JP2024072414A - Granular collagen peptide, rapidly precipitating granular collagen peptide, and method for producing granular collagen peptide - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To provide granular collagen peptide, fast-settling granular collagen peptide, and a method for producing granular collagen peptide. [Solution] The granular collagen peptide is an aggregate of porous collagen peptide powder with a passing rate of 35% by weight or more through a 75 μm mesh and a bulk density of 0.3 to 0.5 g/cm3, and is characterized in that it passes through a 16 mesh (1,190 μm opening) and has a bulk density of 0.2 to 0.34 g/cm3. This can be used as a fast-settling granular collagen peptide that can settle in the liquid and disappear from the liquid surface within 10 seconds when 5 g of the granular collagen peptide is placed in 100 mL of still water at 20°C. When placed in water, the granular collagen peptide quickly settles in a lump, providing excellent operability. [Selected Figure] Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to granular collagen peptides made from collagen peptide powder, fast-settling granular collagen peptides, and a method for producing granular collagen peptides.

In recent years, various benefits have been reported from the oral intake of collagen components such as gelatin and collagen peptides, which are hydrolysates of gelatin. Examples include improved immune function (Non-Patent Document 1), improved skin (Non-Patent Document 2), and improved knee pain (Non-Patent Document 3). For this reason, there is a high market demand for health foods that contain collagen components orally, and many of these are commercially available in various forms such as powders, drinks, and tablets. Among these, the form in which a dry powder is dissolved in a drink and then consumed is particularly widely used.

Collagen peptides are difficult to handle if left as a fine powder immediately after drying, as they can become lumpy when dissolved in water or other solutions, making them difficult to dissolve, and can also become dusty when added to beverages. For this reason, the dried powder is often granulated and sold commercially in granular form. Granulation prevents the collagen peptides from becoming lumpy when dissolved, and can reduce dusting when added to beverages. Granulation can also be used to prepare granules by combining the collagen peptide powder with physiologically functional water-soluble substances such as hyaluronic acid, chondroitin, and glucosamine.

On the other hand, when granulated simply, it often remains on the liquid surface of the beverage to which it is added and forms a layer on the liquid surface. Collagen peptide remains on the liquid surface or the wall surface of the container, and strong stirring is required to dissolve. Therefore, in order to improve the settling property of collagen peptide, a granular granulation product characterized by granulating non-porous and flaky collagen peptide powder and a binder has been proposed (Patent Document 1). Non-porous and flaky collagen peptide powder obtained by the drum drying method is put into a fluidized bed granulator, and a solution containing a binder such as trehalose or hyaluronic acid is sprayed to granulate the collagen peptide powder. Collagen peptide powder obtained by the spray drying method is porous and spherical or in a broken shape, and has poor settling solubility when added to water, but collagen peptide powder obtained by the drum drying method is non-porous and flaky, and the granulation product of this and a binder liquid has excellent settling solubility in water and can maintain the transparency of the solution. The granular product obtained in Example 1 of Patent Document 1 has a moisture content of about 6% by mass and a bulk density of about 3.0 g/ ^cm3 .

There is also a technique for applying vacuum drying to obtain a collagen peptide powder with excellent sedimentation properties (Patent Document 2). Collagen peptide powder obtained by spray drying has poor solubility in water, and collagen peptide powder obtained by drum drying has problems such as poor quality due to coloring and flavor deterioration caused by heat, making it difficult to dissolve in water. However, it is said that collagen peptide powder compositions obtained by vacuum drying have excellent quality such as solubility in water. In Patent Document 2, a solution containing collagen peptide is dried by vacuum drying to powderize it, to obtain a collagen peptide powder composition having a non-hollow structure and a true density of 1.2 to 1.4 g/cm ^3. This powder composition passes 8 mesh (opening 2,380 μm), and 50% by mass or more of the total passes 150 mesh (opening 104 μm), and its bulk density is 0.35 to 0.55 g/cm ³ (claims 1 and 2). The collagen peptide powder composition obtained in Example 1 of Patent Document 2 passes a 32 mesh (opening 504 μm) and has 50% by mass or more of the total powder composition passing a 150 mesh (opening 104 μm), has a moisture content of about 8% by mass (normal pressure heating and drying method), and has a bulk density of about 0.50 g/ ^cm3 as measured by a bulk density measurement method using a 100 mL stainless steel container.

