JP2009268400A - Alcohol feeling-enhancing agent - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an alcohol feeling-enhancing agent enhancing alcohol feeling of a juice containing alcohol and organic acid, and/or food and drink containing carbohydrate. <P>SOLUTION: The alcohol feeling-enhancing agent is obtained by adding poly-γ-glutamic acid or its salt to juice containing alcohol and organic acid, and/or food and drink containing carbohydrate. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an alcohol feeling enhancer.

  In recent years, due to health-oriented backgrounds, the market for low-alcohol beverages with alcohol content reduced to about 10% or less is growing. In addition, due to the social background prohibiting drunk driving, the market for beverages with alcohol content of less than 1%, which is considered non-alcoholic beverages, is also growing. These include low-alcohol drinks with reduced sugars from the health-oriented aspect, and low-alcohol drinks that contain a large amount of fruit juice as products targeting women. These low-alcohol beverages have a problem of low alcohol feeling in order to enjoy alcohol as a favorite product.

  A technique using polyglutamic acid in an alcoholic beverage has been reported (see Patent Document 1). Among them, when polyglutamic acid is added to a beverage as a beverage agent in an amount of 0.001% to 5%, viscosity and mouthfeel that are not found in conventional beverages can be obtained, and the acidity of the beverage can be suppressed, and the taste can be reduced. It is described that it becomes mellow.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 02-249474

  However, since the invention of Patent Document 1 described above was also intended to impart a high viscosity of beverages to various beverages, it was necessary to add a large amount of polyglutamic acid to the beverages. For this reason, only the effects obtained when polyglutamic acid is added in a large amount are described.

As a result of intensive studies to solve the above problems, the present inventors have completed the present invention. The present invention includes the following inventions.
(1) Alcohol feeling enhancer for foods and drinks containing 0.01% by weight or more and 10% by weight or less alcohol and fruit juice and / or carbohydrate containing organic acid, wherein the alcohol feeling enhancer is poly-γ-glutamic acid Or the alcohol feeling enhancer which adds the salt so that it may become 0.001 weight% or more and 0.3 weight% or less in the said food-drinks.
(2) Alcohol feeling enhancer as described in said invention (1) with respect to the food-drinks containing 10 to 85 weight% of fruit juice containing the said organic acid.
(3) Alcohol feeling enhancer for foods and drinks containing 0.01 wt% or more and 10 wt% or less alcohol and carbohydrates 0.5 wt% or more and 5 wt% or less, wherein the alcohol feeling enhancer is poly-γ- Alcohol feeling enhancer which adds glutamic acid or its salt so that it may become 0.005 weight% or more and less than 0.015 weight% in the said food-drinks.
(4) 0.01% by weight to 10% by weight of alcohol, fruit juice and / or carbohydrate containing an organic acid, and 0.001% by weight to 0.3% by weight of poly-γ-glutamic acid or a salt thereof Including food and drinks.
(5) The food-drinks according to the invention (4), wherein the poly-γ-glutamic acid or a salt thereof has a weight average molecular weight of 10,000 to 1,000,000.
(6) 0.01% by weight or more and 10% by weight or less alcohol, fruit juice and / or carbohydrate containing an organic acid, and 0.001% by weight or more and 0.3% by weight or less poly-γ-glutamic acid or a salt thereof Including low-alcohol beverages.
(7) The low-alcohol beverage according to the invention (6), wherein the poly-γ-glutamic acid or a salt thereof has a weight average molecular weight of 10,000 to 1,000,000.

  In the present invention, poly-γ-glutamic acid (hereinafter also referred to as γ-PGA) refers to a polymer compound in which the constituent amino acid is glutamic acid and a peptide bond is formed at the carboxyl group at the γ position.

  Note that the present invention includes any combination of these components, and those in which the expression of the present invention is replaced between methods and apparatuses.

For example, according to this invention, the manufacturing method of food-drinks including the process of adding the alcohol feeling enhancer containing poly-gamma-glutamic acid or its salt is provided.
Moreover, according to this invention, the alcohol feeling enhancement method of food / beverage products which contains poly- (gamma) -glutamic acid or its salt in food / beverage products is provided.

  As described above, according to the present invention, by adding a specific amount of poly-γ-glutamic acid or a salt thereof to a food or drink containing a specific amount of alcohol and a fruit juice and / or carbohydrate containing an organic acid, Alcohol feeling of the food and drink can be enhanced.

