JP2017186320A - Emulsified composition and soft capsule formulation containing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an emulsified composition comprising astaxanthin and/or a derivative thereof, which is a physiologically active ingredient poorly soluble in water, the emulsified composition being excellent in stability over time, and to provide a soft capsule formulation.SOLUTION: According to the present invention, there is provided an emulsified composition that comprises at least one polyvalent alcohol selected from a group comprising astaxanthin and a derivative thereof, an oil component, water, glycerin and reduced starch syrup, and enzymatically degraded lecithin. According to the present invention, there is also provided a soft capsule formulation.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

  The present invention relates to an emulsified composition that can be used for foods, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and the like, and a soft capsule preparation containing the same.

  In recent years, improvement in utilization rate or absorption rate of physiologically active ingredients in the body has become an issue in functional foods, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and the like containing physiologically active ingredients that are sparingly soluble in water. For the purpose of improving the utilization rate or absorption rate of hardly soluble physiologically active ingredients in the body, attempts have been made to improve the solubility of poorly soluble physiologically active ingredients, for example, by adding an emulsifier with high affinity to the human body. I came.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a polyhydric alcohol-in-oil emulsion composition containing lysolecithin, a water-soluble polyhydric alcohol having two or more hydroxyl groups in the molecule, and an oil phase component.

  Patent Document 2 discloses an emulsified composition for a soft capsule formulation containing an oil component, glycerin and / or sorbitol as a polyhydric alcohol, and lysolecithin as an emulsifier, and astaxanthin is mentioned as a fat-soluble substance soluble in the oil component. It has been. Patent Document 2 describes providing a self-emulsifying composition that has a high oil component ratio and quickly emulsifies and disperses upon contact with water or digestive fluid without using a large amount of emulsifier.

JP-A-62-95132 JP 2011-12003 A

  In functional foods, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and the like, an emulsion composition with improved utilization and / or absorption rate of a physiologically active ingredient in the body and a soft capsule preparation containing the same are desired.

An object of one embodiment of the present invention is to provide an emulsified composition containing astaxanthin and / or a derivative thereof, which is a physiologically active component hardly soluble in water, and having excellent temporal stability.
One of the embodiments of the present invention is to provide a soft capsule preparation containing an emulsion composition containing astaxanthin and / or a derivative thereof, which is a physiologically active ingredient hardly soluble in water, and having excellent temporal stability. And

  As a result of intensive studies to solve the above problems, the present inventor has found that at least one polyhydric alcohol selected from the group consisting of astaxanthin and / or a derivative thereof, an oil component, water, glycerin or reduced starch syrup, and enzymatic degradation It has been found that the above problems can be solved by an emulsion composition containing lecithin, and the present invention has been completed.

Specific means for solving the above problems include the following embodiments.
(1) An emulsified composition comprising at least one selected from the group consisting of astaxanthin and derivatives thereof, at least one polyhydric alcohol selected from the group consisting of oily components, water, glycerin and reduced starch syrup, and enzymatically decomposed lecithin. .
(2) The emulsified composition according to the above (1), wherein the emulsified composition contains substantially only enzymatically degraded lecithin as an emulsifier.
(3) The emulsion composition according to the above (1) or (2), which contains glycerin as a polyhydric alcohol in a range of 30% by mass to 60% by mass with respect to the total mass of the emulsion composition.
(4) The emulsion composition according to the above (1) or (2), which contains reduced starch syrup as a polyhydric alcohol in a range of 30% by mass to 70% by mass with respect to the total mass of the emulsion composition.
(5) The emulsified composition according to any one of (1) to (4) above, wherein the enzymatically decomposed lecithin is contained in the range of 2% by mass to 22% by mass with respect to the total mass of the emulsified composition.
(6) The emulsified composition according to any one of (1) to (4) above, wherein the enzymatically decomposed lecithin is contained in the range of 5% by mass to 22% by mass with respect to the total mass of the emulsified composition.
(7) The emulsified composition according to any one of (1) to (4) above, wherein the enzymatically decomposed lecithin is contained in the range of 8% by mass to 22% by mass with respect to the total mass of the emulsified composition.
(8) The emulsion composition according to any one of (1) to (7), wherein the oil component is at least one selected from the group consisting of medium-chain fatty acid triglycerides and animal and vegetable oils.
(9) A soft capsule formulation comprising the emulsion composition according to any one of (1) to (8) above.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to provide an emulsified composition containing astaxanthin and / or a derivative thereof, which is a physiologically active component hardly soluble in water, and having excellent stability over time.
In addition, according to one embodiment of the present invention, a soft capsule formulation comprising an emulsified composition containing astaxanthin and / or a derivative thereof, which is a physiologically active ingredient hardly soluble in water, and having excellent stability over time is provided. can do.

  Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail. However, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, and may be implemented with appropriate modifications within the scope of the object of the present invention. be able to.

In the present disclosure, a numerical range indicated using “to” means a range including the numerical values described before and after “to” as the minimum value and the maximum value, respectively.
In the present disclosure, the term “process” is not only included in an independent process, but is included in the term if the intended purpose of the process is achieved even when it cannot be clearly distinguished from other processes.
In the present disclosure, when referring to the amount of each component in the composition, when there are a plurality of substances corresponding to each component in the composition, the plurality of the substances present in the composition unless otherwise specified. It means the total amount of substance.
In the present disclosure, “aqueous phase” is used as a term for “oil phase” regardless of the type of solvent.

One embodiment of the present invention is at least one selected from the group consisting of astaxanthin and derivatives thereof, at least one polyhydric alcohol selected from the group consisting of oily components, water, glycerin and reduced starch syrup, and an enzyme An emulsified composition containing decomposed lecithin (hereinafter sometimes referred to as an emulsified composition of the present embodiment).
One of the embodiments of the present invention is a soft capsule preparation (hereinafter, may be referred to as a soft capsule preparation of the present embodiment) including the emulsified composition which is an aspect of the present invention.

