JP2024077586A - Composition - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a composition which is not soybean lecithin and/or its uses.

SOLUTION: A composition has an emulsifying effect equivalent to that of soybean lecithin and contains phospholipids, fats and oils, and γ-oryzanol.

SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

COPYRIGHT: (C)2024,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to a composition. More specifically, the present invention relates to a composition having an emulsifying effect equal to or greater than that of soybean lecithin.

There are various definitions of lecithin, but according to one theory, lecithin is defined as a combination of various phospholipids removed from foods of various origins (animal or vegetable), with at least 60% acetone-insoluble matter (Non-Patent Document 1). Known plant-derived lecithins include soybean lecithin, rapeseed lecithin, sunflower lecithin, and rice lecithin. Soybean lecithin has excellent emulsifying properties, and most of the lecithin used in the food market is soybean lecithin. On the other hand, it is not known that rice lecithin has the same emulsifying properties as soybean lecithin (Patent Documents 1 to 4).

Patent No. 6823511 Patent No. 6959782 Patent No. 7074427 Patent No. 6487762

Deepali Lehri et al., Composition, production, physicochemical properties and applications of lecithin obtained from rice (Oryza sativa L.) - A review, Plant Science Today (December 31, 2019) 6(sp1): p.613-622

One object of the present invention is to provide a composition and/or use thereof that is not soybean lecithin.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for producing a composition that is not soybean lecithin.
One object of the present invention is to provide a method for reducing the proportion of contaminants in a phospholipid- and oil-containing composition during a vegetable oil refining process.
An object of the present invention is to provide a composition containing a phospholipid and/or an oil or fat, its use, and/or a method for producing the same.
The problem that the invention aims to solve is one or more of the above objects.

In particular, rice lecithin is difficult to handle during production due to the large amount of impurities, and it is difficult to separate the impurities from the composition containing phospholipids and oils and fats, especially in the process after the degumming process, so it has been avoided for food use. Therefore, it was thought that it would be difficult to use rice lecithin in the production of a composition containing phospholipids and oils and fats that has an emulsifying effect equal to or greater than that of soybean lecithin. As a result of extensive research, the present inventors have found that a phospholipid and oil-containing composition with a low impurity content can be easily produced by increasing the proportion of oils and/or fatty acids obtained by the degumming process in the refining process of vegetable oils such as rice oil, or contained in the hydrate obtained by the degumming process. Based on this finding, they have further researched and completed the present invention.

That is, the present invention relates to the following inventions.
[1] A composition having an emulsifying effect equivalent to that of soybean lecithin, comprising phospholipids, fats and oils, and γ-oryzanol.
[2] The composition described in [1] above, containing less than 10% by mass of impurities.
[3] The composition according to [1] or [2], comprising 18 to 48% by mass of phospholipids.
[4] A method for producing the composition according to any one of [1] to [3] above, comprising a step of increasing the proportion of fats and/or oils and/or fatty acids obtained or contained in the hydrate obtained by the degumming step in the rice oil refining process.
[5] An emulsifier comprising the composition according to any one of [1] to [3] above.
[6] Component (1) the composition according to any one of [1] to [3] above;
The method includes a step of mixing the component (2) with a hydrophilic component and/or water,
A method of emulsifying component (2) with a lipophilic component.
[7] Component (1) the composition according to any one of [1] to [3] above;
Component (2) a hydrophilic component and/or water;
The method includes a step of mixing the component (3) with a lipophilic component,
A method for emulsifying component (2) and component (3).
[8] Component (1) the composition according to any one of [1] to [3] above;
Component (2) a hydrophilic component and/or water;
A composition comprising a mixture of component (3) with a lipophilic component.
[9] The composition described in [8] above, which is emulsified.
[10] The composition according to [9] above, wherein the emulsion type is a water-in-oil type or an oil-in-water type.
[11] The composition described in [8] above, containing less than 100 ppm of impurities in the oil phase.
[12] The composition according to any one of [8] to [11] above, wherein the degree of emulsification is equal to or greater than that when soybean lecithin is used instead of component (1).
[13] A non-aqueous compatibilizer comprising the composition according to any one of [1] to [3] above.
[14] Component (1) the composition according to any one of [1] to [3] above;
A composition comprising component (2) a hydrophilic component and/or water, or a mixture with component (3) a lipophilic component.
[15] The composition described in [14] above, containing less than 100 ppm of impurities in the oil phase.
[16] A food or drink, a food or drink ingredient, a feed, a cosmetic, a daily necessities, a medicine or a quasi-drug, comprising the composition according to any one of the above [8] to [12].
[17] A food or beverage, a food or beverage ingredient, a feed, a cosmetic, a daily necessities, a medicine or a quasi-drug, comprising the composition according to [14] above.
[18] The composition according to any one of [1] to [3] above, wherein mixture 1 is obtained by mixing a composition adjusted to have a phospholipid amount of 0.065 g with 119.85 g of oil, and the mixture 1 is further mixed with 30 g of water, and mixture 2 is obtained by stirring with a homogenizer for 2 minutes under conditions of room temperature, 11,000 rpm, diameter 25 mm/18 mm (stator/rotor) and gap 0.5 mm, and after leaving it to stand for 5 hours, the composition has the property of having no interface.
[19] The composition described in [2] above, wherein the contaminants are components other than phospholipids, fats and oils, fatty acids, oil-soluble vitamins, ferulic acid, phytosterols, sterol fatty acid esters, and γ-oryzanol.
[20] A composition containing less than 10% by mass of impurities, comprising phospholipids, fats and oils, and γ-oryzanol.
[21] The composition according to [20], comprising 18 to 48% by mass of phospholipids.
[22] A method for reducing the proportion of contaminants in a phospholipid- and oil-containing composition, comprising at least a step of increasing the proportion of oils and/or fatty acids obtained by a degumming step in a vegetable oil refining process or contained in a hydrate obtained by the degumming step.
[23] A method for producing a phospholipid and oil-containing composition, comprising at least a step of increasing the proportion of oils and/or fatty acids obtained by a degumming step in a vegetable oil refining process or contained in the obtained hydrate.
[24] An antioxidant comprising the composition according to any one of [1] to [3] above.
[25] A method for producing a mixture of the composition according to any one of [1] to [3] and [19] to [21] above and component (2) and/or component (3), the method comprising a step of mixing the composition according to any one of [1] to [3] and [19] to [21] above with component (2) and/or component (3).
[26] The food or beverage described in [16], which is selected from margarine, chocolate and cream.
[27] A composition containing less than 100 ppm of impurities and comprising phospholipids and oils.
[28] The food or beverage described in [16], which is selected from margarine, whipped cream and mayonnaise.

The present invention can provide a composition that is not soy lecithin and/or its use. The composition preferably does not contain soy-derived components, and therefore does not contain soy-derived allergens. Although genetically modified soybeans are often used as soybeans in the market, the composition preferably does not use such soybeans in its manufacturing process, and is therefore useful as a non-genetically modified composition. The composition has a low content of impurities (e.g., less than 10% by mass, 2% by mass or less).
The present invention can provide a phospholipid- and oil-containing composition having a low content of impurities (e.g., less than 10% by mass, 2% by mass or less).
The present invention can provide a method for producing a composition that is not soy lecithin.
The non-soy lecithin compositions described above may have emulsifying properties equal to or greater than those of soy lecithin.
The present invention can provide a method for reducing the proportion of contaminants in phospholipids and oil-containing compositions during the vegetable oil refining process.
The present invention can provide a composition containing a phospholipid and/or an oil or fat, use thereof, and/or a production method thereof.

