JP2008054662A - Salty taste enhancer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a salty taste enhancer enabling obtaining sufficient effect even by using an extremely small amount thereof without changing taste quality of food and drink. <P>SOLUTION: This salty taste enhancer contains as the active ingredient, milk serum mineral which is obtained through the processes (a), (b) and (c) as follows: (a) a process of separating demineral liquid from milk or whey by membrane separation and/or ion exchange to obtain high mineral liquid (I); (b) a process of heat treating the high mineral liquid (I) to separate/remove calcium-phosphate complex and obtain high mineral liquid (II); and (c) a process of concentrating and/or drying the high mineral liquid (II) until to bring solid content to ≥20 mass% to obtain milk serum mineral. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention provides a salty taste enhancer that can enhance the salty taste of a food or drink by adding a very small amount without changing its taste quality, a salt composition with enhanced saltiness, a food or drink with enhanced saltiness, The present invention relates to a method for enhancing the salty taste of food and drink.

The salty taste, which is one of the five basic flavors, is not only a preference, but also has an effect of enhancing appetite by pulling out the deliciousness of the food and drink, so it is extremely important as a flavor of the food and drink.
In order to give salty taste to foods and drinks, salt, that is, sodium chloride is usually used, but excessive intake of sodium, which is the main component, is a risk factor for many health diseases including hypertension. Therefore, suppression of sodium chloride intake is recommended, and various low-salt foods and beverages with reduced sodium chloride content have been developed and marketed. However, simply reducing the amount of sodium chloride added will naturally lead to a reduction in saltiness, which is one of the basic tastes.
Therefore, many studies have been conducted on methods for reducing the sodium chloride content while maintaining the salty taste of food and drink.
The method can be roughly classified into a method using a sodium chloride substitute and a method using a salty taste enhancer.

Sodium chloride substitute is a substance with a salty taste similar to sodium chloride represented by potassium chloride and alkali metal salts of organic acids, and replaces part or all of sodium chloride used in foods and drinks. Thus, the sodium chloride content is reduced.
However, substitutes for sodium chloride, including potassium chloride, have a weaker salty taste than sodium chloride, and have astringency and bitterness in addition to salty taste. In addition to the salty taste of food and drink, there was a problem that the taste quality also changed.

By the way, due to the recent increase in consumer health-oriented and natural product-oriented, low-salt foods and drinks, which are originally health foods, are required to use natural food ingredients rather than chemically synthesized products. It has become like this.
Therefore, the above-mentioned sodium chloride substitutes also contain alkali metal salts such as bittern and whey minerals, although the salty taste itself is further weakened instead of the single component potassium chloride or alkali metal salt of organic acid. Many proposals have been made to use natural food ingredients.
In particular, whey minerals are characterized by their mild salty taste and low sodium content, and various studies have been conducted on their use.

  For example, a method of using whey mineral as it is as a substitute for sodium chloride (for example, see Patent Document 1), a sodium chloride substitute using whey mineral and potassium chloride in combination (for example, see Patent Documents 2 and 3), whey mineral and Sodium chloride substitute using potassium chloride and acids in combination (for example, see Patent Document 4), sodium chloride substitute in combination with whey mineral and alkali metal salt (for example, see Patent Document 5), and whey mineral containing whey protein A sodium chloride substitute (for example, see Patent Document 6) using a whey mineral obtained by passing whey through a nanofiltration membrane has been proposed.

However, since the whey mineral is a mixture of various salts, the salty taste is originally quite small as described above, and the obtained food and drink has a problem of weak salty taste.
In addition, since whey minerals also have a slight bitter taste, increasing the substitution amount of sodium chloride results in a problem that the taste quality also changes in addition to the salty taste of the resulting food and drink being further weakened. there were.
In particular, the sodium chloride substitutes of Patent Documents 2, 3, 4, and 5 that are used in combination with potassium chloride or alkali metal salts that originally have astringency and bitterness have a problem that the bitterness and astringency have been enhanced. It was.
Moreover, although the sodium chloride substitute of patent document 6 and patent document 7 is what tried to reduce the bitterness which a whey mineral has, the effect is not enough and when sodium chloride substitution amount is increased. There was a problem that bitterness was felt.
Thus, in the method using the sodium chloride substitute, it was impossible to reduce the sodium chloride content while maintaining the taste and saltiness of the food and drink.

On the other hand, a salty taste enhancer is a substance that shows no salty taste or a very thin salty taste, but shows a strong salty effect of sodium chloride by adding a very small amount to sodium chloride. Even a food and drink having a sodium chloride content can have a salty taste equivalent to that of a food and drink having a higher sodium chloride content.
According to this method, since it is possible to reduce the sodium chloride content of food and drink without significant taste changes, capsaicin (see, for example, Patent Document 8), trehalose (see, for example, Patent Document 9), protein, Many substances such as a hydrolyzate (see, for example, Patent Document 10) and a specific surfactant (see, for example, Patent Document 11) have been proposed.

  However, since these salty taste enhancers have a very weak salty taste enhancing effect, it is necessary to use a lot of these salty taste enhancing agents when seeking a high salty taste enhancing effect for foods and drinks with a low sodium chloride content. In these cases, since these salty taste enhancers are substances having a flavor other than extremely strong salty taste, for example, the method of Patent Document 8 feels a strong pungent taste, the method of Patent Document 9 feels a sweet taste, The method has a bitter taste, and the method of Patent Document 11 has a problem that the taste quality of the food or drink is changed.

