JP2009263655A - beta-GLUCAN COMPOSITION - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a β-glucan composition with excellent effect in diabetes improvement, such as insulin secretion-promotion, blood sugar level rise inhibition, and good water solubility, and a production method to obtain β-glucan composition having such features by simple operations in a short time. <P>SOLUTION: The β-glucan composition contains following (A), (B) and (C) components with the mass ratio of 10 to 85:10 to 85:5 to 60 (where (A)+(B)+(C)=100), where (A) is water-soluble β-1, 3-1, 4-glucan with a molecular weight of 500,000 or more, (B) is water-soluble β-1, 3-1, 4-glucan with a molecular weight of 20,000 to less than 500,000, and (C) is water-soluble β-1, 3-1, 4-glucan with a molecular weight of 500 to less than 20,000. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a novel β-glucan composition and a method for producing the same, a food and drink containing the β-glucan composition, and a pharmaceutical comprising the β-glucan composition as an active ingredient.

  Type 2 diabetes, which is one of lifestyle-related diseases, has increased in recent years in Japan, and includes people who fall within the borderline area of diabetes (people who have impaired glucose tolerance and cannot deny the possibility of diabetes) It is said that the number has already exceeded 10 million, and together with the care of diabetic patients, diabetes prevention that does not make those who fall under this diabetic border region become diabetic patients has become an important issue.

  Insulin is a hormone that lowers blood glucose, and is secreted from the pancreatic Langerhans β-cells by increasing the blood glucose level due to the intake of starch and saccharides (saccharides) contained in the diet, and increases blood glucose levels. Has the effect of regulating. In diabetic patients, since insulin secretion is suppressed, blood sugar levels do not decrease after meals, and various pathological conditions develop. Therefore, it is necessary to promote insulin secretion in diabetic patients.

  In addition, blood glucose levels in fasting (fasting) are often the same as those in healthy individuals in people with impaired glucose tolerance, but when an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) is performed, the blood glucose level is higher than in healthy individuals. It is characterized by taking a value pattern (blood glucose level 140 mg / dl or more and 200 mg / dl or less 2 hours after loading).

  A hyperglycemic state, persistence of a hyperglycemic state, or a sudden change in blood glucose level (rapid increase or decrease) caused by this glucose intolerance is a risk factor when a person corresponding to a diabetes boundary region transitions to a diabetic patient It is considered that it is important to suppress a rapid rise in blood glucose level.

  For the reasons mentioned above, in order to suppress the rapid increase in blood glucose level caused after meals and delay the transition of people who fall within the borderline of diabetes to diabetic patients, it is necessary to improve Foods and drinks that can improve performance abnormalities and thus prevent diabetes are useful, and their development has been demanded in recent years.

Here, β-glucan, which is abundant in cereals such as oats and barley, mushrooms, yeasts, etc., has an effect of suppressing the increase in blood glucose level and the effect of lowering cholesterol, and is effective in preventing lifestyle-related diseases. Are known.
For example, an increase in postprandial blood glucose level is suppressed by ingestion of cereal flour such as barley and oats (see, for example, Non-Patent Documents 1 and 2), and its action correlates with β-glucan content (for example, Non-Patent Document 3). In addition, there are also reports that verified the effects of suppressing blood glucose elevation and lowering blood cholesterol with cereal flour extracts extracted from these cereals and having an increased β-glucan content. Yes (see Non-Patent Document 4, for example). Such suppression of the increase in blood glucose level by cereal β-glucan is said to be due to the absorption delay effect of sugar (see, for example, Non-Patent Documents 2, 5 and 6).

  Therefore, in order to obtain a blood glucose level increase suppressing effect, it is considered effective to ingest cereal flour such as barley flour and oat containing β-glucan. However, cereal flour has low water solubility, making it unsuitable for everyday foods and drinks, and the amount of β-glucan contained in normal cereal flour is low, so it is necessary to consume sufficient amounts When trying to do so, there is a problem that a large amount must be ingested. For this reason, it has been effective to use cereal flour or cereal flour extract enriched in β-glucan. (For example, see Patent Documents 1, 2, and 3).

  However, recently, it has also been found that the physiological function of β-glucan is influenced by the physical properties, molecular weight, content, and the like of β-glucan (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 7). However, the relationship between the molecular weight distribution of β-glucan and the evaluation of physiological functions such as the effect of suppressing the increase in blood glucose level has not been known yet.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-081999 Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-082517 JP 2003-286175 A

Bourdon I, Yokoyama W, Davis P, Hudson C, Backus R, Richter D, Knuckles B, Schneeman BO., Am J Clin Nutr 69, 55-63 (1999) M. E. Pick, Z. J. Hawrysh, M. I. Gee and E. Toth, International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition Vol. 49, No. 1, 71-78 (1998) Yokoyama, W.H., Hudson, C.A., Knuckles, B.E., Chiu, M.C.M, Sayre, R.N., Turnlans, J.R. and B.O.Schneeman, Cereal Chemistry 74, 293-296 (1997) Biorklund M, van Rees A, Onning G Eur. J. Clin. Nutr. Vol. 59, 1272-1281 (2005) P Wursch and FX Pi-Sunyer., Diabetes Care 20, 1774-1780 (1997) Ikegami Yukie, Dobashi Fumie, Nakamura Kahor, Inami Satoshi Journal of Japanese Society of Nutrition and Food Science Vol.44 No.6 447-454 (1991) Wood PJ, Braaten JT, Scott FW, Riedel KD, Wolynetz MS, Collins MW, Br J Nutr Vol. 72,731-743 (1994)

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a β-glucan composition that exhibits excellent effects for improving diabetes, such as promoting insulin secretion and suppressing increase in blood glucose level, and has good water solubility. Moreover, the objective of this invention is providing the manufacturing method which can obtain the beta glucan composition which has this characteristic by simple operation in a short time.

  The present inventors focused on the molecular weight of β-glucan, and verified the effect of inhibiting the increase in blood glucose level and the effect of promoting insulin secretion of β-glucan compositions having various molecular weights, and further β-glucan compositions having various molecular weight distributions. Surprisingly, the β-glucan composition containing a certain proportion of low-molecular-weight β-glucan molecules in addition to the conventionally known high-molecular-weight β-glucan molecules alone, that is, β The present inventors have found that a β-glucan composition having a broader molecular weight distribution having both a glucan molecule and a β-glucan molecule in a low-molecular region exhibits a more excellent effect, and has been accomplished in the present invention.

This invention is obtained from the said knowledge, The following (A), (B) and (C) component are mass ratio (however, (A) of 10-85: 10-85: 5-60. + (B) + (C) = 100). A β-glucan composition is provided.
(A) Water-soluble β-1,3-1,4-glucan having a molecular weight of 500,000 or more (B) Water-soluble β-1,3-1,4-glucan having a molecular weight of 20,000 or more and less than 500,000 (C) Water-soluble β-1,3-1,4-glucan having a molecular weight of 500 or more and less than 20,000

  Moreover, this invention provides the food-drinks containing the said beta glucan composition.

  The present invention also provides a blood glucose level increase inhibitor comprising the β-glucan composition as an active ingredient.

  The present invention also provides an insulin secretion promoter comprising the β-glucan composition as an active ingredient.