FIG. 1 shows the results of the emulsifiability evaluation in Experimental Example 3.

1. Composition In a first aspect, the composition of the present invention has an emulsifying effect equal to or greater than that of soybean lecithin, and is characterized by containing a phospholipid, an oil and fat, and γ-oryzanol.
In a second aspect, the composition of the present invention is characterized in that it contains less than 10% by mass (preferably less than 100 ppm) of impurities, phospholipids and/or fats and oils. The composition may exclude cases where the composition is soybean lecithin itself. The composition preferably contains 18 to 48% by mass of phospholipids. The composition preferably has an emulsifying effect equal to or greater than that of soybean lecithin. The composition contains less than 100 ppm of impurities, phospholipids, and may further contain fats and oils.
In a third aspect, the composition of the present invention is characterized in that it contains less than 10% by mass of impurities and contains phospholipids, oils and fats, and γ-oryzanol. The composition preferably has an emulsifying action equal to or greater than that of soybean lecithin. The composition may contain less than 100 ppm of impurities and contain phospholipids, oils and fats, and γ-oryzanol. The composition may contain 18 to 48% by mass of phospholipids.
In a preferred embodiment, the composition of the present invention is characterized by containing less than 2% by mass (more preferably less than 100 ppm) of impurities, 18 to 48% by mass of phospholipids, and further containing fats and oils and γ-oryzanol. The composition preferably has an emulsifying effect equal to or greater than that of soybean lecithin.
In another preferred embodiment, the composition of the present invention is characterized by containing less than 0.3% by mass (more preferably less than 100 ppm) of impurities, 7 to 18% by mass of phospholipids, and further containing fats and oils. The composition preferably has an emulsifying effect equal to or greater than that of soybean lecithin. The composition preferably contains γ-oryzanol.
In any embodiment, the composition of the present invention may contain components other than the above-mentioned components, or may consist of the above-mentioned components.

In one specific embodiment, by reducing the impurities to less than 10% by mass in a composition containing phospholipids, fats and oils, and γ-oryzanol, the composition can have an emulsifying effect equal to or greater than that of soybean lecithin. Here, the impurities may be 9% by mass or less, 8% by mass or less, 7% by mass or less, 6% by mass or less, 5% by mass or less, 4% by mass or less, 3% by mass or less, 2% by mass or less, 1.3% by mass or less, 1% by mass or less, 0.5% by mass or less, 0.4% by mass or less, 0.3% by mass or less, or 100 ppm or less, and a lower impurity content is preferable because it improves the quality of the composition when used as a food ingredient or food additive and/or because the composition becomes clear at room temperature. In this specification, room temperature means, for example, 15 to 25°C.

Contaminants are defined as insoluble residues when a sample such as a composition is dissolved in warm xylene, for example, according to Japanese Industrial Standard JIS K 2276:2203. Contaminants may be components other than phospholipids, fats and oils, fatty acids, oil-soluble vitamins, ferulic acid, phytosterols, sterol fatty acid esters, and γ-oryzanol. Contaminants may be components that precipitate or are insoluble after the composition is allowed to stand for a certain period of time (for example, one month). Contaminants include, for example, wax esters (esters of fatty acids having 10 or more carbon atoms and aliphatic alcohols having 8 or more carbon atoms), glycosides, shells, pods, starches, sugar esters, sugars, sphingolipids, fibers, glyceroglycolipids, sterol glycolipids, sphingoglycolipids, and the like.
The content of the impurities in the composition can be determined, for example, by conventional means, including, for example, extraction, filtration, concentration, centrifugation, etc. The content of the impurities in the composition can be derived, for example, by determining the percentage of insoluble residue when the composition is dissolved in warm xylene, according to Japanese Industrial Standard JIS K 2276:2203.

In the present disclosure, the composition of the present invention may include an embodiment of the composition 1 of the present invention described below.
In one particular embodiment, the composition of the present invention preferably contains 18 to 48% by weight of phospholipids.
In one particular embodiment, the ratio of phospholipids contained in the composition of the present invention may be 18% by weight or more, 20% by weight or more, 25% by weight or more, 28% by weight or more, or 30% by weight or more. When the phospholipid content is 18% by weight or more, the emulsifying effect can be maintained at a high level.
In one specific embodiment, the ratio of phospholipids contained in the composition of the present invention may be 48% by mass or less, 45% by mass or less, 43% by mass or less, or 40% by mass or less. When the phospholipid content is 48% by mass or less, the viscosity of the entire composition is low and it is easy to handle.

In one particular embodiment, the composition of the present invention preferably contains 7 to 18% by weight of phospholipids.
In one particular embodiment, the proportion of phospholipids contained in the composition of the present invention may be 7% by weight or more, or 8% by weight or more.
In one specific embodiment, the ratio of phospholipids contained in the composition of the present invention may be 18% by mass or less, 15% by mass or less, or 10% by mass or less. When the phospholipid content is 18% by mass or less, the composition is likely to become clear at room temperature, which is preferable.

The phospholipid content in the composition can be confirmed by methods including, for example, solvent fractionation, ICP (Inductively Coupled Plasma), liquid chromatography, NMR, etc.

Specific examples of phospholipids include phosphatidylcholine (PC), lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC), phosphatidylinositol (PI), lysophosphatidylinositol (LPI), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), lysophosphatidylethanolamine (LPE), phosphatidylserine (PS), phosphatidic acid (PA), lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) with a part of the amino group methylated (NAPE), or any combination thereof. Examples of the ratio of PC:LPC:PI:PE:LPE:PS:PA (area ratio by ³¹ P NMR) include (35-40):(17-22):(11-16):(10-15):(0-5):(0-5):(10-15), or 38.7:19.9:14.4:12.6:0:1:13.4. Examples of the mass ratio of PC:LPC:PI:LPI:PE:LPE:NAPE:PA:LPA include (45-50):(3-7):(20-25):(1-5):(8-13):(0-3):(0-3):(5-10):(0-3), or 47:5:23:2:10:1:2:8:1. It is preferable that the ratio of PC:LPC:PI:PE:LPE:PA is not that of soybean lecithin, for example, (33-37):(4-6):(15-20):(25-30):(4-8):(8-10), or is not 34.5:5:17:28:6:9.5. The ratio of PC:LPC:PI:PE:LPE:NAPE:PA:LPA is preferably not that of soybean lecithin, e.g., (33-40):(2-4):(18-20):(25-27):(1-3):(4-6):(7-9):(0-2), or not 34:3:19:26:2:5:8:1:2. The ratio of PC to the total phospholipids is preferably, for example, 35-50%, or not less than 35%. The ratio of PE to the total phospholipids is preferably, for example, 8-15%, or not more than 25%.