JP 2009-171903 A JP 2011-178666 A

Jpn Pharmacol Ther (Pharmacology and Therapy) vol. 43 no. 1 2015 Jpn Pharmacol Ther (Pharmacology and Therapy) vol. 42 no. 12 2014 Jpn Pharmacol Ther (Pharmacology and Therapy) vol. 45 no. 10 2017

However, the method described in Patent Document 1 requires the use of gums such as guar gum and binders other than collagen, such as sugar, as essential components during granulation, making it impossible to obtain granular collagen peptide with high purity. Therefore, there is a need to develop a granular collagen peptide that is composed only of collagen peptide and has excellent sedimentation properties.

The collagen peptide powder composition described in Patent Document 2 is produced by vacuum drying a collagen peptide solution, and has low production efficiency and is not suitable for mass production. Therefore, there is a need for a method for producing granular collagen peptides with excellent sedimentation properties using collagen peptide powder, which can be easily obtained by spray drying, as a raw material.

In view of the above-mentioned current situation, the present disclosure aims to provide a granular collagen peptide that quickly settles in water or other beverages and has high purity, and a method for producing the same.

As a result of extensive research into collagen peptide powder, the inventors discovered that by granulating collagen peptide powder containing a high proportion of fine powder passing through a 75 μm mesh size as a raw material, it is possible to produce granular collagen peptide with excellent sedimentation properties that quickly settles in water and disappears from the liquid surface when left undisturbed without using a binder, and thus completed the present invention.

That is, the present disclosure provides a granular collagen peptide which is a porous collagen peptide powder aggregate having a passing rate of 35% by weight or more through a 75 μm mesh and a bulk density of 0.3 to 0.5 g/ ^cm3 , and which is characterized by passing a 16 mesh (1,190 μm opening) and having a bulk density of 0.2 to 0.34 g/ ^cm3 .

The present invention also provides a fast-settling granular collagen peptide, which is a porous collagen peptide powder aggregate having a passing rate of 35% by weight or more through a 75 μm mesh and a bulk density of 0.3 to 0.5 g/ ^cm3 , and which passes through a 16 mesh (1,190 μm opening) and has a bulk density of 0.2 to 0.34 g/ ^cm3 , and which is characterized in that when 5 g of the granular collagen peptide is placed in 100 mL of water at 20°C in a stationary state contained in a 46 mm diameter container, it settles in the liquid and disappears from the liquid surface within 10 seconds.

Furthermore, the present invention provides a method for producing granular collagen peptide, which is characterized by subjecting collagen peptide powder having a passing rate of 35% by weight or more through a 75 μm mesh and a bulk density of 0.3 to 0.5 g/ ^cm3 to fluidized bed granulation processing.

The present invention also provides a method for producing granular collagen peptide, which is characterized by drying a collagen peptide solution using a spray dryer, pulverizing the solution so that the passing rate through a 75 μm mesh is 35% by weight or more, and subjecting the resulting collagen peptide powder to fluidized bed granulation processing.

The present invention also provides a method for producing the granular collagen peptide, characterized in that the fluidized bed granulation process involves spraying water as a binder.

The present disclosure provides granular collagen peptides, fast-settling granular collagen peptides, and methods for producing granular collagen peptides.

This figure explains the evaluation of the rapid sedimentation property of the granular collagen peptide obtained in Example 1, and shows images taken 3 seconds, 5 seconds, and 10 seconds after 5 g of granular collagen peptide was placed in 100 mL of stationary water at 20°C. This figure explains the evaluation of the rapid sedimentation property of the granular collagen peptide obtained in Comparative Example 1, and shows images taken 3 seconds, 5 seconds, and 10 seconds after 5 g of granular collagen peptide was placed in 100 mL of stationary water at 20°C.

