JP2009291175A - Gelling agent for acidic thick liquid diet, and method for producing gelled acidic thick liquid diet - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a gelling agent by which an easily swallowable, gelled, acidic thick liquid diet exhibiting good bolus formation while having a low pH of 3-4.6, having little adhesive property and suitably eaten by a person with chewing and swallowing difficulty can be prepared, to solve the problems such as rapid gelling at the preparation, heterogeneity formation of texture caused by the increase of the viscosity, and improvement of yield, and to provide the gelled acidic thick liquid diet for the administration through a tube, having good tube fluidity even when used as the food for the person with the chewing and swallowing difficulty. <P>SOLUTION: The gelling agent for the acidic thick liquid diet contains sodium alginate, a calcium salt insoluble/slightly soluble in neutral water, and a chelating agent, wherein the chelating agent of 0.1-2 pts.mass of is used based on 1 pt.mass of the sodium alginate. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an acidic concentrated liquid food gelling agent capable of uniformly gelling an acidic concentrated liquid food having a low pH of 3 to 4.6. In detail, the production of gelled acidic concentrated liquid foods and gelling agents capable of preparing easy-to-swallow gelled acidic concentrated liquid foods with good bolus formation and low adhesion, suitable for eating by people with difficulty in chewing and swallowing Regarding the method. Further, the present invention relates to a gel-like acidic concentrated liquid food having good tube fluidity, low adhesion to the tube, and particularly suitable as a food for persons with difficulty in chewing / swallowing used for tube administration.

  Concentrated liquid foods contain various nutrients necessary for the body (proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, minerals, vitamins, moisture, etc.) in a well-balanced manner, as well as foods for patients who have difficulty chewing and swallowing food. It is widely used as a nutritional food that can efficiently consume nutrients necessary for the elderly. Concentrated liquid foods have been tried to impart the following physical properties using a gelling agent for the purpose of oral intake to persons with difficulty in chewing or swallowing. 1) Have moderate hardness, 2) Excellent bolus formation (easiness of collecting food in the mouth), 3) Low adhesion to the oral cavity and pharynx, and 4) High water retention. (There must be little water separation). For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a kit for coagulating liquid food and assisting swallowing, which includes a solution containing one or more thickeners selected from rhomethoxyl pectin, sodium alginate and carrageenan. A swallowing supplement that is paired with a calcium solution is disclosed.

  Furthermore, nasal / oral tube feeding methods and gastrostomy / enteral tube feeding methods are used for patients who are difficult to take orally. Nasal / oral tube feeding is via a tube inserted through the nose or mouth to reach any part of the esophagus, stomach, duodenum, or jejunum. This is a method in which nutrients such as a concentrated liquid food are continuously administered through a tube in which an external cage is constructed surgically or endoscopically in the esophagus or jejunum (mostly the stomach). In particular, gastrostomy (PEG), in which a gastrostomy (PEG) is administered by setting up an external fistula in the stomach, is different from the nasal tube feeding method that has been widely used so far, and it is easy to care at home. Therefore, it is a kind of tube feeding that is effective for patients and their caregivers.

  Many concentrated liquid foods used for tube feeding have a liquid form and have the advantage of being easy to administer even in a thin tube. However, liquid concentrated liquid food is liquid from the tube mouth inserted into the nose or mouth in the nasal / oral tube feeding method, and from the tube port inserted into the external cage constructed in the gastrostomy / enteral tube feeding method. In order to prevent leaking, concentrated liquid food dumping and diarrhea, the administration rate could not be increased, and it took a long time for tube administration. In addition, elderly people and patients to whom tube feeding is applied often have a markedly reduced function of the cardia in the upper stomach, and the concentrated liquid food in the stomach may cause gastroesophageal reflux. It is necessary to maintain a sitting position for a long time, and the burden on the cared person is large when administering a liquid concentrated liquid food. In order to solve these problems caused by liquid, a technique for solidifying a concentrated liquid food has been developed, and a gel-like enteral nutrient containing agar and alginic acid (Patent Document 2), a tube using a combination of carrageenan and alginic acid Nutritional food (Patent Document 3) is disclosed.

  On the other hand, sodium alginate has the property that it can be gelled instantly by combining with various calcium salts, and contains sodium alginate solution having a pH of 3.8 to 4.2 and calcium salt having an AW of less than 0.94. An instantaneous gelling agent for liquid food comprising a solution (Patent Document 4) is disclosed. Patent Document 5 discloses (A) a powder composition containing sodium alginate and tricalcium phosphate, (B) an acidic powder composition containing an organic acid, and (C) a calcium ion sequestering agent. An instant gelled powder for shake is described, which contains a powder composition and contains at least the component (A) and the component (B) separately.

JP 2000-325041 A JP 2008-69090 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-169397 JP 2006-333803 A JP 2007-151545 A

  From the following viewpoints, it is extremely useful to gel a concentrated liquid food. (1) Giving a bolus forming property suitable as a food for people with difficulty in chewing / swallowing, (2) Preventing leakage of concentrated liquid food from the fistula during administration via gastrostoma / gut fistula, (3) stomach (4) Prevent gastroesophageal reflux and associated aspiration pneumonia, (5) Reduce administration time.

  However, a concentrated liquid food containing a complex of protein, lipid, carbohydrate, etc. is difficult to prepare in a gel state under acidic conditions such as pH 3 to 4.6, and is usually a commercially available gel-like concentrated liquid food. Is a neutral type having a pH of about 6.0 to 7.5. Actually, the gel-like enteral nutrients and tube feeding foods disclosed in Patent Documents 2 and 3 are also of the neutral type, and no acid type concentrated liquid food is described at all. However, since the neutral type has many types of microorganisms that can proliferate, there is a problem in terms of hygiene, such as the possibility of causing infection from bacteria that have propagated in the tube residue after tube administration.

