JP2011000032A - Hop extract-containing emulsion composition and method for producing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the bitterness possessed by a hop extract and to provide a hop extract-containing emulsion composition having the reduced bitterness.SOLUTION: The method for producing the hop extract-containing emulsion composition includes preparing the hop extract as the emulsion composition by using the following treating method: (1) insolubilizing the hop extract in an acidic condition, and collecting the produced precipitate; (2) dissolving the obtained precipitate in a fat and oil, and (3) mixing and emulsifying an aqueous phase part in which an emulsifier is dissolved, with the oil phase part obtained in the step (2).

Description

  The present invention relates to a hop extract-containing composition with reduced bitterness of a hop extract and a method for producing the same. The present invention further relates to a method for reducing the bitter taste of a hop extract.

  With the diversification, simplification, and convenience of food, in recent years it has become possible to eat foods that you want to eat at any time. On the other hand, the balance of eating habits is lost as convenience increases, and the bias in the intake of nutrients by modern people is a problem. In recent years, demand for health foods and supplements has been increasing to compensate for this bias. In recent years, hop extracts whose safety has been confirmed by long-term eating experience have been attracting attention.

  The hop extract has a blood pressure lowering action (Patent Documents 1 and 2), a treatment or prevention or improvement action for diabetes or diabetic complications (Patent Document 3), a bone density reduction suppression or prevention action (Patent Document 4), Caries preventive action (patent document 5), gastritis, gastric / duodenal ulcer preventive action (patent document 6), heat-resistant acidophilic bacteria growth inhibitory action (patent document 7), and drug resistance overcoming action against multidrug resistant cancer cells It is known to have various pharmacological actions such as (Patent Document 8), and for this reason, supply of health foods and supplements using hop extract is expected.

  However, on the other hand, the hop extract has a peculiar bitter taste, is difficult to eat as it is, and has a problem that taste improvement is necessary. For this reason, many studies have been made on taste improvement. For example, hops extract contains acesulfame potassium, which is a high-intensity sweetener, to reduce bitterness (Patent Document 9), and to remove seawater. A method for reducing bitterness, astringency, or aqua taste by using water obtained by NaCl treatment (Patent Document 10) has been proposed.

  When the hop extract is eaten as a health food or a supplement, the hop extract, which is an active ingredient, needs to have a palatability that allows it to be drunk without difficulty in a state where it is blended as it is or in a high content. In contrast, in the method described in Patent Document 9 using acesulfame potassium as a high-intensity sweetener, the bitterness of the hop extract itself is reduced, but when the hop extract is included in a high blending amount, the palatability still remains. There was room for improvement. Further, in the method described in Patent Document 10 using water obtained by desalinating seawater, water must be collected from the sea as described in paragraphs [0009] and [0010] on page 10. From the point that ion exchange treatment must be performed after collection, it is difficult and complicated to obtain and adjust water, and there is room for improvement rather than a simple method for reducing the bitterness of hop extract.

JP-A-2005-104951 JP 04-173741 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-22495 WO2004 / 089359 JP 63-211119 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-25247 JP 2005-137241 A JP 2003-335694 A JP 2006-55074 A JP 2004-113253 A

  An object of this invention is to provide the hop extract containing composition in which the bitterness which a hop extract has was reduced. Moreover, this invention aims at providing the method of manufacturing the said hop extract containing composition by a simple method, and the method of reducing the bitterness of a hop extract by a simple process.

  In view of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, the present inventors have conducted extensive research and insolubilized the hop extract under acidity, dissolved the produced precipitate in fats and oils, and thus prepared oil phase. It was found that a hop extract-containing emulsion composition in which the bitterness peculiar to a hop extract was significantly reduced can be prepared by emulsifying the part together with an aqueous phase part in which an emulsifier is dissolved.

  This invention is completed based on this knowledge, and relates to the hop extract containing emulsion composition which has the following aspects, and its manufacturing method.