  Thus, no salty taste enhancer has been obtained that can achieve a sufficient effect even when used in a very small amount without changing the taste quality of the food and drink, and furthermore, the taste and salty taste of the food and drink Until now, there has been no method for reducing the sodium chloride content while maintaining the above.

JP-A-63-141561 JP-A 63-287460 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 03-022959 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 01-191659 JP-A-64-013968 JP 05-007474 A JP-T-2002-502619 JP 2001-245627 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-66540 WO01 / 039613 JP-A-5-184326

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is a salty taste enhancer capable of obtaining a sufficient effect even when used in a very small amount without changing the taste quality of foods and drinks. In addition to maintaining the taste of foods and drinks, while maintaining the taste of foods and drinks, the salty taste per sodium chloride content is further enhanced. An object of the present invention is to provide a method for enhancing the salty taste of food and drink that can enhance the salty taste.

As a result of various studies to achieve the above object, the present inventors have found that whey minerals obtained by a specific production method have a very strong salty taste of sodium chloride even if only a very small amount is added to sodium chloride. It was found that it showed an enhancing effect and had almost no bitterness or astringency.
This invention is made | formed based on the said knowledge, and provides the salty taste enhancer which contains the whey mineral obtained through the following (a) (b) (c) processes as an active ingredient.
(A) A step of separating milk or whey from a demineralized liquid by membrane separation and / or ion exchange to obtain a high mineral liquid (I) (b) From the high mineral liquid (I), a calcium-phosphate complex is obtained. Step of separating and removing to obtain high mineral liquid (II) (c) Step of concentrating and / or drying the high mineral liquid (II) until the solid content is 20% by mass or more to obtain whey mineral The present invention provides a salt composition comprising the salty taste enhancer and sodium chloride.
Moreover, this invention provides the food / beverage products which use this salt composition.
Furthermore, this invention provides the salty taste reinforcement | strengthening method of food / beverage products characterized by adding this salty taste enhancer to food / beverage products.

The salty taste enhancer of the present invention can enhance the salty taste without changing the taste quality of foods and drinks even when used in a very small amount.
Moreover, the salt composition of the present invention has the same taste as sodium chloride and has a enhanced salty taste.
Moreover, the food / beverage products of this invention can be preferably used as a salt-reduced food / beverage product which has salty taste and deliciousness.
Furthermore, according to the salty taste enhancing method for foods and drinks according to the present invention, the salty taste of foods and drinks can be enhanced by adding a very small amount without changing the taste quality. A low-salt food / beverage product can be obtained.

First, the whey mineral used in the present invention will be described in detail.
The whey mineral used in the present invention is obtained through the following steps.
(A) A step of separating milk or whey from a demineralized liquid by membrane separation and / or ion exchange to obtain a high mineral liquid (I) (b) From the high mineral liquid (I), a calcium-phosphate complex is obtained. Step of separating and removing to obtain high mineral liquid (II) (c) Step of concentrating and / or drying the high mineral liquid (II) until the solid content is 20% by mass or more to obtain whey mineral

In the above-mentioned step of obtaining whey minerals, milk or whey is used as the starting material.
Examples of the milk include bovine milk, human milk, goat milk, horse milk, skim milk using the same, processed milk, cream, and the like, and any of them can be used. In addition, as the whey, whey obtained as a by-product when manufacturing cheese using the milk, whey obtained as a by-product during casein production, whey obtained by ultrafiltration of milk, etc. Either can be used.
Furthermore, whey obtained as a by-product when manufacturing cheese and whey obtained as a by-product during casein manufacture include acidic whey and sweet whey depending on the manufacturing method, but either can be used. .

  In the present invention, whey obtained as a by-product when producing cheese using milk, or whey obtained as a by-product when producing casein, among the above milk or whey, since the salty taste enhancing effect is particularly high. It is preferable to use, more preferably, whey obtained as a by-product when milk is used to produce cheese, and particularly preferably a sweet product obtained as a by-product when milk is used to produce cheese. Use sex whey.

In the step (a), the milk or whey is separated into a demineralized liquid and a high mineral liquid (I) by membrane separation and / or ion exchange.
The membrane separation methods used here include various methods such as microfiltration membrane separation, ultrafiltration membrane separation, nanofiltration membrane separation, reverse osmosis membrane separation, and dialysis membrane separation. Also, the ion exchange used here Examples of the method include electrodialysis membrane separation using a cation exchange membrane method and an anion exchange membrane method, and a method using an ion exchange resin, and one or more of these membrane separation methods and ion exchanges are appropriately combined. Can be used.

  In the step (a), since separation efficiency is particularly high, it is preferable to use nanofiltration membrane separation and / or reverse osmosis membrane separation, and reverse osmosis membrane separation after nanofiltration membrane separation. Further preferred.

Next, in the high mineral liquid (I) obtained in the step (a), the calcium-phosphate complex is separated and removed in the step (b) to obtain a high mineral liquid (II).
As said (b) process, heat processing is performed or ion exchange is performed.
Here, the heating method in the heat treatment is not particularly limited, and either direct heating or indirect heating is possible.
Moreover, as heating temperature in this heat processing, Preferably it is 50-99 degreeC, More preferably, it is 70-90 degreeC, The holding time in the temperature becomes like this. Preferably it is 2-60 minutes, More preferably, it is 15-25 minutes It is.