  Furthermore, since concentrated liquid foods contain proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, etc. in a complex manner, they are difficult to gel even under neutral conditions, and it is difficult to impart the bolus formation required for foods for people with difficulty in chewing / swallowing . In addition, there is a tendency for the adherence to the oral cavity and the tube adherence to be significantly higher than those of ordinary foods for persons with difficulty in chewing and swallowing. When the pH of such a concentrated liquid food is adjusted under acidic conditions, it is further difficult to gel, it becomes difficult to impart a bolus forming property suitable as a food for persons with difficulty in chewing / swallowing, and adhesion is also increased. In this regard, even when an acidic concentrated liquid food is gelled, it is easy to swallow for those with difficulty in chewing and swallowing, and it is easy to inject the concentrated liquid food at the time of tube administration, and deposits do not remain on the tube. For example, it has been a subject to impart an appropriate gel strength (hardness) and further reduce the adhesion. Regarding the technology for solidifying a liquid food using sodium alginate, the combination of sodium alginate and calcium solution, the combination of agar and alginic acid (Patent Document 2), the combination of carrageenan and alginic acid disclosed in Patent Document 1 (Patent Document) 3) is already known. However, since the reaction rate of calcium ions and alginate anions is very fast, any combination of the patent literature will cause rapid gelation and viscosity increase, and actual production where both are mixed in a tank before filling the product container In-line preparation was difficult. In addition, the agar used in Patent Document 2 requires high-temperature heating at the time of dissolution, and is markedly degraded under acidic conditions (especially high temperature), resulting in a decrease in gel strength and an increase in water separation over time. . Similarly to agar, carrageenan used in Patent Document 3 has low stability under acidic conditions, and in the presence of calcium, it aggregates with protein in a liquid food to cause precipitation, and can be used for oral administration and tube administration. However, no suitable physical properties could be imparted.

  In addition, by adjusting the pH of the concentrated liquid food to the acidic side, protein aggregation and precipitation remarkably occur due to isoelectric point precipitation. Furthermore, lipids are not separated to form a homogeneous gel, and water separation occurs remarkably, so that it can no longer be applied as a gel-like concentrated liquid food for oral or tube administration for those with difficulty in chewing or swallowing. On the other hand, gelled foods using sodium alginate are disclosed in Patent Documents 4 to 5, but the technique of Patent Document 4 is a technique characterized by combining an acidic solution of sodium alginate and a calcium salt. Since a gel is formed at the moment of mixing the solution, it is difficult to industrially stably produce a gel-like acidic concentrated liquid food. Further, Patent Document 4 does not disclose any acidic concentrated liquid food, and even when sodium alginate is used, unless a specific amount of a chelating agent and a specific calcium salt are used in combination, the acidic concentrated liquid food is used. Could not be gelled.

  In view of such a problem, the present invention is an acidic concentrated liquid food gelling agent that can be uniformly gelled even in an acidic concentrated liquid food having a low pH of 3 to 4.6, It is an object of the present invention to provide a gelling agent capable of preparing a gel-like acidic concentrated liquid food that is easy to swallow and is suitable for eating by persons with difficulty in chewing and swallowing, with good bolus formation and low adhesion. In addition, even when applied as a gel-like acidic concentrated liquid food for tube administration, it has good tube fluidity, can be injected without excessive burden, has little adhesion to the tube, and is excellent in terms of hygiene An object of the present invention is to provide a gelling agent capable of preparing a gel-like acidic concentrated liquid food for persons with difficulty in chewing / swallowing.

  In light of the above-described problems of the prior art, the present inventors have conducted extensive research. As a result, sodium alginate, a calcium salt insoluble or hardly soluble in neutral water (hereinafter referred to as “neutral water insoluble / slightly soluble calcium”). Salt)) and a chelating agent in combination, and 0.1 to 2 parts by mass of a chelating agent with respect to 1 part by mass of alginic acid, it is homogeneous even in an acidic concentrated liquid food having a pH of 3 to 4.6 The present invention has been found to provide a gel-like acidic concentrated liquid food that is capable of forming a gel, has a bolus-forming property, has low adhesion, has little water separation, and is easily swallowed by those with difficulty in chewing / swallowing. completed. Furthermore, the obtained gel-like acidic concentrated liquid food is excellent in tube fluidity at the time of tube administration, can be injected without excessive burden, has little adherence to the tube, and is excellent for hygiene. The present invention was completed by finding that it has an extremely excellent function as a gel-like acidic concentrated liquid food.

The present invention relates to an acidic concentrated liquid food gelling agent and a gelled acidic concentrated liquid food having the following aspects;
Item 1. It contains sodium alginate, calcium salt insoluble or sparingly soluble in neutral water, and chelating agent, and 0.1 to 2 parts by mass of chelating agent is used for 1 part by mass of sodium alginate. Gelling agent.
Item 2. Calcium salts that are insoluble or difficult to dissolve in neutral water are calcium monohydrogen phosphate, calcium dihydrogen phosphate, calcium trihydrogen phosphate, calcium citrate, calcium gluconate, calcium carbonate, calcium sulfate, calcined calcium, uncalculated Item 2. The gelling agent according to Item 1, which is one or more selected from calcined calcium and hydrates thereof.
Item 3. Item 1 or 2 wherein the chelating agent is at least one selected from phosphate, condensed phosphate, malate, succinate, tartrate, glutamate, ethylenediaminetetraacetate, gluconate and citrate 2. The gelling agent according to 2.