In addition, the present invention provides the following (A), (B) and (C) components as a preferred method for producing the β-glucan composition in a mass ratio of 10 to 85:10 to 85: 5 to 60 (however, (A) + (B) + (C) = 100), so that two or more kinds of cereal flour extracts having different molecular weight distributions of β-glucan are mixed. A manufacturing method is provided.
(A) Water-soluble β-1,3-1,4-glucan having a molecular weight of 500,000 or more (B) Water-soluble β-1,3-1,4-glucan having a molecular weight of 20,000 or more and less than 500,000 (C) Water-soluble β-1,3-1,4-glucan having a molecular weight of 500 or more and less than 20,000

In addition, as another preferred method for producing the β-glucan composition, the present invention comprises the following components (A), (B) and (C) in a mass ratio of 10 to 85:10 to 85: 5 to 60 ( However, it provides a method for producing a β-glucan composition comprising mixing cereal flour and cereal flour extract so as to contain (A) + (B) + (C) = 100) Is.
(A) Water-soluble β-1,3-1,4-glucan having a molecular weight of 500,000 or more (B) Water-soluble β-1,3-1,4-glucan having a molecular weight of 20,000 or more and less than 500,000 (C) Water-soluble β-1,3-1,4-glucan having a molecular weight of 500 or more and less than 20,000

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the beta glucan composition which shows the effect excellent in insulin secretion promotion and a blood glucose level raise suppression, and has favorable water solubility can be provided. The β-glucan composition is useful for prevention of metabolic syndrome, prevention of diabetes, prevention of heart disease, and thus prevention of arteriosclerosis by promoting insulin secretion and suppressing increase in blood glucose level.
Further, according to the production method of the present invention, the β-glucan composition can be obtained in a short time with a simple operation.

FIG. 1 is a graph showing changes in blood glucose level when 75 gOGTT (75 g oral glucose tolerance test) is performed on humans (n = 5) in the borderline of diabetes when β-glucan composition 1 is used as a test sample. is there. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the amount of insulin change when 75 gOGTT (75 g oral glucose tolerance test) is performed on humans (n = 5) in the borderline diabetes when β-glucan composition 1 is used as a test sample. .

Hereinafter, the β-glucan composition of the present invention will be described in detail based on preferred embodiments.
The β-glucan composition of the present invention comprises the following components (A), (B) and (C) in a mass ratio of 10 to 85:10 to 85: 5 to 60 (provided that (A) + (B) + (C) = 100).
(A) Water-soluble β-1,3-1,4-glucan having a molecular weight of 500,000 or more (B) Water-soluble β-1,3-1,4-glucan having a molecular weight of 20,000 or more and less than 500,000 (C) Water-soluble β-1,3-1,4-glucan having a molecular weight of 500 or more and less than 20,000 The upper limit of the molecular weight of the component (A) is as long as β-1,3-1,4-glucan is water-soluble. Although not particularly limited, it is preferably 120 or less, more preferably 90 or less.

Unless it is a β-glucan composition containing these three components (A), (B), and (C), an excellent insulin secretion-promoting effect and a blood glucose level increase-suppressing effect cannot be obtained.
The mass ratio of the contents of the three components (A), (B) and (C) (provided that (A) + (B) + (C) = 100) is 10 to 85:10 to 85. : In the range of 5-60, preferably in the range of 25-68: 20-55: 12-40, more preferably in the range of 25-35: 25-50: 25-40 It is.

In the β-glucan composition of the present invention, the content of each component (A), (B) and (C) is preferably 25 to 30% by mass, more preferably 5 to 18% by mass, as the component (A). The component (B) is preferably 2.5 to 43% by mass, more preferably 5 to 25% by mass, and the component (C) is preferably 2.5 to 35% by mass, more preferably 5 to 5% by mass. 20% by mass.
The total content of the three components (A), (B) and (C) is preferably 10 to 85% by mass, more preferably 15 to 70% by mass in the β-glucan composition of the present invention. More preferably, it is 20-50 mass%.

In the β-glucan composition of the present invention, in particular, the component (C) comprises the following components (C1) and (C2), and the components (C1) and (C2) are preferably 15 to 85:85 to 15 More preferably, it is contained in a mass ratio of 30 to 70:70 to 30 because it has a higher blood glucose level increase inhibitory effect and an insulin secretion promoting effect.
(C1) Water-soluble β-1,3-1,4-glucan having a molecular weight of 500 or more and less than 6000 (C2) Water-soluble β-1,3-1,4-glucan having a molecular weight of 6000 or more and less than 20,000

  In the β-glucan composition of the present invention, “water-soluble β-1,3-1,4-glucan” means β-1,3 that works effectively when the β-glucan composition is administered as a food or drink or as a pharmaceutical product. -1,4-glucan, and its content is measured by the following method.

<Method for measuring water-soluble β-1, 3-1 and 4-glucan content>
The McClary method (enzyme method) was employed for measuring the water-soluble β-1,3-1,4-glucan content in the composition. Specifically, a β-1,3-1,4-glucan content measurement kit (model number K-BGLU) (manufactured by Megazyme) is used. First, a moisture content is measured in advance (infrared moisture meter, model number FD-230, manufactured by Kett) for a measurement sample that has been sieved to 500 μm (30 mesh), and an anhydrous substance amount W (mg) is calculated. Separately, 10 mg of this measurement sample is taken in a 17 ml tube, and 200 μl of 50% (v / v) ethanol solution is added and dispersed. Next, 4 ml of 20 mM phosphate buffer (pH 6.5) is added and mixed well, followed by heating in a boiling water bath for 1 minute. Mix well and heat in hot water bath for another 2 minutes. The supernatant is obtained by centrifugation, cooled to 50 ° C., allowed to stand for 5 minutes, and then the lichenase enzyme solution (the vial attached to the kit is diluted with 20 ml of 20 mM phosphate buffer, and the remaining amount is frozen). 200 μl (10 U) of (preservation) is added and reacted at 50 ° C. for 1 hour. Add 5 ml of 200 mM acetate buffer (pH 4.0) to the tube and mix gently. Leave at room temperature for 5 minutes, and obtain the supernatant by centrifugation. Take 100 μl of the supernatant in three tubes, one with 100 μl 50 mM acetate buffer (pH 4.0) and the other two with 100 μl (0.2 U) β-glucosidase solution (vials supplied with the kit) Is diluted with 20 ml of 50 mM acetate buffer and the remaining amount is stored frozen), and the mixture is reacted at 50 ° C. for 10 minutes. 3 ml of glucose oxidase / peroxidase solution is added and reacted at 50 ° C. for 20 minutes, and the absorbance (EA) at 510 nm of each sample is measured. Separately, the absorbance (EG) of 3 ml glucose oxidase / peroxidase solution containing 100 μg glucose is measured. From these measurement results, the water-soluble β-1,3-1,4-glucan content is determined by the following formula.

Water-soluble β-1,3-1,4-glucan content (%, w / w) = (EA) × (F / W) × 8.46
In the formula, F and W are as follows.
F = (100) / (absorbance EG of 100 μg of glucose)
W = Amount of anhydrous substance (mg)

  In the β-glucan composition of the present invention, other conventionally known physiologically active ingredients such as cholesterol elevation inhibitors, blood pressure elevation inhibitors, blood cholesterol regulation function agents, blood glucose elevation inhibitors, intestinal flora improvement An agent, an intestinal regulating agent, an anticancer agent, an antiallergic agent, a digestion / absorption regulating agent, an antiaging agent, an antioxidant, a blood circulation promoter, an immunoregulatory agent and the like may be added.