By performing the above heat treatment, an insoluble calcium-phosphate complex is produced, which is separated and removed to obtain a high mineral liquid (II).
As a separation method, general methods such as filtration and centrifugation can be employed.
Examples of the ion exchange method include electrodialysis membrane separation using a cation exchange membrane method and an anion exchange membrane method, and a method using an ion exchange resin. One or more of these membrane separation methods and ion exchanges are used. Can be used in appropriate combination.

Further, in the step (c), the high mineral liquid (II) obtained in the step (b) has a solid content of 20% by mass or more, preferably 40% by mass or more, more preferably 60 to 100% by mass. Concentrate and / or dry to obtain whey minerals.
The concentration method is not particularly limited, but a vacuum concentration method using an evaporator is preferable because only moisture can be efficiently removed.
The drying method is not particularly limited, and a general drying method such as a spray drying method or a freeze drying method can be appropriately selected.

In the step (c), it is preferable that the drying step is performed after the concentration step is taken in that water can be efficiently removed.
In that case, in the concentration step, it is preferable to concentrate until the solid content is preferably 20 to 60% by mass, and then dry until the solid content is preferably 60 to 100% by mass.

The whey mineral, which is an active ingredient of the salty taste enhancer of the present invention, may be in any form such as fluid, paste or powder as long as the solid content is 20% by mass or more. It is preferable that the powder is in the form of a powder because of its good mixing property and prevention of hygroscopicity during storage.
In addition, when it is a fluid form or a paste form, the solid content is preferably 20 to 80% by mass, more preferably 40 to 70% by mass, and when it is a powder form, the solid content is preferably 40 to 100% by mass. %, More preferably 70 to 100% by mass.

The salty taste enhancer of the present invention contains the whey mineral as an active ingredient.
As the salty taste enhancer of the present invention, the whey mineral may be used alone as it is, or mixed with various additives and formulated into a powder, granule, tablet, liquid or other form by conventional methods. You may use it. The content of the whey mineral in these preparations is preferably 5 to 100% by mass, more preferably 10 to 100% by mass, still more preferably 20 to 100% by mass, most preferably as a solid content derived from whey minerals. Is 50 to 100% by mass.

Additives for formulating powders, granules, tablets, etc. include thickening polysaccharides such as alginic acids, pectin, seaweed polysaccharides, carboxymethylcellulose, and lactose, starch, silicon dioxide, etc. , Sweeteners such as glucose, fructose, sucrose, maltose, sorbitol, stevia, anti-caking agents such as fine silicon dioxide, magnesium carbonate, disodium phosphate, magnesium oxide, calcium carbonate, vitamins, fragrance, antioxidant Agents, brighteners, and the like, and one or more of these may be appropriately selected and used. The content of the various additives in the salty taste enhancer of the present invention varies depending on the additive, but is preferably 90% by mass or less, and more preferably 50% by mass or less.
In the case of formulating into a liquid form, it is obtained by dissolving or dispersing in a liquid. Examples of such a liquid include water, ethanol, propylene glycol and the like. The content of the liquid in the salty taste enhancer of the present invention is preferably 90% by mass or less, more preferably 50% by mass or less.

In addition, in order to obtain a higher salty taste enhancing effect, the salty taste enhancer of the present invention preferably contains a calcium ion sequestering agent in addition to the whey mineral.
Examples of the calcium ion sequestering agent include primary sodium phosphate, primary potassium phosphate, secondary sodium phosphate, secondary potassium phosphate, tertiary sodium phosphate, tertiary potassium phosphate, sodium tripolyphosphate, tripolyphosphoric acid Examples thereof include potassium, sodium pyrophosphate, potassium pyrophosphate, trisodium citrate, tripotassium citrate, sodium alginate, potassium alginate and the like, and one or more of them can be used.
The content of the calcium ion sequestering agent varies depending on the type of substance and the type of food to be used for the salty taste enhancer, but preferably 0.1 to 100 parts by mass of whey mineral solids. 500 parts by mass, more preferably 1 to 100 parts by mass.

Next, the salt composition of the present invention will be described.
The salt composition of this invention consists of sodium chloride and the said salty taste enhancer, and is a seasoning in which saltiness was strengthened, maintaining the same taste quality as the conventional salt consisting only of sodium chloride.
The ratio of sodium chloride and salty taste enhancer in the salt composition of the present invention is preferably 0.001 to 10 parts by weight as solid content of whey mineral contained in the salty taste enhancer, relative to 100 parts by weight of sodium chloride. More preferably, it is 0.01-5 mass parts, More preferably, it is 0.05-3 mass parts. If the amount is less than 0.001 parts by mass, the salty taste enhancing effect is hardly recognized. If the amount exceeds 10 parts by mass, the salty taste enhancing effect may be weakened and the taste quality may be adversely affected.

In the salt composition of the present invention, a part of sodium chloride, preferably 80% by mass or less, more preferably 60% by mass or less of sodium chloride is replaced with a known sodium chloride substitute for the purpose of reducing the sodium chloride content. can do.
Examples of the sodium chloride substitutes include potassium chloride and alkali metal salts of organic acids. Among them, the salt composition of the present invention substitutes more sodium chloride while maintaining the same taste and salty taste. It is preferable to use potassium chloride in that it is possible.