Furthermore, the present invention relates to a method for producing a gelled acidic concentrated liquid food having the following aspects and a gelled acidic concentrated liquid food produced using the method:
Item 4. Item 4. A method for producing a gelled acidic concentrated liquid food comprising adding the gelling agent for acidic concentrated liquid food according to any one of Items 1 to 3 to the acidic concentrated liquid food in a solution state.
Item 5. Item 5. The method for producing a gel-like acidic concentrated liquid food capable of circulating at room temperature according to Item 4, wherein the pasteurization is further performed.
Item 6. Item 6. A gelled acidic concentrated liquid food produced by the method according to Item 4 or 5.
Item 7. Item 7. The gel-like acidic concentrated liquid food according to Item 6, wherein a load when the tube is pushed into a tube having an inner diameter of 4 mm and a length of 300 mm at a speed of 1 mm / second by 35 mm is 60 N or less.

  According to the present invention, even an acidic concentrated liquid food having a pH of 3 to 4.6 can form a gel homogeneously, has a bolus-forming property, low adhesion, little water separation, and chewing. -A gel-like acidic concentrated liquid food that can be easily swallowed by those who have difficulty swallowing can be provided. Furthermore, it is excellent in tube fluidity at the time of tube administration, can be injected without excessive burden, has little adhesion to the tube, and can provide a gel-like acidic concentrated liquid food for tube administration that is excellent from the viewpoint of hygiene. In addition, the gelling agent of the present invention does not need to be heated at the site of care, and is not only used as an auxiliary agent to be mixed with an acidic liquid food to be gelled, but is also an industrially produced gel for final foods It is a highly functional gelling agent that can also be used as an agent.

  The acidic concentrated liquid food gelling agent of the present invention contains sodium alginate, insoluble or hardly soluble calcium salt in neutral water and a chelating agent, and 0.1 to 2 parts by mass of the chelating agent with respect to 1 part by mass of sodium alginate. It is characterized by using together.

  Sodium alginate used in the present invention is used as a thickener for food additives, and is a sodium salt of alginic acid, a polysaccharide extracted from seaweed. The property is a yellowish powder that dissolves in water at room temperature and becomes a highly viscous liquid. Furthermore, a gel is formed by cation exchange with a divalent metal ion. Alginic acid is a linear acidic polysaccharide composed of uronic acid, which is a block bond weight of 1, 4 bonds composed of β-D-mannuronic acid (M) and α-L-guluronic acid uronic acid (G). It is a coalescence. Sodium alginate dissolves in cold water and easily ion-exchanges with divalent cations such as calcium to form a gel, but the gelation characteristics differ depending on the M / G ratio. In the presence of calcium, generally, the higher the M / G ratio (ie, M rich), the more flexible and supple texture gel is formed, and the lower the M / G ratio (ie, G rich). Forms a hard, brittle texture gel. As the sodium alginate used in the present invention, any M / G ratio can be used depending on the physical properties and texture required for the final jelly, but preferably the M / G ratio is about 0.5 to 1. Can be suitably used. Such sodium alginate is commercially available, for example, “Gel-up [trademark] J-4191”, “Gel-up [trademark] J-4357”, and “Gel-up” manufactured by San-Ei Gen FFI Co., Ltd. [Trademark] J-4358 ”.

  The acidic concentrated liquid food gelling agent of the present invention is characterized by containing sodium alginate. On the other hand, even when sodium alginate itself is added to the acidic concentrated liquid food, when sodium alginate is added alone or in combination with a calcium salt that is easily soluble in neutral water, the sodium alginate is concentrated. Since it interacts rapidly with calcium ions in the liquid food, it is difficult to form a partially non-uniform gel and form a uniform gel. Similarly, even when a neutral water insoluble / slightly soluble calcium salt is used, it is difficult to form a uniform gel due to a sudden increase in viscosity or a partially non-uniform gel. is there. In the present invention, a gel-like acid for a person with difficulty in chewing / swallowing is not used until 0.1 to 2 parts by mass of a chelating agent is used in combination with a sodium alginate and a neutral water-insoluble / slightly soluble calcium salt and 1 part by mass of sodium alginate. It is characterized in that a physical property suitable as a concentrated liquid food, particularly a gel-like acidic concentrated liquid food for tube administration can be imparted to the concentrated liquid food.

  The neutral water insoluble / slightly soluble calcium salt referred to in the present invention refers to a calcium salt that is not easily dissolved in water under a neutral region, and has a pH of 5.0 to 9.0 and a solubility in water of 2000 mg / 100 g water. It will not specifically limit if it is lower than inside (20 degreeC), and what is normally used as a food additive can be used. Specifically, calcium sulfate, calcium citrate, calcium gluconate, calcined (urchin shell, shell, bone, reef coral, milky, eggshell) calcium, unfired (shell, bone, coral, nacre, eggshell) It can be selected from one or more selected from calcium, calcium carbonate, calcium monohydrogen phosphate, calcium dihydrogen phosphate, calcium trihydrogen phosphate and hydrates thereof. Preferably, it is at least one selected from the group consisting of calcium sulfate, calcium citrate, calcium carbonate, and calcium monohydrogen phosphate. By containing the neutral water-insoluble / slightly soluble calcium salt in the gelling agent, when the gelling agent solution and the acidic concentrated liquid food are mixed and the pH is lowered, the neutral water-insoluble / slightly soluble calcium salt Calcium ions are slowly released from the salt, and gradually exchange cation with sodium alginate to form a uniform gel structure.

