JP2012012373A - Concentration power improving agent - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an agent that can enhance emission of α2 waves and improve concentration power while avoiding a user's burden even for daily ingestion, and to provide foods and beverages containing the agent.SOLUTION: The concentration power improving agent contains theanine, pyroglutamic acid and caffeine. Foods and beverages containing the concentration power improving agent are also provided.

Description

  The present invention relates to a concentration improving agent that enhances the concentration by increasing the emission of alpha 2 waves of the electroencephalogram, and a food or drink containing the concentration improving agent.

  Depending on the frequency, the human brain wave is a delta (δ) wave of less than 4 Hz, a theta (θ) wave of 4 Hz or more and less than 8 Hz, an alpha (α) wave of 8 Hz or more and less than 13 Hz, or a beta (β) wave of 13 Hz or more. It is roughly divided into two. Among these brain waves, α waves are known to occur frequently in a relaxed state and to decrease in a stressed state, and the appearance state of an α wave is regarded as an effective indicator of a relaxed state and a concentrated state. . In addition, α waves are classified into α1 waves with a frequency of 8 Hz or more and less than 10 Hz, and α2 waves with a frequency of 10 Hz or more and less than 13 Hz. The α2 wave is said to be an electroencephalogram that appears when the head is frightened, being able to concentrate in a relaxed state without tension. On the other hand, it is known that the β wave is an electroencephalogram that appears while the brain is awakened and excited.

  In recent stressed societies, various attempts have been made to actively increase α waves to relax and increase concentration, such as biofeedback methods, α wave music, α wave images, optical feedback devices, etc. There are known methods of using hearing and vision.

  There have also been proposed methods for relaxing and enhancing concentration by ingesting food and drink. For example, ingestion of theanine, a green tea component, enhances α-wave emission and improves learning efficiency (Patent Document 1), or acts as an antagonist of caffeine to suppress the excitement state (Patent Document) 2) etc. have been proposed.

  Also, by ingesting a composition comprising 300-3000 ppm theanine and 200-2000 ppm caffeine and having a ratio of theanine to caffeine of 5: 1 to 1:15, concentration, attention concentration and / or Or it has been reported that sensitivity is improved (patent document 3).

JP-A-9-12454 JP-A-4-253916 JP 2006-158398 A

  In order to experience the effect of improving mental symptoms by taking the amount of theanine as proposed in Patent Document 3, it is necessary to drink about 20 cups of tea per serving as an adult intake. It is not a capacity that can be ingested realistically. In particular, for the purpose of improving concentration, if you want to take several times a day (for example, twice or more), or if you want to take it every day, taking theanine only from tea Impossible. Even if an agent containing a high concentration of theanine or a food or drink containing the agent is developed, theanine is decomposed and decreased, and thus the desired effect is not necessarily obtained. While theanine intake is considered to be useful for relaxation of the body and mind, it has been reported that theanine has an excitatory promoting action (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-100230). Cost.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an agent that does not become a burden for daily ingestion and that can enhance concentration by increasing the emission of α2 waves, and a food and drink containing the agent.

  As a result of intensive studies to solve the above problems, the present inventors have found that a higher concentration-improving action can be obtained by blending the three components of theanine, pyroglutamic acid and caffeine, and the present invention has been completed. It came to do.

That is, the present invention includes, but is not limited to, the following inventions.
(1) Concentration improver containing theanine, pyroglutamic acid and caffeine.
(2) The concentration improving agent according to (1), which enhances the release of α2 waves.
(3) Food / beverage products containing the agent as described in (1) or (2).
(4) A method for improving concentration, comprising ingesting theanine, pyroglutamic acid and caffeine.

  Concentration enhancer comprising theanine, pyroglutamic acid and caffeine according to the present invention, food and drink containing theanine, pyroglutamic acid and caffeine, thereby effectively enhancing α2 wave release and concentration. The power can be improved.

(Improvement of concentration)
`` Concentration '' as used in the present invention refers to a psychological ability to calmly concentrate on the things that should be done, even under various pressures, and behave with confidence and without any hesitation. It can be objectively evaluated by the α wave of the electroencephalogram. To the so-called concentration ability, to the "ability to focus attention" required in scenes where the target is limited to one, such as archery, "ability to pay attention" required when trying to incorporate a lot of information, extra information Includes “ability to avoid distraction” and so on. Concentration is said to have instantaneous concentration and continuous concentration, and instantaneous concentration includes the ability to maximize one's ability in a relatively short time. Concentration includes the ability to continue monotonous work for a long time. “Improving concentration” in the present invention means that α waves, particularly α2 waves, of the brain waves can be enhanced.