  In addition to the sodium chloride and the salty taste enhancer, the salt composition of the present invention includes flavor materials such as matcha and coffee, sugars, anti-caking agents, vitamins, fragrances, spices, colorants, antioxidants, gloss Other components such as an agent may be included. Content of these other components in the salt composition of this invention becomes like this. Preferably it is 70 mass% or less, More preferably, it is 30 mass% or less, More preferably, it is 10 mass% or less.

Next, the food / beverage products of this invention are described.
The food / beverage products of this invention are food / beverage products containing the salt composition of this invention.
Content of the salt composition of this invention in the food / beverage products of this invention is not specifically limited, According to the food / beverage products to be used and the intensity | strength of the salty taste calculated | required suitably.

Note that the food and drink according to the present invention is not particularly limited, and can be used without any problem as long as it is a food that uses salt consisting of only sodium chloride, for example, miso, soy sauce, and noodle soup. , Sauce, Dashi, Pasta sauce, Dressing, Mayonnaise, Tomato ketchup, Worcester sauce, Tonkatsu sauce, Sprinkle, Herb salt, Seasoning salt, etc. Instant cooked food, miso soup, soup, consommé soup, potage soup and other livestock products such as ham, sausage and cheese, kamaboko, dried fish, salted fish, boiled fish, processed fish products such as delicacies, pickles , Potato chips, confectionery snacks such as rice crackers, bakery foods such as bread, confectionery bread and cookies , Boiled, fried, grilled, curry, stew, gratin, rice, porridge, cooking food such as rice balls and the like.
In addition, even if it is food / beverage products which do not contain salt, if it is a foodstuff which contains salt at the time of eating and drinking, it can be used.

The food / beverage products of this invention have the characteristics that the salty taste per sodium chloride content is strengthened, maintaining the taste quality of food / beverage products. Furthermore, when the salt composition of this invention substitutes a part of the sodium chloride with potassium chloride, the salty taste per sodium chloride content can be further strengthened.
In other words, when the salt composition of the present invention is used to replace the salt contained in the conventional food and drink, even if the amount added is reduced, the salty taste equivalent to the conventional food and drink and the same taste quality It can be used as a low-salt food or drink.

  Therefore, compared with conventional low-salt foods and drinks that simply reduced the sodium chloride content and low-salt foods and drinks in which some or all of the sodium chloride was replaced with sodium chloride substitutes It can be set as a food and drink, and it can be set as the reduced salt food and drink which further reduced the sodium chloride content compared with the low salt food and drink which reduced the sodium chloride content using the conventional salty taste enhancing substance.

In the present invention, the salt-reduced food or drink is a food in which the sodium chloride content is reduced by 10 to 90% by mass, preferably 20 to 80% by mass, and more preferably 30 to 70% by mass, compared to a normal food or drink. . If the sodium chloride content is less than 10% by mass, it is meaningless to say that it is a reduced-salt food and drink. If it exceeds 90% by mass, the salt composition of the present invention has the same strength. It becomes difficult to obtain the salty taste.
When the food / beverage product of the present invention is a low-salt food / beverage product, the content of the salt composition of the present invention is 10 to 90% by mass, preferably compared to the content of a normal food / beverage product, for the above reason, The content is preferably such that the amount is reduced by 20 to 80% by mass.

  As a method of incorporating the salt composition of the present invention into a food or drink, the method of adding the salt composition of the present invention during the production or food or drink can be mainly used. Specifically, sodium chloride and the salty taste enhancer of the present invention are added separately at the time of production or at the time of eating and drinking, respectively, and sodium chloride is added at the time of production or at the time of eating and drinking containing the salty taste enhancer of the present invention. And a method of adding the salty taste enhancer of the present invention to a food or drink containing sodium chloride at the time of production or food and drink. That is, sodium chloride and the salty taste enhancer of the present invention may be contained in the food and drink, preferably in the above ratio and content, until the food and drink are consumed.

Next, the salty taste enhancing method for food and drink according to the present invention will be described.
The method for enhancing the salty taste of a food or drink according to the present invention is to add the salty taste enhancer of the present invention to the food or drink and enhance the salty taste while maintaining the taste of the food or drink.
The addition amount to the food / beverage products of the salty taste enhancer of this invention is 0.000001-5 mass parts with respect to 100 mass parts of food / beverage products as solid content of the whey mineral contained in a salty taste enhancer, Preferably it is 0.00. 0.0001-3 parts by mass, more preferably 0.00005-1 part by mass

In the salty taste enhancing method of the present invention, since the highest quality salty taste is obtained, it is preferable that the food or drink as the group to be added contains sodium chloride.
In that case, the amount of addition of the salty taste enhancer of the present invention to the food or drink is preferably 0.00 as the solid content of whey mineral contained in the salty taste enhancer with respect to 100 parts by mass of sodium chloride contained in the food or drink. It is 001-10 mass parts, More preferably, it is 0.01-5 mass parts, More preferably, it is 0.05-3 mass parts. If it is less than 0.001 part by mass or exceeds 10 parts by mass, the salty taste enhancing effect is hardly recognized, and if it exceeds 10 parts by mass, the taste quality of food and drink may be adversely affected.
In addition, as a method of adding a salty taste enhancer to foods and drinks containing sodium chloride, it may be a method of adding as a raw material during the production of food or drinks, or a method of adding and mixing to foods and drinks containing sodium chloride Either is possible.