  The amount of neutral water insoluble / slightly soluble calcium salt in the gelling agent can be appropriately adjusted depending on the type of calcium salt used and the physical properties required for the gel-like acidic concentrated liquid food, but preferably sodium alginate It is 0.01-1 mass part with respect to 1 mass part, Preferably it is 0.05-0.5 mass part, More preferably, it is 0.1-0.3 mass part.

In the present invention, further 0.1 to 2 parts by mass, preferably 1 with respect to 1 part by mass of sodium alginate.
2 parts by mass, more preferably 0.5 to 1 part by mass of a chelating agent is added. Here, when the addition amount of the chelating agent is less than 0.1 parts by mass, when the gelling agent solution and the acidic concentrated liquid food are mixed, abrupt gelation and viscosity increase occur, and a uniform gel is prepared. Filling becomes difficult. On the other hand, when the addition amount of the chelating agent is more than 2 parts by mass, calcium ions are excessively chelated, so that calcium ions are not supplied to the alginate anion and gelation is not performed or gelation takes a long time. In this invention, even if it is an acidic concentrated liquid food, it can be gelatinized by adding the said specific amount chelating agent. In addition, the prepared gel-like acidic concentrated liquid food is uniform, has a good bolus-forming property, has low adhesion, has little water separation, and becomes a gel-like acidic thick liquid food that is easy to swallow for those with difficulty in chewing / swallowing It is characterized by. In addition, the prepared acidic concentrated liquid food is excellent in tube fluidity at the time of tube administration, can be injected without excessive burden, has little adhesion to the tube, and is excellent in gel form for tube administration. Acid rich liquid food.

  As the chelating agent, one or more selected from phosphate, condensed phosphate, malate, succinate, tartrate, glutamate, ethylenediaminetetraacetate, gluconate and citrate may be used. it can. Specifically, sodium dihydrogen phosphate, disodium hydrogen phosphate, trisodium phosphate, potassium dihydrogen phosphate, dipotassium hydrogen phosphate, tripotassium phosphate, calcium dihydrogen phosphate, dicalcium hydrogen phosphate, Tricalcium phosphate, trimagnesium phosphate, tetrasodium pyrophosphate, disodium dihydrogen pyrophosphate, tetrapotassium pyrophosphate, calcium dihydrogen pyrophosphate, sodium polyphosphate, potassium polyphosphate, sodium metaphosphate, potassium metaphosphate, apple Sodium phosphate, monosodium succinate, disodium succinate, sodium tartrate, potassium hydrogen tartrate, sodium glutamate, potassium glutamate, calcium glutamate, magnesium glutamate, disodium calcium ethylenediaminetetraacetate, Ethi Diaminetetraacetic acid disodium, sodium gluconate, potassium gluconate, calcium gluconate, iron gluconate, copper gluconate, trisodium citrate, tripotassium citrate, calcium citrate, iron citrate and sodium iron citrate One or more selected from the group can be used, preferably trisodium citrate and / or tripotassium citrate. The chelating agent is used to control the cation exchange rate of sodium alginate and form a uniform gel structure by sequestering calcium ions when the gelling agent solution of the present invention and acidic concentrated liquid food are mixed. It is essential.

  Concentrated liquid foods subject to the present invention are generally called nutrients (pharmaceuticals), concentrated liquid foods (foods), etc., and caloric values of 1 kcal / mL or more include proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins, etc. Contains nutrients. The pH of the acidic concentrated liquid food is not particularly limited as long as it is acidic, but the pH is 3 to 4.6, preferably 3 to 4, more preferably 3 in consideration of the risk of bacterial contamination during tube administration. It is preferable to be adjusted in the range of ~ 3.8.

  It does not specifically limit as an acid used in order to adjust pH of the concentrated liquid food of this invention to the acidic side, The inorganic acid or organic acid applicable to a foodstuff, and its salts can be used. For example, citric acid, sodium citrate, potassium citrate, gluconic acid, sodium gluconate, potassium gluconate, glucono delta lactone, monosodium succinate, disodium succinate, glacial acetic acid, sodium acetate, DL-tartaric acid, L -Tartaric acid, DL-sodium tartrate, L-sodium tartrate, sodium lactate, fumaric acid, sodium malate, metaphosphates and the like can be used. Preferably, it is at least one selected from the group consisting of citric acid, gluconic acid, succinic acid, malic acid, tartaric acid, salts thereof, and glucono delta lactone.

  The acidic concentrated liquid food of the present invention is a concentrated liquid food that is less sanitized by bacteria and less hygienic, without undergoing a severe sterilization process such as retort sterilization in that the pH is maintained on the acidic side. Further, conventional gel-like concentrated liquid foods are mainly of a neutral type, and there are problems such that aggregation may occur depending on the acidulant and fruit juice to be added, and variation in taste cannot be imparted. However, by using the acidic concentrated liquid food gelling agent of the present invention, for example, a gel-like concentrated concentrated liquid food containing fruit juice or a yogurt-flavored gel-like concentrated liquid food is provided. This contributes to the improvement of QOL (Quality Of Life) of those with difficulty in chewing and swallowing and the elderly.

Hereinafter, each component which comprises the acidic rich liquid food used by this invention is explained in full detail.