  Specific examples of these physiologically active ingredients include polyunsaturated fatty acids (EPA, DHA) that optimize blood lipid concentration, plant sterols and their esterified products that regulate serum cholesterol, diacylglycerol, γ-linolenic acid, Unsaturated fatty acids such as α-linolenic acid, linoleic acid, conjugated linoleic acid, beet fiber, corn fiber, psyllium seed coat, tea polyphenol, lecithin, bonito peptide effective for blood pressure lowering, sardine peptide, casein deca peptide, soybean isolation protein, etc. It is a food or medicine containing lactic acid bacteria, gluconic acid, oligosaccharides, various dietary fibers and the like that improve the intestinal environment and work for intestinal regulation. As other ingredients known to have health functions, chlorella, spirulina, propolis, chitin, chitosan, deoxyribonucleic acid, ribonucleic acid, ganoderma, agaricus, ginkgo biloba extract, citrus fruit , Turmeric, garcinia, apple fiber, gymnema, collagen, blueberry, aloe, saw palmetto, capsanthin, lutein, β-cryptoxanthin, renin, taurine, casein, collagen, glucosamine, casein phosphopeptide (CPP), milk basic protein (MBP) , Lactoferrin, glutathione, theanine, gabba, aspartame, xylitol, recardent, alginic acid, sodium alginate, fucoidan, chondroitin, hyaluronic acid, cellulose, pectin, indigestible Xistrin, glucomannan, inulin, fructan, cyclofructan, difructose, levan, mucin, flavonoid, polyphenol, catechin, tannin, anthocyanin, rutin, quercetin, soy isoflavone, soy saponin, soy globulin, chlorogenic acid, citric acid, lactic acid, Malic acid, capsaicin, sesame lignan, allicin, caffeine, chlorophyll, nattokinase, β-lactoglobulin, plant fermentation enzyme, mevalonic acid, chlorophyll, royal jelly, ginseng, prunes, chamomile, thyme, sage, peppermint, lemon balm, mallow, Oregano, Catnip tea, Yarrow, Hypiscus, Echinesia and other herbs, vitamins, calcium-containing compounds such as calcium fortifiers, iron-containing compounds and other iron fortification , Mineral reinforcing agent containing essential minerals, more animals and plants extract, seaweed extract, bioactive ingredient natural ingredients such as crude drugs components and the like.

  In the β-glucan composition of the present invention, for example, for the purpose of suppressing non-uniformity such as the composition itself or a food or drink to which the composition is added becomes lumps or lumps, starches, pH, The effects of the present invention include other components such as regulators, emulsifiers, antioxidants, polysaccharides other than β-1,3-1,4-glucan, enzymes, animal and plant and microorganism-derived protein materials, and quality stabilizers. It can also be added within a range that does not inhibit the above.

  Examples of the starches include barley starch, wheat starch, rice starch, oat starch, cereal starch such as corn starch, potato starch, sweet potato starch, rhizome starch such as tapioca starch, and the like. Or 2 or more types can be used.

  Examples of the pH adjuster include phosphates such as monosodium phosphate, disodium phosphate, trisodium phosphate, sodium pyrophosphate, sodium polyphosphate, sodium tripolyphosphate, potassium pyrophosphate, sodium hexametaphosphate, metaphosphoric acid. Sodium, potassium metaphosphate, and various other organic acids such as acetic acid, lactic acid, citric acid, gluconic acid, succinic acid, tartaric acid, fumaric acid, ascorbic acid, acidic pyrophosphoric acid, chlorogenic acid, malic acid, and salts thereof And commonly used pH adjusters such as sodium hydrogen carbonate, sodium carbonate, hydrogen hydrogen carbonate, potassium carbonate, ammonium hydrogen carbonate and the like, which are alkaline agents, can be exemplified by one or two of them. The above can be used.

  Examples of the emulsifier include glycerin fatty acid ester, sucrose fatty acid ester, sorbitan fatty acid ester, organic acid monoglyceride, acetic acid monoglyceride, polyglycerin fatty acid ester, polyglycerin condensed ricinoleic acid ester, propylene glycol fatty acid ester, stenaroyl calcium lactate, polyoxyethylene Commonly used emulsifiers such as sorbitan fatty acid ester, lecithin, enzyme-treated lecithin and the like can be exemplified, and one or more of these can be used.

  Examples of the antioxidant include tocopherol, L-ascorbic acid, erythorbates, polyphenols such as catechin, tannin, anthocyanin, tea polyphenol, L-ascorbic acid stearate, sodium L-ascorbate and the like. One or more of these can be used.

  Examples of polysaccharides other than the β-1,3-1,4-glucan include apple fiber, alginic acid, sodium alginate, propylene glycol ester alginate, gum arabic, inulin, cassia gum, gum gumaya, agar, curdlan, carrageenan, carboxymethylcellulose. (CMC), carboxymethylcellulose calcium, xanthan gum, chitin, chitosan, guar gum, glucomannan, corn fiber, chondroitin, psyllium seed gel, gellan gum, water soluble soy polysaccharide, cellulose, tamarind seed polysaccharide, soy dietary fiber, tara gum, togant gum, Hemicellulose, hyaluronic acid, beet fiber, fine cellulose, pullulan, fur celerane, fucoidan, fructan, pectin, mannan, mucin, leva , Locust bean gum, and it is possible to exemplify these decomposition products or the like, it is possible to use one or more of these.

  Examples of the enzymes include amylase, invertase, catalase, cellulase, xylanase, papain, protease, pectinase, lysozyme, lipase, trypsin, pancreatin, bromelain, pepsin, peptidase, actinidine and the like. Or 2 or more types can be used.

  Examples of protein materials derived from animals, plants, and microorganisms include whole egg powder, egg white and egg yolk powder, milk protein, soybean protein, wheat isolate protein, plasma protein, pea protein, yeast extract, albumin such as whey, casein sodium, and casein Examples thereof include phosphopeptide (CPP), gelatin, soluble collagen, bonito node peptide, sardine peptide, casein decapeptide and the like, and one or more of these can be used.

  Examples of the quality stabilizer include cyclic oligosaccharides, dextrin, indigestible dextrin, cyclofructan, difructose, glucosamine, sodium carbonate, sodium malate, propylene glycol, cyclodextrin, calcium salts such as calcium chloride, calcium citrate, Calcium gluconate, calcium glycerophosphate, acidic calcium pyrophosphate, calcium hydroxide, calcium carbonate, calcium lactate, calcium sulfate, primary calcium phosphate, secondary calcium phosphate, tertiary calcium phosphate, calcium pantothenate, calcium dihydrogen pyrophosphate, coral calcium, dolomite , Eggshell calcium, beef bone meal calcium, scallop shell calcium, milk calcium, irons such as ferric chloride, iron citrate, Ammonium iron, sodium iron citrate succinate, iron lactate, ferrous pyrophosphate, ferric pyrophosphate, ferrous sulfate, ferrous gluconate, heme iron, liver powder, sugars (glucose, fructose, sucrose, Lactose, isomerized sugar, xylose, trehalose, coupling sugar, palatinose, sorbose, reduced starch saccharified starch, maltose, erythritol, reduced xylooligosaccharide, lactulose, fructooligosaccharide, galactooligosaccharide, etc., sugar alcohols (xylitol, maltitol, Mannitol, sorbitol, polydextrose, reduced palatinose, reduced water candy, etc.), palm oil, coconut oil, soybean oil, cottonseed oil and the like can be exemplified, and one or more of these can be used. it can.