[Emulsified composition]
The emulsified composition of the present embodiment comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of astaxanthin and derivatives thereof, at least one polyhydric alcohol selected from the group consisting of oily components, water, glycerin and reduced starch syrup, and enzymatic degradation. An emulsified composition containing lecithin.

  The emulsified composition of the present embodiment contains at least one selected from the group consisting of glycerin and reduced starch syrup, while containing astaxanthin and / or a derivative thereof, which is a physiologically active component hardly soluble in water, as one of the oil phase components. By using a combination of a polyhydric alcohol of a seed and an enzyme-degraded lecithin, an emulsion composition having excellent temporal stability can be obtained. Thereby, the improvement of the utilization factor and / or absorption rate of astaxanthin and / or its derivative into the body can be expected.

In the emulsified composition of the present embodiment, the stability over time means that the change in physical properties of the emulsified composition is suppressed when the emulsified composition is produced and time elapses. Examples of the change in physical properties of the emulsion composition include turbidity of the emulsion composition, precipitation generated in the emulsion composition, and the like.
In the emulsified composition of this embodiment, the presence or absence of turbidity and precipitation is used as an indicator of stability over time. The presence or absence of turbidity and precipitation is measured by the measurement method described in Examples described later.

  In addition, since the emulsified composition of the present embodiment has high affinity for the human body and contains enzyme-decomposed lecithin as a component that can function as an emulsifier, it is possible to consider user needs, directivity, and the like. .

The emulsified composition of the present embodiment preferably includes an aqueous phase composition and an oil phase composition. The aqueous phase composition is preferably a continuous phase in the emulsion composition.
Astaxanthin and / or a derivative thereof and an oil component are included in the oil phase composition. It is preferable that at least one polyhydric alcohol selected from the group consisting of glycerin and reduced starch syrup is included in the aqueous phase composition. The enzymatically decomposed lecithin is preferably contained in at least the aqueous phase composition.

(Astaxanthin and its derivatives)
The emulsified composition of the present embodiment contains at least one selected from astaxanthin and derivatives thereof. Astaxanthin derivatives include esters of astaxanthin. In the following description, astaxanthin and its derivatives are collectively referred to as “astaxanthin” unless otherwise specified.

As astaxanthin, in addition to those derived from natural products such as plants, algae, crustaceans and bacteria, any one can be used as long as it is obtained according to a conventional method.
Examples of natural astaxanthin include red yeast Phaffia, Haematococcus algae, marine bacteria (for example, Paracoccus), krill, Adonis (Fukujukusa), and the like. Moreover, the extract from the culture can be mentioned.
Astaxanthin may be a product obtained by appropriately purifying, as necessary, a product separated or extracted from these natural products, or may be a synthetic product.
As astaxanthin, those extracted from Haematococcus algae (also referred to as Haematococcus alga extract) and pigments derived from krill (also referred to as krill extract) are preferable from the viewpoint of quality or productivity.

As astaxanthin, commercially available Haematococcus alga extract and krill extract can be used.
Examples of commercially available products of Haematococcus alga extract include ASTOTS (registered trademark) -S, ASTOTS (registered trademark) -SS, ASTOTS (registered trademark) -5OS, and ASTOTS (registered trademark) -5 of FUJIFILM Corporation. O, ASTOTS (registered trademark) -5OS, AST
OTS (registered trademark) -10 O, etc. (above, trade name), Fuji Chemical Industry Co., Ltd. Asteril (registered trademark) Oil 50F, Asteryl (registered trademark) Oil 5F, etc., Toyo Enzyme Chemical Co., Ltd. BioAstin (Registered trademark) SCE7, Asta Pure (product containing 10% by mass of astaxanthin, product containing 20% by mass), etc. available from Arga Technology Co., Ltd. are available.
As a commercial product of krill extract, Astax ST (trade name) of Marine Daio Co., Ltd. can be obtained.

Astaxanthin can be used as an astaxanthin-containing oil contained in an oil component described later.
In the astaxanthin-containing oil containing astaxanthin and an oily component, the content of astaxanthin is preferably 0.001% by mass to 50% by mass, more preferably 0.01% by mass to 25% by mass, and more preferably 5% by mass to 25%. More preferably, it is 10% by mass or more and 25% by mass or less.

  The content of astaxanthin in the emulsified composition can be determined from the viewpoint of expression of the effect expected to contain astaxanthin, the appearance of the emulsified composition, and the like, for example, 2 mass relative to the total mass of the emulsified composition % To 10% by mass is preferable, 4% to 10% by mass is more preferable, and 5% to 10% by mass is still more preferable.

  In the emulsified composition of the present embodiment, the content of astaxanthin is not limited, but astaxanthin is an emulsified particle that is dispersed in an aqueous phase because it can be blended at a high concentration and can be stably contained in the emulsion composition. It is preferably included in the form of (oil phase).

(Oil component)
The emulsified composition of the present embodiment contains an oil component.
In the emulsified composition of the present embodiment, the oil component is a component having a solubility in water at 25 ° C. of less than 0.1% by mass (less than 1 g / L), and dissolves an insoluble component such as astaxanthin in water. Refers to the compound used for the purpose. Astaxanthin and its derivatives are not included in the oil component in the emulsified composition of the present embodiment.

The oil component preferably contains at least one selected from the group consisting of medium-chain fatty acid triglycerides and animal and vegetable oils and fats from the viewpoint of affinity with astaxanthin and the Food Sanitation Law.
Examples of medium chain fatty acid triglycerides include medium chain fatty acid triglycerides in which the fatty acid constituting the triglyceride has 8 to 10 carbon atoms.
Examples of animal and vegetable oils and fats include vegetable oils such as soybean oil, rapeseed oil, cottonseed oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, palm oil, wheat germ oil, corn germ oil, olive oil, rice bran oil, liver oil, fish oil, whale oil, etc. Animal fats and oils.
Among these oily components, medium chain fatty acid triglycerides are preferable, and the oily component contained in the emulsified composition of the present embodiment is more preferably only medium chain fatty acid triglycerides.