Protein The protein constituting the acidic concentrated liquid food of the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it is conventionally used in foods, and various proteins can be used. Specifically, non-fat dry milk, non-fat soy milk powder, casein, whey protein, whole milk protein, soy protein, wheat protein, degradation products of these proteins, and the like can be mentioned. These proteins, particularly milk proteins, aggregate significantly under acidic conditions, and it is difficult to form a homogeneous gel. When protein aggregates and precipitates, it is not only beautiful in appearance, but also increases adhesion to the throat when eating, causing problems such as sticking to the throat during eating and residue on the inner wall of the tube when administered via tube A point is created. However, by using the acidic concentrated fluid food gelling agent of the present invention, even when milk protein is contained, the concentrated fluid having a protein content as high as 1 to 15% by mass, more preferably 10% by mass or more. Even if it is a food, it is possible to provide a homogeneous gel-like acidic concentrated liquid food in which protein aggregation and precipitation are suppressed.

Lipid The lipid constituting the acidic concentrated liquid food of the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it is a lipid generally used for food, and various lipids can be used. Specifically, vegetable oil such as soybean oil, cottonseed oil, safflower oil, corn oil, rice oil, coconut oil, perilla oil, sesame oil and linseed oil, fish oil such as sardine oil and cod liver oil, and long as an essential fatty acid source A chain fatty acid triglyceride (LCT), a medium chain fatty acid triglyceride (MCT), etc. can be mentioned, Preferably it is a medium chain fatty acid triglyceride (MCT) normally having 8 to 10 carbon atoms. By using medium-chain fatty acid triglyceride (MCT) instead of long-chain fatty acid triglyceride (MCT), the absorbability of lipid is increased, while the adhesion property of the prepared gel-like acidic concentrated liquid food is increased, and chewing / swallowing There is a tendency for residue on the inner wall of the tube used during tube administration to increase, which tends to stick to the throat when a difficult person eats. However, by using the acidic concentrated fluid food gelling agent of the present invention, the adhesion is reduced, it is easy to swallow people with difficulty in chewing and swallowing, and there is little residue on the inner wall of the tube when used for tube administration, and the quality A stable gel-like acidic concentrated liquid food can be provided. As content of the lipid in the acidic concentrated liquid food of this invention, it is 1-20 mass%, Preferably it is 5-10 mass%.

Carbohydrates As carbohydrates constituting the acidic concentrated liquid food of the present invention, various carbohydrates generally used for food can be used. Specifically, normal sugars such as monosaccharides such as glucose and fructose, disaccharides such as maltose and sucrose, sugar alcohols such as xylitol, sorbitol, glycerin and erythritol, polysaccharides such as dextrin and cyclodextrin , Oligosaccharides such as fructooligosaccharide, galactooligosaccharide, and lactosucrose, and the like. Preferably, dextrin can be used. This is because the effect on taste is low in carbohydrates. The carbohydrate content in the acidic concentrated liquid food of the present invention is 10 to 40% by mass, preferably 20 to 30% by mass.

Minerals and vitamins In the acidic concentrated liquid food of the present invention, those generally used for food can be used. For example, if it is a mineral, sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, etc. can be added in the form of a salt that is handled as a food additive. If it is a vitamin, vitamin B1, B2, B6, B12, C, D, K, niacin, nicotinamide, pantothenic acid, folic acid, etc. can be used, for example. The amount of minerals and vitamins in the concentrated liquid food can be appropriately set according to the recommended amount, guide amount, target amount or upper limit amount described in “Japanese dietary intake standards [2005 version]”.

  As described above, since the concentrated liquid food contains a complex of protein, lipid, carbohydrate, mineral, and vitamin, it is difficult to form a gel under acidic conditions of pH 3 to 4.6. However, by using the gelling agent of the present invention, not only can a homogeneous gel be formed, it has a bolus-forming property that can be easily swallowed by those who have difficulty chewing and swallowing, and has excellent tube fluidity during tube administration A gel-like acidic concentrated liquid food can be provided. In addition, the prepared gel-like acidic concentrated liquid food can be administered by tube in a very short time compared to the case where a liquid acidic concentrated liquid food is added. It is possible to significantly suppress gastroesophageal reflux and leakage of concentrated liquid food from the fistula. As a method for preventing gastroesophageal reflux, a method is also used in which thickened polysaccharides are added to thick liquid foods for tube administration to give viscosity, but thick liquid foods with added viscosity are adhesive. The thick liquid food residue is likely to adhere to the inner wall of the tube, and the load required for tube administration is large, resulting in an excessive burden during injection. In this respect, the gel-like acidic concentrated liquid food is extremely excellent in that nutrition can be taken in a short time without causing an excessive burden at the time of tube injection.

  The method for producing a gel-like acidic concentrated liquid food according to the present invention comprises sodium alginate, neutral water-insoluble / slightly soluble calcium salt and a chelating agent in the acidic concentrated liquid food, and is 0.1 per 1 part by mass of sodium alginate. The acidic concentrated liquid food gelling agent of the present invention using ˜2 parts by mass of a chelating agent is added.

  The amount of the gelling agent for acidic concentrated liquid food of the present invention added to the acidic concentrated liquid food can be adjusted as appropriate depending on the composition of the target concentrated liquid food and the required physical properties. The content of sodium alginate in the concentrated liquid food) is 0.1 to 1% by mass, preferably 0.1 to 0.6% by mass, more preferably 0.3 to 0.6% by mass, neutral water insoluble The sparingly soluble calcium salt is 0.01 to 1% by mass, preferably 0.02 to 0.5% by mass, more preferably 0.05 to 0.2% by mass, and the chelating agent is 0.01 to 2% by mass, preferably Is preferably added in an amount of 0.05 to 2 mass%, more preferably 0.1 to 1 mass%.