The alcohol feeling in the present invention means a taste of ethanol and a refreshing feeling and / or a feeling of weight which are felt after swallowing. Sometimes expressed as having good throat. It is different from the alcoholic flavor that is felt by the nose before and during eating and drinking.
Alcohol feeling enhancement refers to a state in which the alcohol feeling increases as the alcohol concentration increases, and the alcohol feeling enhancing agent of the present invention contains poly-γ-glutamic acid or a salt thereof. There is no restriction | limiting in particular in the form of an alcohol feeling enhancer, A powder, a granule, a tablet, a liquid, a gel form etc. are illustrated, A powder form or a granular form is preferable from the point of workability | operativity. There is no limitation in particular in the addition time of the alcohol feeling enhancer with respect to food-drinks.

  As the γ-PGA used in the present invention, for example, γ-PGA in the sticky material of natto may be extracted and used, or γ-PGA secreted outside the cells of the genus Bacillus such as Bacillus natto may be used. . Moreover, there is no problem even if it contains levan in natto mucilage or secreted by natto bacteria at the same time. In addition, in order to obtain γ-PGA having a predetermined molecular weight, a method of reducing the molecular weight of γ-PGA having a molecular weight higher than that with a special enzyme that does not exist in the intestine that degrades acid or γ-bond, There is a method of secreting γ-PGA having the molecular weight by culturing, and either γ-PGA may be used.

  γ-PGA is generally obtained as a sodium salt, but may be other metal salts such as potassium salt, calcium salt and magnesium salt, or free polyglutamic acid.

In the present invention, the weight average molecular weight of γ-PGA is, for example, preferably 3000 or more, more preferably 5000 or more, and even more preferably 10,000 or more, from the viewpoint of enhancing the feeling of alcohol.
The weight average molecular weight of γ-PGA is preferably 3 million or less, more preferably 1 million or less, and even more preferably 100,000 or less, from the viewpoint of solubility during the production process. preferable.
In addition, when the molecular weight is low, it is easily decomposed during storage of the solution, and when the molecular weight is too high, the viscosity of the aqueous solution is too high and handling becomes difficult. Therefore, it is preferable to use 10,000 to 1,000,000 γ-PGA from the viewpoint of handling as a pharmaceutical composition or a food / beverage product composition.
In addition, the weight average molecular weight of (gamma) -PGA is measured by the light-scattering method, for example. At this time, for example, dn / dc (refractive index concentration increment, solvent 100 mM Tris-HCl (pH 8.6) and 0.3 M NaCl) at the wavelength of 633 nm is 0.191.

In the present invention, the alcohol contained in the food or drink is not particularly limited as long as it is used in the food or drink, but means ethanol unless otherwise specified.
The ratio of the alcohol with respect to the whole food-drinks in this invention is 0.01 weight% or more from a viewpoint of strengthening an alcohol feeling, Preferably it is 0.3 weight% or more. When the proportion of alcohol is less than 0.01% by weight, the feeling of alcohol is not enhanced even when γ-PGA is added. In the study of the present invention, it was found that even when γ-PGA was added to an alcohol-free beverage, the alcohol feeling was not enhanced, so that the alcohol feeling does not exist in γ-PGA itself, but by acting with alcohol. It was found that the feeling of alcohol was enhanced.
Moreover, the ratio of the alcohol with respect to the whole food-drinks is 10 weight% or less, Preferably it is 8 weight% or less. If the proportion of alcohol is more than this, the alcoholic enhancing effect cannot be identified because of the original alcoholic feeling. Therefore, in this invention, it is useful in the food-drinks with especially low alcohol content, especially a low alcohol drink. In the present invention, the low alcohol beverage means an alcoholic beverage having an alcohol content of 0.01 wt% or more and 10 wt% or less.

In the present invention, fruit juice containing organic acid contained in food and drink refers to fruit juice containing organic acids such as citric acid, malic acid, tartaric acid, succinic acid, fumaric acid, and gluconic acid. For example, semi-fruits such as lemons, grapefruits and oranges, fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes and strawberries, apples, pears such as loquat, berries such as grapes and pineapples, peaches, ume, apricots, cherries, etc. The juice of the fruit of the drupe.
Although the ratio of the fruit juice containing the organic acid with respect to the whole food-drinks in this invention is not specifically limited, Since it turned out that (gamma) -PGA improves a fruit juice feeling synergistically, 2 weight% or more is preferable and 10 weight% or more is preferable. Is more preferable.
Moreover, although there is no limitation in particular in the upper limit of the ratio of the fruit juice containing the organic acid with respect to the whole food / beverage products, since alcohol, a carbohydrate, and (gamma) -PGA can also become a structural component in the food / beverage products of this application, in order to contain them, 85 weight % Or less is preferable in terms of product design.