The first aspect of the present disclosure is a granular collagen peptide, which is a porous collagen peptide powder granule having a passing rate of 35% by weight or more through a 75 μm mesh and a bulk density of 0.3 to 0.5 g/cm ³ , and is characterized by passing a 16 mesh (1,190 μm opening) and having a bulk density of 0.2 to 0.34 g/cm ^3. Patent Document 2 discloses a collagen peptide composition having excellent sedimentation properties, which passes an 8 mesh (2,380 μm opening), and at least 50% by mass of the total passes a 150 mesh (104 μm opening), and has a bulk density of 0.35 to 0.55 g/cm ^3. This composition is a powder composition obtained by vacuum drying a collagen peptide-containing solution, and the powder has a non-hollow structure consisting of plate-like fragments. Therefore, the specific gravity is large, and even if the particles are sized so that they pass through 8 mesh (opening 2,380 μm) and 50% by mass or more of the total pass through 150 mesh (opening 104 μm), the bulk density exceeds 0.35 g/cm ^3. However, in the present disclosure, since the particles are composed of fine and porous collagen peptide powder with a passing rate of 35% by weight or more through 75 μm opening and a bulk density of 0.3 to 0.5 g/cm ³ , even if the aggregates are sized to pass through a narrow opening 16 mesh (opening 1,190 μm), the bulk density is small at 0.2 to 0.34 g/cm ^3. The granular collagen peptide of the present disclosure has fine particles and a light bulk density, but the scattering of the powder is suppressed by granulation, and it is excellent in operability. In addition, as described later, it also has excellent sedimentation properties. Note that the aperture value in the present disclosure is in accordance with the JIS standard. The bulk density was measured using a 100 mL stainless steel container, and was a loose bulk density.

The granular collagen peptide of the present disclosure can suitably use collagen peptide powder obtained by spray drying a collagen peptide solution as a raw material. The collagen peptide powder obtained by spray drying is porous. The passage rate of the collagen peptide powder through a 75 μm mesh is 35% by weight or more, preferably 35 to 90% by weight, more preferably 40 to 80% by weight. The bulk density of the collagen peptide powder is 0.3 to 0.5 g/cm ³ , preferably 0.3 to 0.45 g/cm ³ , more preferably 0.3 to 0.4 g/cm ^3. As shown in the examples below, it has been found that if the passage rate of the collagen peptide powder through a 75 μm mesh is 35% by weight or more, there is a large difference in sedimentation property even if the bulk density of the granular collagen peptide finally obtained is the same. The granular collagen peptide of the present disclosure is lightweight and has excellent sedimentation property.

As the granulated collagen peptide powder used in the present disclosure, a porous collagen peptide powder granulated with water as a binder can be used. Although there are fast-settling collagen peptide compositions that contain binders such as trehalose and hyaluronic acid when forming the granulated product, the granular collagen peptide of the present disclosure is characterized by its excellent sedimentation properties even though it is composed only of collagen peptide and does not contain binders such as trehalose and hyaluronic acid. Since collagen peptides are hygroscopic, they generally contain 0 to 7% water by weight. In other words, the content of collagen peptides including water is 93 to 100% by weight. Collagen peptides with a content of 93 to 100% by weight are commercially referred to as 100% collagen. The content of collagen peptides can be calculated by multiplying the nitrogen content measured by the Kjeldahl method by the nitrogen-protein conversion factor (5.55) in the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan (8th Edition). However, the above description does not deny that the granular collagen peptide of the present disclosure contains binders such as trehalose and hyaluronic acid, as well as other ingredients.

The granular collagen peptide of the present disclosure is a granular collagen peptide that is prepared by sieving granulated collagen peptide powder through a 16 mesh (opening 1,190 μm), i.e., passing a 16 mesh (opening 1,190 μm), and has a bulk density of 0.2 to 0.34 g/cm ³ , preferably 0.22 to 0.33 g/cm ³ , and more preferably 0.25 to 0.33 g/cm ³ .

The granular collagen peptide of the present disclosure is composed only of collagen peptides and does not contain any impurities other than water, so it does not affect the flavor or odor of the solution. In addition, it has a light bulk density and is easy to handle. Furthermore, it settles easily in water or other cold beverages, so strong stirring is not required when dissolving, making it easy to use.

The second aspect of the present disclosure is a granulated product of porous collagen peptide powder having a passing rate of 35% by weight or more through a 75 μm mesh and a bulk density of 0.3 to 0.5 g/ ^cm3 , which is a granular collagen peptide that passes through a 16 mesh (1,190 μm opening) and has a bulk density of 0.2 to 0.34 g/ ^cm3 , and is characterized in that when 5 g of the granular collagen peptide is placed in 100 mL of water at 20°C in a stationary state contained in a 46 mm diameter container, it settles in the liquid and disappears from the liquid surface within 10 seconds.