  The content of the other components in the β-glucan composition of the present invention is not particularly limited, but is preferably blended so that the total amount is 50% by mass or less, more preferably 30% by mass or less. It is preferable to do this.

  Among the above-mentioned other components, starches and saccharides have an action of increasing blood glucose level, and therefore, in the β-glucan composition of the present invention, the total amount is preferably 80% by mass or less, more preferably 60% or less. It is preferable to set it as mass% or less, More preferably, it is 50 mass% or less.

  The β-glucan composition of the present invention is not particularly limited as to its shape, but is preferably powdery or granular because of its high solubility when added to food or drink having a high water content or water content. In the case of powder, the preferable average particle diameter is 10 to 300 μm, more preferably 10 to 75 μm. In the case of granule, the preferable average particle diameter is 10 to 3000 μm, more preferably 100 to 1000 μm.

  The β-glucan composition of the present invention described above has excellent bioregulatory functionality and physiological activity functions, such as insulin secretion promoting action, lipid metabolism improving action, blood sugar level rise inhibiting action, cholesterol lowering action, blood sugar level lowering action, It has a lifestyle-related disease prevention / amelioration action, etc., is excellent in solubility in water, and can be preferably used in foods and pharmaceuticals as described below.

  The food / beverage products of this invention contain the said beta glucan composition. Examples of the above-mentioned food and drink products include processed oil and fat products, bakery products, confectionery, noodles, processed cereal products, dairy products, soups, beverages, seasonings, processed meat products, processed fishery products, cooked foods, health foods, low Examples of calorie foods, foods for allergic patients, foods for infants, foods for the elderly, beauty foods, medicinal foods, or frozen foods thereof, retort foods, instant foods, canned foods, etc. Since it has good water solubility, it is difficult to cause lumps and can be uniformly dispersed when added to foods and drinks with high water content, and the effects of β-1, 3-1, 4-glucan Since it exhibits the highest effect in a state dissolved in water, the food or drink is preferably a liquid food or drink.

  Examples of the liquid food and drink include consomme soup, corn potage soup, egg soup, Chinese soup, stew, curry soup, orange juice, tomato juice, banana juice, vegetable juice, juice with fruit juice, etc. , Carbonated drinks such as cola, cider, milk drinks such as milk, processed milk, yogurt, whey drink, seasonings such as soy sauce, sauce, sauce, jam, ketchup, coffee, cocoa, tea, Japanese tea, oolong tea, soy milk Beverages, lactic acid bacteria beverages, alcoholic beverages, vitamin beverages, health beverages, drinks and jelly-like beverages are included, but hot water or water is added to eat and drink as liquids when eating, concentrates and dried products of these foods and beverages, etc. So-called instant food and drinks are also included.

  There is no restriction | limiting in particular in content of the beta glucan composition of this invention in the food / beverage products of this invention, Although it can select suitably, when food / beverage products are drinks, it is water-soluble beta-1, 3-1, 4-. The amount of glucan is preferably 0.001 to 30% by mass, more preferably 0.01 to 10% by mass.

  The blood glucose level elevation inhibitor of the present invention contains the β-glucan composition as an active ingredient, and the β-glucan composition of the present invention can be used as it is as a blood glucose level elevation inhibitor. May be formulated in the form of paste, powder, granule, etc. by mixing with conventionally known excipients, binders, lubricants, disintegrants, emulsifiers, etc. .

  The content of the β-glucan composition in the blood glucose level elevation inhibitor of the present invention can be appropriately set according to the required blood glucose level elevation-inhibiting effect, but as water-soluble β-1, 3-1, 4-glucan The amount is preferably 10 to 100% by mass, more preferably 20 to 100% by mass, and still more preferably 50 to 100% by mass.

  When administering the blood glucose level elevation inhibitor of the present invention, the dose varies depending on the age of the subject person, the degree of impaired glucose tolerance, etc., so it cannot be said unconditionally, but before a meal or during a meal, The water-soluble β-1, 3-1, 4-glucan is preferably 15 to 7000 mg, more preferably 30 to 3000 mg, and still more preferably 70 to 1700 mg.

  And usually per day, as water-soluble (beta) -1,3-1,4-glucan, Preferably it is 30-20000 mg, More preferably, it is 60-10000 mg, More preferably, it is 150-5000 mg.

  The insulin secretion promoter of the present invention contains the β-glucan composition as an active ingredient, and the β-glucan composition of the present invention can be used as it is as an insulin secretion promoter, but the effect of the present invention is impaired. It may be mixed with additives such as conventionally known excipients, binders, lubricants, disintegrants, emulsifiers and the like as long as they are not present, and may be formulated in the form of, for example, a paste, powder or granules.

  The content of the β-glucan composition in the insulin secretion-promoting agent of the present invention can be appropriately set according to the required insulin secretion-promoting effect, but is preferably water-soluble β-1, 3-1, 4-glucan The amount is preferably 10 to 100% by mass, more preferably 20 to 100% by mass, and still more preferably 50 to 100% by mass.

  When administering the insulin secretagogue of the present invention, the dosage varies depending on the age of the subject, the degree of impaired glucose tolerance, etc., so it cannot be said unconditionally, before or during a meal, per meal, The water-soluble β-1, 3-1, 4-glucan is preferably 15 to 7000 mg, more preferably 30 to 3000 mg, and still more preferably 70 to 1700 mg.

  And usually per day, it is 30-20000 mg as water-soluble (beta) -1,3-1,4-glucan, More preferably, it is 60-10000 mg, More preferably, it is 150-5000 mg.

Next, a preferred method for producing the β-glucan composition of the present invention will be described.
The β-glucan composition of the present invention comprises the following components (A), (B) and (C) in a mass ratio of 10 to 85:10 to 85: 5 to 60 (provided that (A) + (B) + (C) = 100), a method of mixing two or more kinds of cereal flour extracts having different molecular weight distribution of β-glucan, or one or more kinds of cereal flour and a cereal flour extract It can obtain by mixing 1 type (s) or 2 or more types. In the case of the latter method, the cereal flour and the cereal flour used for the cereal flour extract may be the same or different.
(A) Water-soluble β-1,3-1,4-glucan having a molecular weight of 500,000 or more (B) Water-soluble β-1,3-1,4-glucan having a molecular weight of 20,000 or more and less than 500,000 (C) Water-soluble β-1,3-1,4-glucan having a molecular weight of 500 or more and less than 20,000

  As the cereal flour, it is preferable to use a gramineous plant containing a large amount of β-1,3-1,4-glucan, and rye, rye wheat, rice, wheat, barley, oats, millet, millet, corn Etc., but it is more preferable to use barley flour and / or oats because it contains more β-1,3-1,4-glucan.

  As a part of the cereal flour, a skin part of the seed, a skin part (cradle) of the seed, a cob part, a stem part, a leaf part, an embryo, an endosperm part, or the like can be used. Here, the skin part of the seed is so-called bran or bran, the outer skin part of the seed is a rice bran, the cob is a corn cob, the stem is an inawara, a wheat bran, or the like. Among these, it is particularly preferable to use the endosperm part of barley in terms of a high β-1,3-1,4-glucan content.