  As described above, astaxanthin may be used as an astaxanthin-containing oil contained in an oil component, and the astaxanthin-containing oil preferably contains a medium-chain fatty acid triglyceride as an oil component.

  Only one type of oil component may be used, or two or more types may be combined.

  The total content of astaxanthin and the oil component is preferably in the range of 20% by mass to 50% by mass, and in the range of 25% by mass to 50% by mass with respect to the total mass of the emulsion composition. Is more preferable.

(Antioxidant)
The emulsified composition of the present embodiment preferably contains at least one antioxidant.
The antioxidant is not particularly limited. For example, at least one compound selected from the group consisting of ascorbic acid, ascorbic acid derivatives, and salts thereof, vitamin E such as tocopherol and its derivatives, vitamin A, retinoin Acid, retinol, retinol acetate, retinol palmitate, retinyl acetate, retinyl palmitate, tocopheryl retinoic acid, vitamin C and its derivatives, kinetin, retinoin, sesamin, α-lipoic acid, coenzyme Q10, flavonoids, erythorbic acid, Propyl gallate, BHT (di-n-butylhydroxytoluene), BHA (butylhydroxyanisole), tretinoin, polyphenol, SOD (superoxide dismutase), phytic acid, koji extract, soybean extract Black tea extract, tea extract, and the like rose fruit extract.

  Preferably, the antioxidant is at least one compound selected from the group consisting of ascorbic acid, ascorbic acid derivatives, and salts thereof, vitamin E such as tocopherol and its derivatives, vitamin A, retinoic acid, retinol, and acetic acid Retinol, more preferably at least one compound selected from the group consisting of ascorbic acid, ascorbic acid derivatives, and salts thereof, vitamin E such as tocopherol, and derivatives thereof, and more preferably, tocopherol, etc. Vitamin E and its derivatives.

The content of the antioxidant in the emulsified composition of the present embodiment can be appropriately set according to the type of the antioxidant in consideration of maintaining the emulsion stability of astaxanthin.
The content of the antioxidant is preferably 0.1 times or more and 100 times or less, more preferably 0.1 times or more and 10 times or less, with respect to the mass of astaxanthin. More preferably, the amount is 1 to 5 times.

When at least one compound selected from the group consisting of ascorbic acid, ascorbic acid derivatives, and salts thereof is used as the antioxidant in the emulsified composition of the present embodiment, ascorbic acid and its salt are specifically Ascorbic acid, sodium ascorbate, potassium ascorbate, calcium ascorbate and the like.
Examples of the ascorbic acid derivative and its salt include ascorbic acid phosphate and its salt, ascorbic acid sulfate and its salt, palmitic acid ascorbyl phosphate and its salt, and the like.

The suitable aspect of the antioxidant contained in the emulsified composition of the present embodiment is at least one compound selected from the group consisting of ascorbic acid, ascorbic acid derivatives, and salts thereof, and / or tocopherol, etc. Vitamin E and its derivatives.
As an antioxidant in the emulsified composition of the present embodiment, at least one compound selected from the group consisting of ascorbic acid, ascorbic acid derivatives, and salts thereof, and / or vitamin E such as tocopherol and derivatives thereof When contained, the total content is preferably 0.3% by mass to 6% by mass with respect to the total amount of the emulsified composition of the present embodiment, and suppresses precipitation of these compounds over time at low temperatures. From the point, 0.3 mass% to 4 mass% is more preferable, and 0.5 mass% to 3 mass% is still more preferable.

  Ascorbic acid, ascorbic acid derivatives, and compounds of the group consisting of salts thereof, and / or vitamin E and its derivatives such as tocopherol may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

(water)
The emulsified composition of this embodiment contains water.
The water is not particularly limited as long as it can be applied to the emulsion composition, and any of ultrapure water such as purified water, distilled water, ion exchange water, pure water, and Milli Q water can be used. Note that Milli-Q water is ultrapure water obtained by a Milli-Q water production apparatus that is an ultrapure water production apparatus of Merck Co., Ltd.

  In the emulsified composition of the present embodiment, the water content is preferably 1 to 10 times the mass of astaxanthin, more preferably 2 to 10 times, and still more preferably It is 2 times or more and 5 times or less.

(At least one polyhydric alcohol selected from the group consisting of glycerin and reduced starch syrup)
The emulsified composition of the embodiment contains at least one polyhydric alcohol selected from the group consisting of glycerin and reduced starch syrup.

~ Glycerin ~
Glycerin is preferably used because it reduces the average particle size of the emulsified particles containing astaxanthin and easily keeps the particle size stable for a long period of time with the particle size being small.

  In the emulsified composition of the present embodiment, the content of glycerin is preferably in the range of 30% by mass to 60% by mass with respect to the total amount of the emulsified composition, and in the range of 35% by mass to 60% by mass. More preferably, it is more preferably in the range of 40% by mass to 60% by mass.

  In the emulsified composition of the present embodiment, the content of glycerin is preferably 1 to 100 times, more preferably 2 to 50 times the mass of astaxanthin, More preferably, it is 2 times or more and 10 times or less.

~ Reduced chickenpox ~
Reduced starch syrup is a kind of sugar alcohol and is synthesized by reducing (i.e., hydrogenating) starch syrup. Reduced starch syrup can be adjusted in viscosity by changing the composition of starch syrup (ie, saccharides) as a raw material, and is classified into high saccharification reduced starch syrup and low saccharification reduced starch syrup.
Low saccharified reduced starch syrup is preferably used because the average particle system of the emulsified particles containing astaxanthin is reduced and it is easy to stably maintain the particle size for a long time with a small particle size.