(I) Hop extract-containing emulsion composition (I-1) A hop extract-containing emulsion composition prepared by the following steps (1) to (3):
(1) a step of insolubilizing the hop extract under acidity and collecting the generated precipitate;
(2) The step of dissolving the precipitate obtained above in fats and oils to prepare an oil phase part, and (3) The oil phase part obtained in the step (2) above in the aqueous phase part in which the emulsifier is dissolved. Are mixed and emulsified.

(II) Manufacturing method of hop extract-containing emulsion composition (II-1) Manufacturing method of hop extract-containing emulsion composition having the following steps (1) to (3):
(1) a step of insolubilizing the hop extract under acidity and collecting the generated precipitate;
(2) The step of dissolving the precipitate obtained above in fats and oils to prepare an oil phase part, and (3) The oil phase part obtained in the step (2) above in the aqueous phase part in which the emulsifier is dissolved. Are mixed and emulsified.

(III) Method for reducing bitterness of hop extract (III-1) Method for reducing bitterness of hop extract having the following steps (1) to (3):
(1) a step of insolubilizing the hop extract under acidity and collecting the generated precipitate;
(2) The step of dissolving the precipitate obtained above in fats and oils to prepare an oil phase part, and (3) The oil phase part obtained in the step (2) above in the aqueous phase part in which the emulsifier is dissolved. Mixing and emulsifying.

  According to the method of the present invention, a hop extract-containing emulsion composition in which the peculiar bitterness of a hop extract is greatly reduced can be prepared by a simple process. That is, the hop extract-containing emulsion composition of the present invention is useful as a food material in which taste is particularly important because the bitterness of the hop extract is reduced and the taste is improved.

(I) Hop extract-containing emulsion composition and preparation method thereof The hop extract-containing emulsion composition of the present invention is characterized by being prepared through the following steps.
(1) A step of insolubilizing the hop extract under acidity and recovering the generated precipitate (acid precipitate recovery step),
(2) A step of dissolving the precipitate obtained above in fats and oils and preparing an oil phase part (oil phase part preparation step),
(3) A step of emulsifying the oil phase portion obtained in the step (2) by mixing with the aqueous phase portion in which the emulsifier is dissolved (emulsification step).

(I-1) Hop Extract The hop (Humulus lupulus L.), which is a raw material of the hop extract used in the present invention, is a perennial plant belonging to the mulberry family. There are many types of hops, such as Bullion, Brewers Gold, Cascade, Chinook, Cluster, East Kent Golding, Fuggles, Hallertau, Mount Hood, Northan Brewer, Perle, Saaz, Styrian, Tettnanger and Willamette. Any of the above varieties can be preferably used as the raw material for the hop extract used in the present invention. Moreover, you may mix and use 2 or more types of the said kind as a raw material of a hop extract.

  Examples of plant parts used for the preparation of the hop extract include hop spikelets (female flowers), fruit fruits (ripened unfertilized female flowers), leaves, stems, and strawberries. Preferably it is a flower. The spikelets contain lupurin, a small yellow particle having a diameter of about 0.2 mm that contains a bitter component (humulones) inside. In addition, lupurin is a component conventionally used for imparting bitterness and aroma to beer as a raw material for beer brewing.

  The hop extract can be prepared by subjecting each of the above-described hop portions (preferably spikelets containing lupurin) to the extraction operation as it is or after compression or pulverization. Here, the extraction method is not particularly limited, and generally used methods such as a method used for beer brewing can be widely used. For example, a method of immersing a hop blossom flower, a compressed product or a pulverized product thereof in a solvent by cooling, digestion, or the like; a method of performing extraction while heating and stirring, and obtaining an extract by filtration; or percolation Law.

