JP2011055778A - Menthol-containing food product - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide menthol-containing food product enhancing the depth i.e., body feeling of taste and flavor such as flavor and sweet taste for instance of mint. <P>SOLUTION: The menthol-containing food product contains curcumin together with l-menthol. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a menthol-containing food containing l-menthol, such as a tablet-shaped refreshing confectionery or a supplement, and more particularly to a menthol-containing food that can increase the thickness of the taste and fragrance, that is, the body feeling.

  Menthol is an organic compound called 2-isopropyl-5-methylcyclohexanol and has several diastereomers and enantiomers. Among these, l-menthol is a volatile essential oil component contained in plants such as mint and mint, and as a refreshing agent that imparts a refreshing sensation, various chewing gums, candy, tablets (tablets), ice creams, etc. It is blended in various foods.

  In such a menthol-containing food, in order to enhance the refreshing feeling, simply increasing the component amount of l-menthol increases the bitterness and painful irritation, and does not necessarily affect the palatability. Issues have been pointed out. Therefore, conventionally, as a method for enhancing the refreshing feeling of menthol and enhancing the palatability in menthol-containing foods, both menthol, dioxolane-2-acetic acid derivatives (Patent Document 1), ketones, alcohols, tetrahydrofuran derivatives, etc. (patents) Literature 2), tea tree essential oil (Patent Literature 3), quinic acid derivative (Patent Literature 4), terpenes (Patent Literature 5) and the like have been proposed.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-228887 JP-A-8-157862 JP-A-9-263786 JP 2006-104229 A JP 2008-273908 A

  TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a menthol-containing food containing l-menthol, such as a tablet-shaped refreshing confectionery or a supplement. Is intended to provide.

  The present invention proposes a menthol-containing food characterized by containing curcumin together with 1-menthol.

  As a result of extensive testing on substances that can further increase the thickness of taste and fragrance, that is, the body feeling, when used in combination with l-menthol, the present inventors have used, for example, l-menthol and curcumin, It was confirmed that the flavor and fragrance thickness, that is, the body feeling can be further enhanced, and the bitterness peculiar to curcumin can be suppressed.

  Hereinafter, although an embodiment of the present invention is described, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiment.

  The menthol-containing food (referred to as “the present food”) as an example of the embodiment of the present invention is a food characterized by containing curcumin together with menthol.

(menthol)
The l-menthol used in the food, i.e., l-menthol to be blended in producing the food, may be synthetic l-menthol or l-menthol isolated from natural essential oils. Moreover, you may mix | blend the essential oil containing 1-menthol as it is, and you may mix | blend the fragrance | flavor prepared from this essential oil.

Examples of essential oils containing 1-menthol include peppermint essential oil, Japanese mint mint oil, essential oil obtained from Labiatae plant, specifically apple mint, water mint, corsican mint, spearmint, mint, penny royal. , Horse Mint, Menta Kerwina, etc.
These may be blended singly or in combination of two or more. The same applies to the perfume obtained by blending these essential oil components, and may be blended singly or in combination of two or more.

  The content of 1-menthol is not particularly limited and is preferably adjusted according to the type, form, use, etc. of the food, but generally occupies 0.01 to 5% by mass of the entire flavor component. It is preferable to blend as described above.

(Curcumin)
Curcumin is a substance classified as a curcuminoid, which is a kind of polyphenol, and is known as a yellow pigment of turmeric (turmeric). Curcumin is also known to have physiological effects such as antitumor action, antioxidant action, antiamyloid action, and anti-inflammatory action. However, curcumin has a peculiar bitter taste, so it has hardly been added to confectionery. However, the present inventors can further enhance the taste and fragrance thickness, that is, the body feeling, such as strengthening the scent of mint, by combining l-menthol and curcumin, and at the same time, the bitterness peculiar to curcumin. Succeeded in finding what could be suppressed.

  As the curcumin, commercially available products including those on the market can be used. In addition, it is possible to use turmeric plant rhizomes that are medicinal plants, but even when turmeric (curcumin less than 3% by mass) is used in combination with l-menthol, it enhances the scent of mint and gives a sense of body. It has been confirmed that there is no further increase effect. Therefore, the curcumin composition to be blended with the present food preferably contains curcumin at least 5 mass%, preferably 50 mass% or more. In addition, purified products as curcuminoids are common in high-purity products and contain dimethoxycurcumin, bisdimethoxycurcumin, etc. in addition to curcumin, but these may be used.

(Content ratio of l-menthol and curcumin)
The content ratio of l-menthol and curcumin in this food product preferably contains 500 to 50000 parts by mass of curcumin with respect to 100 parts by mass of l-menthol. Within such a range, the body feeling of l-menthol and fragrance can be enhanced, and at the same time, the bitter taste of curcumin can be suppressed. From this point of view, it is more preferable to contain 500 to 50000 parts by mass of curcumin with respect to 100 parts by mass of l-menthol, among which 1000 to 30000 parts by mass, of which 3000 to 20000 parts by mass of curcumin is contained. Is more preferable.