In the present invention, the carbohydrates contained in foods and drinks specifically mean dietary fiber, saccharides, etc., and the saccharides include sugars such as monosaccharides and disaccharides, and indigestible sugars such as sugar alcohols and cyclodextrins. Quality and oligosaccharides. Among carbohydrates, carbohydrates are particularly preferable because they can adjust the taste.
The ratio of the carbohydrate to the whole food and drink in the present invention is not particularly limited, but the effect of imparting the mellowness and richness of the food and drink by the action between γ-PGA and the carbohydrate is found, and when the carbohydrate is contained. Since it has been found that the feeling of alcohol is improved, it is preferably 0.5% by weight or more.
The upper limit of the ratio of carbohydrates to the entire food and drink is not particularly limited, but foods and drinks prepared with a carbohydrate ratio of 5% by weight or less are sweet and balanced to make other tastes stand out from the mellowness. For this reason, it is considered that when too much γ-PGA is added, the balance is lost, and at the same time, the alcohol feeling is enhanced. Therefore, when the proportion of carbohydrate is 5% by weight or less, the proportion of γ-PGA in the total food and drink is 0.005% by weight or more and less than 0.015% by weight. It was.

  Some alcoholic foods and drinks having a carbohydrate content of 0.5 wt% or more and 5 wt% or less do not contain fruit juices such as beer, but there are also foods and drinks such as Chu Hai containing fruit juices. When fruit juice is contained in an alcoholic food or drink having an amount of carbohydrate of 0.5% by weight or more and 5% by weight or less, the amount of juice with respect to the entire food or drink is preferably 0.1% by weight or more and 5.5% by weight or less. Since fruit juice contains carbohydrates, not only is the amount naturally limited, but the sweetness and mellowness of foods and drinks are adjusted, and the balance of taste is obtained and the effect of enhancing the feeling of alcohol is observed.

In the present invention, the food and drink is not particularly limited as long as it contains a predetermined amount of fruit juice and / or carbohydrate containing alcohol and organic acid, but a drink is preferred from the viewpoint of enhancing the feeling of alcohol expressed as having good throatiness. .
Specific examples of beverages include low alcohol beverages having an alcohol concentration of 10% by weight or less. More specifically, examples include non-alcohol beer containing 0.01% by weight or more of alcohol, beer alcoholic beverages such as beer and happoshu, Chuhai alcoholic beverages, and cocktail alcoholic beverages. Moreover, the low alcohol drink of this invention is not concerned with the presence or absence of carbonation.
Examples of food include ice cream, sorbet, jelly, mousse, chocolate, cakes and the like. More specifically, ice cream, sherbet, jelly, and the like, which are cold foods, are preferable examples from the viewpoint of refreshing feeling due to enhanced alcohol feeling.

  As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated based on embodiment, these are an illustration to the last and various modifications are also contained in the scope of the present invention.

  In the following Examples, Ajinomoto Co., Ltd. Kartake (registered trademark) was used as γ-PGA. The molecular weight of γ-PGA used was about 30,000.

Example 1
[Evaluation with cocktail (grapefruit)] Beverage preparation: brewing alcohol (95%) 0.84 g, grapefruit juice (100%) 15.2 g, liquid sugar 0.45 g, anhydrous citric acid 0.22 g, sodium citrate 0.055g, acesulfame K0.05g, sucralose 0.002g, fragrance (grapefruit) 0.1g, mixed with water 83g, γ-PGA 0.005%, 0.01%, 0.03% Prepared.

(Example 2)
[Evaluation with Chuhai (Grapefruit)] Beverage preparation: 4.42 g of alcohol for brewing (95%), 5.2 g of grapefruit juice (100%), 0.45 g of liquid sugar, 0.22 g of anhydrous citric acid, sodium citrate 0.055g, Acesulfame K0.05g, Sucralose 0.002g, Fragrance (Grapefruit) 0.1g, Water 32.1g, Carbonated water 60g, γ-PGA 0.005%, 0.01% , 0.03% was prepared.

(Example 3)
[Evaluation with cocktail (apple)] Beverage preparation: alcohol for brewing (95%) 0.84g, apple fruit juice (100%) 17.6g, liquid sugar 0.45g, anhydrous citric acid 0.22g, sodium citrate 0.055 g, Acesulfame K 0.05 g, Sucralose 0.002 g, Fragrance (Apple) 0.1 g, Water 80.7 g mixed, γ-PGA 0.005%, 0.01%, 0.015 %, 0.03%, and 0.05%.