  As an endosperm part of barley, what barley grain was shaved from the outer peripheral part to 90 mass%, Preferably what was 80 mass% or less is good. Further, it is preferable to use a barley variety having a high β-1,3-1,4-glucan content as a raw material. For example, Yonezawa Mochi, Shaved Mochi, Kashimamugi, Daishimochi, Ultimino Lime, Minorimugi, LT26, Ulti JEN84-1, Variants such as Godiva, Benihadaka, Uruchi H-HOR 4097/66, Nepa 11684, Riso 86, Four R series 1164, etc., and derived varieties based on these can be used.

  As the above-mentioned cereal flour, it is possible to use a product whose β-1,3-1,4-glucan content is increased by classification operation, and that water-soluble β-1,3-1,4- having a molecular weight of 500,000 or more. It is preferable because the glucan content can be easily adjusted to the above preferable range.

  In the classification operation, grains containing at least an endosperm portion of 50% by mass or more, particles having a particle size of 500 μm or more are 10% by volume or less, preferably 5% by volume or less, more preferably 0, and particles having a particle size of 40 μm or less. Is a particle having a particle size of 50 to 500 μm from the pulverized product obtained in the step A, and the step A pulverized so that the amount is 30 to 95% by volume, preferably 40 to 70% by volume, more preferably 48 to 60% by volume. Has a step B of obtaining a fraction of 80% by volume or more, preferably 90% by volume or more, more preferably 99% by volume or more.

  The pulverization method in the above step A may be in accordance with a conventional method. For example, the pulverization may be performed using a pulverizer such as a roller pulverizer, an impact pulverizer, a hammer mill (pulverizer), or a stone mill.

  In addition, the fractionation method in the above step B is not particularly limited. For example, the fractionation is performed by sieving, which is usually used for cereal classification, airflow classification, or the like, or in sieving fractionation, for example, using a screen having a desired roughness. The fraction on the screen may be collected by sieving for a certain period of time.

  As said cereal flour extract, what was obtained by extracting from the said cereal flour using warm water, cold water, an organic solvent, etc. is good.

  As a method for the above extraction treatment, for example, 2 to 100 times, preferably 3 to 10 times the amount of extraction solution is added to cereal flour, followed by stirring and extraction for 0.5 to 24 hours, followed by solid-liquid separation by a conventional method. A method of concentrating the supernatant or drying it as it is to obtain a cereal flour extract can be mentioned.

  Examples of the extraction solution include water, warm water, hot water or a salt solution, and further, an acid, an alkaline aqueous solution, an organic solvent, and the like. Among these, extraction with water, warm water or hot water is preferable. It is more preferable to extract with warm water of 30 ° C. or more and 60 or less.

  Moreover, you may add an extraction promoter etc. at the time of extraction. Furthermore, in the extraction treatment, extraction and hydrolysis may be performed simultaneously by a method using an acid or alkaline aqueous solution as an extraction solvent or a method using an enzyme solution.

  The cereal flour and / or cereal flour extract may be hydrolyzed, or may be hydrolyzed after mixing the cereal flour and the cereal flour extract. By performing this hydrolysis treatment, it is possible to obtain a β-glucan composition containing a large amount of the component (C2).

  In addition, as the hydrolysis method, a method of hydrolyzing ordinary polysaccharides such as heat treatment, acid or alkali treatment, enzyme treatment, etc. can be used. Among them, the above component (C2) can be produced at a high concentration. In terms of possible, enzyme treatment is optimal.

Specific examples of the enzyme used in the enzyme treatment include lichenase (EC 3.2.1.73) and cellulase (EC 3.2.1.4). In addition, endo-type β-glucanase, 1,3-β-D- Glucanase, 1,4-β-D-glucanase, a complex enzyme of these, and the like can also be used.
In addition, commercially available enzyme preparations include pectinase, xylanase, hemicellulase, cell wall lytic enzyme, enzymes that reduce the viscosity of the extract, enzyme preparations for preventing sedimentation of fruit juice components, beer and fruit juice, etc. There are enzyme preparations used for the purpose of reducing the viscosity of the gel and for the purpose of accelerating the filtration rate, and these enzyme preparations can also be used for the purpose of producing the low molecular β-glucan. Has the activity of degrading β-glucan into disaccharide cellobiose and monosaccharide glucose.

Therefore, in order to obtain the component (C2), it is preferable to use an enzyme that does not hydrolyze β-1,3-1,4-D-glucan to a degree of polymerization of 2 or less.
Examples of commercially available enzyme preparations corresponding to this include, for example, lichenase (manufactured by Nippon Biocon Co., Ltd.), celex (manufactured by Novozyme), grainase (manufactured by Daiwa Kasei Kogyo Co., Ltd.), finizyme (manufactured by Novozyme), cell crust (Novozyme) ), Ultraflo L (manufactured by Novozymes), Viscozyme L (manufactured by Novozymes), Sumiteam NX (manufactured by Shinnippon Chemical Co., Ltd.), Cellulosin T2 (manufactured by HIBI), Sumiteam ARS (manufactured by Shinnippon Chemical Industries) Can be mentioned. In addition, an enzyme having lichenase activity may be isolated and purified from these enzyme preparations.

  The method for producing a β-glucan composition of the present invention preferably includes a step of gelatinizing so that the degree of gelatinization is 25% or more, preferably 30% or more. This is because cereal flour contains a large amount of starch, and the starch is water-insoluble, so that the β-glucan composition obtained using such cereal flour is naturally low in water solubility, In cereal flour, β-1,3-1,4-glucan is often strongly bound to starch, so such β-1,3-1,4-glucan is water-soluble β-glucan. Therefore, by converting the water-insoluble β-1,3-1,4-glucan into water-soluble β-1,3-1,4-glucan by gelatinizing the starch in the gelatinization step This is because it is possible. The upper limit of the degree of gelatinization is 100%, but the dispersibility when added to water is good and the viscosity of the resulting aqueous solution does not become too high. Preferably, it is 85% or less.

  The gelatinization treatment may be performed on the cereal flour or may be performed after mixing the cereal flour and the cereal flour extract, but in terms of obtaining a more stable quality β-glucan composition, It is preferably performed after mixing the flour and the cereal flour extract.

EXAMPLES The present invention will be further described below with reference to examples and comparative examples, but the present invention is not limited to these examples.
In the following Examples and Comparative Examples, water-soluble β-1,3-1,4-glucan content, total β-1,3-1,4-glucan content, gelatinization degree, and (A), The (B), (C), (C1) and (C2) component contents were measured as follows.