As shown in the examples below, it was found that the difference in the passing rate of the collagen peptide powder through a 75 μm mesh size results in a large difference in the settling properties of the resulting granulated product. It was also found that when the passing rate through a 75 μm mesh size is 35% by weight or more, a large difference in the settling properties occurs even if the bulk density of the finally obtained granular collagen peptide is 0.2 to 0.34 g/ ^cm3 .

The bulk density of the rapidly-settling granular collagen peptide of the present disclosure is 0.2 to 0.34 g/cm ³ , preferably 0.22 to 0.33 g/cm ³ , and more preferably 0.25 to 0.33 g/cm ^3. Generally, the higher the bulk density, the better the sedimentation properties, and it has been found that the rapidly-settling granular collagen peptide of the present disclosure has excellent sedimentation properties within the above range.

Even granular collagen peptides granulated to improve the solubility of collagen peptide powders generally disperse on the liquid surface to form a layer when left standing in a liquid such as water, and settle slowly into the liquid. However, the fast-settling granular collagen peptide of the present disclosure quickly settles from the liquid surface and is easy to handle. In the present disclosure, "fast-settling" means that when 5 g of granular collagen peptide is left standing in 100 mL of water at 20°C in a stationary state contained in a 46 mm diameter container, it settles into the liquid and disappears from the liquid surface within 10 seconds. It settles into the liquid and disappears from the liquid surface preferably within 9 seconds, and more preferably within 8 seconds.

A third aspect of the present disclosure is a method for producing granular collagen peptide, which is characterized by subjecting a collagen peptide powder having a passing rate through a 75 μm mesh of 35% by weight or more and a bulk density of 0.3 to 0.5 g/ ^cm3 to fluidized bed granulation processing, and a method for producing granular collagen peptide, which is characterized by drying a collagen peptide solution in a spray dryer, pulverizing the collagen peptide so that the passing rate through a 75 μm mesh of 35% by weight or more, and subjecting the obtained collagen peptide powder to fluidized bed granulation processing.

In the present disclosure, collagen peptide is obtained by hydrolyzing collagen or gelatin with a proteolytic enzyme, acid or alkali to a weight average molecular weight (Mw) of 10,000 or less, preferably 500 to 10,000, more preferably 500 to 7,000, and most preferably 500 to 6,000, and then purifying the collagen peptide by filtration, ion exchange, or the like. The collagen peptide may be from any source, such as cowhide, cow bone, pig skin, pig bone, fish skin, or fish scale. The collagen peptide powder is the collagen peptide that has been dried. A suitable drying method is the spray drying method, which is a drying method in which hot air is brought into contact with droplets sprayed in a mist to instantaneously evaporate and dry the droplets. Examples of the spray drying method include a nozzle type spray dryer and a rotating disk type spray dryer, and any method of drying may be used. The collagen peptide powder obtained by spray drying a collagen peptide solution is porous and spherical or has a broken spherical shape.

It has been reported that collagen peptide powder obtained by spray drying has poor sedimentation solubility when added to water (Patent Document 1). However, even if the collagen peptide powder obtained by spray drying has a passing rate of 75 μm mesh of 35% by weight or more, the granular collagen peptide after fluidized bed granulation has excellent sedimentation properties. In the examples described below, even if the bulk density of the collagen peptide powder used is common at 0.34 to 0.39 g/cm ³ , the granulation method and the amount of water added as a binder are common, and the bulk density of the obtained granular collagen peptide is common at 0.26 to 0.31 g/cm ³ , it has been shown that the sedimentation rate of the obtained granular collagen peptide varies greatly depending on the proportion of fine powder (mesh opening of 75 μm or less) contained in the collagen peptide powder used in the granulation process. It was not previously known that the difference in sedimentation properties occurs depending on the amount of fine powder of collagen peptide used in the granulation process.

The passing rate of the collagen peptide powder through a 75 μm mesh is 35% by weight or more, preferably 35 to 90% by weight, more preferably 40 to 80% by weight. The bulk density of the collagen peptide powder obtained is usually 0.3 to 0.5 g/cm ³ , preferably 0.3 to 0.45 g/cm ³ , more preferably 0.3 to 0.4 g/cm ^3. A dry powder having such a particle size and bulk density can be prepared by controlling the spraying conditions of the spray dryer and the degree of pulverization. For example, a powder having a high proportion of fine powder can be obtained by reducing the drying speed, increasing the spray pressure in the case of a nozzle type or the rotation speed in the case of a rotary type, or decreasing the solution viscosity. In addition, after drying the collagen peptide solution with a spray dryer, a part of it can be pulverized with a pulverizer and adjusted so that the passing rate through a 75 μm mesh is 35% by weight or more to obtain a collagen peptide powder for granulation. The pulverization may be performed by passing through a coarse pulverizer. The powder dried by the spray drying method is porous and spherical, and can be easily pulverized. The pulverization can be performed using any type of pulverizer that applies impact to the powder being transported by air, such as a pin mill or a hammer mill.