The term "oils and fats" refers to, for example, ester compounds of naturally occurring fatty acids and glycerin. Specific examples of the oils and fats include a mixture of multiple triacylglycerols, a mixture of multiple diacylglycerols, and/or a mixture of multiple monoacylglycerols. The oils and fats may be vegetable oils and fats or animal oils and fats, but are preferably vegetable oils and fats. Examples of vegetable oils and fats include rice oil, palm oil, rapeseed oil, soybean oil, sesame oil, corn oil, cottonseed oil, coconut oil, olive oil, palm oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, almond oil, cashew oil, hazelnut oil, macadamia nut oil, mongongo oil, pecan oil, pine nut oil, walnut oil, camellia oil, tea oil, etc., but vegetable oils other than soybean oil are preferred, and rice oil is particularly preferred.
The compositions of the present invention may contain fatty acids.
The content of the oil or fatty acid in the composition of the present invention can be confirmed by a known method such as gas chromatography.
The content of the oil in the composition of the present invention is preferably, for example, 50% by mass or more and 80% by mass or less. The total content of the oil and the fatty acid in the composition of the present invention is preferably, for example, 50% by mass or more and 80% by mass or less.

γ-oryzanol is a component derived from rice bran. In other words, a composition containing γ-oryzanol may be referred to as a composition derived from rice. The content of γ-oryzanol in the entire composition may be 0.1% by mass or more, or may be 0.5% by mass or more.
The content of γ-oryzanol in a composition can be determined, for example, by the following known method: 2 to 5 g of the composition is weighed out, diluted with n-hexane to 100 mL, and 2 mL of this is taken and diluted to 100 mL with n-hexane. The absorbance at 315 nm of the diluted composition is measured, and the γ-oryzanol content G (%) is calculated by the following formula, where X (g) is the mass of the composition and A is the absorbance:

In one particular embodiment, the composition of the present invention has an emulsifying effect equal to or greater than that of soybean lecithin. In the present invention, "an emulsifying effect equal to or greater than that of soybean lecithin" means that the composition may have an emulsifying effect equal to or greater than that of soybean lecithin. Here, having an emulsifying effect equal to or greater than that of soybean lecithin can be confirmed by, for example, comparing the emulsifying ability when the composition of the present invention and soybean lecithin are added in the same mass in an O/W or W/O system, or comparing the emulsifying ability of the composition of the present invention, in which the amount of addition is adjusted so that the mass of soybean lecithin and phospholipid content is the same, with that of soybean lecithin, to evaluate whether the composition of the present invention has an emulsifying effect equal to or greater than that of soybean lecithin.

Soy lecithin can be rephrased as (1) lecithin derived from soybeans, (2) a hydrate obtained by a degumming process in the process of obtaining soybean oil, (3) a hydrate containing phospholipids and obtained by a degumming process in the process of obtaining soybean oil, (4) a composition containing phospholipids and further containing soybean-derived components such as soybean protein and soybean isoflavones. It is preferable that the soy lecithin is decolorized and purified to an extent that it can be used as an emulsifier for foods or medicines. In addition, the soy lecithin may be a paste-like (liquid) lecithin, liquid enzyme-decomposed lecithin, powdered enzyme-decomposed lecithin, fractionated enzyme-decomposed lecithin, etc., and among them, paste-like lecithin is preferable. As the paste-like soy lecithin, SLP paste (manufactured by Tsuji Oil Mills, Ltd.) may be used.

Lecithin is defined as a composition containing a combination of various phospholipids derived from various animals or plants. In the present disclosure, the composition of the present invention can be classified as lecithin. The total content ratio of phospholipids relative to the entire composition (lecithin) is not particularly limited, and may be 1 to 100% by mass, 10 to 100% by mass, 20 to 100% by mass, 30 to 100% by mass, 40 to 100% by mass, 50 to 100% by mass, 7 to 48% by mass, 7 to 18% by mass, or 18 to 48% by mass. In addition, the components contained in lecithin differ depending on the origin (type of animal or plant). Rice lecithin (rice bran-derived lecithin) is characterized by, for example, containing γ-oryzanol. The composition of the present invention in an embodiment containing γ-oryzanol may be called rice lecithin (rice bran-derived lecithin). On the other hand, soybean lecithin (soybean-derived lecithin) is characterized by, for example, containing soybean protein and/or soybean isoflavones and/or not containing γ-oryzanol. The composition of the present invention may be soybean lecithin (soybean-derived lecithin), but is preferably not soybean lecithin (soybean-derived lecithin). The fact that the composition of the present invention is not soybean lecithin (soybean-derived lecithin) means that the composition of the present invention is not soybean lecithin (soybean-derived lecithin) itself, and does not exclude the embodiment in which the composition of the present invention contains soybean lecithin (soybean-derived lecithin). By confirming that the composition of the present invention contains, for example, γ-oryzanol, it can be determined that the composition of the present invention is not soybean lecithin (soybean-derived lecithin) itself. The composition of the present invention may or may not contain soybean lecithin (soybean-derived lecithin). The composition of the present invention may not contain rice lecithin (rice bran-derived lecithin) and may have impurities of less than 100 ppm.

As a specific confirmation method, for example, a mixture 1 obtained by mixing an amount of composition adjusted so that the amount of phospholipid is 0.065 g (0.0645 g or more, less than 0.0655 g) with 119.85 g of oil (119.845 g or more, less than 119.855 g) is further mixed with 30 g of water (29.5 g or more, less than 30.5 g), and the resulting mixture 2 is stirred for 2 minutes with a homogenizer (room temperature, 11000 rpm, diameter 25 mm/18 mm (stator/rotor) and gap 0.5 mm), and after leaving it for 5 hours, it can be confirmed, for example, by visual inspection that there is no interface. Note that diameter 25 mm/18 mm (stator/rotor) means that the stator diameter is 25 mm and the rotor diameter is 18 mm, and gap means the space or void between the stator and the rotor. In addition, water, oil, and the composition of the present invention may be mixed in an appropriate ratio (for example, about 0.1 parts by mass is added to 100 parts by mass of oil, and about 4 times the mass of the mixture is mixed with water and vigorously stirred with a homogenizer for about 2 minutes), and after standing for a certain period of time (for example, 3 hours or 5 hours), the emulsifying ability may be measured by a known emulsification evaluation method, and the results of visually checking whether or not an interface exists may be confirmed to be equal to or greater than those of a mixture of water, oil, and soybean lecithin in the same ratio. When confirming the emulsifying action, a general vegetable oil may be used as the oil, or rice salad oil (manufactured by Tsuno Food Industry Co., Ltd.) may be used. When confirming the emulsifying action, tap water, RO water, ion-exchanged water, soft water, etc. may be used as the water. In this disclosure, room temperature means, for example, 1 to 30°C. In this disclosure, "about" is a term used with the intention of including, for example, a slight deviation. Such ranges include those within experimental error (e.g., within ±2%, within ±1%, etc.) that is inherent in the standard method used to measure and/or quantify a given value or range. Thus, "about" is not necessarily imprecise.
Specifically, when the emulsifying ability of the composition of the present invention is quantified by a known emulsifying ability evaluation method, the emulsifying ability of soybean lecithin is set to 100%, and if the emulsifying ability is in the range of, for example, ±15%, ±13%, ±11%, ±10.5%, ±10%, ±9%, ±8%, ±7.8%, ±7%, ±6%, ±5%, ±3%, ±2%, ±1.8%, etc., it can be determined that the composition has the same emulsifying effect as soybean lecithin. Known emulsification evaluation methods include, for example, a method of determining the Creaming Index (CI) (Garba, Umar, et al. "Extracting lecithin from water degumming by-products of rice bran oil and its physicochemical, antioxidant and emulsifying properties." Food Bioscience 38 (2020): 100745.), and a method of determining the overrun value in whipped cream using each of the composition of the present invention and soybean lecithin as raw materials.