<Method for measuring water-soluble β-1,3-1,4-glucan content>
The McClary method (enzyme method) was adopted for the measurement of the water-soluble β-1,3-1,4-glucan content. Specifically, a β-1,3-1,4-glucan content measurement kit (model number K-BGLU) (manufactured by Megazyme) was used. First, the moisture content of a measurement sample applied to a 500 μm (30 mesh) sieve was measured in advance (infrared moisture meter, model FD-230, manufactured by Kett), and the amount of anhydrous substance W (mg) was calculated. Separately, 10 mg of this measurement sample was taken in a 17 ml tube, and 200 μl of 50% (v / v) ethanol solution was added and dispersed. Next, 4 ml of 20 mM phosphate buffer (pH 6.5) was added and mixed well, and then heated in a boiling water bath for 1 minute. Mix well and heat in hot water bath for another 2 minutes. The supernatant is obtained by centrifugation, cooled to 50 ° C., allowed to stand for 5 minutes, and then the lichenase enzyme solution (the vial attached to the kit is diluted with 20 ml of 20 mM phosphate buffer, and the remaining amount is frozen). 200 μl (10 U) of preservation) was added and reacted at 50 ° C. for 1 hour. 5 ml of 200 mM acetate buffer (pH 4.0) was added to the tube and mixed gently. It was left to stand at room temperature for 5 minutes, and the supernatant was obtained by centrifugation. Take 100 μl of the supernatant in three tubes, one with 100 μl 50 mM acetate buffer (pH 4.0) and the other two with 100 μl (0.2 U) β-glucosidase solution (vials supplied with the kit) Was diluted with 20 ml of 50 mM acetate buffer, and the remaining amount was stored frozen), and reacted at 50 ° C. for 10 minutes. 3 ml of glucose oxidase / peroxidase solution was added and reacted at 50 ° C. for 20 minutes, and the absorbance (EA) at 510 nm of each sample was measured. Separately, the absorbance (EG) of 3 ml glucose oxidase / peroxidase solution containing 100 μg glucose is measured. From these measurement results, the water-soluble β-1,3-1,4-glucan content was determined by the following formula.

Water-soluble β-1,3-1,4-glucan content (%, w / w) = (EA) × (F / W) × 8.46
In the formula, F and W are as follows.
F = (100) / (absorbance EG of 100 μg of glucose)
W = Amount of anhydrous substance (mg)

<Measuring method of total β-1,3-1,4-glucan content>
The total β-1,3-1,4 was measured in the same manner as the method for measuring the content of water-soluble β-1,3-1,4-glucan, except that centrifugation after heating in a hot water bath was not performed for 2 minutes. -The glucan content was determined.

<(A), (B), (C), (C1) and (C2) component content measuring method>
Regarding the molecular weight distribution of water-soluble β-1,3-1,4-glucan contained in each β-glucan composition, that is, the content of components (A), (B), (C), (C1) and (C2) It measured as follows.

First, 10 ml of distilled water was added to 10 mg of the test sample, and heated in a boiling water bath for 1 minute. Mix well and heat in hot water bath for another 2 minutes. The supernatant was obtained by centrifugation, and the supernatant was filtered with a disposable syringe filter unit (cellulose acetate membrane, 0.45 μm, manufactured by Advantech) to obtain a sample for molecular weight distribution measurement. Next, the molecular weight distribution of this sample was measured using the HPLC system shown below. In addition, the barley flour used for the measurement of molecular weight distribution is barley flour (β-glucan content 4.6%) manufactured by Abe Seiwa Co., Ltd.
Column; TSK GEL G6000PWXL (Tosoh) -Shodex Sugar SB-802 (Showa Denko), column temperature 60 ° C, flow rate 0.5 ml / min, detection by RI and UV (280 nm) (45 ° C), sample application amount 50 μl (test sample) The concentration was 1 mg / ml), and the elution solvent was isocratic elution with Milli-Q water.
From the obtained columnogram, by using GPC analysis software (GPC-8020 model II data analysis Ver.4.20, Tosoh Corporation), β-glucan molecular weight distribution, that is, (A), (B), (C), ( C1) and (C2) component contents were determined.

The peak component on GPC was confirmed to be derived from β-glucan by the following method.
That is, a lichenase enzyme solution (Megazyme, 1000 U / mL, Lot. 60502) was added to 1 ml of the above molecular weight measurement sample so as to be 0.2 U, and reacted at 55 ° C. overnight. This solution was analyzed in the same manner as in Analysis Example-2.
From the above analysis results, the peak corresponding to β-glucan disappears due to the lichenase treatment, and the retention time corresponding to 3 to 4 sugars in the peak of the area value corresponding to the disappeared area value in all samples (37.5 to 39.5 minutes) The above-mentioned (A), (B), (C), (C1) and (C2) were detected by the method for measuring the content of components, and the peak component was β-glucan on GPC, and these were lichenases. Therefore, it can be considered that it was mainly decomposed to 3-4 sugars.

<Measurement method of gelatinization degree>
The degree of gelatinization was measured by the glucoamylase method of food analysis. First, 200 ml of ethanol was added to 20 g of the measurement sample, stirred for 1 minute, and then centrifuged (8000 rpm / minute, 5 minutes), and 200 ml of ethanol was added to the resulting precipitate. This was stirred for 1 minute and then centrifuged again (8000 rpm / minute, 5 minutes), and 200 ml of ether was added to the resulting precipitate. This was stirred for 1 minute and then centrifuged again (8000 rpm / minute, 5 minutes), and the resulting precipitate was dried. 8 ml of distilled water was added to 100 mg of the resulting dried precipitate to make a uniform suspension. 2 ml was taken into two test tubes, and 1.6 ml of 2 mol / l acetate buffer (pH 4.8) and 0.4 ml of distilled water were added to one tube to obtain a measurement sample solution. The other was completely dissolved by adding 0.2 ml of 10 mol / l sodium hydroxide, and then 1.6 ml of 2 mol / l acetic acid and 4 ml of acetic acid were added to obtain a completely gelatinized sample solution. 1 ml of glucoamylase solution (2.63 units) was added to these sample solutions and reacted at 37 ° C. for 60 minutes. After completion of the reaction, 20 ml of 25 mmol / l hydrochloric acid was added to 0.5 ml of the reaction solution and stirred, and the glucose amount (sugar amount) was quantified by the Sommoji Nelson method. The degree of gelatinization was calculated from the following equation.
Gelatinization degree (%) = (sugar amount in sample solution / sugar amount in complete gelatinized sample solution) × 100

<Production of β-glucan composition>
Example 1
In 2006, Minorimu from Niigata Prefecture was shaved from the outer periphery, and barley grain (endosperm partial content: 100% by mass) having a final fine rate of 60% was pulverized with a roller-type pulverizer. 10 kg of the obtained pulverized product was treated with a 140 mesh sieve for 60 minutes to obtain 4.3 kg of the fraction on the sieve. This was pulverized with a pulverizer (Pin Mill DD-2-3.7, Hadano Sangyo) to obtain barley flour S.
On the other hand, 2 kg of barley flour S was added to a 30 L stirring tank while stirring by adding 10 L of tap water containing 10 ml of enzyme preparation (Celcrust R: manufactured by Novozyme) and stirred at 50 ° C. for 2 hours. Extraction was performed. 8 kg of supernatant (β-glucan extract) was obtained with a continuous centrifuge (H-660, Kokusan Co., Ltd.). The β-glucan extract is concentrated approximately 4 times under reduced pressure at 80 ° C with Leonider (Sugawara Kogyo), frozen at -20 ° C, naturally thawed, collected by centrifugation, and freeze-dried. 270 g of cereal flour extract S was obtained.
After the barley flour S and the cereal flour extract S are mixed at a mass ratio of 80:20, the mixture is added to a kneader (bench kneader PNV-1 (Irie Shokai)) and watered until the water content becomes 40 mass%. , Heated at 85 ° C. for 120 minutes, dried to a moisture content of 7.0% by vacuum drying with a water pump, and then adjusted the particle size knob of a pulverizer (trade name: Micro Powder, manufactured by West Co., Ltd.) to 10 It was set to a micron and further pulverized to obtain β-glucan composition 1 of the present invention.
The obtained β-glucan composition 1 has a water-soluble β-1,3-1,4-glucan content, total β-1,3-1,4-glucan content, degree of gelatinization, (A), (B), The mass ratio of the components (C), (C1) and (C2) is shown in Table 1.
When 10 g of the obtained β-glucan composition 1 was added to 100 ml of water and stirred, it was easily dissolved and it was confirmed that the water solubility was good.