(Other ingredients)
The food preferably contains a scent component such as mint. If an essential oil containing 1-menthol or a perfume containing this essential oil component is added, it can contain a scent such as mint, but if not, mint is added as a flavoring agent. preferable.

In addition to l-menthol and curcumin, this food includes, for example, synthetic vanilla, cinnamon derivatives, and various fruit flavors, cinnamyl acetate, cinnamaldehyde, citral diethyl acetal, dihydrocarbyl acetate, eugenyl formate, p-methylanisole, and other It is possible to add a flavoring agent.
Moreover, you may contain an organic acid and / or its salt.

  In addition to the above components, the food may contain, for example, saccharides, sweeteners, pigment components, nutritional components and functional components as appropriate.

Examples of the saccharide include glucose, fructose, sucrose, and reduced maltose.
Examples of the sweetener include xylitol, stevia extract, palatinose, aspartame, acesulfame potassium, stevia, saccharin, saccharin sodium and the like. Sugarless bulk sweeteners, bulk sugar sweeteners, high intensity sweeteners and the like may be included. A sugar alcohol such as sorbitol can also be used.
Examples of the pigment component include chlorella and chlorophyll.
Examples of nutritional components include L-ascorbic acid and its sodium salt.
Examples of the functional component include collagen, salmon cartilage, oyster extract, chitosan, propolis, octacosanol, tocopherol, carotene, polyphenol, plum extract, aloe, lactic acid bacteria, ganoderma, agaricus and the like.

  Moreover, when press-molding this foodstuff to a tablet form, you may mix | blend an excipient | filler, a lubricant agent, binder, etc., for example.

Examples of the prisoner include corn starch, potato starch, wheat starch, lactose, sucrose, calcium silicate, light anhydrous silicic acid, talc, kaolin and the like.
As the lubricant, fatty acids such as magnesium stearate and sucrose fatty acid ester, polyethylene glycol, talc, stearic acid, glycerin fatty acid ester, hardened oil, wax and the like can be used. By adding a lubricant, the tablet can be easily separated from the tablet press and gloss can be given to the tablet surface.
Examples of the binder include starch, dextrin, gum arabic powder, gelatin, sodium methylcellulose, hydroxypropylcellulose, hydroxypropylmethylcellulose, methylcellulose, polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinylpyrrolidone, gelatin and the like.

  In addition, normal carriers, disintegrating agents, surfactants, pH buffering agents, fragrances, thickeners, stabilizers, diluents, solubilizers, solubilizers, isotonic agents, etc. used in foods and pharmaceuticals It is possible to add them in combination as appropriate.

(Food form)
As the form of the food, a tablet form (tablet form), a powder form, and other forms can be adopted. Most preferred is a tablet (tablet) that disintegrates in the oral cavity or is crushed with teeth and dissolved in saliva. In the case of such a tablet, it can be considered that the timing at which 1-menthol, curcumin, mint scent, etc. are transmitted to the tongue and nasal cavity of the oral cavity when dissolved in saliva is preferable.

(Manufacture of this food)
Examples of the granulation method for producing a tablet (tablet confectionery) include a dry crushing granulation method, a wet extrusion granulation method, a fluidized bed granulation method, and a high-speed stirring granulation method.
For example, raw materials can be mixed, and then water can be added and granulated with a high-speed stirrer.
There is no particular limitation on the method of pressure-molding the granulated product into a tablet shape, but facilities and techniques for tableting molding that are usually performed can be used as they are.

  When the powder is pressure-molded as it is, it is preferable to add a lubricant at the time of pressure molding. When the powder is once granulated, it is preferable to add a lubricant at the time of granulation.

(Method for enhancing body feeling of food containing menthol)
INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used as a method for enhancing body feeling of menthol-containing foods, characterized in that curcumin is added to menthol-containing foods containing l-menthol.
At this time, it is more preferable to contain 500 to 50000 parts by mass of curcumin with respect to 100 parts by mass of l-menthol from the viewpoint of enhancing the body feeling of the menthol-containing food and not causing the bitter taste of curcumin. More preferably, it contains 3000 to 20000 parts by mass of curcumin.

(How to reduce curcumin bitterness)
The present invention can also be used as a curcumin bitterness reducing method characterized by blending l-menthol with curcumin.
At this time, from the viewpoint of obtaining a refreshing feeling of l-menthol while reducing the bitter taste of curcumin, 0.2 to 20 parts by mass of l-menthol is added to 100 parts by mass of curcumin. In particular, 0.2 to 10 parts by mass, and particularly 0.5 to 5 parts by mass of 1-menthol is particularly preferable.