  Examples of the solvent used for the extraction include water; lower alcohols having 1 to 4 carbon atoms such as methanol, ethanol, propanol, and butanol; lower alkyl esters such as ethyl acetate; ethylene glycol, butylene glycol, propylene glycol, Glycols such as glycerin; other polar solvents such as ethyl ether, acetone and acetic acid; hydrocarbons such as benzene and hexane; non-polar solvents such as ethers such as ethyl ether and petroleum ether; . These solvents may be used alone or in combination of two or more. Moreover, alkali salts, such as sodium carbonate, ammonium carbonate, sodium phosphate, can be added to these solvents, and it can extract under alkalinity.

  Examples of other extraction methods include a supercritical carbon dioxide extraction method and a liquefied carbon dioxide extraction method. Among these, the supercritical carbon dioxide extraction method is characterized in that the polyphenol component is small and the bitterness and essential oil components are more highly concentrated. In the present invention, such a supercritical carbon dioxide extraction method is an extraction method suitably used for preparing a hop extract.

  In the extract thus obtained, solids are removed by filtration or centrifugation as necessary, and then the hop extract is used as it is depending on the mode of use, or the solvent is partially distilled off or concentrated. Also good. Further, after concentration or drying, the resultant can be further purified by washing with an insoluble solvent, and further dissolved or suspended in an appropriate solvent to obtain a hop extract.

  The hop extract thus prepared includes humulones (humulone, cohumulone, adhumulone, posthumulone, prehumulone, etc.) and isohumulones that are isomers thereof (isohumulone, isocohumulone, isoadhumulone, isoposthumulone, isoprehumulone, etc.) )It is included. When obtaining a hop extract containing a high content of isohumulones, it is preferable to isomerize the hop extract prepared by the above method by heating in the presence of alkali or magnesium oxide. In addition, as an alkali here, the alkali salt which can be used for foodstuff manufacture, for example, potassium carbonate, sodium hydrogencarbonate, sodium carbonate, tripotassium phosphate, potassium dihydrogen phosphate, dipotassium hydrogen phosphate, potassium pyrophosphate, etc. The potassium salt of phosphoric acid can be used. By such isomerization, humulones in the hop extract are completely converted to isohumulones.

  That is, the hop extract used as a raw material in the present invention may be a hop extract prepared by extracting from hops, in particular, spikelets, or by isomerizing the extract as described above. The isomerized hop extract prepared may be used. Moreover, it may be a fraction containing a high concentration of humulones and isohumulones contained in these hop extracts and isomerized hop extracts, and further isolated from hop extracts and isomerized hop extracts. , Humulones obtained by purification, isohumulones and mixtures thereof may be used.

  Note that hop extracts and isomerized hop extracts extracted from hops by various methods are commercially available as beer additives, and in the present invention, these can also be used as hop extracts. As such commercial products, for example, hop extract obtained by supercritical carbon dioxide extraction of humrons and luprons mainly from hop blossom pulverized product (for example, CO2 Pure Resin Extract (Hopsteiner), carbon dioxide extract of hop blossom pulverized product) Isomerized hop extract (for example, Isomerized Kettle Extract (SS. Steiner), the main component is isohumulones and luprons), carbon dioxide gas extract of hop blossom pulverized product is isomerized, and further chlorinated with potassium. And water-soluble extracts (for example, ISOHOPCO2N (English Hop Products) and ISOHOP (Botanix); both are mainly composed of isohumulones) and the like.

  In addition, using these commercially available hop extracts and isomerized hop extracts, a fraction containing isohumulones at a high concentration can be prepared and used.

(I-2) Each process for preparing hop extract containing emulsion composition Next, each process for preparing the hop extract containing emulsion composition of this invention is demonstrated in detail.

(a) 1st stage: The process which makes a hop extract insoluble under acidity, and collect | recovers the produced | generated deposits (collection process of acidic precipitates)
In the present invention, as a first step, the above-mentioned hop extract is insolubilized under acidity.