  The method for adding the gelling agent for acidic concentrated liquid food of the present invention is not particularly limited except that the gelling agent is added to the acidic concentrated liquid food in the form of a solution, and various addition methods can be used. The following method can be mentioned as an example. (1) A method of adding a solution prepared by simultaneously dissolving sodium alginate, neutral water insoluble / slightly soluble calcium salt and chelating agent in normal temperature or warm water, and (2) sodium alginate-containing solution , A neutral water-insoluble / slightly soluble calcium salt-containing solution and a chelating agent-containing solution, respectively, and the chelating agent-containing solution is added first or simultaneously to an acidic concentrated liquid food, (3) chelation Sodium alginate and neutral water insoluble, such as a method of adding a solution prepared by dissolving sodium alginate, neutral water insoluble / slightly soluble calcium salt in room temperature or warm water, etc. The addition method is not limited to these unless the sparingly soluble calcium salt comes into contact with the acidic concentrated liquid food prior to the chelating agent.

  The acidic concentrated liquid food gelling agent of the present invention can be used after being dispersed and dissolved in normal temperature water, but preferably as a solution adjusted to a temperature range of 60 to 90 ° C. It is preferable to be added to. At the same time, the temperature of the acidic concentrated liquid food is preferably adjusted to the same temperature as the gelling agent solution. Sodium alginate has been conventionally used as an instant gelling agent because it can be dissolved in water at room temperature. However, in the present invention, the gelling agent of the present invention is in a solution state heated to 60 to 90 ° C. It was found that even if it is an acidic concentrated liquid food, a gel is formed homogeneously and has excellent properties as a food for persons with difficulty in chewing / swallowing.

  The present invention is characterized in that the acidic concentrated liquid food gelling agent is added to the acidic concentrated liquid food in the form of a solution, while the acidic concentrated liquid food gelling agent of the present invention is acidic concentrated in the form of a powder. When added to the liquid food, a gel is partially formed, and the acidic concentrated liquid food cannot be gelled uniformly. In this regard, the acidic concentrated liquid food gelling agent of the present invention can take various forms such as powder, granule, paste, and solution as the formulation, but is added to the acidic concentrated liquid food. In some cases, it is used in a solution state. Conventionally, when liquid foods such as water and tea are gelled using sodium alginate, sodium alginate has been added in powder form, but the present invention adds an acidic concentrated liquid food gelling agent in the form of a solution. This is an invention that can be achieved. In addition, since the gelatinization agent for acidic concentrated liquid foods of this invention makes the gelatinization object acidic acidic liquid foods, when it adds to neutral concentrated liquid foods, a gel cannot be formed.

  The gel-like acidic concentrated liquid food of the present invention can be produced according to a conventional method except that the acidic concentrated liquid food gelling agent of the present invention is added to the acidic concentrated liquid food in the form of a solution. For example, the acidic concentrated liquid food to which the gelling agent of the present invention is added can be circulated at room temperature, so that the heat sterilization treatment is performed after filling the container or immediately before filling. The heat sterilization in the present invention is sterilization usually performed with acidic foods having a pH of 3 to 4.6. If sterilization is performed after filling the container, normal sterilization at 60 to 95 ° C. for 5 to 60 minutes, before filling the container. Can be applied at 120 to 135 ° C. for 1 to 3 seconds. On the other hand, the neutral type gel-like concentrated liquid food having a pH of 6.0 to 7.5 needs to be sterilized by retort at 105 to 121 ° C. for 5 to 60 minutes in order to enable long-term storage at room temperature. However, there were problems such as a decrease in the formation of bolus due to retort sterilization and an increase in adhesion. However, the gel-like acidic concentrated liquid food produced in the present invention has a pH adjusted to the acidic side, which eliminates the need for a retort sterilization process, and has a gel-like form having extremely excellent suitability as a food for persons with difficulty in chewing / swallowing. It became possible to provide a concentrated liquid food. Furthermore, there is little loss of functional components and nutritional components due to retort heating.

  The gel-like acidic concentrated liquid food produced by the above-described method can be used not only for conventional tube administration but also for gastric and enteral administration via a gastrostomy etc. It is preferable that the load is a weak force of 60 N or less. In addition, the evaluation of the tube fluidity in this study is performed by a method in which the load value applied to the piston is detected by a texture analyzer when the gel-like acidic concentrated liquid food is injected into the gastrostomy tube via a syringe. Specifically, a gastrostomy silicon tube (inner diameter: 4 mm, length: 300 mm) is connected to the tip of a 50 ml syringe (Terumo syringe, catheter tip type ss-50Cz manufactured by Terumo Corporation) filled with 25 ml of gel-like acidic concentrated liquid food. . This is set vertically on a texture analyzer (TA-XZT2i, manufactured by Stable Micro Systems, Inc.), and is pushed 35 mm at a speed of 1 mm / sec with a jig (cylindrical shape, diameter 50 mm). If the maximum value of the load detected at this time is 60 N or less, it is determined that the tube fluidity is excellent.

  Hereinafter, the content of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the following examples and comparative examples, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Unless otherwise specified, “parts” means “parts by mass” and “%” means “% by mass”. Those marked with “*” in the text indicate that they are registered trademarks of Saneigen FFI Co., Ltd., and “*” in the text indicates that they are registered trademarks of Saneigen FFI Corporation.