  As the reduced starch syrup, a starch syrup obtained by reducing oligotose (linear oligosaccharide) is particularly preferable from the viewpoints of maintaining the particle size of the emulsified particles containing astaxanthin and suppressing precipitation in the emulsion composition. The origin of oligotose is not particularly limited, but it is preferably a linear oligosaccharide mainly composed of maltotriose (G3), and is a linear oligosaccharide mainly composed of maltotriose, It is more preferable that the content of sugar and polymer dextrin is low.

The reduced starch syrup may be obtained by the method described above or may be a commercially available product.
Examples of commercially available products of reduced starch syrup include oligotose (Sanwa Starch Co., Ltd.), oligotose (trade name, Bussan Food Science Co., Ltd.), S30 (Brand name, Bussan Food Science Co., Ltd.), and S100. (Trade name, product food science) Oligotose H-70 (Mitsubishi Chemical Foods), Hellodex (trade name, Hayashibara), Tetrap, Tetrap-H (trade name, Hayashibara) , Pen trap (trade name, Hayashibara), coupling sugar (trade name, Hayashibara), coupling sugar S (trade name, Hayashibara).

The reduced starch syrup used in the emulsified composition of the present embodiment may be either solid (powder) or liquid containing a solvent (for example, water), but is preferably liquid from the viewpoint of productivity.
Commercially available liquid reduced starch syrup often contains 20% by mass or more and 40% by mass or less of water, but may be outside this range as long as a desired effect is obtained.

The content of the reduced starch syrup in the emulsified composition of the present embodiment is preferably in the range of 30% by mass to 70% by mass, and in the range of 35% by mass to 70% by mass with respect to the total amount of the emulsified composition. It is more preferable that it is in the range of 40 mass% or more and 70 mass% or less.
In addition, the “content of reduced starch syrup in the emulsion composition” in the present disclosure means a mass-based content rate of the reduced starch syrup contained in the emulsion composition.

  In the emulsified composition of the present embodiment, the content of the reduced starch syrup is preferably 1 to 100 times, more preferably 2 to 50 times the mass of astaxanthin. More preferably, it is 2 times or more and 10 times or less.

  As the polyhydric alcohol, polyhydric alcohols other than glycerin and reduced starch syrup are preferably not used when the emulsified composition of the present embodiment is used for food.

(Enzymatic degradation lecithin)
The emulsified composition of this embodiment contains enzyme-decomposed lecithin.
Lecithin is a common name for a mixture containing various phospholipids such as phosphatidylcholine (PC). Enzymatic degradation lecithin (also called lysolecithin) is a composition containing lysophosphatidylcholine in which one fatty acid of a phosphatidylcholine molecule is lost by an enzyme such as phospholipase. In the emulsified composition of the present embodiment, the enzymatically decomposed lecithin includes so-called hydrogenated enzymatically decomposed lecithin that has been subjected to hydrogenation treatment to improve the oxidative stability by making the combined fatty acid a saturated fatty acid.

  In the emulsified composition of the present embodiment, the enzyme-degraded lecithin is preferably contained as an emulsifier. From the viewpoint of high-pressure emulsification using only a natural product-derived emulsifier and stability over time, it is substantially as an emulsifier. It preferably contains only enzymatically degraded lecithin.

  Here, substantially containing only enzyme-decomposed lecithin means that the content of emulsifiers other than enzyme-decomposed lecithin is 1% by mass or less based on the total amount of the emulsion composition. The content of an emulsifier other than the enzymatically decomposed lecithin is preferably 0.001% by mass or more and 1% by mass or less, more preferably 0.01% by mass or more and 1% by mass or less, and 0.01% by mass. More preferably, the content is from 0.5% to 0.5% by mass.

  From the viewpoint of obtaining a stable emulsion composition, the concentration of lysophosphatidylcholine contained in the enzymatically decomposed lecithin is preferably 18% by mass to 75% by mass, and preferably 18% by mass to 65% by mass. It is preferable that they are 18 mass% or more and 30 mass% or less.

  The content of the enzymatically decomposed lecithin in the emulsified composition of the present embodiment is preferably in the range of 2% by mass to 22% by mass with respect to the total amount of the emulsified composition, and in the range of 5% by mass to 22% by mass. It is more preferable that it is 8 mass% or more and 22 mass% or less.

  The content of the enzyme-decomposable lecithin in the emulsified composition of the present embodiment is 1 time the mass of astaxanthin from the viewpoint of easy formation of fine emulsified particles, stabilization of the emulsified composition, and suppression of foaming. The amount is preferably 100 times or less, more preferably 2 times or more and 50 times or less, still more preferably 5 times or more and 25 times or less.

  As the enzymatically degraded lecithin, commercially available enzymatically degraded lecithin can be used. Enzyme-degraded lecithin includes Benecoat (registered trademark) BMI-40L (trade name, manufactured by Kao), Recimar (registered trademark) EL (trade name, manufactured by Riken Vitamin Co., Ltd.), and SLP-paste lyso (trade name, manufactured by Sakai Oil Co. ), SLP-white lyso (trade name, manufactured by Sakai Oil Co., Ltd.), SLP-white lyso H (trade name, manufactured by Sakai Oil Co., Ltd.), and the like.

(Other ingredients)
In addition to the above-described components, the emulsion composition of the present embodiment may optionally include other components (for example, physiologically active components other than astaxanthin such as nutritional components, active components, and pharmacological components, pigments (astaxanthin is 1) or 2 or more types of additives such as antioxidants, starch syrups, reduced starch syrups, etc. Such components can be used in foods and drinks and pharmaceuticals. If it is a thing, it will not restrict | limit in particular.