The inventors have found that in a composition containing phospholipids and fats and oils, the fewer the impurities, the better the emulsifying action. Based on this knowledge, it is believed that the rice lecithin described in Non-Patent Document 1 and the rice lecithin oil described in Patent Document 1 do not exhibit an emulsifying action equal to or greater than that of soybean lecithin because they contain a large amount of impurities (e.g., 10% by mass or more). And it has been confirmed through experiments that the rice lecithin oil described in Patent Document 1 does not exhibit an emulsifying action equal to or greater than that of soybean lecithin.

It is preferable that the composition containing the soybean lecithin to be compared and the composition containing the composition of the present invention have the same proportion of phospholipids. In this specification, the same proportion may include ±10% by mass, or may include ±5% by mass.

2. Method for Producing Composition In a fourth aspect, the present invention provides a method for producing the composition of the present invention (also referred to as method for producing the composition of the present invention 1) which includes a step (also referred to as step 1 in the present specification) of increasing the ratio of fats and/or oils and/or fatty acids obtained or contained in the hydrate obtained by the degumming step in the rice oil refining process. By including step 1, it is preferable in that the separation or removal of impurities can be efficiently carried out. In another aspect, if the hydrate obtained by the degumming step in the rice oil refining process has a small amount of impurities (for example, less than 10% by mass, 8% by mass or less, 2% by mass or less) even without going through step 1, the hydrate can be used as it is as the composition of the present invention without going through step 1.

A typical method for refining rice bran oil involves extracting crude oil from the raw plant material with hexane or the like, and then subjecting the crude oil to degumming, dewaxing, deacidification, bleaching, and deodorization processes to obtain refined rice oil. In the degumming process, steam or hot water is usually added to the rice bran-extracted crude oil, followed by stirring, and the aqueous and oil phases are separated by centrifugation to obtain a hydrate in the aqueous phase and a degummed oil in the oil phase. The degummed oil usually contains fats and oils and/or fatty acids. The hydrate may or may not be dried afterwards. For example, magnesium sulfate or the like may be used as a drying agent. Known methods such as heating, stirring, and dehydration may be used as drying means.

As a process for increasing the proportion of fats and/or fatty acids contained in the hydrate obtained by the degumming process in the rice oil refining process, for example, there is a method of adjusting the centrifugation conditions in the degumming process so as to increase the proportion of fats and/or fatty acids contained in the hydrate obtained by the degumming process (for example, a method of shifting the separation boundary surface setting of the centrifuge device).
The fats and oils and/or fatty acids are components constituting the degummed oil, which is usually obtained in the oil phase by the degumming step in the rice oil refining process. Examples of fats and oils include esters of glycerin and fatty acids, such as triacylglycerol, diacylglycerol, and monoacylglycerol.

As a process for increasing the proportion of fats and/or fatty acids contained in the hydrate obtained by the degumming process in the rice oil refining process, for example, there is a method in which fats and/or fatty acids are added to and mixed with the hydrate obtained by the degumming process.
The fats and/or fatty acids may be fats and oils obtained during or after the refining process of a vegetable oil such as rice oil, or may be degummed oil obtained in the oil phase by a degumming process in the vegetable oil refining process, or may be fats and/or fatty acids obtained by subjecting the degummed oil to one or more processes selected from a dewaxing process, a deacidification process, a bleaching process, and a deodorizing process, or may be fats and oils, fatty acids, and/or refined fats and oils obtained in the refining process of a vegetable oil other than rice oil.

In the step of increasing the proportion of fats and/or fatty acids contained in the hydrate, an example of a method for determining to what extent the proportion of fats and/or fatty acids should be increased will be described in detail.
First, the content ratio of impurities in the entire composition of the present invention is set to A mass %, the content ratio of phospholipids to B mass %, and the total ratio of fats, oils, and fatty acids to C mass %. Here, the value of A may be appropriately set to a desired value, for example, less than 10. The value of B may be appropriately set to a desired value, for example, between 7 to 9, 9 to 18, 18 to 48, etc.
Furthermore, the content ratio of impurities, the content ratio of phospholipids, and the total ratio of fats and oils and fatty acids relative to the entire hydrate before the ratio of fats and oils and/or fatty acids is increased are determined by a known method such as gas chromatography analysis. Here, they are represented as A1 mass%, B1 mass%, and C1 mass%, respectively. The ratio X parts by mass of fats and oils and/or fatty acids to be increased relative to 100 parts by mass of the entire hydrate before the ratio of fats and oils and/or fatty acids is increased can be calculated by the calculation formula (B1 x C) / B - C1. Based on this calculation formula, fats and oils and/or fatty acids are mixed at a ratio of X parts by mass relative to 100 parts by mass of the entire hydrate before the ratio of fats and oils and/or fatty acids is increased.

The table below shows an example of the proportion of fats and/or fatty acids to be increased using the formula (X parts by mass relative to 100 parts by mass of the entire hydrate before the proportion of fats and/or fatty acids is increased), along with an example of the proportion of each component in the hydrate before the proportion of fats and/or fatty acids is increased, and a target proportion of each component in the composition. The target proportion C of the total fats and fatty acids in the composition, i.e., the proportion of fats and/or fatty acids after the increase, is preferably, for example, 50 to 80% by mass relative to the entire composition after the proportion of fats and/or fatty acids is increased.

In the method for producing the composition of the present invention, it is preferable to include a step (also referred to as step 2 in this specification) of separating or removing impurities (precipitated or insoluble components) by known means such as filtration, decantation, centrifugation, use of a solvent, or any combination thereof, after step 1. In step 1, the viscosity of the hydrate is reduced, and the operability by filtration, decantation, etc. is improved, making it possible to efficiently separate or remove impurities from the hydrate in which the proportion of fats, oils, and/or fatty acids has been increased. In step 2, all of the impurities contained in the hydrate in which the proportion of fats, oils, and/or fatty acids has been increased may be separated or removed, or only a part of the impurities may be separated or removed. Preferably, in step 2, impurities are separated or removed from the hydrate in which the proportion of fats, oils, and/or fatty acids has been increased until the content ratio of the impurities in the composition set in step 1 is reached. It is preferable to carry out step 2 under a temperature condition of 40 to 80°C. In addition, after steps 1 and 2, it is preferable to further carry out step 1, and then to further carry out step 2, preferably under temperature conditions of 15 to 25°C.

In addition, the composition may be left to stand or stirred before step 2 or after step 1, or step 2 may be performed immediately after the set temperature in step 2 (e.g., 40 to 80°C, 15 to 25°C) is reached, but it is preferable to leave the composition to stand before step 2 or after step 1. The standing time may be, for example, 1 hour, 12 hours, 24 hours, 7 days, 28 days, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, or 1 year. The longer the standing time, the better the impurities can be separated or removed from the hydrate, and therefore the more preferable it is. In order to prevent deterioration of the composition over time during the standing period, it is preferable to leave the composition to stand under a nitrogen atmosphere.

In step 2, when a solvent is used to separate or remove impurities, hexane, acetone, isopropyl alcohol, ethanol, etc., or a mixture of these solvents may be used for the hydrate. However, this can make the management of the solvent more complicated.

