JP2007020564A - Sugar-coating method and sugar-coated product - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sugar-coating method capable of forming hard-to-chip sugar-coating layer through reaching an aimed sugar-coating rate in a short time compared to a conventional method using maltitol, thus high in cost efficiency, and to provide a sugar-coated product obtained by the above method. <P>SOLUTION: The sugar-coating method comprises the first step of coating a core material with an aqueous maltitol solution containing a maltitol crystallization inhibitory component in an amount greater than 3 wt.% but less than 6 wt.% based on the total solids of maltitol and sugar alcohol including maltitol, the second step of further coating the resultant core material with a powdery maltitol composition, and the third step of drying the thus coated core material. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a sugar coating method for forming a sugar coating layer mainly composed of maltitol and a sugar coating product obtained by the sugar coating method.

  Maltitol, which is one of sugar alcohols, has a sweetness similar to sucrose while being low in calories, and thus is used in various applications. Among them, in recent years, cases used for sugar coating such as granular chewing gum and tablets are increasing.

  In general, as a sugar coating method using saccharides, the surface of the core material is coated with an aqueous solution of saccharides and then dried (hard coating method), and the surface of the core material is coated with an aqueous solution of saccharides. There are two known methods (soft coating method) that repeat the steps of further coating with saccharide powder and drying (soft coating method). At present, the former method is mainly used.

  Similarly, in the sugar coating method using maltitol, a hard coating method in which a core material is coated with a high-purity maltitol aqueous solution and then dried is performed. This method has a feature that the surface is finished smoothly, but has a problem that the sugar coating layer is easily lost during the operation, and a long time is required for the operation.

  Therefore, in order to solve such problems, a method of adding a binder as described in Patent Document 1 has been proposed. However, although the addition of the binder exhibits a certain effect for preventing damage to the sugar coating layer, it has created a new problem of an increase in manufacturing cost. In addition, the time required for the sugar coating hardly changed, and the problem of work efficiency was not improved. Furthermore, in order to hard coat maltitol, it is necessary to use high-purity maltitol, which is also problematic in terms of cost.

Therefore, in a sugar coating using maltitol, the sugar coating layer can be produced efficiently and at a low cost in a short time without damage to the sugar coating layer without adding a reinforcing agent or a binder. Was desired.
Japanese translation of PCT publication No. 2004-520849

  The object of the present invention is to provide a cost-effective sugar coating method and method that can form a sugar coating layer that reaches the target sugar coating rate in a short time and is less likely to be chipped, compared to a conventional sugar coating method using maltitol. To provide sugar-coated products.

  As a result of diligent research, the inventors of the present invention have excellent sugar coating efficiency and damage by covering the core with a maltitol aqueous solution and a powdered maltitol composition containing a predetermined amount of a maltitol crystallization inhibitor component. It was found that a sugar coating layer that is difficult to form was formed, and the present invention was completed.

  That is, the present invention provides a core material with maltitol aqueous solution containing maltitol and a sugar alcohol solid content containing maltitol in excess of 3% by weight and containing 6% by weight or less of maltitol crystallization inhibiting component. A sugar coating method comprising: a first coating step for coating; a second coating step for further coating the core material after the first coating step treatment with a powdered maltitol composition; and a drying step.

  The present invention also provides a sugar-coated product obtained by the sugar coating method.

  In the present specification and claims, the “maltitol aqueous solution” used in the first coating step is a sugar mainly composed of maltitol, essentially containing a maltitol crystallization inhibitor component, and may further contain sorbitol. It is an aqueous solution of an alcohol composition. The aqueous maltitol solution may contain components that are conventionally known to be blended in sugar coatings, such as binders, colorants, and fragrances, if desired.

  In the present specification and claims, the “powder maltitol composition” used in the second coating step is a powdery sugar mainly composed of maltitol and may contain sugar alcohol components other than maltitol. It is an alcohol composition. Further, if desired, the powdered maltitol composition may contain a coloring agent, a flavoring agent and the like conventionally blended in sugar coating.