Fluidized bed granulation is the preferred method for granulating collagen peptide powder. Fluidized bed granulation is a method in which hot air is blown into a container containing powder from below, and while the powder is fluidized in the air, a binder solution is sprayed onto it, causing the particles to coagulate and dry. In fluidized bed granulation, the binder solution is sprayed onto the powder while drying with hot air at the same time as granulation proceeds, making it possible to obtain uniform, low-moisture, and well-storable dried collagen peptide granules.

The binder used in the fluidized bed granulation process can be water, hot water, or an aqueous collagen peptide solution. In the manufacturing method disclosed herein, no binding agents such as gums or sugars are required as binders. This makes it possible to produce granular collagen peptide that does not contain gums or sugars and has a high collagen peptide content. The amount of binder added in the fluidized bed granulation process is 20 to 70 mL, more preferably 25 to 60 mL, per 100 g of collagen peptide powder. The flow rate of the binder, intake air temperature, and other conditions can be adjusted as desired within a range that does not interfere with the granulation process.

After granulation, the granules are preferably sized using, for example, a 16 mesh (opening 1,190 μm). The bulk density of the granular collagen peptide obtained by passing through a 16 mesh is 0.2 to 0.34 g/cm ³ , preferably 0.22 to 0.33 g/cm ³ , and more preferably 0.25 to 0.33 g/cm ³ .

The manufacturing method disclosed herein can produce granular collagen peptide with high purity because the only additive other than collagen peptide during granulation is water. Granulation is performed by fluidized bed granulation, so granular collagen peptide with a nearly uniform particle size can be produced. The granular collagen peptide obtained by the above manufacturing method has excellent sedimentation properties, so the above can be said to be a manufacturing method for rapidly sedimenting granular collagen peptide.

The following examples will explain the present disclosure in detail, but these examples are not intended to limit the present disclosure in any way.

Example 1
A solution of collagen peptide derived from pigskin (weight average molecular weight about 3,000) was dried by a rotating disk spray drying method while controlling the spray concentration and drying speed, to obtain a collagen peptide powder with 58% by weight of particles with openings of 75 μm or less. The bulk density of this collagen peptide powder was 0.35 g/ ^cm3 .
180 g of this collagen peptide powder and 50 mL (28%) of hot water at 60°C or higher as a binder were added to a fluidized bed granulator at a flow rate of 1.4 mL/min to granulate. After granulation, the mixture was sized using a 16 mesh (1.19 mm opening) sieve to obtain granular collagen peptide. The bulk density of the obtained granular collagen peptide was 0.27 g/ ^cm3 . The collagen content of this granular collagen peptide was calculated by multiplying the nitrogen content measured by the Kjeldahl method by the nitrogen-protein conversion factor (5.55) in the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan (8th Edition), and was found to be 94.4% by weight.
When 5g of the granular collagen peptide is placed in 100mL of water at 20°C in a container with a diameter of 46mm, the granular collagen peptide settles in the liquid within 3 seconds, and no granular collagen peptide remains on the liquid surface. Figure 1 shows images of 5g of the granular collagen peptide of Example 1 placed in 100mL of water at 20°C in a container with a diameter of 46mm, 3 seconds, 5 seconds, and 10 seconds later. Note that the "sedimentation rate" in Table 1 refers to the time it takes for the granular collagen peptide to disappear from the liquid surface after being placed in water as described above.

Example 2
A solution of collagen peptide derived from bovine bone (weight average molecular weight about 3,000) was dried by a nozzle type spray dry method while controlling the spray concentration and drying speed, to obtain a collagen peptide powder with 55% by weight of particles with openings of 75 μm or less. The bulk density of this collagen peptide powder was 0.37 g/ ^cm3 .
Except for using this collagen peptide powder, granular collagen peptide was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1. The bulk density of the obtained granular collagen peptide was 0.30 g/ ^cm3 , and the collagen content was 93.2% by weight.
As in Example 1, when 5 g of the above granular collagen peptide was placed in a 46 mm diameter container and placed in 100 mL of stationary water at 20°C, the granular collagen peptide collectively settled into the liquid within 4 seconds, and no granular collagen peptide remained on the liquid surface.