  The liquid condition for insolubilizing the hop extract is preferably pH 1 to less than 7, more preferably pH 2 to 6. The acid used for adjusting the pH may be any acid that is usually used in foods. Examples include acetic acid, citric acid, malic acid, adipic acid, phosphoric acid, metaphosphoric acid, polyphosphoric acid, and lactic acid. be able to. Among these, in the present invention, it is preferable to adjust the pH using a phosphate.

  By adjusting the hop extract to an acidic range of pH 1 to less than 7, preferably pH 1 to 6, an insolubilized product is precipitated and precipitated. Although the production | generation method of an insolubilized material is not restrict | limited, It is preferable to adjust a hop extract to the said pH range of less than 1-7, and leave it for about 1 minute-24 hours or more on the conditions of about 5-80 degreeC.

  Subsequently, the precipitate formed by insolubilization is recovered. The method for collecting the precipitate is not particularly limited, and a conventional solid-liquid separation method such as decantation or centrifugation can be used. The precipitate thus prepared can be used as it is in the next second stage (preparation of the oil phase part), but it can also be dried according to a conventional method and used as a dried product.

(b) Second stage: Step of dissolving acidic precipitate of hop extract in oil (preparation of oil phase part)
The second stage is a process of preparing the oil phase part by dissolving the acidic precipitate collected in the first stage in fats and oils.

  As fats and oils used here, fats and oils (edible fats and oils) that can be used in the food field can be widely exemplified. For example, vegetable oils such as soybean oil, rapeseed oil, corn oil, or palm oil; animal fats and oils such as beef tallow, pork tallow, whale fat or fish oil (including fats and oils derived from marine products); and medium chain fatty acid glycerin Examples include esters. Preferred are medium chain fatty acid glycerin ester, rapeseed oil and corn oil.

  The blending ratio of the acidic precipitate of the hop extract contained in the oil phase part and the fats and oils can be set to a preferred ratio depending on the purpose of use. For example, the acidic precipitate of the hop extract (converted to dry matter) 1 The ratio of 1-100 mass parts of fats and oils with respect to a mass part, Preferably 2-50 mass parts can be mentioned.

  The mixing method of the acidic precipitate of hop extract and fats and oils is not specifically limited, It can carry out by stirring using a conventional stirrer. For example, a method in which an acidic precipitate of a hop extract is added to fats and oils and then stirred and mixed using a propeller or the like can be exemplified. At this time, it is preferable that the oil is used in a molten state. Therefore, it is preferable that the above stirring and mixing be performed at a temperature equal to or higher than the melting point of the fat. By passing through this step, the acidic precipitate of the hop extract can be dissolved in the oil and fat, and the oil phase part can be prepared.

  In addition, an oil-soluble antioxidant can also be mix | blended with an oil phase part other than the acidic precipitate of a hop extract. Examples of such antioxidants include tocopherols (eg, extracted tocopherol, dl-α-tocopherol, etc.), polyphenols (eg, rutin, myricetin, myricitrin, etc.), spice extracts (eg, rosemary, sage, etc.), Examples include acids derived from natural products (eg, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, ferulic acid, gallic acid, etc.), dibutylhydroxytoluene (BHT), butylhydroxyanisole (BHA), and the like. These antioxidants can be used alone or in a mixture of two or more.

(C) Third stage: Step of mixing and emulsifying the oil phase portion with the aqueous phase portion in which the emulsifier is dissolved (emulsification step)
The third stage is characterized in that the oil phase part prepared in the second stage is mixed with an aqueous phase part in which an emulsifier is dissolved and emulsified.

  As an emulsifier used in the emulsification step, any emulsifier may be used as long as it is used as a food emulsifier. Examples thereof include polyglycerin fatty acid ester, sucrose fatty acid ester, lecithin, gum arabic, and gati gum. it can. In addition, these emulsifiers may be used individually by 1 type, and can also use 2 or more types together.

  As polyglycerol fatty acid ester, HLB is 10 or more, preferably 12 to 20, more preferably 13 to 16, and even more preferably 14 to 16, and the number of carbon atoms of the constituent fatty acid is 12 or more, preferably 12 to 20 and more preferably 14-18. 6-15 are preferable and, as for the average degree of polymerization of glycerol, 8-10 are more preferable.