  In one embodiment, the present invention is a concentration-improving agent, and in another embodiment, the present invention is a method for improving concentration, comprising ingesting theanine, pyroglutamic acid and caffeine.

(Theanine)
The concentration improving agent of the present invention contains theanine, pyroglutamic acid and caffeine as active ingredients. Theanine is known as a umami component of tea and consists of glutamic acid-γ-ethylamide.

  As the theanine used in the present invention, any of L-form, D-form and DL-form (racemic form) can be used, but it is preferable to use L-form. In addition to commercially available reagents, pure products (purified products having a theanine content of 98% or more), crude purified products (theanine content of 50 to 98%), the present invention can be used in the form of a tea extract or a concentrate thereof. In the preparation and food and drink, it is preferable to use a crude product or a pure product, particularly a pure product, from the viewpoint of storage stability such as taste and precipitation.

  The theanine used in the present invention can be obtained by any method. Examples of methods for producing theanine include separation and purification methods from tea leaves, chemical synthesis methods, tissue culture methods using tea cells, and methods utilizing an enzyme reaction. As a method using an enzyme reaction, there is a method in which glutaminase is allowed to act on a mixture of glutamine and ethylamine to obtain theanine, which is commercially available as “Suntheanine” (Taiyo Chemical Co., Ltd.). Theanine obtained by the enzymatic reaction is suitably used as the theanine (L form) of the present invention.

(Pyroglutamic acid)
As the pyroglutamic acid (2-pyrrolidone-5-carboxylic acid) used in the present invention, any of L-form, D-form, and DL-form can be used. Among them, L-form or DL-form is preferred, and L-form is particularly preferred.

  The pyroglutamic acid used in the present invention can be obtained by any method, extracted from a natural plant such as sugar beet, isolated from a hot water extract of various animals, glutamic acid, Any of those derived from glutamine or the like may be used.

  In the agent and food / beverage products of this invention, by containing pyroglutamic acid, the excitement action which theanine and caffeine have is not expressed, but only the target concentration improvement effect can be obtained. And the agent and food / beverage products of this invention containing pyroglutamic acid show an effect higher than the concentration improving effect which the conventional mixture of theanine and caffeine has.

In the present invention, theanine and pyroglutamine can be simply mixed to obtain a mixture of both. For example, by converting a portion of theanine into pyroglutamic acid by hydrolysis, a mixture of theanine and pyroglutamic acid is obtained. There is also a method. As will be described later, the present inventors have found that pyroglutamic acid is produced by adjusting an aqueous solution containing a high concentration of theanine to pH 5 or lower with an acid, heat-treating, and storing for a certain period of time. . For example, a mixture of theanine and pyroglutamic acid can be easily obtained by a method through the following steps, which is preferable.
(1) Step of preparing a theanine aqueous solution: a step of dissolving theanine in water to obtain a theanine aqueous solution. The concentration of theanine is preferably 2000 ppm or more, more preferably 2500 ppm or more, particularly preferably 3000 ppm or more, and may be 3500 ppm or more. The upper limit of the theanine concentration is not particularly limited, but is preferably 20000 ppm or less.
(2) pH adjustment step of theanine aqueous solution: a step of adjusting the pH to 5.0 or less by mixing an acid (preferably citric acid) with the theanine aqueous solution. The pH is preferably 4.5 or less, more preferably 4.0 or less, and even more preferably 3.5 or less.
(3) Heating step: A step of heat-treating the theanine aqueous solution. Heating is preferably performed at 70 to 100 ° C., and the heat treatment time is preferably 10 seconds to 30 minutes.
(4) Storage step: A step of storing the heated theanine aqueous solution for a certain period. It is preferable to store at 5 to 60 ° C. for 1 day to 1 month.

(caffeine)
Caffeine used in the present invention includes commercially available reagents, pure products (purified products with a caffeine content of 98% or more), crude products (caffeine content of 50 to 98%), and plants containing caffeine (tea leaves). Can be used in the form of an extract of cola fruit, coffee beans, etc.) or a concentrate thereof. However, in the agent and food and drink of the present invention, from the viewpoint of storage stability such as taste and precipitation, crude product Alternatively, it is preferable to use a pure product, and it is particularly preferable to use a pure product.