Example 2
In 2004, oak from Ibaraki Prefecture was shaved from the outer periphery, and barley grain (endosperm partial content: 100% by mass) having a final fine rate of 60% was pulverized with a roller-type pulverizer. 4 kg of the obtained pulverized product was treated with a 140 mesh sieve for 60 minutes to obtain 880 g of a fraction on the sieve. This was pulverized with a pin mill pulverizer (Pin Mill DD-2-3.7, Hadano Sangyo) to obtain barley flour U.
On the other hand, 10 g of tap water was added to a 30 L stirring tank, 2 kg of the barley flour S was added with stirring, and β-glucan was extracted at 60 ° C. for 4 hours. 8 kg of supernatant (β-glucan extract) was obtained with a continuous centrifuge (H-660, Kokusan Co., Ltd.). The β-glucan extract is concentrated approximately 4 times under reduced pressure at 80 ° C with Leonider (Sugawara Kogyo), frozen at -20 ° C, naturally thawed, collected by centrifugation, and freeze-dried. 220 g of cereal flour extract T was obtained.
After mixing the barley flour U and the cereal flour extract T at a mass ratio of 70:30, the mixture is added to a kneader (bench kneader PNV-1 (Irie Shokai)) and watered until the water content becomes 40 mass%. , Heated at 85 ° C. for 120 minutes, dried to a moisture content of 7.0% by vacuum drying with a water pump, and then adjusted the particle size knob of a pulverizer (trade name: Micro Powder, manufactured by West Co., Ltd.) to 10 It was set to a micron and further pulverized to obtain β-glucan composition 2 of the present invention.
The obtained β-glucan composition 2 has a water-soluble β-1,3-1,4-glucan content, total β-1,3-1,4-glucan content, degree of gelatinization, (A), (B), The mass ratio of the components (C), (C1) and (C2) is shown in Table 1.
When 10 g of the obtained β-glucan composition 2 was added to 100 ml of water and stirred, it was easily dissolved and it was confirmed that the water solubility was good.

Example 3
After mixing the barley flour S and oat-derived β-glucan (Megazyme, β-glucan content 90%) at a mass ratio of 89:11, the mixture was put into a kneader (bench kneader PNV-1 (Irie Shokai)). After water was added until the water content reached 40% by mass, heat treatment was performed at 85 ° C. for 120 minutes, and this was dried to a moisture content of 7.0% by vacuum drying with a water pump, and then a pulverizer (trade name: The particle size knob of Micro Powder (manufactured by West Co., Ltd.) was set to 10 microns and further pulverized to obtain β-glucan composition 3 of the present invention.
The resulting β-glucan composition 3 has a water-soluble β-1,3-1,4-glucan content, total β-1,3-1,4-glucan content, degree of gelatinization, (A), (B), The mass ratio of the components (C), (C1) and (C2) is shown in Table 1. When 10 g of the obtained β-glucan composition 3 was added to 100 ml of water and stirred, it was easily dissolved and it was confirmed that the water solubility was good.

Example 4
Five times the amount of water was added to barley flour S, Celexix (manufactured by Novozyme) was added to 0.01% (w / w) of the flour, and enzyme treatment was performed at 40 ° C. for 1 hour. Thereafter, the enzyme reaction was stopped by heating at 85 ° C. for 30 minutes, and the entire amount of the resulting solution was freeze-dried to obtain an enzyme-treated product S.
On the other hand, tap water was added to commercially available fiber snow, and after impregnation, the water content was 16% and pulverized with an airflow pulverizer (Nishimura Machine) to obtain a barley pulverized product. The 10 kg was treated with a 140 mesh sieve for 60 minutes to obtain 3.2 kg fraction on the sieve. This was further pulverized with a pulverizer (Pin Mill DD-2-3.7, Hadano Sangyo) to obtain barley flour T. After heating the barley flour T at 90 ° C. for 30 minutes, 10 times the amount of water was added, followed by stirring and extraction at 85 ° C. for 1 hour, and a supernatant was obtained by centrifugation. The supernatant was lyophilized to obtain a cereal flour extract U.
The enzyme-treated product S, the cereal flour extract T, and the cereal flour extract U were mixed at a mass ratio of 20:67:13 to obtain the β-glucan composition 4 of the present invention.
The obtained β-glucan composition 4 has a water-soluble β-1,3-1,4-glucan content, total β-1,3-1,4-glucan content, degree of gelatinization, (A), (B), The mass ratio of the components (C), (C1) and (C2) is shown in Table 1. When 10 g of the obtained β-glucan composition 4 was added to 100 ml of water and stirred, it was easily dissolved and it was confirmed that the water solubility was good.

Example 5
2 L of distilled water was added to 100 g of the barley flour S, and the mixture was extracted by stirring at 85 ° C. for 20 minutes. Thereafter, the whole amount was centrifuged to obtain a supernatant, and the obtained supernatant was frozen at −20 ° C. and then thawed. The freeze-thawed solution was centrifuged, an equal amount of ethanol was added to the resulting supernatant, and the resulting precipitate was collected by suction filtration. The obtained precipitate was washed with distilled water at 4 ° C. and then freeze-dried to obtain a cereal flour extract V.
On the other hand, after adding 10 times the amount of water to 100 g of the above-mentioned cereal flour extract S in a 3 L container to make it suspended, an enzyme (Grainase: manufactured by Daiwa Kasei Co., Ltd.) is added to a barley flour content of 0.01%. Then, the enzyme treatment was performed by stirring at 50 ° C. for 2 hours. After the treatment, the enzyme-treated product T was obtained by lyophilization as it was.
The barley flour U, cereal flour extract T, cereal flour extract V, and enzyme-treated product T were mixed at a mass ratio of 20: 9: 57: 14 to obtain β-glucan composition 5 of the present invention.
The resulting β-glucan composition 5 has a water-soluble β-1,3-1,4-glucan content, total β-1,3-1,4-glucan content, degree of gelatinization, (A), (B), The mass ratio of the components (C), (C1) and (C2) is shown in Table 1. When 10 g of the obtained β-glucan composition 5 was added to 100 ml of water and stirred, it was easily dissolved and it was confirmed that the water solubility was good.

Comparative Example 1
The cereal flour extract V was used as it was as a comparative β-glucan composition 6.
The obtained β-glucan composition 6 has a water-soluble β-1,3-1,4-glucan content, total β-1,3-1,4-glucan content, degree of gelatinization, (A), (B), The mass ratio of the components (C), (C1) and (C2) is shown in Table 1.
When 10 g of the obtained β-glucan composition 6 was added to 100 ml of water and stirred, it was easily dissolved and it was confirmed that the water solubility was good.