  Preferable examples of the polyglycerol fatty acid ester include hexaglycerol monostearate, decaglycerol monostearate, decaglycerol monooleate, decaglycerol monomyristate, decaglycerol monopalmitate and the like. In the present invention, these polyglycerin fatty acid esters can be used alone or in combination of two or more.

  Examples of the sucrose fatty acid ester include those having an HLB of 10 or more, preferably 10 to 20, and those having a fatty acid having 12 or more carbon atoms, preferably 12 to 20 carbon atoms. Preferable examples of the sucrose fatty acid ester include sucrose monostearate, sucrose monooleate, sucrose monopalmitate and the like. In this invention, these sucrose fatty acid ester can be used individually by 1 type or in combination of 2 or more types.

  Lecithin means phospholipids such as phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidic acid, phosphatidylserine, and sphingomyelin. In the present invention, these components are collectively referred to as lecithin. As the lecithin used in the present invention, those derived from all sources such as animals, plants, yeasts, molds and the like can be used. Preferable examples of lecithin used in the present invention include plant lecithin (eg, soybean lecithin, corn lecithin, rapeseed lecithin, etc.), egg yolk lecithin, fractionated lecithin, enzyme-decomposed lecithin, etc. Among them, soybean lecithin, egg yolk Lecithin and enzymatically degraded lecithin are more preferred. In this invention, these lecithins can be used individually by 1 type or in combination of 2 or more types.

  The fractionated lecithin means a product obtained by fractionating a specific component from plant lecithin or egg yolk lecithin using an organic solvent such as ethanol and utilizing a difference in solubility. The enzyme-decomposed lecithin means a product obtained by causing a phospholipase to act on plant lecithin, egg yolk lecithin, fractionated lecithin or the like to cause hydrolysis, transfer reaction or the like. Various enzyme-degraded lecithins can be obtained depending on the type of lecithin and the type of phospholipase. In the present invention, these are collectively referred to as enzyme-decomposed lecithin. In the present invention, any kind of enzymatically decomposed lecithin can be used.

  When lecithin is used as an emulsifier, lecithin is generally difficult to dissolve in water, so it is desirable to use it by dissolving it in edible oils and fats in advance. As edible fats and oils used in that case, the edible fats and oils used for preparation of the oil phase part mentioned above can be mentioned widely. Preferred are medium chain fatty acid glycerin esters, rapeseed oil and corn oil. In this case, the use ratio of the edible oil / fat can include 1 to 20 parts by mass with respect to 1 part by mass of lecithin.

  Gum arabic is a natural resin prepared by drying rubber-like exudates obtained from the trunks and branches of plants belonging to the genus Acacia of the legume family (Acacia: especially Acacia senegal and Acacia seyal). Gum arabic dissolves in water at a high concentration, and its aqueous solution has a relatively low viscosity, strong emulsification stability, protective colloid properties, and film-forming properties. For this reason, gum arabic has been widely used as emulsifiers, thickeners, stabilizers, binders and coating agents ("INDUSTRIAL GUMS-Polysaccharides and Their Derivatives-", SECOND EDITION, ACADEMIC PRESS, New York and London, 1973, pp.197-263). Such gum arabic is commercially available, and examples thereof include gum arabic SD and super gum EM2 manufactured by San-Ei Gen FFI Co., Ltd.

Gati Gum is mainly composed of polysaccharides obtained by drying the stem secretion of Anogeissus Latifolia WALL., And has been used as a thickening stabilizer (food additive). . Such gati gum is commercially available, and examples thereof include gati gum SD manufactured by San-Ei Gen FFI Co., Ltd.