  Although it is preferable to substantially contain only enzymatically decomposed lecithin as an emulsifier in the emulsified composition of the present embodiment, other emulsifiers may be contained as long as the effects of the present invention are not impaired. Other emulsifiers may contain lecithin, saponin, sterol and the like other than enzymatically decomposed lecithin from the viewpoint of being able to perform high-pressure emulsification using only an emulsifier derived from a natural product and stability over time.

(Method for producing emulsified composition)
The emulsified composition of the present embodiment includes an oil phase composition containing astaxanthin and an oil component, an aqueous phase composition containing at least one polyhydric alcohol selected from the group consisting of water, glycerin and reduced starch syrup, and enzyme-decomposed lecithin. It is manufactured by a manufacturing method including preparing a mixed solution mixed with a product and emulsifying the prepared mixed solution by a conventional method.
The mixed solution used for emulsification may be prepared by separately preparing the oil phase composition and the aqueous phase composition, and then combining the prepared oil phase composition and the aqueous phase composition. Each component contained in the composition and the aqueous phase composition may be prepared by batch mixing or sequential mixing.

  In the oil phase composition, in addition to astaxanthin and the oily component, other optional components (for example, at least one compound selected from the group consisting of ascorbic acid, ascorbic acid derivatives, and salts thereof, and vitamins such as tocopherol, etc. E and its derivatives) are preferably included.

  The aqueous phase composition contains at least one polyhydric alcohol selected from the group consisting of water, glycerin and reduced starch syrup, and enzymatically decomposed lecithin. The aqueous phase composition is preferably prepared by adding water after dissolving the enzymatically decomposed lecithin in glycerin.

  In one embodiment of the method for producing an emulsified composition, for example, a) water, at least one polyhydric alcohol selected from the group consisting of glycerin and genital starch syrup, and enzyme-decomposed lecithin are mixed and dissolved, and water is added. B) Astaxanthin and components other than astaxanthin are mixed and dissolved to obtain an oil phase composition, and c) The aqueous phase composition and the oil phase composition are mixed with stirring. Then, a mixed solution is obtained, and the obtained mixed solution is emulsified and dispersed.

  When emulsifying and dispersing, for example, after emulsification using a normal emulsifier using a shearing action such as a stirrer, impeller stirring, a homomixer, or a continuous flow type shearing device, two types are passed by a method such as passing through a high-pressure homogenizer. A production method using the above emulsifying apparatus in combination is preferred. When a high-pressure homogenizer is used, the emulsified particles can be made more uniform in particle size. For the purpose of further homogenizing the particle size, emulsification and dispersion may be performed a plurality of times.

The high-pressure homogenizer includes a chamber-type high-pressure homogenizer having a chamber in which a flow path for processing liquid is fixed, and a homogeneous valve-type high-pressure homogenizer having a homogeneous valve.
Since the homogeneous valve type high-pressure homogenizer can easily adjust the width of the flow path of the processing liquid, the pressure and flow rate during operation can be arbitrarily set, and the operation range is wide. It can use preferably in manufacture of an emulsion composition.
Although the degree of freedom in operation is low, a chamber type high pressure homogenizer can be suitably used for applications that require ultra-high pressure because a mechanism for increasing pressure is easy to make.

Examples of the chamber type high-pressure homogenizer include a microfluidizer (manufactured by Microfluidics), a nanomizer (manufactured by Yoshida Kikai Kogyo Co., Ltd.), an optimizer (manufactured by Sugino Machine Co., Ltd.), and the like.
As the homogeneous valve type high-pressure homogenizer, Gorin type homogenizer (manufactured by APV), Lanier type homogenizer (manufactured by Lanier), high-pressure homogenizer (manufactured by Niro Soabi), homogenizer (manufactured by Sanwa Machinery Co., Ltd.), high-pressure homogenizer ( Izumi Food Machinery Co., Ltd.), ultra-high pressure homogenizer (manufactured by Ika), and the like.

The pressure of the high-pressure homogenizer is preferably 50 MPa or more, more preferably 50 MPa or more and 250 MPa or less, and still more preferably 100 MPa or more and 250 MPa or less.
The obtained emulsified composition is preferably cooled through some cooler within 30 seconds immediately after passing through the chamber, preferably within 3 seconds from the viewpoint of maintaining the particle size of the emulsified particles.

  Moreover, when applying the obtained emulsion composition as an emulsion composition for soft capsule preparations, it is preferable to defoam from the viewpoint of preventing expansion of the soft capsule.

~ Average particle size of emulsion composition ~
The average particle size (volume average particle size) of the emulsified composition is not particularly limited, but is preferably 5 nm to 200 nm. From the viewpoint of good transparency and stability of the emulsified composition, the average particle size is 10 nm to 150 nm. More preferably, the thickness is 10 nm to 120 nm.

The average particle diameter (volume average particle diameter) of the emulsified composition can be measured with a commercially available particle size distribution meter or the like. Particle size distribution measurement methods include optical microscopy, confocal laser microscopy, electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, static light scattering, laser diffraction, dynamic light scattering, centrifugal sedimentation, and electrical pulse measurement. Methods, chromatographic methods, ultrasonic attenuation methods and the like, but are not limited thereto.
The particle size measurement is preferably performed by a dynamic light scattering method. As a commercially available measuring device using the dynamic light scattering method, Nanotrac UPA (trade name, Nikkiso Co., Ltd.), dynamic light scattering particle size distribution measuring device LB-550 (trade name, HORIBA, Ltd.) ), A dense system particle size analyzer FPAR-1000 (trade name, Otsuka Electronics Co., Ltd.), etc., and any measuring device that can measure the particle size based on the principle of the dynamic light scattering method. Is not limited to these.

  The average particle size of the emulsified composition is, for example, 100% diluted emulsified composition using Otsuka Electronics Co., Ltd., concentrated particle size analyzer FPAR1000 (trade name), and placed in a sample cell in the apparatus. The value measured in (1) is adopted, and the measurement can be made with a 50% cumulative particle size.