  Examples of the maltitol crystallization inhibiting component contained in the aqueous maltitol solution used in the first coating step of the present invention include sugar alcohols having a polymerization degree of 3 or more, sucrose, syrup and the like. Among them, sugar alcohols having a polymerization degree of 3 or more, particularly sugar alcohols having a polymerization degree of 3 to 5 are preferable. Examples of sugar alcohols having a degree of polymerization of 3 or more include maltotriitol, maltotetriitol, isomaltotetriitol and the like. A single component may be sufficient as a crystallization inhibitor component, and 2 or more types may be used together.

  The proportion of the maltitol crystallization inhibiting component is more than 3 wt% and not more than 6 wt%, preferably 4 to 5 wt%, based on the total amount of the sugar alcohol solids containing maltitol. By using such a concentration-inhibiting component for crystallization, the adhesion efficiency of the powder in the next step is improved. When the proportion of the maltitol crystallization inhibitor component is 3% by weight or less, crystallization of maltitol is not sufficiently suppressed, and the crystallization of maltitol proceeds before proceeding to the second coating step. Since the sugar coating by the powder performed in the two-coating process becomes insufficient, the efficiency of sugar coating is reduced. In addition, when the proportion of maltitol crystallization-inhibiting component exceeds 6% by weight, crystallization of maltitol does not proceed even if powder is added in the second coating step, and it has sufficient strength. A sugar coating layer is not formed.

  The aqueous maltitol solution used in the first coating step of the present invention preferably contains 80 to 97% by weight maltitol, based on the total amount of sugar alcohol solids including maltitol, and is 82 to 92% by weight. Is more preferable. Moreover, what contains 5-12 weight% sorbitol is preferable with respect to the whole sugar alcohol solid content containing maltitol, and if it contains 6-10 weight% sorbitol, it is still more preferable.

  The concentration of the aqueous solution is not particularly limited, but it is better to increase the sugar coating efficiency, and a saturated concentration of maltitol at the temperature of the aqueous solution or a concentration in the vicinity thereof is preferable. When the concentration of the aqueous solution is low, there is a problem that maltitol once formed into a sugar coating is redissolved in the aqueous solution, and it takes time to dry.

  The amount of the aqueous solution added varies depending on the size and quantity of the core material, but an amount that can cover the surface of all the core materials may be added. For example, when a commercially available granular chewing gum is used as the core material, What is necessary is just to add about 10-20 ml per 1 kg of materials.

  Moreover, 10-60 degreeC is preferable and the temperature of the aqueous solution at the time of adding has more preferable 20-40 degreeC.

  The powdered maltitol composition used in the second coating step is the same as the sugar alcohol composition used in the preparation of the aqueous solution in the first coating step, and it is convenient for the preparation to use exactly the same components. However, it is not limited to this. The powder maltitol composition may be a powder containing maltitol having a higher purity than that of the sugar alcohol composition used in the aqueous solution in the first coating step. For example, a powder commercially available as crystalline maltitol is used. May be. The powder maltitol composition preferably has a maltitol purity of 88 to 100% by weight, more preferably a purity of 88 to 98% by weight. When a powder having a maltitol purity of less than 88% by weight is used, it is not preferable because crystallization delay or stickiness occurs.

  The particle diameter of the powder is not particularly limited, but it is preferable that the powder is uniformly adhered to the surface of the core material so that the surface of the sugar-coating layer becomes smooth. More preferred.

  After the second coating step, the sugar-coated product is further subjected to a drying step. Although it does not specifically limit as a drying method, The method of drying by ventilation, continuing stirring in an apparatus is preferable at the point of workability | operativity. The air temperature at that time is preferably 10 to 60 ° C, and more preferably 20 to 40 ° C in consideration of the heat resistance of the core component.

  In the sugar coating method of the present invention, no special apparatus is required, and it is only necessary to be able to stir the charged core material. In general, onion-type or conical-type sugar-coated bread, a breathable coating apparatus, etc. are used in terms of workability. preferable. Various types of sugar-coated bread are commercially available depending on the capacity and shape, and may be appropriately selected according to the amount of the core material.