Example 4
[Evaluation with chu-hi (grapefruit)] Preparation of beverage: The brand name “Full squeezed chu-hi grapefruit” (manufactured by Mercian Co., Ltd.) (fruit juice 28%, alcohol 6%, sugar 2.5%) was used. PGA was added and mixed in 0.005%, 0.015%, and 0.03%.

(Example 5)
[Evaluation with Cocktail (Tomato)] Beverage Preparation: Using the trade name “Tomate” (manufactured by Asahi Breweries Co., Ltd.) (45% tomato juice, 5% lemon juice, 5% alcohol, 4.1% sugar) Γ-PGA was mixed with 0.005%, 0.01%, 0.015%, 0.03%, and 0.05%.

(Example 6)
[Evaluation with cocktail (vegetables)] Beverage preparation: This was made using a brand name “Vegite” (manufactured by Asahi Breweries) (vegetable juice 20%, fruit juice 20%, alcohol 4%, sugar 8.1%). Were prepared by blending γ-PGA with 0.005%, 0.01%, 0.015%, 0.03%, 0.05%.

(Example 7)
[Evaluation with beer with less than 1% alcohol] Beverage preparation: Trade name “Fine Brew” (manufactured by Suntory Ltd.) (sugar 3.8%, alcohol content 0.5%), to which γ-PGA is 0 0.005%, 0.01%, 0.015%, 0.03%, and 0.05% were prepared.

(Comparative Example 1)
“Evaluation with zero sugar beer” Beverage preparation: Using the product name “Asahi Style Free” (manufactured by Asahi Breweries Co., Ltd.) (sugar less than 0.5%, alcohol content 4%), and using γ-PGA It was prepared by blending 0.005%, 0.01%, 0.015%, 0.03%, 0.05%.

  Sensory evaluation was performed on Examples 1 to 7 and Comparative Example 1, and the results are summarized in Table 1. The sensory evaluation was performed by three specialized panels, each of which had a difference of -3 (weak) to +3 (strong) compared to the additive-free product (the score was in increments of 0.1). "+" When the average score is +0.1 or higher, "++" when the average is +0.5 or higher, "-" when -0.1 or lower, "±" when -0.1 to +0.1 The part where the experiment was not performed is hatched.

  According to the present invention, by adding a specific amount of poly-γ-glutamic acid or a salt thereof to a food or drink containing a specific amount of fruit juice and / or carbohydrate containing alcohol and an organic acid, the alcohol feeling of the food or drink is obtained. Can be strengthened.

Claims (7)

  An alcohol feeling enhancer for foods and drinks containing 0.01% by weight or more and 10% by weight or less alcohol and a fruit juice and / or carbohydrate containing an organic acid, wherein the alcohol feeling enhancer is poly-γ-glutamic acid or a salt thereof. Is added to the food / beverage product in an amount of 0.001 wt% or more and 0.3 wt% or less.   The alcohol feeling enhancer of Claim 1 with respect to the food / beverage products in which the fruit juice containing the said organic acid is contained 10weight% or more and 85weight% or less.   An alcohol feeling enhancer for foods and drinks containing 0.01 wt% or more and 10 wt% or less alcohol and carbohydrates 0.5 wt% or more and 5 wt% or less, wherein the alcohol feeling enhancer is poly-γ-glutamic acid or its Alcohol feeling enhancer which adds salt so that it may become 0.005 weight% or more and less than 0.015 weight% in the said food-drinks.   A food or drink comprising 0.01% by weight or more and 10% by weight or less of alcohol, fruit juice and / or carbohydrate containing organic acid, and 0.001% by weight or more and 0.3% by weight or less of poly-γ-glutamic acid or a salt thereof. Goods.   The food / beverage product according to claim 4, wherein the poly-γ-glutamic acid or a salt thereof has a weight average molecular weight of 10,000 to 1,000,000.   A low amount containing 0.01% by weight or more and 10% by weight or less of alcohol, fruit juice and / or carbohydrate containing organic acid, and 0.001% by weight or more and 0.3% by weight or less of poly-γ-glutamic acid or a salt thereof. Alcoholic beverages.   The low-alcohol beverage according to claim 6, wherein the poly-γ-glutamic acid or a salt thereof has a weight average molecular weight of 10,000 to 1,000,000.