Comparative Example 2
The enzyme-treated product T was used as it was as a comparative β-glucan composition 7.
The obtained β-glucan composition 7 has a water-soluble β-1,3-1,4-glucan content, total β-1,3-1,4-glucan content, degree of gelatinization, (A), (B), The mass ratio of the components (C), (C1) and (C2) is shown in Table 1. When 10 g of the obtained β-glucan composition 7 was added to 100 ml of water and stirred, it was easily dissolved and it was confirmed that the water solubility was good.

Comparative Example 3
Commercially available fiber snow was used as it was as a comparative β-glucan composition 8.
The obtained β-glucan composition 8 has a water-soluble β-1,3-1,4-glucan content, total β-1,3-1,4-glucan content, degree of gelatinization, (A), (B), The mass ratio of the components (C), (C1) and (C2) is shown in Table 1.
When 10 g of the obtained β-glucan composition 8 was added to 100 ml of water and stirred, lumps were generated, and it was confirmed that the water solubility was poor.

<Suppression test of blood glucose level by mice>
Using the β-glucan compositions 1 to 8 obtained in Examples 1 to 5 and Comparative Examples 1 to 3, a blood glucose level increase inhibition test was performed by the following method.
MF (manufactured by Oriental Yeast Co., Ltd.) was administered for 4 days to 5 5-week-old Balb / c male mice (CLEA Japan, Inc.) in each group for 4 days. The sugar tolerance test was performed after fasting overnight (18 hours) the day before the test. For the evaluation of the test sample, 400 mg of the test sample and glucose were orally administered at the same time so as to obtain 2000 mg / kg body weight. As a control, glucose alone was orally administered at 2000 mg / kg body weight. Blood was collected from the tail vein 30 minutes, 60 minutes, and 120 minutes before and after glucose loading, and the blood glucose level was measured with a simple blood glucose level measuring device Freestyle Kissei Meter (manufactured by Nipro Corporation). Further, the area under the blood glucose level curve (ΔAUC) was calculated, and the reduction rate (%) of the area under the blood glucose level curve (ΔAUC) of each sample with respect to the control until 60 minutes after the glucose load was determined. did.

<Human blood glucose level rise suppression test and insulin secretion promotion test>
Using the β-glucan composition 1 obtained in Example 1 above, a blood glucose level increase inhibition test and an insulin secretion promotion test were performed by a 75 g oral glucose tolerance test (75 g OGTT) for diabetic border region volunteers.
The test method is as follows. After ingesting a solution prepared by dissolving β-glucan composition 1 (5 g) in water (200 ml), a 75 g glucose load (Torayran G75, manufactured by Ajinomoto Co., Inc.) was performed. As a control, glucose was loaded after ingesting water (200 ml). Changes in insulin concentration before and after glucose loading were measured 15, 30, 60, 90 and 120 minutes after glucose loading. At the same time, changes in blood glucose concentration (blood glucose level) were also measured. In addition, the selection of humans in the boundary region is performed according to the judgment category and criteria in the 75 g glucose tolerance test (Katsuya et al., Diabetes, 42 (5), 385, 1999), and normal in the diabetes area in the glucose tolerance test control. Those who did not belong to the territory were considered as applicable persons.
The results are shown in FIG. 1 (blood glucose level increase suppression test result) and FIG. 2 (insulin secretion promotion test result).
As a result, in the case of volunteers targeting the so-called diabetic boundary region exhibiting impaired glucose tolerance (n = 5), ingestion of β-glucan composition 1 was found to suppress the increase in blood glucose level after glucose load. That is, the blood glucose level at 60 minutes after glucose load was significantly lower (p <0.05) than the control (control, 225 ± 38.6 mg / dl, β-glucan composition 1 intake group 209.2 ± 34.3 mg / dl) dl, p = 0.03).
In addition, when β-glucan composition 1 was ingested after glucose loading, insulin secretion showed an increasing tendency from 15 minutes after glucose loading, and a significant increase in insulin secretion was confirmed at 60 minutes after loading. (Control, sample A intake group 76.3 ± 13.6 μU / ml, p = 0.06 for 67.8 ± 14.6 μU / ml).
In addition, after 60 minutes after loading, insulin secretion still does not decrease until 120 minutes after the end of the test at the time of control, whereas after ingestion of β-glucan composition 1 Secretion shows a decrease, and improvement in insulin secretion is seen.
From these results, it was confirmed that the β-glucan composition of the present invention has an effect of suppressing blood sugar elevation and an effect of promoting insulin secretion for humans in the borderline diabetes region.

Claims (11)

The following components (A), (B) and (C) are mixed at a mass ratio of 10 to 85:10 to 85: 5 to 60 (provided that (A) + (B) + (C) = 100). A β-glucan composition characterized by comprising.
(A) Water-soluble β-1,3-1,4-glucan having a molecular weight of 500,000 or more (B) Water-soluble β-1,3-1,4-glucan having a molecular weight of 20,000 or more and less than 500,000 (C) Water-soluble β-1,3-1,4-glucan having a molecular weight of 500 or more and less than 20,000 The component (C) comprises the following components (C1) and (C2), and the components (C1) and (C2) are contained in a mass ratio of 15 to 85:85 to 15. The β-glucan composition according to 1.
(C1) Water-soluble β-1,3-1,4-glucan having a molecular weight of 500 or more and less than 6000 (C2) Water-soluble β-1,3-1,4-glucan having a molecular weight of 6000 or more and less than 20,000   The β-glucan composition according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the total content of starches and sugars is 80% by mass or less.   Food-drinks containing the beta glucan composition in any one of Claims 1-3.   A blood glucose level increase inhibitor comprising the β-glucan composition according to any one of claims 1 to 3 as an active ingredient.   The insulin secretion promoter which uses the beta glucan composition in any one of Claims 1-3 as an active ingredient. A method for producing the β-glucan composition according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The following components (A), (B) and (C) are mixed at a mass ratio of 10 to 85:10 to 85: 5 to 60 (provided that (A) + (B) + (C) = 100). A method for producing a β-glucan composition, comprising mixing two or more kinds of cereal flour extracts having different molecular weight distributions of β-glucan so as to contain them.
(A) Water-soluble β-1,3-1,4-glucan having a molecular weight of 500,000 or more (B) Water-soluble β-1,3-1,4-glucan having a molecular weight of 20,000 or more and less than 500,000 (C) Water-soluble β-1,3-1,4-glucan having a molecular weight of 500 or more and less than 20,000 A method for producing the β-glucan composition according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The following components (A), (B) and (C) are mixed at a mass ratio of 10 to 85:10 to 85: 5 to 60 (provided that (A) + (B) + (C) = 100). A method for producing a β-glucan composition comprising mixing a cereal flour and a cereal flour extract so as to contain.
(A) Water-soluble β-1,3-1,4-glucan having a molecular weight of 500,000 or more (B) Water-soluble β-1,3-1,4-glucan having a molecular weight of 20,000 or more and less than 500,000 (C) Water-soluble β-1,3-1,4-glucan having a molecular weight of 500 or more and less than 20,000   The method for producing a β-glucan composition according to claim 8, wherein the cereal flour has a β-1,3-1,4-glucan content increased by classification operation.   The method for producing a β-glucan composition according to claim 8 or 9, further comprising a step of gelatinizing so that the degree of gelatinization is 25% or more.   The method for producing a β-glucan composition according to any one of claims 7 to 10, wherein the cereal flour and / or cereal flour extract is hydrolyzed.

Images