In the sugar coating method of the present invention, the above-mentioned first coating step, second coating step and drying step are usually repeated a plurality of times to obtain the desired sugar coating product. The number of repetitions varies depending on the size and quantity of the core material, and the intended sugar coating ratio. Usually, by repeating until the sugar coating ratio reaches about 10 to 200%, preferably about 20 to 100%, The product which has is obtained. In addition, the sugar coating rate as used in the field of this invention says the value computed by the following formula.
[Formula 1]
Sugar coating rate (%) =
(100 sugar-coated sugar weight-100 core weight) / (100 core weight) × 100

  In addition, the sugar coating method of the present invention may include a step for smoothing the surface of the sugar coating product after the end of the cycle. As this step, a step of further coating the sugar-coated product with an aqueous solution containing maltitol and drying it is preferable. The aqueous solution containing maltitol used in this step is preferably an aqueous solution containing 97 to 99.9% by weight maltitol in the sugar alcohol solid content. Such a treatment provides a smooth and crunchy texture.

In this step, a binder, a colorant, and a fragrance may be included in the aqueous solution as desired.
A binder may be used in the first coating step. Moreover, although a coloring agent and a fragrance | flavor may be used for any process, generally it is used at the last stage of a sugar coating process.

The sugar-coated product obtained through the sugar-coating method of the present invention has a sugar-coating layer that is hard to break compared to conventional sugar-coated products using maltitol. In particular, a sugar-coated product obtained through the above-mentioned process for smoothing the surface forms a sugar-coated layer that is more difficult to break than a sugar-coated product manufactured only by a coating process and a drying process with an aqueous solution containing maltitol. It becomes possible to do. The sugar-coated product of the present invention preferably has a friability determined by the following calculation formula of 0.01 to 0.5%, more preferably 0.01 to 0.3%.
[Formula 2]
Friction degree (%) =
(Initial weight of 10 sugar-coated products-Weight after treatment of 10 sugar-coated products) / (Initial weight of 10 sugar-coated products)
× 100

The sugar coating method of the present invention is applicable to tune gum, tablets, candy, chocolate and the like.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described specifically by way of examples.

(Test method)
Sugar-coated bread (Osa Machine Co., Ltd. mini-sugar-coated bread, outer diameter (mm) / inner diameter (mm) / depth (mm): 350/200/277, device capacity: 5 kg, inclination angle: 28 °) 1 kg (manufactured by Lotte Co., Ltd., xylitol gum lime mint) was added and rotated at 30 to 40 rpm. Then, 15 g of the coating liquid having the composition shown in Table 1 was added, and after confirming that the coating liquid had spread over the entire core material (first coating step), 23 g of powder having the same composition as the coating liquid was added. It stirred until it reached the whole core material (second coating step). Next, air of about 25 ° C. was blown into the sugar-coated bread and dried for 10 minutes (drying step). The above operation was repeated until the sugar coating rate by the following formula reached 25%.
[Formula 3]
Sugar coating rate (%) =
(100 sugar-coated sugar weight-100 core weight) / (100 core weight) × 100

(result)
The sugar coating efficiency of the sugar coating product obtained was determined by the following formula. The sugar coating method of the present invention has a sugar coating efficiency significantly higher than that of the comparative example, indicating that the sugar coating method is an efficient sugar coating method. The results are shown in Table 3.
[Formula 4]
Sugar coating efficiency (% / hr) = (sugar coating rate) / (sugar coating time) × 100

(Test method)
A sugar coating product was produced in the same manner as in Example 1 using the coating liquid and powder having the composition shown in Table 1 under the sugar coating conditions shown in Table 2.

(result)
The sugar coating efficiency was determined in the same manner as in Example 1. The sugar-coating method of the present invention has an excellent sugar-coating efficiency as compared with the comparative example, indicating that it is an efficient sugar-coating method. The results are shown in Table 3.

Comparative Example 1

(Test method)
Using the coating liquid having the composition shown in Table 1 and the powder used in Example 2, a sugar-coated product was produced in the same manner as in Example 1 under the sugar-coating conditions shown in Table 2.

