee's range of action. However, it is preferable that the nest plate of the second and higher tiers is a dedicated storage area where the queen bee does not lay eggs.

  For feeding, a feeder is provided in parallel to the nest plate on the outside of the nest plate in the nest box, and the combination liquid is administered to the feeder. A commercially available feeder can be used. In the feeder, it is preferable to float small items such as twigs in the feeder in order to prevent the death of bees. Also, the residue and waste should not be mixed in the feeder. According to the beekeeping method of the present invention, the bees are fed, so there is no need for land-changing beekeeping, and management and harvesting are possible in the same place throughout the year.

  As the sugar, monosaccharides such as sucrose (sucrose), maltose (maltose), glucose (dextrose), fructose, trehalose, meletitose, fucose, α-methylglucoside, inositol and the like, and derivatives thereof can be used. .

  The sugar may be used singly or a mixture of two or more. In addition to the above, syrup, concentrated fruit juice, honey and the like can be used as sugar. Among them, part or all of them are preferably honey, particularly preferably honey alone.

  The sugar concentration of the solution containing the sugar is preferably 20 to 90 Brix%, more preferably 50 to 80 Brix%, as measured by a refractometer. The viscosity of the solution is not particularly limited in the range of the combination liquid of the aqueous solution containing the sugar of the present invention and the solution containing the specific functional component. Even when the viscosity of the solution is high, the bee-like yield is high. There is no decline. The solution is preferably used after being filtered with a mesh filter of 200 mesh or more, more preferably 1000 mesh or more so as not to contain solids, crystals and the like.

  As the solution having the specific function, any solution can be used as long as it can be used for human consumption. As a taste component, in addition to a sweet taste component, a solution containing a sour component, a bitter component, and a pungent component can also be used. The sour component can be used if the pH is about 3.0 or more. The solution containing the specific function is preferably a plant juice, sap, rhizome juice, plant organ extract, or the like containing saccharides.

  Those containing lipids, lipid derivatives, terpenes and the like are not preferred as the solution because they do not like bees. However, by increasing the blending ratio of the solution containing the sugar, the bees can be ingested. The solution is preferably used after being filtered through the mesh filter so as not to contain solids, crystals and the like.

  As the solution having the specific function, fruit juice, rhizome juice and the like that have a high content of functional components in the present invention, include sour components, bitter components, and pungent components and feel difficult for human consumption. Is appropriate. Specifically, Morinda citrifolia fruit juice, Sikhousa fruit juice and the like can be mentioned as preferred examples.

  As the bee feed, it is preferable to feed natural pollen or commercially available substitute pollen in addition to a mixed solution of a solution containing a specific functional ingredient and a solution containing sugar. If the amount of the pollen fed is small or absent, the honey bee collects the surrounding natural pollen, which makes the honey flavor and content components unstable, which is not preferable. As the substitute pollen, commercially available substitute pollen or soybean powder from which fat has been removed can be used.

  The combination of the solution containing the sugar and the solution containing the specific component is such that the sugar content by the refractometer is 15 to 80 Brix% depending on the type of the solution containing the sugar and the type of the solution containing the specific component. In addition, it mix | blends suitably. The blending is more preferably in the range where the sugar content is 25 to 75 Brix%, and particularly preferably in the range where the sugar content is 35 to 70 Brix%. In addition, when the solution containing the specific component contains lipids, lipid derivatives, terpenes and the like, it is preferable that the blending is performed with a high sugar content.

  As a general rule, the compounded liquid is supplied to the feeder in an amount of 0.8 to 1.3 liters per single box per day, as a rule, but the amount of feeding depends on changes in the amount of honeybees drinking due to the weather etc. Adjust as appropriate. The feeding period is 4 to 7 days, after which the feeding is interrupted and left for about 2 to 4 days, and the bee waits for the honey collected in the storage area to be removed by body temperature or flapping wings.

  After removing the moisture, the nest plate is taken out of the nest box and collected by centrifuging. The sugar content of the collected honey is preferably 78 to 79 degrees. When the sugar content of the harvested honey is unripe honey below the above range, water is removed so that the sugar content is within the above range, and when the sugar content is above the above range, the sugar content is within the above range. And the unripe honey.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described more specifically based on examples, but the present invention is not limited to the following examples.
《Morinda Citrifolia Honey Production》
Example 1
The beekeeping was conducted by year-round beekeeping in Chatan Town, Okinawa Prefecture. For the bees, western bees (variety name: Italian species / hybrids) were used. The nest box was a Langstrong single box, and the number of bees reared per box was approximately 18,000.

  Morinda citrifolia fruit juice was used as the solution containing the specific functional component. The Morinda citrifolia fruit juice is recommended as a health food, but has a unique bitterness and bad odor including acidity and is very difficult to drink.

  The Morinda citrifolia fruit was a blend of Okinawa and Samoa. The fruit used was harvested just before ripeness. The harvested fruits are washed with sodium hypochlorite solution, washed with water, air dried, then divided into about 7kg, packed in transparent sachets, and directly exposed to sunlight for one week to promote ripening. did.