In the salty taste enhancing method for foods and drinks according to the present invention, the salty taste enhancer according to the present invention is included in conventional foods and drinks because it can enhance the salty taste by adding a very small amount without changing the taste of the foods and drinks. Even if the sodium chloride content to be reduced is reduced, the food and drink having the same salty taste and the same taste as those of the conventional food and drink can be obtained.
That is, it is preferable that the food / beverage products to which the salty taste enhancer of the present invention is added are low-salt food / beverage products. In this case, the obtained food or drink is also a reduced salt food or drink.

Specifically, when added during the production of foods and drinks, by reducing the sodium chloride content, the salt-reduced foods and foods that are originally light and poor in taste are equivalent to foods and drinks with a normal sodium chloride content. It can be set as the food-drinks which have the salty taste and taste quality of strength.
In addition, when added to foods and drinks, it is used for low-salt foods and drinks that have a light taste and poor taste due to its low sodium chloride content. It can be set as the food-drinks which have the same salty taste and taste quality as food-drinks of sodium content.
Furthermore, in the method for enhancing the salty taste of foods and beverages of the present invention, the sodium chloride content can be further reduced by substituting a part of sodium chloride with a salt substitute such as potassium chloride.

  In the method for enhancing the salty taste of a food or drink according to the present invention, when the food or drink that is the basis for adding the salty taste enhancer of the present invention is a reduced salt food or drink, the addition amount of the salty taste enhancer of the present invention is included in the food or drink. The solid content of the whey mineral contained in the salty taste enhancer is preferably 0.001 to 10 parts by mass, more preferably 0.01 to 5 parts by mass, and still more preferably 0.05 to 100 parts by mass of sodium chloride. 3 parts by mass. If it is less than 0.001 part by mass or exceeds 10 parts by mass, it is difficult to recognize the salty taste enhancing effect, so there is a possibility that it becomes a reduced salt food or drink with a light taste and poor taste. Moreover, when it exceeds 10 mass parts, there exists a possibility of having a bad influence on the taste quality of food-drinks.

<Manufacture of whey minerals>
[Production Example 1]
Step (a): Sweet whey obtained as a by-product when milk is used to produce cheese is used as a starting material, and after nanofiltration membrane separation, the demineralized liquid is further separated by reverse osmosis filtration membrane separation. A high mineral liquid (I) having a content of 2.5% by mass was obtained.
(B) Step: The calcium-phosphate complex produced by heat-treating the high mineral liquid (II) obtained in the step (a) at 80 ° C. for 20 minutes by a combination of indirect heating and direct steam heating. Was separated and removed by a centrifugal separator to obtain a high mineral liquid (II).
(C) Step: The high mineral liquid (II) obtained in the step (b) is concentrated using an evaporator until the solid content becomes 60% by mass or more, and this concentrated solution is further dried by a spray drying method. A whey mineral having a solid content of 97% by mass (hereinafter referred to as whey mineral A) was obtained.
[Production Example 2]
Whey mineral having a solid content of 97% by mass (hereinafter referred to as whey mineral) is the same as in Production Example 1 except that step (b) is not performed and the high mineral liquid (I) is directly applied to step (c). B)).
[Production Example 3]
A fluid whey mineral having a solid content of 40% by mass (hereinafter referred to as “concentration” by the evaporator in the step (c) of Production Example 1) Whey Mineral C).

[Experimental Example 1]
0.002 mass part, 0.01 mass part, 0.1 mass part, 1 mass part, 10 mass parts, 20 mass parts addition, and the said whey mineral A are mixed with respect to 100 mass parts of sodium chloride, respectively. The salt composition was manufactured, and the following salty strength and taste were evaluated.

<Salt taste strength / taste quality evaluation method>
Nine panelists were allowed to lick the salt composition obtained in Experimental Example 1 above and sodium chloride consisting of 100% by mass of sodium chloride prepared as a control, and the saltiness strength and taste quality were 4 according to the following paneler evaluation criteria. Step evaluation was performed, and the total score was evaluated according to the following <Evaluation Criteria> in five steps. The results are shown in Table 1.

<Paneler salty strength evaluation criteria>
I feel a clearly enhanced saltiness compared to the control .... I feel a slightly enhanced saltiness compared to the 2-point control .... I feel almost the same saltiness as the 1-point control .... 0 points. I feel a weaker saltiness than the control ... -1 point

<Paneler taste quality evaluation criteria>
I don't feel any flavor other than sodium chloride ... I feel a flavor other than 2 points sodium chloride, but I don't feel uncomfortable as a salty taste ... I feel a flavor other than 1 point sodium chloride and feel uncomfortable as a salty taste There is a sense of taste that is unbearable ... 0 points

<Evaluation criteria>
◎: Total score of 9 panelists is 15 to 18 points ○: Total score of 9 panelists is 9 to 14 points △: Total score of 9 panelists is 5 to 8 points ×: Total of 9 panelists Points 0 to 4 points XX: Total score of 9 panelists is less than 0 points

From the results of Table 1 above, a salty enhancing effect can be seen at 0.002 to 10 parts by mass as the solid content of whey mineral A per 100 parts by mass of sodium chloride. It can be seen that the saltiness is almost the same as that of sodium chloride. Moreover, when it exceeds 10 mass parts, in addition to being able to feel flavors other than salty taste, the sense of incongruity as salty taste will be revealed, and it turns out that nasty taste is felt.
That is, it can be seen that the whey mineral A obtained in Production Example 1 is unsuitable as a sodium chloride substitute in that it has an unpleasant taste, but can be used very suitably as a salty taste enhancer.