(result)
The sugar coating efficiency was determined in the same manner as in Example 1. The method of Comparative Example 1 was clearly inferior in sugar coating efficiency compared to Examples 1 and 2. The results are shown in Table 3.

Comparative Example 2

(Test method)
The coating solution shown in Table 1 was used, except that the sugar coating conditions were changed to the conditions shown in Table 2, and the same procedure as in the first coating step of Example 1 was performed, and no powder was used, that is, the second coating step was not performed. Sugar-coated products were manufactured.

(result)
The sugar-coated product obtained in Comparative Example 2 lacked a sugar-coated layer during the sugar-coating process, and a product worthy of a product was not obtained.

Comparative Example 3

(Test method)
The coating solution shown in Table 1 was used, except that the sugar coating conditions were changed to the conditions shown in Table 2, and the same procedure as in the first coating step of Example 1 was performed, and no powder was used, that is, the second coating step was not performed. Sugar-coated products were manufactured.

(result)
The sugar coating efficiency was determined in the same manner as in Example 1. The method of Comparative Example 3 was extremely inferior in sugar coating efficiency compared with Examples 1 and 2. The results are shown in Table 3.

Comparative Example 4

  A sugar coating product was produced in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the coating liquid shown in Table 1 was used and the sugar coating conditions were changed to the conditions shown in Table 2.

(result)
The sugar coating efficiency was determined in the same manner as in Example 1. The method of Comparative Example 4 was inferior in sugar coating efficiency compared to Examples 1 and 2. The results are shown in Table 3.

Table 1 Sugar composition

Table 2 Sugar coating conditions

* 1 cycle represents 1st coating process + 2nd coating process + drying process.

Table 3 Sugar coating results

(Test method)
After a sugar coating layer was formed to a sugar coating rate of 19% by the same method as in Example 1, sugar coating was performed by the same method as in Comparative Example 3 until the total sugar coating rate reached 25% to obtain a sugar coating product. The friability of the obtained sugar-coated product was measured by the following method. As a control, the friability of the sugar-coated product obtained in Comparative Example 3 was measured in the same manner.

Method for measuring friability:
After the initial weight of 10 sugar-coated products was measured, it was put into a tablet friability tester (manufactured by Toyama Sangyo Co., Ltd., TFT-120) and rotated 100 times under the conditions of an inclination angle of 10 ° and a rotational speed of 25 rpm. Ten sugar-coated products were taken out from the testing machine, the weight after the treatment was measured, and the friability was calculated by the following formula.
[Formula 5]
Friction degree (%) =
(Initial weight of 10 sugar-coated products-Weight after treatment of 10 sugar-coated products) / (Initial weight of 10 sugar-coated products)
× 100

(result)
The friability of the sugar-coated product of the present invention was clearly lower than that of the comparative example, indicating that it was difficult to rub. The results are shown in Table 4.

Table 4 Results

Claims (9)

  1st coating which coat | covers a core material with the maltitol aqueous solution which contains maltitol and the sugar alcohol solid content containing maltitol exceeding 3 weight% and 6 weight% or less of maltitol crystallization inhibitory component A sugar coating method comprising: a step, a second coating step of further coating the core material after the first coating step treatment with the powder maltitol composition, and a drying step.   The sugar coating method according to claim 1, wherein the crystallization inhibiting component of maltitol is a sugar alcohol having a degree of polymerization of 3 or more.   The sugar coating method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the maltitol aqueous solution contains 5 to 12% by weight of sorbitol based on the total amount of sugar alcohol solids including maltitol.   The sugar coating method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a particle size of the powder of the powder maltitol composition is 1 to 295 µm.   The sugar coating method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a cycle comprising the first coating step, the second coating step, and the drying step is repeated until the sugar coating rate reaches 10% or more.   The sugar coating method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein after the cycle, sugar coating is further performed with an aqueous solution containing 97 to 99.9% by weight of maltitol in a sugar alcohol solid content.   A sugar-coated product obtained by the sugar-coating method according to any one of claims 1 to 6.   The sugar-coated product according to claim 7, having a friability of 0.01 to 0.5%. The sugar-coated product according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the sugar-coated product is a chewing gum.