Example 3
A solution of collagen peptide derived from pigskin (weight average molecular weight about 4,000) was dried by a rotating disk spray dry method while controlling the spray concentration and drying speed, to obtain a collagen peptide powder with 41% by weight of particles with openings of 75 μm or less. The bulk density of this collagen peptide powder was 0.39 g/ ^cm3 .
Except for using this collagen peptide powder, granular collagen peptide was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1. The bulk density of the obtained granular collagen peptide was 0.31 g/ ^cm3 , and the collagen content was 94.9% by weight.
As in Example 1, when 5 g of the above granular collagen peptide was placed in a 46 mm diameter container and placed in 100 mL of stationary water at 20°C, the granular collagen peptide collectively settled into the liquid within 6 seconds, and no granular collagen peptide remained on the liquid surface.

Example 4
A solution of collagen peptide derived from pigskin (weight average molecular weight about 3,000) was dried by a rotating disk spray dry method while controlling the spray concentration and drying speed, to obtain a collagen peptide powder with a ratio of 74% by weight of particles with openings of 75 μm or less. The bulk density of this collagen peptide powder was 0.34 g/ ^cm3 .
Except for using this collagen peptide powder, granular collagen peptide was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1. The bulk density of the obtained granular collagen peptide was 0.27 g/ ^cm3 , and the collagen content was 93.8% by weight.
As in Example 1, when 5 g of the above granular collagen peptide was placed in a 46 mm diameter container and placed in 100 mL of stationary water at 20°C, the granular collagen peptide collectively settled into the liquid within 3 seconds, and no granular collagen peptide remained on the liquid surface.

Example 5
A solution of collagen peptides derived from fish scales (weight average molecular weight about 5,000) was dried by a rotating disk type spray drying method, and a part of the solution was coarsely pulverized to obtain a collagen peptide powder with 50% by weight of particles with an opening size of 75 μm or less. The bulk density of this collagen peptide powder was 0.38 g/ ^cm3 .
Except for using this collagen peptide powder, granular collagen peptide was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1. The bulk density of the obtained granular collagen peptide was 0.27 g/ ^cm3 , and the collagen content was 95.5% by weight.
As in Example 1, when 5 g of the above granular collagen peptide was placed in a 46 mm diameter container and placed in 100 mL of stationary water at 20°C, the granular collagen peptide collectively settled into the liquid within 4 seconds, and no granular collagen peptide remained on the liquid surface.

Example 6
A solution of collagen peptide derived from pigskin (weight average molecular weight about 4,000) was dried by a rotating disk type spray drying method, and a part of it was coarsely crushed to obtain collagen peptide with a ratio of 75 μm or less mesh size of 60% by weight. The bulk density of this collagen peptide powder was 0.35 g/ ^cm3 .
Except for using this collagen peptide powder, granular collagen peptide was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1. The bulk density of the obtained granular collagen peptide was 0.27 g/ ^cm3 , and the collagen content was 94.4% by weight.
As in Example 1, when 5 g of the above granular collagen peptide was placed in a 46 mm diameter container and placed in 100 mL of stationary water at 20°C, the granular collagen peptide collectively settled into the liquid within 3 seconds, and no granular collagen peptide remained on the liquid surface.

(Comparative Example 1)
A solution of collagen peptide derived from pigskin (weight average molecular weight about 4,000) was dried by a rotating disk spray dry method while controlling the spray concentration and drying speed, to obtain a collagen peptide powder with 23% by weight of particles with openings of 75 μm or less. The bulk density of this collagen peptide powder was 0.35 g/ ^cm3 .
Except for using this collagen peptide powder, granular collagen peptide was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1. The bulk density of the obtained granular collagen peptide was 0.27 g/ ^cm3 , and the collagen content was 94.9% by weight.
As in Example 1, when 5 g of the granular collagen peptide was placed in 100 mL of water at 20° C. in a 46 mm diameter container, the granular collagen peptide was dispersed on the liquid surface and slowly precipitated, and it took more than 600 seconds for all of the granular collagen peptide to disappear from the liquid surface. Figure 2 shows images of 5 g of the granular collagen peptide of Comparative Example 1 placed in 100 mL of water at 20° C. in a 46 mm diameter container, 3 seconds, 5 seconds, and 10 seconds later.