(Powdering of emulsified composition)
The emulsified composition of this embodiment can be made into a powdered form by drying.
The drying method when powdering the emulsion composition is not particularly limited, and conventional methods such as spray drying, kneading granulation, and freeze drying can be used.
The powdered emulsified composition can be used as an emulsified composition by suspending in a solvent containing water.

  In the powdered emulsified composition, in order to improve the fluidity in the powder form and the dispersibility when suspended, it is preferable that the aqueous phase medium (that is, water) is removed as much as possible. The removal of the aqueous phase medium may be performed by heat drying means such as spray drying by spray drying.

  In pulverization of the emulsion composition, substances known in the art necessary for pulverization, such as excipients, binders, disintegrants, lubricants, sweeteners, preservatives, coating agents, stabilizers, It can further contain additives such as fluidizing agents, thickeners, solubilizers, thickeners, buffers, fragrances, colorants, emulsifiers and the like. Moreover, content of the substance required for pulverization is not specifically limited, It can set suitably.

  When pulverizing the emulsion composition, if necessary, for example, polymer substances such as carboxymethylcellulose, hydroxyethylcellulose, hydroxypropylcellulose, hydroxypropylmethylcellulose, polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinylpyrrolidone; gum arabic, tragacanth gum, gelatin, etc. Additives such as powdered lactose, casein, microcrystalline cellulose, starch, wheat flour, dextrin and silicon dioxide can be added.

(Use of emulsified composition)
The emulsified composition of the present embodiment can be applied to various uses such as foods (functional foods, health foods, beverages, etc.), pharmaceuticals, quasi drugs, and cosmetics.
Examples of the dosage form of foods, pharmaceuticals, quasi drugs, and cosmetics to which the emulsified composition of this embodiment is applied include, for example, liquid preparations and solid preparations obtained by drying them (powder, granules, etc.) Is mentioned.

  The emulsified composition of the present embodiment can be applied to a liquid preparation and a solid preparation obtained by drying the liquid preparation, for example, hard capsule, soft capsule, tablet and the like. These preparations are further added with an excipient, a disintegrant, a binder, a lubricant, a surfactant, a water-soluble polymer, a sweetener, a corrigent, a sour agent, etc. according to the dosage form. Can be manufactured according to. The solid preparation to which the emulsified composition of the present embodiment is applied may be coated or sugar-coated by a well-known method.

(Soft capsule formulation)
One suitable application form of the emulsified composition of the present embodiment is a soft capsule formulation containing the emulsified composition of the present embodiment. That is, the soft capsule formulation of the present embodiment can be obtained by enclosing the content containing the emulsified composition of the present embodiment in a soft capsule film.
The content in the soft capsule formulation of the present embodiment can include 0.0001% by mass to 95% by mass of the emulsified composition of the present embodiment with respect to the total amount of the soft capsule formulation.

As a base material (hereinafter also referred to as a film-forming composition) for forming a soft capsule film (hereinafter also simply referred to as a film), a base material mainly composed of agar, gelatin or gellan gum is used. From the viewpoint of For example, a soft capsule coating is prepared from a gelatin coating solution containing gelatin, a plasticizer, and water when gelatin is used as the coating substrate. Examples of gelatin to be used include gelatin, acidic gelatin, alkaline gelatin, peptide gelatin, low molecular gelatin, gelatin derivatives and the like.
The soft capsule film may contain a plasticizer. Examples of the plasticizer include glycerin; glycols such as propylene glycol and polyethylene glycol; saccharides such as corn syrup, sucrose, fructose, sorbitol, and mannitol; crystalline cellulose, Examples thereof include starches, water-insoluble celluloses such as low-substituted hydroxypropylcellulose and ethylcellulose. In addition, even if these plasticizers are used individually by 1 type, 2 or more types can also be used in arbitrary combinations. As the plasticizer, glycerin is preferable.

  In the soft capsule preparation (contents or film), an additive component usually used in the field of foods may be appropriately blended as long as the effects of the present invention are not impaired. Examples of additive components include coloring agents such as pigments or pigments, preservatives, fragrances, fruit juices, various vitamins, animal and plant extracts, amino acids, minerals, coloring agents, thickeners, pH adjusters, preservatives, disintegration Ingredients such as agents, surfactants, flavoring agents, flavoring agents, sweeteners, organic acids and the like can be mentioned, and these components can be appropriately selected and blended as necessary.

  Examples of the method for producing the soft capsule preparation include: (i) preparing the contents of the capsule and the film forming composition (hereinafter referred to as the composition preparing step); and (ii) the obtained film forming composition. The contents are enclosed, molded and dried to obtain an intermediate preparation (hereinafter referred to as a molding process), and (iii) the obtained intermediate preparation is dried (hereinafter referred to as a drying process). ), And a more preferable production method.

  In the composition preparation step, the contents including the emulsified composition of the present embodiment and the film forming composition are prepared. The preparation method of the emulsion composition of this embodiment is as described above. Moreover, what is necessary is just to prepare the composition for film formation as a solution which melt | dissolved the predetermined component contained in a composition.

  In the molding step, the content containing the emulsified composition of the present embodiment is encapsulated in a film formed using the film-forming composition, and molded and dried to obtain an intermediate preparation.

  In the soft capsule preparation of the present embodiment, the content can be encapsulated in the film-forming composition according to a conventionally known method for producing a soft capsule preparation, for example, a flat plate method or a rotary die method.

  In the drying step, the intermediate preparation obtained in the molding step is dried. By passing through this process, a finished soft capsule preparation is obtained.

The soft capsule formulation of the present embodiment has a water content of 15% by mass or less based on the total content of the soft capsule formulation including the emulsified composition of the present embodiment before enclosing the content in the soft capsule film. It is preferable.
After the content is enclosed in the soft capsule film, the content of water in the content contained in the soft capsule preparation is preferably 5% by mass or less after the drying step. Although the lower limit of content of the water contained in the content of a soft capsule formulation is not specifically limited, It is about 3 mass%.