  In the present invention, the emulsifier is used in an amount sufficient to at least emulsify the above-described oil phase part with respect to the aqueous phase. An amount sufficient to emulsify the oil phase portion with respect to the aqueous phase portion means an amount sufficient to uniformly and uniformly disperse oil droplets in the solvent (hydrophilic medium) constituting the aqueous phase portion. To do. As content of the emulsifier in the hop extract containing emulsion composition of this invention, 0.01-40 mass% can be mentioned normally. Preferably it is 0.5-30 mass%.

  Examples of the solvent constituting the aqueous phase part include water, a polyhydric alcohol, or a mixture thereof (hydrous polyhydric alcohol). Preferred is water or a hydrous polyhydric alcohol, and more preferred is a hydrous polyhydric alcohol from the viewpoint of preserving.

  Preferable examples of the polyhydric alcohol used in the present invention include glycerin, sorbitol, propylene glycol and the like. Of these, glycerin and sorbitol are preferable. The water content of the hydrous polyhydric alcohol is preferably more than 0% by mass and 50% by mass or less. More preferably, it is about 40 mass% or less, Most preferably, it is 30 mass% or less. Preferable examples of the hydrous polyhydric alcohol include glycerin water containing 40 to 90% by mass, preferably 60 to 90% by mass of glycerin, and sorbitol water containing 50 to 70% by mass of sorbitol.

  In addition, an antioxidant can also be mix | blended with the water phase part mixed with an oil phase part other than the emulsifier mentioned above. Preferable examples of the antioxidant include ascorbic acid, isoascorbic acid or salts thereof (for example, alkali metal salts, alkaline earth metal salts, etc.), catechins, catechins-containing natural extracts, and the like. Specifically, ascorbic acids such as L-ascorbic acid, sodium L-ascorbate, isoascorbic acid, erythorbic acid, sodium erythorbate; gallocatechin, epigallocatechin, epicatechin, epigallocatechin gallate, epicatechin gallate, etc. Catechins: Tea extract, apple extract, grape seed extract, sunflower seed extract, rice bran extract and other catechin-containing natural extracts. Among these, L-ascorbic acid, sodium L-ascorbate, and tea extract are preferable. These antioxidants can be used alone or as a mixture of two or more.

  In the present invention, the antioxidant is preferably used in an amount necessary for consuming the dissolved oxygen in the hop extract-containing emulsion composition. In general, the total amount of the hop extract-containing emulsion composition is 0.001 to 20% by mass, preferably 0.01 to 20% by mass.

  In the preparation of the hop extract-containing emulsion composition of the present invention, the mixing ratio of the oil phase part and the water phase part can be appropriately prepared according to the type of food and drink to be applied and its taste. Specific examples of the ratio (volume ratio) of the oil phase part and the water phase part include 1:99 to 99: 1, preferably 10:90 to 90:10.

  The ratio of the acidic precipitate of the hop extract contained in the hop extract-containing emulsion composition can also be appropriately increased or decreased depending on the type of food and drink to which the hop extract-containing emulsion composition of the present invention is applied and its taste. From the effect of the present invention that the bitterness derived from the hop extract is suppressed, it is also possible to set it to 50% by mass. As an example, 0.001-10 mass%, Preferably 0.1-5 mass% can be illustrated, However, It is not restrict | limited to these.

  In the hop extract-containing emulsion composition of the present invention, other additives may be added as desired for the purpose of improving the emulsifiability, heat resistance, acid resistance, storage stability, emulsification stability in foods, etc. of the emulsion composition. You may contain a thing. As such an additive, any known food additive can be used as long as it does not prevent emulsification of the hop extract, and it may be oil-soluble or water-soluble. Examples of such additives include polymeric polysaccharides (eg, soluble starch, dextrin, cyclodextrin, pectin, xanthan gum, etc.), preservatives (eg: paraoxybenzoic acid esters, benzoic acid, etc.), specific gravity adjusting agents. [SAIB (sucrose acetate isobutyrate)], protein degradation products (eg, casein, gelatin, etc.), vitamins, pigments (eg, α-carotene, β-carotene, lycopene, etc.), flavorings, unsaturated fatty acids (eg: α-linolenic acid, γ-linolenic acid, linoleic acid, etc.). The amount of these additives used is appropriately determined according to the purpose of use.