(Explanation of terms)
In the present specification, when expressed as “X to Y” (X and Y are arbitrary numbers), unless otherwise specified, “preferably greater than X” and “preferably Y” together with the meaning of “X to Y”. It means “smaller”.
Further, when expressed as “X or more” or “Y or less” (X and Y are arbitrary numbers), it means “preferably larger than X” or “preferably smaller than Y” unless otherwise specified. To do.

  Next, although this invention is further demonstrated based on a test example, this invention is not limited to the Example shown below.

(Sample preparation)
Reduced maltose and sorbitol were uniformly mixed at a mass ratio of 1: 1 to prepare a carbohydrate premix. Next, the amount of powdered peppermint flavor and various powder functional materials shown in Table 1 were mixed, and then the previous sugar premix was added to prepare a total mass of 20 g. Then, the mixture was refined with a mortar to prepare a sample. The unit of each material amount shown in Table 1 is mass%.
Sample C was prepared as a standard sample that did not contain various powder functional materials.

Peppermint fragrance: Peppermint fragrance manufactured by Takasago International Corporation (containing 0.34% by mass or more of 1-menthol)
Curcumin preparation: Curcumin powder manufactured by Sabinsa Japan Corporation (contains about 70% by weight of curcumin)
Turmeric powder: Amari Spice Foods Co., Ltd. (containing 2% by mass of curcumin)
Refined green tea catechin: Teaflan 90S made by ITO EN (contains about 70% by mass of total catechin)

(sensory evaluation)
Seven panelists eat 100 mg of each sample and evaluate the irritation to the tongue (pain), the scent of mint, the thickness of the refreshing feeling (body feeling), and the bitterness peculiar to curcumin or turmeric. The most frequent evaluation is shown in Table 1.

= Tongue stimulation (pain) =
++++: Extremely painful ++: Strongly painful +: Slightly painful ±: Although there is a sense of irritation, there is no pain.
−: I do not feel both irritation and pain.

= Mint scent =
++++: Strong ++: Slightly strong +: Weak ±: Slightly −: No mint

= Thickness of refreshing feeling (body feeling) = ... Comparison with product C ++++: Extremely improved refreshing feeling ++: Improved cooling feeling thickness +: Slightly refreshing thickness ±: No difference, No change (equivalent to product C)
−: No refreshing thickness

= Curcumin or turmeric bitterness =
+++: Extremely bitter ++: Bitter +: Slightly bitter ±: Slightly bitter − −: No bitter

(Discussion)
As a result of using l-menthol and various materials in combination, it was found that the use of l-menthol and curcumin can enhance the thickness of the taste and scent, that is, the body feeling, for example, the scent of mint is enhanced. At the same time, it was also found that curcumin-specific bitterness can be suppressed.
In contrast, the curcumin raw material turmeric (turmeric) and l-menthol cannot be used to enhance the taste and fragrance thickness, that is, the body feeling. Could not be suppressed.

  Sample 16 contains l-menthol and curcumin, but the amount of curcumin relative to the content of peppermint fragrance is remarkably high, and the C / A in the table is extremely high, thus enhancing the body feeling. The effect was small, and an unpleasant flavor peculiar to curcumin was felt.

From the above test and previous test results, from the viewpoint of enhancing the body feeling of the menthol-containing food and not causing the bitter taste of curcumin to appear, 500 to 50000 parts by mass of curcumin is contained with respect to 100 parts by mass of l-menthol. Is more preferable, and it is considered that it is more preferable to mix 1000 to 30000 parts by mass, particularly, 3000 to 20000 parts by mass of curcumin.
On the other hand, from the viewpoint of obtaining a refreshing feeling of l-menthol while reducing the bitter taste of curcumin, it is preferable to blend 0.2 to 20 parts by mass of l-menthol with respect to 100 parts by mass of curcumin. In particular, it can be considered that it is more preferable to add 0.2 to 10 parts by mass, especially 0.5 to 5 parts by mass of l-menthol curcumin.

Claims (6)

  A menthol-containing food comprising curcumin together with l-menthol.   The menthol-containing food according to claim 1, comprising 500 to 50000 parts by mass of curcumin with respect to 100 parts by mass of l-menthol.   A method for enhancing the body feeling of a menthol-containing food, which comprises adding curcumin to a menthol-containing food containing l-menthol.   The body feeling enhancing method for menthol-containing food according to claim 3, wherein 500 to 50000 parts by mass of curcumin is blended with 100 parts by mass of l-menthol.   A method for reducing the bitterness of curcumin, comprising adding l-menthol to curcumin. The curcumin bitterness reducing method according to claim 5, wherein 0.2 to 20 parts by mass of l-menthol is blended with 100 parts by mass of curcumin.