(Food)
Examples of the food and drink containing the concentration-improving agent of the present invention include various drinks such as soft drinks, near water, sports drinks, jelly drinks and coffee drinks, and various foods such as soft jelly, hard candy and chocolate. . In general, in the beverage form, an unfavorable flavor due to a high concentration of theanine is easily felt and the palatability may be impaired. Since inn additively or synergistically suppresses an unfavorable flavor caused by high-concentration theanine, the form of the beverage is one of the preferred embodiments that can greatly enjoy the effects of the present invention.

  When the food / beverage products of this invention are drinks, content, such as theanine, can be made as follows, for example. The theanine content is preferably 200 mg or more per 100 mL of beverage, more preferably 300 mg or more, and even more preferably 350 mg or more. When the content of theanine is 200 mg or more, a sufficient concentration enhancement effect can be obtained. The upper limit of the theanine content is not particularly limited, but is preferably 2000 mg or less per 100 mL of beverage, more preferably 1500 mg or less, and even more preferably 1000 mg or less, from the viewpoints of solubility and flavor of theanine.

  The content of pyroglutamic acid is preferably 0.2 mg or more per 100 mL of beverage, more preferably 0.5 or more, and even more preferably 1 mg or more. Pyroglutamic acid alone has almost no effect of improving concentration, but when used in combination with theanine and caffeine, the concentration of theanine and caffeine is increased synergistically. There is an effect of suppressing the expression of the action. From the viewpoint of efficiently expressing the effect of pyroglutamic acid, the ratio of pyroglutamic acid to theanine and caffeine is preferably pyroglutamic acid / theanine = 0.003 to 0.7, and pyroglutamic acid / caffeine = 0.02. 3.0 is preferred. Moreover, although the upper limit of pyroglutamic acid content is not specifically limited, in order to exhibit the effect | action effectively, 200 mg or less per 100 mL of drinks is preferable, 180 mg or less is more preferable, 150 mg or less is further more preferable.

  The content of caffeine is preferably 50 mg or more per 100 mL of beverage, more preferably 70 mg or more. When the content of caffeine is less than 50 mg, a sufficient concentration enhancement effect may not be obtained. Moreover, the upper limit of the content of caffeine is preferably 200 mg or less per 100 mL of beverage, more preferably 150 mg or less, and even more preferably 100 mg or less from the viewpoint of flavor. When the weight ratio of the caffeine content to the theanine content is 0.1 to 1, and further 0.1 to 0.5, the synergistic concentration enhancement effect with theanine can be exhibited most. Is preferable.

  The food / beverage products (especially drink) of this invention can mask the unfavorable flavor resulting from a high concentration of theanine by combined use of caffeine and pyroglutamic acid. The combination of caffeine and pyroglutamic acid can also mask vitamin odor. Therefore, even if it is a form which mix | blended the vitamin in the food / beverage products (especially drink) of this invention, there exists an advantage that the food / beverage products which do not impair palatability can be provided. Examples of vitamins herein include vitamin B1 or derivatives thereof, specifically, thiamine hydrochloride, thiamine nitrate, dibenzoylthiamine hydrochloride, thiamine naphthalene-1,5-disulfonate, bisbenchamine and the like. And derivatives thereof. In addition, thiamine propyl disulfide, thiamine tetrahydrofurfuryl disulfide (fursultiamine), thiamine-8 (methyl-6-acetyldihydrothiooctate) disulfide and their salts (for example, hydrochloride), thiamine disulfide, thiamine monophos Fate disulfide, O, S-dicarbethoxythiamine and the like can also be mentioned as vitamin B1 derivatives. These vitamin B1 derivatives can be used alone or in combination of two or more. Among the above vitamin B1 derivatives, the use of one or more selected from dibenzoylthiamine hydrochloride, thiaminenaphthalene-1,5-disulfonate, or bisbenchamine can further exert a vitamin odor suppressing action. When this invention is a form of a drink, content of vitamin B1 or its derivative (s) is 0.0001 to 0.3 weight%, Preferably, it is about 0.0005 to 0.02 weight%.

  EXAMPLES Hereinafter, although an Example is shown and the detail of this invention is demonstrated concretely, this invention is not limited to this. In the present specification, unless otherwise specified,% and the like are based on weight, and numerical ranges are described as including the end points.