As described above, the hop extract-containing emulsion composition of the present invention is prepared by mixing the oil phase part prepared in the first stage and the second stage with the separately prepared aqueous phase part and uniformly and uniformly dispersing it. It can be manufactured (homogenization process). In addition, when mixing an oil phase part and a water phase part, you may mix | blend the water-soluble or oil-soluble antioxidant mentioned above as needed. For the preparation, it is preferable to use an emulsifier such as a colloid mill, a homomixer, or a high-pressure homogenizer. Although the conditions for the homogenization (homogenization treatment) are not particularly limited, a method of performing treatment at a pressure of 300 to 500 kg / cm ² a plurality of times can be exemplified. In addition, it is preferable to perform a homogenization process normally on 20-60 degreeC conditions, and in order to suppress the heat | fever generate | occur | produced in the case of emulsification, it is desirable to use a cooling device etc., for example. Since the production of the emulsified composition according to the present invention can be carried out in accordance with a conventionally known method for producing an emulsified composition, it does not require special production equipment and is industrially advantageous.

  In this way, the hop extract-containing emulsion composition of the present invention obtained through the steps of the first stage to the third stage significantly reduces the bitterness peculiar to the hop extract as shown in Experimental Example 1 described later. It is characterized by being.

  Furthermore, the hop extract-containing emulsion composition of the present invention can be adjusted so that the particle diameter (emulsion particle diameter) of the oil droplets in the emulsion composition is 10 μm or less, preferably 1 μm or less, depending on the intended use. desirable. By doing so, the storage stability of an emulsion composition can be improved and aggregation can be prevented.

  The hop extract-containing emulsified composition of the present invention is not particularly limited in its form, and may be an emulsion or a dried product thereof. Preferable examples of the dry solid form include powders and granules. A powder composition can be obtained by drying the emulsion-containing emulsion composition containing a hop extract by using a droplet spray dryer such as a spray dryer or a slurry dryer or a dryer such as a freeze dryer. It is also possible to prepare a granule composition by granulating the powder composition.

(II) Hop Extract Bitterness Reduction Method The hop extract bitterness reduction method of the present invention can be carried out through the following steps (1) to (3):
(1) A step of insolubilizing the hop extract under acidity and recovering the generated precipitate (acid precipitate recovery step),
(2) A step of dissolving the precipitate obtained above in fats and oils and preparing an oil phase part (oil phase part preparation step),
(3) A step of emulsifying the oil phase portion obtained in the step (2) by mixing with the aqueous phase portion in which the emulsifier is dissolved (emulsification step).

  (1) The process corresponds to the first-stage process described above, (2) the process corresponds to the second-stage process described above, and (3) process corresponds to the above-described third-stage process. Can be implemented according to

  The hop extract-containing emulsion composition prepared by such a method has a reduced bitterness derived from these components as compared to a hop extract containing the same amount of humulone and isohumulone. That is, the bitterness peculiar to a hop extract can be reduced significantly by making a hop extract into a hop extract containing emulsion composition by the method of this invention.

  Hereinafter, the content of the present invention will be specifically described using the following examples, comparative examples, and experimental examples, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In the formulation, unless otherwise specified, “%” means “mass%” and “part” means “part by mass”. The hop extract used in Examples 1 to 3 is an alkaline liquid hop extract obtained by supercritical carbon dioxide extraction of mainly humulones and luprones from hop blossom pulverized products (for example, CO2 Pure Resin Extract (Hopsteiner)). It is.

Examples 1-3
According to the prescription described in Table 1, hop extract-containing emulsion compositions (Examples 1 to 3) were prepared.