In the method for producing the composition of the present invention, chemicals such as solvents, acids, alkalis, enzymes, etc. may be used as appropriate in any step, but it is preferable not to use chemicals such as solvents, acids, alkalis, enzymes, etc. in the degumming step and/or subsequent steps. By adopting the above steps, the method for producing the composition of the present invention is superior in that it is possible to separate or remove impurities from the hydrate using only water, even if chemicals such as solvents, acids, alkalis, enzymes, etc. are not used in the degumming step and/or subsequent steps.

3. Emulsifier of the Present Invention In a fifth aspect, the present invention provides an emulsifier containing the composition of the present invention (also referred to herein as the emulsifier of the present invention).
The emulsifier of the present invention may or may not contain fatty acids, oil-soluble vitamins, colorants, flavors, etc. that can be used in foods other than the composition of the present invention. The emulsifier of the present invention may be composed of the composition of the present invention. The above examples can be referred to for the method of confirming the emulsifying action. The emulsifier of the present invention can be used in the same manner and/or in the same amount as a conventional emulsifier.

4. Emulsification method a of the present invention
In a sixth aspect, the present invention provides a method for emulsifying component (2) and a lipophilic component (herein also referred to as emulsification method a of the present invention), comprising the step of mixing component (1) the composition of the present invention with component (2) a hydrophilic component and/or water.
5. Emulsification method b of the present invention
In a seventh aspect, the present invention provides a method for emulsifying component (2) and component (3) (herein also referred to as emulsification method b of the present invention), comprising the step of mixing component (1) the composition of the present invention, component (2) a hydrophilic component and/or water, and component (3) a lipophilic component.

(2) Examples of hydrophilic components include components having a hydrophilic group, salts, etc. Specific examples of hydrophilic components include salts, sugar, milk, starch syrup, etc. The water may be purified water, distilled water, tap water, purified water, etc.
(3) Examples of lipophilic components include components having a lipophilic group. Specific examples of lipophilic components include fats and oils (e.g., solid fats and oils (including interesterified oils), liquid fats and oils, etc.), sucrose fatty acid esters, monoglycerin, β-carotene, fragrances, etc. Examples of fats and oils include refined vegetable fats and oils, refined animal fats and oils, etc. Component (3) may also be a lipophilic component contained in component (1).
The mixing ratio (mass ratio) of component (1):component (2):component (3) may be, for example, (0.1 to 1):(15 to 60):(30 to 90), and the table in the production examples described later may be referred to.
Component (1) and component (2) may be mixed together, and then component (3) may be mixed therewith, or component (1) and component (3) may be mixed together, and then component (2) may be mixed therewith. The mixing method may be a known method such as stirring with a stirrer or a spoon.

6. Composition a of the present invention
In an eighth aspect, the present invention provides a composition (also referred to as composition a of the present invention in this specification) comprising a mixture of the above-mentioned component (1) the composition of the present invention, the above-mentioned component (2) a hydrophilic component and/or water, and the above-mentioned component (3) a lipophilic component. It is preferable that composition a of the present invention is in an emulsified state. The emulsion type may be either a water-in-oil type or an oil-in-water type.
The degree of emulsification is preferably equal to or greater than that obtained when soybean lecithin containing the same amount of phospholipid as the composition of the present invention is used instead of component (1). The above examples can be referred to for the method of confirming the emulsifying effect.
The ratio of component (1) to the entire composition a of the present invention may be, for example, 0.01 to 10 mass%, 0.01 to 5 mass%, 0.1 to 6 mass%, 0.1 to 5 mass%, 0.1 to 3 mass%, or 0.1 to 1 mass%.
The proportion of component (2) relative to the entire composition a of the present invention may be, for example, 10 to 70 mass %, 15 to 70 mass %, or 15 to 60 mass %.
The ratio of component (3) to the entire composition a of the present invention may be, for example, 10 to 90 mass%, 20 to 90 mass%, 25 to 90 mass%, or 30 to 90 mass%.
The ratio of the mixture to the entire composition a of the present invention may be 20 to 100% by mass, 50 to 100% by mass, or 80 to 100% by mass.
Component (1) and component (2) may be mixed together, and then component (3) may be mixed therewith, or component (1) and component (3) may be mixed together, and then component (2) may be mixed therewith. The mixing method may be a known method such as stirring with a stirrer or a spoon.
The ratio of the impurities to the entire composition a of the present invention may be, for example, less than 100 ppm. Also, the ratio of the impurities in the oil phase is preferably, for example, less than 100 ppm. Here, "in the oil phase" means in the composition of the present invention, the composition containing the composition of the present invention described later (food, etc.), the lipophilic component contained in the oil and fat composition such as an emulsifier, a compatibilizer, or an antioxidant, and the lipophilic component may or may not be emulsified with a hydrophilic component.

7. Non-Aqueous Compatibility Agent of the Present Invention In a ninth aspect, the present invention provides a non-aqueous compatibility agent (herein also referred to as the non-aqueous compatibility agent of the present invention) comprising the composition of the present invention.
The non-aqueous compatibilizer of the present invention may or may not contain a component that can be used in food other than the composition of the present invention. The non-aqueous compatibilizer of the present invention may be composed of the composition of the present invention. The non-aqueous compatibilizer of the present invention can dissolve water-insoluble liquid substances and/or solid substances.

8. Composition b of the present invention
In a tenth aspect, the present invention provides a composition (also referred to in this specification as composition b of the present invention) comprising a mixture of component (1) the composition of the present invention and component (2) a hydrophilic component and/or water, or component (3) a lipophilic component.
The ratio of component (1) to the entire composition b of the present invention may be 0.01 to 30 mass%, may be 1 to 30 mass%, may be 0.1 to 20 mass%, may be 0.1 to 10 mass%, may be 0.1 to 5 mass%, or may be 0.1 to 1 mass%.
The proportion of component (2) relative to the entire composition b of the present invention may be, for example, 10 to 70 mass %, 15 to 70 mass %, or 15 to 60 mass %.
The proportion of component (3) relative to the entire composition b of the present invention may be 50 to 99.99 mass %, 60 to 99.9 mass %, or 60 to 99 mass %.
The ratio of the mixture to the entire composition b of the present invention may be 20 to 100% by mass, 50 to 100% by mass, or 80 to 100% by mass.
The ratio of the impurities to the entire composition b of the present invention may be, for example, less than 100 ppm. Also, the ratio of the impurities in the oil phase is preferably, for example, less than 100 ppm. Here, "in the oil phase" means in the composition of the present invention, the composition containing the composition of the present invention described later (food, etc.), the lipophilic component contained in the oil and fat composition such as an emulsifier, a compatibilizer, or an antioxidant, and the lipophilic component may or may not be emulsified with a hydrophilic component.
The mixing method may be a known method such as stirring with a stirrer or a spoon.

9. Food and drink, food and drink material, feed, cosmetic, daily necessities, medicine, or quasi-drug of the present invention In an eleventh aspect, the present invention provides a food and drink, a food and drink material, feed, cosmetic, daily necessities, medicine, or quasi-drug (herein also referred to as the food and drink or food and drink material, feed, cosmetic, daily necessities, medicine, or quasi-drug of the present invention) comprising the composition of the present invention.
In one specific embodiment, the composition of the present invention, a composition (food, etc.) containing the composition of the present invention, the food or drink of the present invention, a food or drink material, a feed, a cosmetic, a daily necessities, a medicine or a quasi-drug is preferably not in the form of a release oil or does not contain a release oil.