<Test method>
The recording of the electroencephalogram, the PVT test, and the quantification of theanine, pyroglutamic acid and caffeine were performed as follows.

(Record of EEG)
The subject measured the electroencephalogram in the chair sitting position in a closed environment room at 25 ° C. and 40 lux that was blocked from the outside. A simple electroencephalograph (Futec Electronics Co., Ltd.) was used for measuring and recording the electroencephalogram. A biofeedback system FM-515A was attached to the head of the subject, and the potential difference (μV) between both ear lobes was measured.

(PVT test)
Concentration measurement was performed using the Psychokinetic Arousal Level Task Test Program (PVT) (Norupuro Light Systems). The test takes 15 minutes as one set. Of the ○, △, and □ that appear randomly on the PC screen, left click only when □ appears, and right click for other symbols. And the reaction time at the time of correct answer was measured.

(Quantification of theanine)
Theanine was quantified using HPLC (High Performance Liquid Chromatograph, Shimadzu Corporation). From the upstream side of the mobile phase, the constituent devices are a mobile phase deaerator (DGU-20A5), a mobile phase switching valve (FCL-11AL), a pump (LC-20AB), an autosampler (SIL-20AC), and an oven (CTO). -20AC), a fluorescence detector (RF-10A XL) was used. In addition, a peristaltic pump (PRR-2A) was used for delivery of the reaction solution mixed with the column eluate. The apparatus was controlled using a controller (CBM-20A) and control software (LCsolution). As the separation column, an amino acid analysis column (Shim-pack Amino Li) was used. Further, an ammonia trap column (Shim-pack ISC-30 / S0504 (Li)) was installed between the pump and the autosampler.

  The analysis conditions are as follows. The column temperature was set to 39 ° C. The mobile phase was 0.15N lithium citrate aqueous solution containing 7% methyl cellosolve as mobile phase A solution (adjusted to pH 2.6 with perchloric acid), and 0.30N lithium citrate-0 as mobile phase B solution. .20M boric acid aqueous solution (adjusted to pH 10.0 with 4M lithium hydroxide), 0.20M lithium hydroxide aqueous solution was used as mobile phase C liquid, at a flow rate of 0.6 ml / min, under the gradient conditions shown in Table 1. Eluted. The reaction solution was a carbonic acid-borate buffer solution (adjusted to pH 10.0) containing 0.0005% sodium hypochlorite as the reaction solution A solution, and 0.08% orthophthalaldehyde and 1.40 as the reaction solution B solution. Carbonate-borate buffer solution (adjusted to pH 10.0) containing 10% ethanol, 0.04% polyoxine ethylene lauryl ether and 0.10% N-acetylcysteine, each at a flow rate of 0.3 mL / min. Mixed with column eluate. The mixing conditions of the reaction solution and the column eluate are as follows. First, the column eluate and the reaction solution A are mixed in a reaction coil having an inner diameter of 0.5 mm × a length of 1000 mm, and further the reaction solution B solution and the inner diameter of 0.5 mm × a length of 2000 mm. The reaction coil was mixed.

The fluorescence detector was set to an excitation wavelength of 350 nm and a detection wavelength of 450 nm.
The sample was appropriately diluted with water for liquid chromatography (Wako Pure Chemical Industries), and 10 μL was injected with an autosampler.

  In this example, L-theanine standard product (Tokyo Chemical Industry) was analyzed under the above conditions to prepare a calibration curve in advance, and theanine in the sample was quantified. The elution time of L-theanine under the above conditions was 37.9 minutes.

(Quantification of pyroglutamic acid)
As the analytical instrument, HPLC (high performance liquid chromatograph, Shimadzu Corporation) was used. Constituent devices are mobile phase deaerator (DGU-20A3), pump (LC-20AD), autosampler (SIL-20AC HT), oven (CTO-10A), electrical conductivity detector from the upstream side of mobile phase. (CDD-10A VP) was used. In addition, a pump (LC-10AD) was used for sending out a buffer mixed with the column eluate. The apparatus was controlled from a control software (LCsolution) using a controller (SCL-10A VP). The separation column includes one guard column (Shim-pack SPR-H (G) 50 mm × 7.8 mm id) and an organic acid analysis column (Shim-pack SPR-H 250 mm × 7.8 mm id). .) Two were used in series. Moreover, the detection part of the electrical conductivity detector kept temperature constant with a thermostat (CELL TEMPERATURE CONTROLLER UNIT).