(1) Preparation of oil phase part (1-1) While stirring 100 g of the hop extract at room temperature, a 10% aqueous phosphoric acid solution was added dropwise until the pH became 4.5 to precipitate a precipitate. This was centrifuged and subjected to solid-liquid separation, and the precipitate was recovered. The collected precipitate was washed twice with ion exchange water. The collected precipitate was freeze-dried to obtain 27.5 g of an acid precipitate of a hop extract having a water content of 0.7% (Karl Fischer method).
(1-2) 2 g of the acidic precipitate of the hop extract prepared above was added to 13 g of the medium-chain fatty acid saturated ester, mixed and dissolved, and the resulting mixture was used as an oil phase part.

(2) Preparation of water phase part The water phase part was prepared using each of gum arabic, gati gum, and polyglycerol fatty acid ester as an emulsifier. Specifically, each of gum arabic, gati gum, and polyglycerin fatty acid ester was uniformly dissolved in water at the blending ratio shown in Table 1. In addition, about polyglyceryl fatty acid ester, it melt | dissolved in water and glycerol as shown in a table | surface, and the obtained mixture was made into the water phase part.

(3) Preparation of emulsion The oil phase part prepared in (1) and the aqueous phase part prepared in (2) were stirred and mixed at the ratios described in Table 1 (Examples 1 to 3). Then it treated four times under a pressure 350 kg / cm ² using a high pressure homogenizer (15MR-8TA, APV Gaulin, Inc.) to obtain an emulsion composition. Next, the emulsified particle size immediately after the preparation of each obtained emulsion composition was measured using a laser diffraction particle size distribution analyzer SALD-2100 (manufactured by Shimadzu Corporation). The results are also shown in Table 1.

Experimental example 1
Water was added to 100 g of the emulsified composition prepared above (Examples 1 to 3) (containing 2% acidic precipitate) to adjust to 7400 mL, and the amount of acidic precipitate in the hop extract was about 135 mg / 500 ml. An aqueous solution was prepared. For comparison, add water to 100 g of the hop extract (2% solids) used as a raw material to adjust to 7400 mL, and prepare an aqueous solution containing the solid content in the hop extract at a ratio of 135 mg / 500 ml. did.

Each of these aqueous solutions (Examples 1 to 3, Comparative Example) was sampled by four panelists and evaluated according to the following score criteria.
(Point basis)
5: Very bitter 4: Bitter, bitterness pulls back (post-bitterness)
3: Slightly bitter, with slightly after-bitter taste 2: Slightly bitter, with slightly after-bitter taste 1: Slightly not bitter, but slightly after-bitter taste 0: No bitterness, no after-bitter taste

  The results are shown in Table 2. The result is the average score of 4 panelists.

  From this result, it was confirmed that bitterness can be remarkably reduced by making the hop extract into an emulsified composition by the method of the present invention.

Claims (3)

A hop extract-containing emulsion composition prepared by the following steps (1) to (3):
(1) a step of insolubilizing the hop extract under acidity and collecting the generated precipitate;
(2) A step of dissolving the obtained precipitate in fat and oil to prepare an oil phase part,
(3) A step of mixing and emulsifying the water phase portion in which the emulsifier is dissolved and the oil phase portion obtained in the step (2). The manufacturing method of the hop extract containing emulsion composition which has the process of following (1)-(3):
(1) a step of insolubilizing the hop extract under acidity and collecting the generated precipitate;
(2) A step of dissolving the obtained precipitate in fat and oil to prepare an oil phase part,
(3) A step of mixing and emulsifying the water phase portion in which the emulsifier is dissolved and the oil phase portion obtained in the step (2). A method for reducing the bitterness of a hop extract, which comprises the following steps (1) to (3):
(1) a step of insolubilizing the hop extract under acidity and collecting the generated precipitate;
(2) A step of dissolving the obtained precipitate in fat and oil to prepare an oil phase part,
(3) A step of mixing and emulsifying the water phase portion in which the emulsifier is dissolved and the oil phase portion obtained in the step (2).