The food and beverages, food and beverage ingredients, feed, cosmetics, daily necessities, pharmaceuticals or quasi-drugs of the present invention may contain other additives that are commonly used in the fields of food and beverages, food and beverage ingredients, feed, cosmetics, daily necessities, pharmaceuticals or quasi-drugs, etc. Examples of such additives include thickening stabilizers, enzymes, seasonings, strengthening agents, manufacturing agents, coloring agents, sweeteners, bittering agents, acidulants, gum bases, gloss agents, antioxidants, preservatives, emulsifiers, emulsion stabilizers, emulsification aids, bactericides, bleaching agents, colorants, fragrances, fungicides, extraction solvents, tofu coagulants, coating agents, release agents, flour treatment agents, yeast food, pH adjusters, pH buffers, leavening agents, nutritional enhancers, preservatives, excipients, stabilizers, flavoring agents, solubilizing agents, buffers, suspending agents, flavoring agents, thickening agents, astringents, ultraviolet absorbing agents, ultraviolet protection agents, ultraviolet scattering agents, ultraviolet screening agents, nano-sized substances, preservatives, surfactants, metal sequestering agents, oils, protective agents, moisturizing agents, cleaning agents, extinguishing agents, and the like. Examples of such additives include inflammation agents, antibacterial agents, whitening agents, anti-sagging agents, film-forming agents, peeling agents, binders, emollients, plasticizers, vitamins, texture improvers, foam stabilizers, stabilizing agents, fat-adding agents, lubricants, solubilizing agents, reducing agents, oxidizing agents, pigments, bases, diluents, foaming agents, adsorbents, tensioning agents, transdermal absorption promoters, binders, blood circulation promoters, gelling agents, antioxidants, antiseborrheic agents, conditioning agents, cell activators, softening agents, penetrating agents, scrubbing agents, molding improvers, molding agents, cleaning agents, film-forming agents, antistatic agents, neutralizing agents, sedatives, pearlizing agents, skin roughness prevention agents, water repellents, foaming agents, hair growth promoters, adhesives, dispersants, sprays, denaturants, hydrating agents, fragrances, retention agents, dissolving agents, solvents, and hair nourishing agents.

Food and drink products include health foods, functional foods, foods for specified health uses, foods for the sick, supplements, tablets, etc. The form of the food and drink products is not particularly limited, and may be in the form of processed foods such as natural liquid foods, semi-digested nutritional foods or component nutritional foods, or drinks. Examples of the form of the food and drink products include beverages such as tea drinks, soft drinks, carbonated drinks, nutritional drinks, fruit drinks, lactic acid drinks, fermented drinks, and alcoholic drinks; noodles such as soba, udon, Chinese noodles, and instant noodles; sweets and breads such as candy, candy, gum, chocolate, snacks, biscuits, jellies, jams, creams, baked goods (e.g., pound cakes, etc.), and breads; fishery and livestock processed foods such as kamaboko, ham, and sausages; dairy products such as processed milk and fermented milk; vegetable creams, compound powders, and other foods. Examples of such foods and beverages include creams such as cream (a mixture of milk fat and vegetable oil) and whipped cream; oils and fats and processed oils such as salad oil, tempura oil, margarine, fat spread, mayonnaise, flower paste, shortening, dressing, release oil, rice cooking oil, etc.; seasonings such as sauces and other sauces; retort pouch foods such as curry, stew, rice bowls, porridge, and rice porridge; paste products; frozen desserts such as ice cream, sherbet, and shaved ice; processed egg foods; luxury items, etc. The foods and beverages may also contain excipients such as lactose, starch, crystalline cellulose, and sodium phosphate.
In one particular embodiment, the food or beverage is preferably a food or beverage that does not contain release oil.

The form of the food and beverage ingredient is not particularly limited, but examples include powder, flake, liquid, paste, granules, etc. The food and beverage ingredient can be manufactured according to a general manufacturing method for food additives. The food and beverage ingredient may be a food and beverage ingredient that is labeled as an emulsifier, a non-aqueous compatibilizer, or a splash prevention agent.

Examples of the feed include feed for livestock such as cattle, horses, pigs, sheep, goats, llamas, alpacas, camels, rabbits, minks, foxes, chinchillas, geese, chickens, and ducks, feed for farmed fish, and feed for pets such as dogs and cats. The feed can be processed and manufactured according to a general method for manufacturing feed, except for the step of adding the agent of the present invention to the feed.

The cosmetics are not particularly limited, but examples include lipstick, milky lotion, toner, moisturizer, serum, lubricant, foundation, face wash, concealer, base, cleanser, eye color, eyebrow color, cheek color, face color, rouge, gloss, lip liner, etc.

Examples of household goods include, but are not limited to, lubricants, paints, magnetic cards, hygiene products, detergents, household daily necessities, oral care products, toiletry products, household chemical products, toilet paper, tissue paper, wet tissues, bandages, masks, bandages, medical tape, towels, hand towels, laundry detergent, dentifrice, toothbrushes, mouthwash, mouth fresheners, soap, hand soap, body soap, skin care cream, sunscreen, antiperspirant, shampoo, conditioner, hair color, hair spray, hair wax, hair growth products, shaving foam, bath additives, aroma products, deodorants, and air fresheners.

The pharmaceutical may be in the form of an oral solid preparation (tablets, pills, capsules, powders, granules, etc.), or an oral liquid preparation. These preparations may be formulated according to general pharmaceutical manufacturing methods well known in the art. The pharmaceutical may be, but is not limited to, an antidiarrheal agent, an anesthetic agent, etc.

Quasi-drugs are not particularly limited, but examples include vitamin preparations, throat fresheners, germicides, medicines for chilblains or chapped skin, stomachic medicines, anti-snoring medicines, oral and pharyngeal medicines, products intended to improve stomach discomfort, calcium preparations, gargles, contact lens wearing medicines, laxatives, digestive medicines, tonics, medicines for improving a weak constitution, nutritional supplements, health medicines whose main active ingredient is a herbal medicine, intestinal regulators, Jintan (registered trademark), hair dyes, disinfectants for soft contact lenses, products for permanent waves, products for waves, medicines for improving nasal congestion, health medicines containing vitamins, bath additives, etc.

The animal to which the composition of the present invention is administered is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a human or a non-human animal. Non-human animals include, but are not particularly limited to, cows, horses, pigs, sheep, goats, llamas, alpacas, camels, rabbits, minks, foxes, chinchillas, geese, chickens, ducks, dogs, cats, hamsters, fish, monkeys, pandas, etc.

The part of an animal to which the composition of the present invention is administered or the part of an animal to which the composition of the present invention is effective is not particularly limited, but examples include the skin, eyes, blood vessels, lymphatic vessels, muscles, fat, joints, scalp, brain, nose, reproductive organs, digestive tract from the mouth to the anus, and other internal organs, with the skin being more preferred. The administration route may be oral or parenteral (e.g., injection).