(Comparative Example 2)
A solution of collagen peptides derived from fish scales (weight average molecular weight approximately 5,000) was dried by a nozzle-type spray dry method while controlling the spray concentration and drying speed, to obtain a collagen peptide powder with 15% by weight of particles with openings of 75 μm or less. The bulk density of this collagen peptide powder was 0.35 g/ ^cm3 .
Except for using this collagen peptide powder, granular collagen peptide was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1. The bulk density of the obtained granular collagen peptide was 0.26 g/ ^cm3 , and the collagen content was 93.8% by weight.
As in Example 1, when 5 g of the above granular collagen peptide was placed in a 46 mm diameter container and placed in 100 mL of stationary water at 20°C, the granular collagen peptide dispersed on the surface of the liquid and slowly settled down, and it took more than 600 seconds for all the granular collagen peptide to disappear from the liquid surface.

(Comparative Example 3)
A solution of collagen peptide derived from pigskin (weight average molecular weight about 3,000) was dried by a rotating disk spray dry method while controlling the spray concentration and drying speed, to obtain a collagen peptide powder with a ratio of 75 μm or less mesh size of 18% by weight. The bulk density of this collagen peptide powder was 0.38 g/ ^cm3 .
Except for using this collagen peptide powder, granular collagen peptide was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1. The bulk density of the obtained granular collagen peptide was 0.27 g/ ^cm3 , and the collagen content was 93.2% by weight.
As in Example 1, when 5 g of the above granular collagen peptide was placed in a 46 mm diameter container and placed in 100 mL of stationary water at 20°C, the granular collagen peptide dispersed on the surface of the liquid and slowly settled down, and it took more than 600 seconds for all the granular collagen peptide to disappear from the liquid surface.

(Comparative Example 4)
A solution of collagen peptides derived from fish scales (weight average molecular weight approximately 5,000) was dried by a rotating disk spray dry method while controlling the spray concentration and drying speed, to obtain a collagen peptide powder with 24% by weight of particles with openings of 75 μm or less. The bulk density of this collagen peptide powder was 0.39 g/ ^cm3 .
Except for using this collagen peptide powder, granular collagen peptide was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1. The bulk density of the obtained granular collagen peptide was 0.26 g/ ^cm3 , and the collagen content was 94.4% by weight.
As in Example 1, when 5 g of the above granular collagen peptide was placed in a 46 mm diameter container and placed in 100 mL of stationary water at 20°C, the granular collagen peptide dispersed on the surface of the liquid and slowly settled down, and it took more than 600 seconds for all the granular collagen peptide to disappear from the liquid surface.

Claims (5)

A granulated product of porous collagen peptide powder having a passing rate of 35% by weight or more through a 75 μm mesh and a bulk density of 0.3 to 0.5 g/ ^cm3 , characterized in that the granular collagen peptide passes through a 16 mesh (1,190 μm opening) and has a bulk density of 0.2 to 0.34 g/ ^cm3 . A granulated product of porous collagen peptide powder having a passing rate of 35% by weight or more through a 75 μm mesh and a bulk density of 0.3 to 0.5 g/ ^cm3 , the granular collagen peptide passing through a 16 mesh (1,190 μm mesh) and having a bulk density of 0.2 to 0.34 g/ ^cm3 ,
A rapidly sedimenting granular collagen peptide, characterized in that when 5 g of the granular collagen peptide is placed in 100 mL of still water at 20°C contained in a 46 mm diameter container, it settles into the liquid and disappears from the liquid surface within 10 seconds. A method for producing granular collagen peptide, comprising subjecting collagen peptide powder having a passing rate of 35% by weight or more through a 75 μm mesh and a bulk density of 0.3 to 0.5 g/ ^cm3 to fluidized bed granulation processing. A method for producing granular collagen peptide, which is characterized by spray-drying a collagen peptide solution, pulverizing it so that the passing rate through a 75 μm mesh is 35% by weight or more, and subjecting the resulting collagen peptide powder to fluidized bed granulation processing. The method for producing granular collagen peptides according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the fluidized bed granulation process involves spraying water as a binder.