  The ripened fruit is then stored in a dark room at a temperature of 20-30 ° C. for 90-120 days, further ripened and fermented, and the fruit pulp turned into a gel is squeezed with a press. Juice was obtained to obtain Morinda citrifolia fruit juice. The fruit juice obtained by the pressing was filtered through a 1000 mesh filter and used as a solution containing the specific functional components of Example 1. When the pH of the solution was measured using a digital PH meter (manufactured by Atago Co., Ltd., DPH-1), the pH was 4.6.

  Honey was used as the solution containing the sugar. As the honey, commercially available purified honey (manufactured by Fujiwara Yohei Co., Ltd.) was used.

  The filtered fruit juice and the purified honey were blended at a mass ratio of 1: 1 to obtain a blended liquid of this example. When the sugar content of the mixed solution was measured using a refractometer (N3E, manufactured by Atago Co., Ltd.), the sugar content was 45 Brix%.

  Immediately after the blending, the blended liquid was poured into a feeder (manufactured by Nectar Research Institute, Nagoya) and fed. As a general rule, the feeding amount was 1 liter per box every other day, and the feeding amount was increased or decreased according to the consumption of the mixed solution. Apart from the blended solution, substitute pollen (BBFOOD, manufactured by Beekeeping Laboratory) was fed at a rate of 200 g per week.

  After 5 to 6 days from the first day of feeding, it was confirmed that the honey storage area in the nest box was filled with honey, and feeding was stopped. The honeybees were allowed to stand for 2 to 3 days after the suspension and waited for body water and flapping to remove the moisture of the honey stored in the honey storage area. After removing the water, the nest plate was taken out of the nest box and collected by centrifuging. The above schedule may fluctuate for 1 to 3 days depending on the weather and temperature at the time of implementation. The amount of honey collected was 2.5 to 2.9 liters, which was about 1/5 of the maximum amount of honey collected by normal beekeeping.

  The sugar content of the honey after the honey was 78 to 79 degrees. The taste of the honey in the early period was a favorable taste because the odor of Morinda citrifolia fruit juice was removed and the odor of Morinda citrifolia fruit juice was slightly removed, but it was removed.

  Since the honey after the honey was not heated except for being heated in the body of the bee, the active ingredient of the blended fruit juice was not impaired, and was further modified in the body of the bee, which was suitable as a health food.

(Example 2)
The honey production of Example 2 was carried out in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the mixing ratio of 1 to 1 of the fruit juice and purified honey of Example 1 was changed to the ratio of purified honey 1 to Morinda citrifolia fruit juice 3. . The sugar content of the mixed solution of this example was 17 Brix%.

  The amount of honey collected was 1.0 to 1.2 liters, and the sugar content of the honey after honey was 78 to 79 degrees. The taste of the honey was the same as the honey of Example 1.

《Sikhousa honey production》
(Example 3)
As a solution containing the specific functional component, Shikuwasa fruit juice was used. The juice of Sikhousa is recommended as a health food, but it is a fruit juice that has a strong acidity and is difficult to drink.

  The fruit of the Sikhousa was from Okinawa. The fruit used was harvested just before ripeness. The harvested fruit was washed with a sodium hypochlorite solution and washed with water, and the juice including the hull was squeezed with a pressing machine to obtain shikusa fruit juice. What filtered the fruit juice obtained by pressing with the filter of 1000 mesh was used as a solution containing the specific functional component of the present Example 3. The pH of the solution was 2.9.

  The sikhousa fruit juice after filtration and the purified honey used in Example 1 were blended at a ratio of purified honey 2 to sikhousa fruit juice 1 as a mass ratio to obtain a blended liquid of this example. The sugar content of the blended liquid was 53 Brix%.

  It reared like Example 1 except having changed the said compounding liquid, and it collected. The amount of honey was 2.0 to 2.2 liters, and the sugar content of the honey after honey was 78 to 79 degrees. The taste of the honey was mild, with the flavor of Sikhousa juice remaining and the acidity being greatly reduced.

The honey of the present invention contains specific functional ingredients and is further superior to normal honey as a health food. In addition, according to the production method of the present invention, stationary beekeeping is possible, and it is possible to systematically produce honey of a certain quality without worrying about contamination of agricultural chemicals, unlike the conventional unstable honey industry. Processes like industrial products are possible.

Claims (7)

  A method for producing honey, comprising feeding a mixture of a solution containing a specific functional ingredient and a solution containing sugar as a bee feed.   2. The method for producing honey according to claim 1, wherein the solution containing the specific functional component is plant juice and / or juice and / or plant extract.   The method for producing honey according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a sugar concentration of the mixed solution is 15 to 80 Brix%.   The method for producing honey according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the solution containing sugar is honey.   The method for producing honey according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the solution containing the specific functional component is Morinda citrifolia fruit juice.   The method for producing honey according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the solution containing the specific functional ingredient is shikusa juice. The honey produced by the honey production method according to any one of claims 1 to 6.