10. Method for reducing the proportion of impurities in a phospholipid- and oil-containing composition In a twelfth aspect, the present invention provides a method for reducing the proportion of impurities in a phospholipid- and oil-containing composition (also referred to as the reduction method of the present invention in this specification) comprising at least a step of increasing the proportion of oils and/or fatty acids obtained by a degumming step in a vegetable oil refining process or contained in a hydrate obtained by the degumming step.
The reduction method of the present invention is preferable in that the treatment is easier and more efficient than conventional methods such as filtration, centrifugation, decantation after standing, etc. Also, the reduction method of the present invention is preferable in terms of cost and safety management compared to the use of organic solvents such as hexane, acetone, ethanol, etc.

Examples of vegetable oils include rice oil, palm oil, rapeseed oil, soybean oil, sesame oil, corn oil, cottonseed oil, coconut oil, olive oil, palm oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, almond oil, cashew oil, hazelnut oil, macadamia nut oil, mongongo oil, pecan oil, pine nut oil, walnut oil, camellia oil, tea oil, etc., but vegetable oils other than soybean oil are preferred, and rice oil is particularly preferred.

A typical method for refining vegetable oil involves separating crude oil from raw plant material by extraction with hexane or the like, and then subjecting the crude oil to degumming, dewaxing, deacidification, bleaching, and deodorization processes to obtain refined vegetable oil. In the degumming process, steam or hot water is usually added to the crude plant-extracted oil, followed by stirring, and the aqueous and oil phases are separated by centrifugation to obtain hydrates in the aqueous phase and degummed oil in the oil phase. The degummed oil usually contains fats and oils and/or fatty acids. The hydrates may or may not be dried afterwards. For example, magnesium sulfate or the like may be used as a drying agent. Known methods such as heating and stirring may be used as drying means.

As a process for increasing the proportion of fats and/or fatty acids contained in the hydrate obtained by the degumming process in the vegetable oil refining process, for example, there is a method of adjusting the centrifugation conditions in the degumming process so as to increase the proportion of fats and/or fatty acids contained in the hydrate obtained by the degumming process (for example, a method of shifting the interface setting of the centrifuge device).
The fats and oils and/or fatty acids are components constituting the degummed oil, which is usually obtained in the oil phase by the degumming step in the vegetable oil refining process. Examples of fats and oils include esters of glycerin and fatty acids, such as triacylglycerol, diacylglycerol, and monoacylglycerol.

As a process for increasing the proportion of fats and/or fatty acids contained in the hydrate obtained by the degumming process in the vegetable oil refining process, for example, there is a method in which fats and/or fatty acids are added to and mixed with the hydrate obtained by the degumming process.
The fats and/or fatty acids may be degummed oil obtained in the oil phase by a degumming step in a vegetable oil refining process, or may be fats and/or fatty acids obtained by subjecting the degummed oil to one or more steps selected from a dewaxing step, a deacidification step, a bleaching step and a deodorization step, or may be fats and/or fatty acids and/or refined fats and oils obtained in a separate vegetable oil refining process.

For other details of the step of increasing the proportion of fats and/or fatty acids contained in the hydrate and any subsequent steps, please refer to the explanation of steps 1 and 2 in the method for producing the composition above.

In the reduction method of the present invention, chemicals such as solvents, acids, alkalis, enzymes, etc. may be used as appropriate in any step, but it is preferable not to use chemicals such as solvents, acids, alkalis, enzymes, etc. in the degumming step and/or subsequent steps. By adopting the above steps, the reduction method of the present invention is superior in that it is possible to separate or remove impurities from the hydrate using only water, even if chemicals such as solvents, acids, alkalis, enzymes, etc. are not used in the degumming step and/or subsequent steps.

11. Method for producing the composition of the present invention 2
In a thirteenth aspect, the present invention provides a method for producing a phospholipid- and oil-containing composition (herein also referred to as method for producing the composition of the present invention 2), which includes at least a step of increasing the ratio of oils and/or fatty acids obtained or contained in a hydrate obtained by a degumming step in a vegetable oil refining step. For the explanation of each term in method for producing the composition of the present invention 2, reference may be made to those in the method for producing the composition of the present invention. However, rice oil in the explanation in the method for producing the composition of the present invention is to be read as vegetable oil. For the explanation of vegetable oil, reference may be made to the explanation regarding vegetable oil in the reduction method of the present invention.

12. Method for producing the composition of the present invention 3
In a fourteenth aspect, the present invention provides a method for producing a mixture of component (1) or composition 1 of the present invention and component (2) and/or component (3), the method comprising the step of mixing component (1) or a composition containing contaminants (e.g., less than 10 mass%, less than 100 ppm), phospholipids (e.g., 18 to 48 mass%), an oil or fat, and γ-oryzanol (herein also referred to as composition 1 of the present invention) with component (2) and/or component (3).

The composition of the present invention produced by any of the production methods 1 to 3 of the composition of the present invention also includes a composition in which the composition and/or components have changed over time (e.g., hydrolysis) immediately after production.

13. Antioxidant In a fifteenth aspect, the present invention provides an antioxidant containing the composition of the present invention (also referred to as the antioxidant of the present invention in this specification). The antioxidant of the present invention may or may not contain a component that can be used in foods other than the composition of the present invention. The antioxidant of the present invention may consist of the composition of the present invention. The antioxidant of the present invention can have effects such as improving memory, preventing dementia, improving symptoms of ADHD (attention deficit and/or hyperactivity disorder), preventing arteriosclerosis, improving fatty liver and/or cirrhosis, and reducing bad cholesterol in the blood.

14. Coarse crystal inhibitor In the sixteenth aspect, the present invention provides a coarse crystal inhibitor (also referred to as the coarse crystal inhibitor of the present invention in this specification) containing the composition of the present invention. The coarse crystal inhibitor of the present invention may or may not contain a component that can be used in food other than the composition of the present invention. The coarse crystal inhibitor of the present invention may be composed of the composition of the present invention. The coarse crystal inhibitor of the present invention can have the effects of slowing down the precipitation of fat and oil crystals, inhibiting the coarsening of crystals, and the like.

The present invention includes various combinations of the above configurations within the technical scope of the present invention, as long as the effects of the present invention are achieved.

Next, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to examples. However, the present invention is not limited to these examples, and many modifications can be made by those skilled in the art within the technical concept of the present invention.