Experimental Example 1 Preparation of gelled acidic concentrated liquid food (1)
Nutritional components in the proportions shown in Table 1 were blended to prepare a liquid acidic concentrated liquid food having a calorific value of 2.0 kcal / g. First, soybean polysaccharide was added to water and stirred at room temperature for 10 minutes. Furthermore, after adding milk protein and an emulsifier, heating was started, and carbohydrates (dextrin and sugar) were further added, followed by stirring at 80 ° C. for 10 minutes. Oils and fats that had been heated to 80 ° C. in advance were added to the prepared solution and stirred for 3 minutes. Mineral yeast, vitamin mix, salt, and sweetener were added thereto, and the mixture was further stirred for 1 minute, and then cooled to 20 ° C. After dissolving in water in advance, an acidic sodium metaphosphate solution cooled to 20 ° C. was added to adjust the pH to 3.8. This was heated again to 75 ° C., and then a fragrance was added and homogenized (14,700 kPa). This was designated as acid rich liquid food A.

  A gel-like acidic concentrated liquid food (1.0 kcal / g) was prepared using the acidic concentrated liquid food A and a gelling agent according to the composition shown in Table 2. In detail, the gelatinizer was added to water, and it heated at 80 degreeC, and stirred for 10 minutes. The acidic concentrated liquid food A previously heated to 80 ° C. was added thereto and stirred for 1 minute. After filling a heat-resistant container and once cooling, it was heat sterilized in 85 ° C. water for 30 minutes. It cooled after that and the gel-like acidic concentrated liquid food of Examples 1-3 and Comparative Examples 1-5 was obtained. On the other hand, the acidic concentrated liquid food A diluted to 1/2 with water is heated to 80 ° C., and the gelling agent of Example 1 is added in a powder state to the gelled acidic concentrated concentrate of Comparative Example 6. Example of a liquid diet prepared on a commercially available neutral concentrated liquid diet (pH 7.0, 2.0 kcal / ml, protein 7.3%, lipid 7.5%, carbohydrate 26%) heated to 80 ° C. 1 gelling agent was added in a solution state to prepare a gel-like concentrated liquid food of Comparative Example 7 (neutral).

Regarding Examples 1 to 3 and Comparative Examples 1 to 7, whether or not gelation was possible and what was gelled were subjected to sensory evaluation of bolus formation, water separation and adhesion. The results are shown in Table 3. The evaluation in Table 3 was in accordance with the following criteria.
(Gelation): The gelation was marked as ◯, and the gelation was marked as x.
(State at the time of filling): A liquid thing at the time of filling was marked with ◯, and a gelled / high viscosity was marked with x.
(Agglomeration after sterilization): A uniform gel after sterilization was marked with ○, and agglomerated and separated was marked with ×.
The following were evaluated only for the above three items.
(Water separation): After passing through the gastrostomy tube, the evaluation was made in five stages of (small)-<± <+ <++ <++++ (many) in order from the smallest water separation generated from the sample.

  Examples 1-3 containing sodium alginate, neutral water insoluble / slightly soluble calcium salt and a chelating agent, and using a gelling agent using 0.1 to 2 parts by mass of a chelating agent with respect to 1 part by mass of alginic acid. The gel-like acidic concentrated liquid food is a liquid that can be smoothly filled in a container, forms a homogeneous gel, and does not show any roughness after heat sterilization. On the other hand, when sodium alginate, neutral water-insoluble / slightly soluble calcium salt and chelating agent are used in combination, if the amount of chelating agent is less than 0.1 part by mass with respect to 1 part by mass of alginic acid, Therefore, it was difficult to fill, many bubbles remained inside the gel, and many gelled particles adhered to the wall of the container, resulting in poor yield (Comparative Example 1). Moreover, when there was much addition amount of a chelating agent with 3 mass parts with respect to 1 mass part of alginic acid, even an acidic concentrated liquid food could not be gelatinized (comparative example 2). Even when using a chelating agent in the range of 0.1 to 2 parts by mass with respect to 1 part by mass of sodium alginate, when a soluble calcium salt is used instead of a neutral water insoluble / slightly soluble calcium salt, The gelation reaction occurred at the moment when the agent solution and the acidic concentrated liquid food were mixed, and a crush gel was formed at the time of filling, and a uniform gel was not formed (Comparative Example 3). The gel-like acidic concentrated liquid food of Comparative Example 5 combined with carrageenan and sodium alginate formed a fine granular gel at the moment of mixing with the acidic thick liquid food and agglomerated vigorously by heat sterilization. In Comparative Example 6 in which the composition of Example 1 was directly dissolved in an acidic concentrated liquid food, a gel was partially formed at the same time as the addition, and a uniform gel was not formed, and it was difficult to fill due to an increase in viscosity. Furthermore, Comparative Example 7 prepared by adding the composition of Example 1 to a neutral concentrated liquid food in a solution state did not form a gel. In addition, the gel-like acidic concentrated liquid food of Comparative Example 4 using agar and sodium alginate showed an increase in viscosity when mixed with the acidic thick liquid food, but it did not hinder filling, and was a uniform gel was gotten. However, when eating and comparing the gel-like acidic concentrated liquid foods of Examples 1 to 3 and Comparative Example 4, Examples 1 to 3 have good bolus forming properties and are easy to swallow without sticking to the throat. There was almost no water separation, and it was excellent as a gel-like acidic concentrated liquid food for oral administration. On the other hand, Comparative Example 4 was slightly inferior in bolus, and water separation was considerably high. Further, the gel-like acidic concentrated liquid foods of Examples 1 to 3 and Comparative Example 4 were combined with a 50 ml syringe (Terumo Corporation, Terumo) connected to a gastrostomy silicon tube (inner diameter 4 mm, length 300 mm) used for tube administration. Syringe catheter tip type ss-50Cz) was filled with 25 ml and pushed in at 35 mm at a speed of 1 mm / sec. When the tube fluidity at the time of injection was evaluated and compared, Examples 1 to 3 did not require a high load of 60 N or more, had excellent fluidity, little adhesion to the inner wall of the tube, and administration by tube. Comparative Example 4 has excellent physical properties as a gel-like acidic concentrated liquid food for use, while Comparative Example 4 shows little tube adhesion and causes gastroesophageal reflux during transgastric administration. Since a large amount of water separation occurred and a significant increase in water separation was observed especially after passing through the tube, it was judged that the tube was not suitable for tube administration.