<Manufacture and evaluation of salty taste enhancer, salt composition, food and drink>
[Example 1]
The whey mineral A obtained in Production Example 1 was directly used as the salty taste enhancer A of the present invention. Subsequently, 2 parts by mass of the salty taste enhancer A was added to 100 parts by mass of sodium chloride and mixed well to obtain the salt composition A of the present invention. Furthermore, using the salt composition A of the present invention, the whey obtained in Production Example 1 with a sodium chloride content of 0.91% by mass and 100 parts by mass of sodium chloride according to a conventional method with the following composition: Potage soup 1 containing 1.5 parts by mass of mineral A as a solid content was produced. On the other hand, a potage with a sodium chloride content of 0.93 mass% produced by the same composition and production method as in Example 1 except that the whey mineral A was not used at all and sodium chloride consisting of 100 mass% sodium chloride was used. Soup 2 was prepared as a control. Here, when these two types of potage soup were comparatively tasted, the potage soup 1 which is the food and drink of the present invention was clearly saltier than the potage soup 2 which does not use a salty taste enhancer, but no off-taste was felt. The salty taste was enhanced without changing the taste quality.

<Containing potage soup>
30 parts by weight of sweet corn (sodium chloride content 0.5% by weight), 5 parts by weight of milk, 5 parts by weight of skimmed milk powder (sodium chloride content 1.5% by weight), 1 part by weight of unsalted butter, and salt composition A0.7 Parts by weight, 1 part by weight of flour, 1 part by weight of gelatinized starch, 0.1 parts by weight of white pepper, 56.2 parts by weight of water

[Example 2]
In the formulation of the potage soup of Example 1 above, except that the amount of the salt composition A was changed from 0.7 parts by mass to 0.5 parts by mass, the sodium chloride content was 0 with the same formulation and production method as Example 1. .72% by mass, with respect to 100 parts by mass of sodium chloride, containing 1.4 parts by mass of the whey mineral A obtained in Production Example 1 as a solid content, and reducing the sodium chloride content by 21% by mass of normal Potage soup 3 which is a salt food and drink was manufactured. And as in Example 1, when compared with potage soup 2, potage soup 3, which is a reduced salt food and drink of the present invention, has a salty taste almost as strong as potage soup 2, which is a normal sodium chloride content. And the taste quality was equivalent.

Example 3
The same composition and production method as in Example 2 except that the salt composition A of Example 2 was changed to a salt composition B consisting of 50 parts by mass of sodium chloride, 50 parts by mass of potassium chloride, and 2 parts by mass of the salty taste enhancer A. The reduced-salt food and beverage of the present invention, which has a sodium chloride content of 0.47% by mass and contains 2.1 parts by mass of whey mineral A obtained in Production Example 1 as a solid content with respect to 100 parts by mass of sodium chloride. Potage soup 4 was manufactured. And as in Example 1, when compared with potage soup 2, the potage soup 4 which is a reduced salt food and drink of the present invention has a salty taste with almost the same strength as potage soup 2 having a normal sodium chloride content. And the taste was almost the same.

Example 4
50 parts by mass of whey mineral A obtained in Production Example 1 and 50 parts by mass of first sodium phosphate dihydrate were mixed to obtain salty taste enhancer B of the present invention. Subsequently, 4 parts by mass of the salty taste enhancer B was added to 100 parts by mass of sodium chloride and mixed well to obtain a salt composition C of the present invention. Further, except that the salt composition C of the present invention was used, the sodium chloride content was 0.72% by mass in the same formulation and production method as in Example 2, and in Production Example 1 with respect to 100 parts by mass of sodium chloride. Potage soup 5, which is a reduced salt food and beverage of the present invention, containing 1.4 parts by mass of the obtained whey mineral A as a solid content was produced. And as in Example 1, when compared with potage soup 2, the potage soup 5 which is a reduced salt food and drink of the present invention has a salty taste with the same strength as potage soup 2 with a normal sodium chloride content, And it was almost the same taste quality.

[Comparative Example 1]
2 parts by mass of whey mineral B obtained in Production Example 2 was added to 100 parts by mass of sodium chloride and mixed well to obtain a salt composition D of Comparative Example. Further, Potage soup 6 (comparative product), which is a reduced salt food and drink having a sodium chloride content of 0.72% by mass, was obtained by the same composition and production method as in Example 2 except that the salt composition D was used. When this comparative product was comparatively sampled with potage soup 2 in the same manner as in Example 1, the comparative potage soup 6 was clearly less salty than the normal sodium chloride content of potage soup 2, and slightly bitter. The taste quality was inferior.