  The analysis conditions are as follows. The column temperature was set to 40 ° C. The mobile phase was 4 mM p-toluenesulfonic acid aqueous solution and eluted under isocratic conditions at a flow rate of 0.85 ml / min. The buffer was a 16 mM Bis-tris aqueous solution containing 4 mM p-toluenesulfonic acid and 100 μM EDTA-2Na, and mixed with the column eluate at a flow rate of 0.75 mL / min. The temperature of the detection part of the electrical conductivity detector was set to 43 ° C. The sample was appropriately diluted with water for liquid chromatography (Wako Pure Chemical Industries), and 10 μL was injected with an autosampler.

  In this example, a pyroglutamic acid standard product (DL body, Tokyo Chemical Industry) was analyzed under the above conditions to prepare a calibration curve in advance, and pyroglutamic acid in the sample was quantified. The elution time of pyroglutamic acid under the above conditions was 23.7 minutes.

(Quantification of caffeine)
The sample was filtered through a filter (0.45 μm) and subjected to HPLC analysis. The analysis conditions of HPLC are as follows.
Analytical apparatus: TOSOH HPLC system LC8020 model II (Tosoh Corporation) [Multistation: LC-8020, pump: CCMC-II, autosampler: AS-8021, detector: UV-8020, column oven: CO-8020, Online degasser: SD-8023]
Analysis conditions: [Column: TSKgel ODS-80TsQA, eluent A: 10% acetonitrile / water 0.05% TFA, eluent B: 80% acetonitrile / water 0.05% TFA, flow rate: 1.0 ml / min, Temperature 40 ° C., detection: UV 275 nm]
Example 1
(1) Production of theanine (TH), caffeine (CF) and pyroglutamic acid-containing beverage A theanine-containing solution (pH 3.5) was prepared according to the formulation shown in Table 2. This was heat-treated at 94 to 98 ° C. for 30 seconds, and then 100 mL glass bottles were filled at 100 to 90 ° C. at a temperature of 83 to 90 ° C., and nitrogen flow was performed so that the amount of oxygen in the headspace was 0.45 mL or less per bottle. . Immediately, 75-80 ° C. warm water was showered from the top of the bottle and held for 3-6 minutes. After refrigerated cooling to about 40 ° C., it was naturally cooled to room temperature. The obtained packaged beverage (Invention product 1) is stored at room temperature for 3 months (Invention product 1-2), stored in a 45 ° C constant temperature layer for 4 weeks (Invention product 1-3), and 55 ° C constant temperature. The layer was stored for 1.5 weeks (product 1-4 of the present invention) and the theanine and pyroglutamic acid contents were measured.

  The results are shown in graph 1. By storing a theanine (TH) -containing beverage produced through heat treatment at room temperature to 60 ° C., pyroglutamic acid (PG) is produced, and a beverage containing theanine (TH) and pyroglutamic acid (PG) can be easily obtained. I was able to manufacture it.

(2) Measurement of electroencephalogram Each of the healthy adults (5 males, 5 females, average age 34 years old) ingested the beverage obtained in (1) above (Product 1-2 of the present invention). The brain waves were recorded.

  The results of recording α2 waves after 0, 15, 30, 45, and 60 minutes after ingestion (obtained from the average value of the derivation records of each subject, the average value of the entire subject) are shown in graph 2 (graph of The vertical axis shows the rate of change when the electroencephalogram before ingestion is used as the reference (1)). It can be seen that the release of α2 waves is enhanced 15 minutes after ingestion, and the concentration is improved.

(3) PVT test Eight healthy adults (4 males, 4 females, average age 36 years) each drink the beverage obtained in (1) above (the product of the present invention 1-2), A PVT test was performed. The PVT test was performed 1 set before ingestion and 3 sets after ingestion (with a 3-minute break between each set).

  The results of obtaining the average value of the correct answer rate and the reaction time are shown in graphs 3 and 4. By taking the product of the present invention, the correct answer rate was improved, and the reaction time at the correct answer was greatly shortened.

Claims (4)

  Concentration improver containing theanine, pyroglutamic acid and caffeine.   The concentration-improving agent according to claim 1, which enhances the release of α2 waves.   Food-drinks containing the agent of Claim 1 or 2.   A method for improving concentration, comprising ingesting theanine, pyroglutamic acid and caffeine.