The drying means applied to the drying step is not particularly limited, and a known dryer such as a tumbler dryer (that is, a rotary drum dryer) can be used.
Conditions such as temperature and time for drying are not particularly limited, and can be appropriately adjusted depending on the components contained in the food composition and the components contained in the capsule film.

  There is no restriction | limiting in particular as a shape of a soft capsule formulation, Any shapes, such as an ellipse (OVAL), a rectangle (OBLONG), and a spherical shape (ROUND), can be taken. To achieve these shapes, methods or devices well known in the art can be applied.

(Beverage)
The emulsified composition of the present embodiment can be diluted with a solvent such as water to make a beverage.
A beverage such as water may be added to the emulsified composition of the present embodiment in the form of a solid preparation such as powder.
The beverage can preferably contain 0.0001% by mass to 50% by mass, and more preferably 0.1% by mass to 20% by mass, of the emulsified composition of the present embodiment with respect to the total amount of the beverage. it can.

  By blending sweeteners, fragrances, acidulants, thickening stabilizers, antioxidants and the like into the beverage, the taste and the like as the beverage can be appropriately adjusted.

  As the sweetener, any material may be used as long as it exhibits a sweet taste. For example, fruit juice, saccharides or high-intensity sweeteners can be used. As sugars, monosaccharides such as glucose, fructose, galactose, and isomeric fructose, disaccharides such as sucrose, lactose, palatinose, oligosaccharides such as fructooligosaccharides, isomaltoligosaccharides, galactooligosaccharides, and palatinose, such as erythritol, sorbitol, xylitol, Monosaccharide alcohols such as mannitol, disaccharide alcohols such as maltitol, isomaltitol, and lactitol, trisaccharide alcohols such as maltotriitol, isomaltolitol, and panitol, and tetrasaccharide alcohols such as oligosaccharide alcohols. Sugar alcohols such as For example, stevia, aspartame, saccharin, glycyrrhizin, thaumatin, sucralose, acesulfame K etc. are mentioned as a high sweetness degree sweetener.

Examples of the fragrances include natural fragrances and synthetic fragrances.
Examples of natural fragrances include fragrance ingredient-containing materials prepared according to a conventional method using grass roots, bark, flowers, fruits, fruit skins or other animals and plants. Moreover, as natural fragrance | flavor, the essential oil etc. which processed and isolate | separated the natural raw material by the steam distillation method, the pressing method, or the extraction method etc. are mentioned.
Examples of synthetic fragrances include coffee-derived fragrances, black tea-derived fragrances, green tea-derived fragrances, oolong tea-derived fragrances, cocoa-derived fragrances, herb-derived fragrances, spice-derived fragrances, and fruit-derived fragrances.

The beverage may be a container-packed beverage by filling the container.
As a container used for a drink, what is used as a container for drinks should just be used, for example, a PET bottle, a paper pack, a glass container, an aluminum can, a steel can, etc. are mentioned.

  The pH of the beverage is preferably 1.0 to 9.0, more preferably 1.5 to 7.0, and particularly preferably 2.0 to 5.0 at 20 ° C. If it is pH1.0 or more, it is preferable as drinking, and if it is pH9.0 or less, the flavor stabilization effect as a drink can fully be acquired.

  The following examples further illustrate the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to the examples. The emulsified composition prepared in the examples can be suitably used for soft capsule preparations, foods (functional foods, health foods, beverages, etc.), pharmaceuticals, quasi drugs, and cosmetics.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to examples. However, the present invention is not limited to them. Unless otherwise specified, “%” and “part” are based on mass.

[Examples A1 to A5, Examples B1 to B5]
1-1. Preparation of Glycerin-Containing Emulsion Composition Using the components shown in Table 1 below, the emulsion compositions of Examples A1 to A5 were prepared according to the following methods.

Details of each component shown in Table 1 are as follows.
Astaxanthin-containing oil: ASTOT (registered trademark) -S (trade name, astaxanthin-containing oil derived from Haematococcus algae, containing 20% by mass of astaxanthin, containing medium-chain fatty acid triglyceride, Fuji Film Co., Ltd.)
・ Enzymatic degradation lecithin: SLP white lyso (trade name, Sakai Oil Co., Ltd.)
・ Mixed tocopherol: Riken E Oil 800 (trade name, Riken Vitamin Co., Ltd.)
・ Glycerin (food additive grade)
・ Lecithin: SLP White (trade name, Sakai Oil Co., Ltd.)
・ Water: Purified water

Water, glycerin, and enzymatically decomposed lecithin were mixed and dissolved in the amounts shown in Table 1 to obtain an aqueous phase composition. Astaxanthin-containing oil, lecithin, and mixed tocopherol were mixed and dissolved in the amounts shown in Table 1 to obtain an oil phase composition. The obtained aqueous phase composition and oil phase composition were mixed with stirring using a magnetic stirrer to obtain a mixed solution.
Further, while stirring with a stirrer, the mixture was heated to 70 ° C. for 30 minutes, and then a shearing force was applied for 3 minutes at 3000 rpm (round per minute, the same shall apply hereinafter) using a TK homomixer (Primics Co., Ltd.). An emulsion composition was prepared.
The obtained emulsified composition was processed three times at a pressure of 200 MPa with a starburst mini machine (Sugino Machine Co., Ltd.), which is a high-pressure dispersion apparatus, to obtain the emulsified compositions of Examples A1 to A5.

1-2. Preparation of reduced starch syrup-containing emulsion composition Using the components shown in Table 2 below, the emulsion compositions of Examples B1 to B5 were prepared according to the following methods.