Example 5
The whey mineral C obtained in Production Example 3 was dissolved in water so as to have a solid content of 10% by mass, and then subjected to UHT treatment (sterilization temperature 140 ° C., holding time 6 seconds), and further having a pore diameter of 0.2 μm. It was made into the form of the liquid agent which is 10 mass% of solid content derived from a whey mineral which can pass a filtration membrane and can be stored at normal temperature, and this was made into the salty taste enhancer C.
The whey mineral C obtained in Production Example 3 was slightly turbid with the naked eye. Absorbance was measured with a spectrophotometer at a wavelength of 660 nm, which was Abs. 0.0020. The seasoning C of the invention was visually transparent, and the absorbance measured at a wavelength of 660 nm with a spectrophotometer was Abs. Moreover, when the bacteria test was conducted, the number of general viable bacteria was negative, and it could be stored at room temperature.
Subsequently, 80 parts by mass of sodium chloride, 8 parts by mass of salty taste enhancer C, 10 parts by mass of sodium L-glutamate, and 2 parts by mass of corn starch were mixed and wet granulated, and whey mineral was solidified with respect to 100 parts by mass of sodium chloride. The salt composition E of the present invention containing 1 part by mass as the content was obtained. This salt composition and black sesame were mixed at a mass ratio of 20:80 to obtain sprinkle 1, which is a food and drink according to the present invention. On the other hand, a sprinkle 2 produced by the same composition and production method was prepared as a control except that 8 parts by mass of water was used in place of the salty taste enhancer C. Here, when the two types of sprinkles were comparatively tasted, the sprinkle 1 which is the food and drink of the present invention was clearly saltier than the sprinkles 2 that do not use a salty taste enhancer, but the taste was not felt at all. The salty taste was strengthened without changing.

Example 6
40 parts by mass of sodium chloride, 1 part by mass of the salty taste enhancer A used in Example 1 above, 20 parts by mass of sodium L-glutamate, 20 parts by mass of granulated sugar, 15 parts by mass of corn starch, 3 parts by mass of matcha tea, 1 part by mass of kelp powder It mixed, extrusion granulated, and obtained the salt composition F of this invention which contains 2.4 mass parts of whey mineral as solid content with respect to 100 mass parts of sodium chloride. To 100 parts by mass of this salt composition F, 40 parts by mass of hail and 3 parts by mass of seaweed were added and mixed to produce Ochazuke Element 1 which is a food and drink of the present invention. On the other hand, except for not using the salty taste enhancer A, Ochazuke Element 2 produced by the same blending and manufacturing method was prepared as a control. Here, using these two types of Ochazuke elements, making Ochazuke and comparing them, the Ochazuke using Ochazuke Element 1 which is the food and drink of the present invention is Ochazuke which does not use the salty taste enhancer A. The salty taste was clearly stronger than Ochazuke using Nomoto 2 but the taste was not felt at all and the saltiness was enhanced without changing the taste quality.

Example 7
100 parts by mass of fried products obtained by slicing potatoes and fried in rapeseed oil and 1 part by mass of the salt composition B obtained in Example 3 above are placed in a bag and shaken to mix the salt composition B into a fried product. The potato chips 1 that are the low-salt foods and beverages of the present invention were produced.
On the other hand, in place of the salt composition B, potato chips 2 produced by the same blending and manufacturing method except that salt consisting of 100% by mass of sodium chloride was used was prepared as a control. When these two types of potato chips were comparatively tasted, potato chips 2 had a weak salty taste and an unsatisfactory flavor, whereas potato chips 1 which is the food and drink of the present invention clearly had a salty taste as compared to potato chips 2. Although it was strong, no nasty taste was felt, and the salty taste was enhanced without changing the taste quality.

Example 8
94.7 parts by mass of hot water is added to 5 parts by mass of Chinese element (real Chinese element / N-S Foods Co., Ltd.) and 0.3 part by mass of the salt composition A used in Example 1, and the reduced salt of the present invention. A ramen soup 1 was prepared as a food and drink. On the other hand, ramen soup 2 produced by the same blending and manufacturing method was prepared as a control except that 0.3 parts by mass of the salt composition A was changed to 0.5 parts by mass of sodium chloride consisting of 100% by mass of sodium chloride. When these two types of ramen soup were comparatively tasted, the ramen soup 1 which is a reduced salt food and drink of the present invention has a normal sodium chloride content and a salty taste almost as strong as ramen soup 2. And almost the same taste quality.

Example 9
0.5 parts by mass of the salt composition A used in Example 1 was added to 100 parts by mass of white rice, and an appropriate amount of water was further added thereto, followed by cooking to obtain salted rice 1 which was a reduced salt food and beverage of the present invention. On the other hand, the salted rice 2 manufactured by the same mixing | blending and manufacturing method was prepared as a control except having changed the salt composition A0.5 mass part into 0.9 mass part of salt which consists of sodium chloride 100 mass%. Here, using these two types of salted rice, rice balls were prepared and comparatively sampled. As a result, the rice balls using the salted rice 1 that is the food and drink of the present invention had a normal sodium chloride content. The salty taste was almost the same as that of the rice balls using No. 2, and the taste quality was almost the same.