Experimental Example 2 Preparation of gelled acidic concentrated liquid food (2)
A gel-like acidic concentrated liquid food was prepared using the acidic concentrated liquid food A and various gelling agents used in Experimental Example 1. Specifically, the gelling agent shown in Table 4 was added to water at room temperature (25 ° C.) and stirred. The acidic concentrated liquid food A (25 degreeC) prepared in Experimental example 1 was added there, and it stirred for 1 minute. After filling a heat-resistant container and once cooling, it was heat sterilized in an 85 ° C. hot water bath for 30 minutes. It cooled after that and the gel-like acidic concentrated liquid food of Example 4 and Comparative Examples 8-9 was prepared.

  In the gel-like acidic concentrated liquid food of Example 4, a uniform gel was obtained although a slight increase in viscosity was observed during the preparation process. Furthermore, the gel-like acidic concentrated liquid food of Example 4 has a good bolus-forming property as in Examples 1 to 3, has low adhesion, and has a texture that can be easily swallowed by those who have difficulty chewing and swallowing. There was almost no. On the other hand, the gel-like acidic concentrated liquid food of Comparative Examples 8 and 9 partially forms a non-uniform gel when the gelling agent solution and the acidic concentrated liquid food are mixed, and the viscosity rapidly increases, and further, heat sterilization is performed. Aggregated more vigorously.

Experimental Example 3 Tube Fluidity of Gelled Acid Concentrated Liquid Food Tube fluidity was evaluated for the gelled acidic concentrated liquid food of Examples 1 to 3 of Experimental Example 1. In the evaluation method, a gastric fistula silicon tube (inner diameter: 4 mm, length: 300 mm) is connected to the tip of a 50 ml syringe (Terumo syringe, catheter tip type ss-50Cz manufactured by Terumo Corporation) filled with 25 ml of gel-like acidic concentrated liquid food. . This is set vertically on a texture analyzer (TA-XZT2i, manufactured by Stable Micro Systems, Inc.), and is pushed 35 mm at a speed of 1 mm / sec with a jig (cylindrical shape, diameter 50 mm). If the maximum value of the load detected at this time is 60 N or less, it is determined that the tube fluidity is excellent. The results are shown in Table 5.

The maximum value of the load when injecting the gel-like acidic concentrated liquid food of Examples 1 to 3 into the gastrostomy tube was 60 N or less, and had physical properties that the caregiver could easily inject. There was almost no residue in the tube.

  An acidic gel-like concentrated liquid food excellent in long-term storage can be provided. The prepared gel-like acidic concentrated liquid food is a gel-like acidic concentrated liquid food that is homogeneous, has a good bolus-forming property, has low adhesion, and is suitable for eating by persons with difficulty in chewing / swallowing. Furthermore, the prepared gel-like acidic concentrated liquid food has good tube fluidity, and since there is little tube residue after tube administration, the caregiver can inject in a short time without excessive burden during tube administration. Yes, it is possible to prevent gastroesophageal reflux and leakage of concentrated liquid food from the fistula. In addition, problems such as rapid gelation, non-uniform food texture due to increased viscosity, and reduced yield, which are problems when producing a gel food using sodium alginate, can be solved.

Claims (7)

It contains sodium alginate, calcium salt insoluble or sparingly soluble in neutral water, and chelating agent, and 0.1 to 2 parts by mass of chelating agent is used for 1 part by mass of sodium alginate. Gelling agent. Calcium salts that are insoluble or difficult to dissolve in neutral water are calcium monohydrogen phosphate, calcium dihydrogen phosphate, calcium trihydrogen phosphate, calcium citrate, calcium gluconate, calcium carbonate, calcium sulfate, calcined calcium, uncalculated The gelling agent according to claim 1, wherein the gelling agent is at least one selected from calcined calcium and hydrates thereof. The chelating agent is at least one selected from phosphate, condensed phosphate, malate, succinate, tartrate, glutamate, ethylenediaminetetraacetate, gluconate and citrate. Or the gelling agent of 2. A method for producing a gelled acidic concentrated liquid food, comprising adding the gelling agent for acidic concentrated liquid food according to any one of claims 1 to 3 to the acidic concentrated liquid food in a solution state. 5. The method for producing a gel-like acidic concentrated liquid food capable of circulating at normal temperature according to claim 4, further comprising heat sterilization. A gel-like acidic concentrated liquid food produced by the method according to claim 4 or 5. The gel-like acidic concentrated liquid food according to claim 6, wherein a load when the tube is pushed into a tube having an inner diameter of 4 mm and a length of 300 mm at a speed of 1 mm / second by 35 mm is 60 N or less.