The details of each component shown in Table 2 are as follows.
Astaxanthin-containing oil: AstaPure (registered trademark) 20% (trade name, color value 4700, astaxanthin-containing oil derived from Haematococcus algae, containing 20% by mass of astaxanthin, containing medium-chain fatty acid triglycerides, Alga Technologies)
・ Enzymatic degradation lecithin: SLP white lyso (trade name, Sakai Oil Co., Ltd.)
・ Mixed tocopherol: Riken E Oil 800 (trade name, Riken Vitamin Co., Ltd.)
・ Reduced chickenpox: Oligotose H-70 (Mitsubishi Chemical Foods)
・ Lecithin: SLP White (trade name, Sakai Oil Co., Ltd.)
-Edible oils and fats: O.D. D. O (Tricaprylic acid / Glyceryl caprate, trade name, Nisshin Oillio Group, Inc.)
・ Water: Purified water

Water, reduced starch syrup, and enzymatically decomposed lecithin were mixed and dissolved in the amounts shown in Table 2 to obtain an aqueous phase composition. Astaxanthin-containing oil, mixed tocopherol, and edible oil and fat were mixed and dissolved in amounts shown in Table 2 to obtain an oil phase composition. The obtained aqueous phase composition and oil phase composition were mixed with stirring using a magnetic stirrer to obtain a mixed solution.
The mixture was further heated to 70 ° C. for 30 minutes while stirring with a stirrer, and then a shearing force was applied at 3000 rpm for 3 minutes using a TK homomixer (Primics Co., Ltd.) to prepare an emulsion composition.
The obtained emulsified composition was processed three times at a pressure of 200 MPa with a starburst mini machine (Sugino Machine Co., Ltd.), which is a high-pressure dispersion apparatus, to obtain the emulsified compositions of Examples B1 to B5.

  In Table 1 and Table 2, the description of “-” in the content of each component indicates that the corresponding component is not contained.

2. Evaluation of Emulsion Composition Each obtained emulsion composition was evaluated by the following method.

(Measurement of average particle diameter of emulsified composition)
The average particle size of the particles containing astaxanthin contained in the obtained emulsion composition was measured by the following method.
Using the concentrated particle size analyzer FPAR1000 (trade name, Otsuka Electronics Co., Ltd.), the obtained emulsified composition was diluted 100 times and directly put into a sample cell in the apparatus, and the average particle size was measured at 25 ° C. (Histogram average particle diameter (D50)) was measured. The measurement results are shown in Table 1.

(Turbidity measurement)
Using the Shimadzu spectrophotometer UV-2550 type (trade name, Shimadzu Corporation), each of the emulsion compositions of Examples A1 to A5 and Examples B1 to B5 was put in a glass cell having an optical path length of 10 mm, and 650 nm in thickness. Absorbance was measured and this value was defined as turbidity.
The turbidity was measured twice immediately after the preparation of the emulsion composition (initial turbidity) and after storage at 40 ° C. for 2 weeks. The turbidity immediately after the preparation and the turbidity after storage for 2 weeks at 40 ° C. were measured, and the turbidity increase rate relative to the turbidity immediately after the preparation was calculated.

  The initial turbidity of the emulsified compositions of the examples and the increase in turbidity after storage at 40 ° C. for 2 weeks were at a level having no practical problem.

(Storage stability: turbidity of emulsion composition)
After preparing the emulsified composition, it was stored at 40 ° C. for 2 weeks, and then the turbidity in the emulsified composition was visually observed and evaluated according to the following criteria.

In the following evaluations, A and B are levels that have no practical problem.
A: It is transparent and turbidity is not recognized.
B: Slight turbidity is observed.
C: Turbidity is observed.

(Storage stability: Precipitation)
After preparing the emulsified composition, it was stored at 40 ° C. for 2 weeks, and then visually observed for the presence or absence of precipitation in the emulsified composition, and evaluated according to the following criteria.

In the following evaluations, A and B are levels that have no practical problem.
A: No precipitation is observed in the emulsion composition.
B: A slight suspended matter is observed in the emulsified composition.
C: Precipitation and precipitation are observed in the emulsion composition.
D: Precipitation in the emulsified composition is remarkable or phase separation is observed.

  The evaluations of the storage stability (turbidity and precipitation) of the emulsified compositions of the examples were either A or B, which were practically acceptable.

  Each of the emulsified compositions of Examples A1 to A5 and Examples B1 to B5 is an emulsified composition having good stability of particles contained in the emulsified composition and excellent storage stability (aging stability). It was.

Claims (9)

  An emulsified composition comprising at least one selected from the group consisting of astaxanthin and derivatives thereof, at least one polyhydric alcohol selected from the group consisting of oily components, water, glycerin and reduced starch syrup, and enzymatically decomposed lecithin.   The emulsified composition according to claim 1, wherein the emulsified composition contains substantially only enzymatically decomposed lecithin as an emulsifier.   The emulsion composition of Claim 1 or Claim 2 which contains glycerol as a polyhydric alcohol in 30 to 60 mass% with respect to the whole mass of an emulsion composition.   The emulsion composition of Claim 1 or Claim 2 which contains a reduced starch syrup as a polyhydric alcohol in the range of 30 mass% or more and 70 mass% or less with respect to the whole mass of an emulsion composition.   The emulsified composition according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the enzymatically decomposed lecithin is contained in the range of 2% by mass to 22% by mass with respect to the total mass of the emulsified composition.   The emulsified composition according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the enzymatically decomposed lecithin is contained in a range of 5% by mass to 22% by mass with respect to the total mass of the emulsified composition.   The emulsified composition according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the enzymatically decomposed lecithin is contained in the range of 8% by mass to 22% by mass with respect to the total mass of the emulsified composition.   The emulsified composition according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the oil component is at least one selected from the group consisting of medium-chain fatty acid triglycerides and animal and vegetable oils.   The soft capsule formulation containing the emulsion composition as described in any one of Claims 1-8.