<Salt taste enhancement method and evaluation of food and drink>
Example 10
0.2 mass of the salty taste enhancer A used in Example 1 above with respect to 100 mass parts of reduced salt soy sauce (reduced salt soy sauce / Kikkoman Co., Ltd., sodium chloride content 8.11 mass%) which is a reduced salt food and drink. Part (2.5 parts by mass as whey mineral solid content with respect to 100 parts by mass of sodium chloride) was added and mixed well to produce reduced salt soy sauce 1 which is a reduced salt food and drink of the present invention. Here, when a soy sauce having a normal sodium chloride content (sodium chloride content of 15% by mass) was prepared and comparatively sampled, the reduced salt soy sauce 1 which is a reduced salt food and drink according to the present invention was a soy sauce having a normal sodium chloride content. It had almost the same saltiness and taste.

Example 11
A low-salt soy sauce 2 that is a low-salt food and beverage of the present invention was produced by the same formulation and production method as in Example 10 except that the salty taste enhancer B used in Example 4 was used instead of the salty taste enhancer A. . Here, when a soy sauce having a normal sodium chloride content (sodium chloride content of 15% by mass) was prepared and subjected to comparative tasting, the reduced salt soy sauce 2 which is the reduced salt food and drink of the present invention was reduced in Example 10. The salty taste and taste were closer to those of soy sauce with a normal sodium chloride content than salt soy sauce 1.

[Comparative Example 2]
A low-salt soy sauce 3 that is a low-salt food / beverage product of Comparative Example was produced by the same composition and production method as Example 10 except that whey mineral B was used in place of the salty taste enhancer A. Here, when soy sauce having a normal sodium chloride content (sodium chloride content of 15% by mass) was prepared and comparatively sampled, the reduced salt soy sauce 3 which is a reduced salt food and drink of the comparative example was a soy sauce having a normal sodium chloride content. In comparison, the salty taste was clearly light and the taste quality was inferior, such as feeling slightly bitter. Moreover, some turbidity was generated.

Example 12
Used in Example 1 above for 100 parts by weight of salt-reduced food, low-salt lightly pickled soy sauce (lightly salted and lightly salted and salty / Ebara Food Industry Co., Ltd., sodium chloride content 5.7% by weight) 0.18 parts by mass of the salty fortifying agent A (3 parts by mass as whey mineral solids with respect to 100 parts by mass of sodium chloride) was added and mixed well, and the salt-reduced salted and pickled food of the present invention 1 was manufactured. Here, a normal soy pickle element having a normal sodium chloride content (sodium chloride content of 8.2% by weight) (Asakuke no Somoto / Ebara Foods Co., Ltd., sodium chloride content of 8.2% by weight) is prepared. When using the seeds of lightly pickled seeds and tasting each of the vegetables for comparative comparison, the vegetables pickled with low salted and lightly pickled foods 1 of the present invention are soaked in normal sodium chloride content. It had a salty taste almost the same as that of vegetables soaked in Nomoto, and had almost the same taste quality.

Example 13
The salty taste enhancer A used in Example 1 above was reduced to 0.1 parts with respect to 100 parts by weight of salt-reduced miso (Shinshu salt-reduced countryside miso / Miyasaka Brewery Co., Ltd., sodium chloride content 9.8% by mass), which is a salt-reduced food and drink. 4 parts by mass (4 parts by mass as whey mineral solid content with respect to 100 parts by mass of sodium chloride) was added and mixed well to produce reduced salt miso 1 which is a reduced salt food and drink of the present invention. Here, normal sodium chloride content miso (sodium chloride content: 12.2% by mass) was prepared, and miso soup was prepared using these two types of miso. The miso soup using the reduced-salt miso 1 had a salty taste almost the same as that of a normal sodium chloride content miso soup and almost the same taste quality.

Example 14
The salty taste enhancer C obtained in Example 5 above with respect to 100 parts by mass of the reduced salt Worcester sauce (Bulldock salt content 50% by weight cut Worcester sauce / Bulldock sauce Co., Ltd., sodium chloride content 4.2% by mass), which is a reduced salt food and drink. 0.9 parts by mass (2 parts by mass as whey mineral solids with respect to 100 parts by mass of sodium chloride) was added and mixed well to produce reduced salt Worcester Sauce 1 which is a reduced salt food and drink of the present invention. Here, a normal sodium chloride content of Worcester sauce (sodium chloride content of 8.4% by mass) was prepared, and each sample was comparatively tested. As a result, the Worcester sauce 1 of the present invention had almost the same strength as a normal sodium chloride content of Worcester sauce. It was salty and had almost the same taste quality.

Claims (7)

The salty taste enhancer which contains the whey mineral obtained through the following (a) (b) (c) processes as an active ingredient.
(A) A step of separating milk or whey from a demineralized liquid by membrane separation and / or ion exchange to obtain a high mineral liquid (I) (b) From the high mineral liquid (I), a calcium-phosphate complex is obtained. Step of separating and removing to obtain high mineral liquid (II) (c) Step of concentrating and / or drying the high mineral liquid (II) until the solid content is 20% by mass or more to obtain whey mineral   A salt composition comprising sodium chloride and the salty taste enhancer according to claim 1.   The salt composition according to claim 2, wherein a part of sodium chloride is substituted with potassium chloride.   Food / beverage products containing the salt composition of Claim 2 or 3.   The food / beverage product according to claim 4, which is a reduced salt food / beverage product.   A method for enhancing the salty taste of a food or drink, comprising adding the salty taste enhancer according to claim 1 to the food or drink.   The method for enhancing the salty taste of a food or drink according to claim 6, wherein the food or drink is a reduced salt food or drink.