[Each sample]
Soybean lecithin: SLP paste (Tsuji Oil Mills, Ltd.) was used.
Comparative Example 1: Produced according to a known production method (Van Nieuwenhuyzen, W. "Lecithin production and properties." Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society 53.6Part2 (1976): 425-427.). Specifically, (1) 1000 g of rice bran crude oil (Camil) was heated to 70° C. in a water bath, (2) 3% by mass of hot water was added to the crude oil, and (3) the mixture was stirred for 20 minutes at 70° C. and 500 rpm (70Φ propeller). Thereafter, (4) the mixture was degummed by centrifugation at 3000 rpm and a radius of 200 mm for 5 minutes using a basket-type centrifuge, (5) the supernatant was removed to obtain 29 g of hydrated gum, and (6) the mixture was dehydrated at 80° C. using an evaporator to obtain 13 g of rice lecithin.
Comparative Example 2: Using rice bran crude oil (manufactured by Irgovel), 50 g of hydrated gum was obtained in the same manner as in Comparative Example 1, and 20 g of rice lecithin was obtained by dehydrating the gum at 80° C. in an evaporator.
Comparative Example 3: Using rice bran crude oil (manufactured by Tsuno Foods Co., Ltd.), 52 g of hydrated gum was obtained in the same manner as in Comparative Example 1, and 18 g of rice lecithin was obtained by dehydrating the gum at 80° C. in an evaporator.
Example 1: During degumming in the manufacturing method (4) of the comparative example above, rice bran oil (manufactured by Tsuno Foods Co., Ltd., equivalent to oils, fats and fatty acids) was added in an amount calculated using the method described above (see the explanation from the paragraph two paragraphs before Table 1 to Table 1) so that the phospholipid content ratio to the entire composition was 21.7%, and then impurities were filtered out under conditions of 40 to 80°C to obtain rice lecithin.
Example 2: During degumming in the manufacturing method (4) of the comparative example above, rice bran oil (manufactured by Tsuno Foods Co., Ltd., equivalent to oils, fats and fatty acids) was added in an amount calculated using the method described above (see the explanation from the paragraph two paragraphs before Table 1 to Table 1) so that the phospholipid content ratio to the entire composition was 7.7%, and then the mixture was kept at 15 to 25°C for one month, after which impurities were filtered out to obtain rice lecithin.

[Measuring method]
The content ratio of phospholipids and the content ratio of impurities relative to the total lecithin contained in each sample (lecithin) were measured as follows.
[Phospholipid content]
After diluting 0.02 g of each sample 5 times with xylene, the total amount was adjusted to 10 g with 10% base oil (CONOSTAN, trade name: CONOSTAN Element Blank Oil, 75 cSt diluted with xylene), and the supernatant after centrifugation (3000 rpm, radius 200 mm, 5 minutes) was used as a measurement solution and subjected to a multi-type ICP emission spectrometer ICPE-9820 (Shimadzu Corporation). Based on a calibration curve created using phosphorus standard oil (CONOSTAN, trade name: CONOSTAN Oil Analysis Standards Phosphorous (P), 20 cSt, 5000 ppm), the phosphorus (P) content in each sample was measured and converted to the phospholipid content ratio according to the following formula.

[Contaminant content]
The Buchner glass filter was dried in a thermostatic oven at 105°C for 30 minutes, cooled in a desiccator for 30 minutes, and the dry weight was measured with a precision balance. 10 g of each sample was collected, dissolved in 100 mL of warm xylene, filtered under reduced pressure with a Buchner glass filter, and then re-extracted and washed with warm xylene. The Buchner glass filter containing the residue was dried in a thermostatic oven at 105°C for 30 minutes, cooled in a desiccator for 30 minutes, and the dry weight was measured with a precision balance. The weight of the residue was calculated, and the impurity content was calculated from the following formula.

[Content of phospholipids and impurities in each sample]
The phospholipid content and impurity content relative to the total lecithin contained in each of the soybean lecithin, the rice lecithin of Comparative Examples 1 and 2, and the rice lecithin of Examples 1 and 2 are as shown in the table below.

[Experimental Example 1] Emulsifying property evaluation (O/W system) (weight matching)
Soybean lecithin, each sample (lecithin) of Examples 1-2, and Comparative Example 1 was added in an amount of 0.1 parts by mass to 100 parts by mass of rice salad oil (manufactured by Tsuno Foods Co., Ltd.). This mixture was mixed with water of four times the mass, and vigorously stirred for 2 minutes with a homogenizer (room temperature, 11,000 rpm, diameter 25 mm/18 mm (stator/rotor) and gap 0.5 mm). Then, the mixture was allowed to stand, and separation of the oil layer and the water layer was visually confirmed. The creaming index (CI) was evaluated after standing for 3 hours (n=3). The CI was calculated using the following formula. The smaller the CI value, the higher the emulsifying effect, and a CI value of 0 indicates that no liquid phase separation has occurred.

The average CI results are shown in Table 3 below. Blank in Table 3 means that no lecithin was added. In the O/W system, Comparative Example 1 had a larger CI than soybean lecithin, and the emulsifying effect was inferior to soybean lecithin. On the other hand, Examples 1 and 2 had a CI equal to or greater than that of soybean lecithin, indicating that they have an emulsifying effect equal to or greater than that of soybean lecithin.

[Experimental Example 2] Emulsification evaluation (W/O system) (weight matching)
Soybean lecithin, each sample (lecithin) of Example 1 and Comparative Example 1 was added in an amount of 0.1 parts by mass to 100 parts by mass of rice salad oil (manufactured by Tsuno Foods Co., Ltd.). This mixture was mixed with 1/4 of the mass of water and vigorously stirred for 2 minutes with a homogenizer. After that, the mixture was left to stand, and the separation of the oil layer and the water layer was visually confirmed. The creaming index (CI) was evaluated after standing for 3 hours (n=3). The CI was calculated using the following formula. The smaller the CI value, the higher the emulsifying effect, and a CI value of 0 indicates that no liquid phase separation has occurred.

The average CI results are shown in Table 4 below. Blank in Table 4 means that no lecithin was added. In Comparative Example 1, the CI was clearly larger than that of soybean lecithin, and the emulsifying effect was inferior to that of soybean lecithin. On the other hand, Example 1 obtained a CI equivalent to that of soybean lecithin, indicating that it has the same emulsifying effect as soybean lecithin.

The above results confirm that the lecithin in the examples, which contains a low proportion of impurities, exhibits an emulsifying effect similar to that of soybean lecithin.

[Experimental Example 3] Evaluation of emulsifying properties (O/W system, W/O system) (Effect of impurities on emulsifying properties)
(O/W type)
In the same procedure as in Experimental Example 1, Example 1 was mixed with rice salad oil, and the mixture was further mixed with water to obtain Example 1 (O/W). In addition, in the same procedure as in Experimental Example 1, Comparative Example 1 was mixed with rice salad oil, and the mixture was further mixed with water to obtain Reference Example 4 (Comparative Example 1 (O/W)). In addition, Comparative Example 1 (O/W) was added to Example 1 (O/W) so that the ratio of impurities was 3.5, 5, or 10 mass% as shown in the table below, to obtain Reference Examples 1 to 3. In addition, Comparative Example 3 was added to Example 1 (O/W) so that the ratio of impurities was 20 or 27 mass% as shown in the table below, to obtain Reference Examples 5 to 6. CI was evaluated for each sample after standing for 3 hours.
(W/O system)
In the same manner as in Experimental Example 2, Example 1 was mixed with rice salad oil, and the mixture was further mixed with water to obtain Example 1 (W/O). In the same manner as in Experimental Example 2, Comparative Example 1 was mixed with rice salad oil, and the mixture was further mixed with water to obtain Reference Example 10 (Comparative Example 1 (W/O)). In addition, Comparative Example 1 (W/O) was added to Example 1 (W/O) so that the ratio of impurities was 3.5, 5, or 10 mass% as shown in the table below, to obtain Reference Examples 7 to 9. In addition, Comparative Example 3 was added to Example 1 (W/O) so that the ratio of impurities was 20 or 27 mass% as shown in the table below, to obtain Reference Examples 11 and 12. CI was evaluated for each sample after standing for 3 hours.

The results are shown in Figure 1. When the impurities were added in an O/W system at a ratio of 15% by mass or less (Reference Examples 1 to 4), there was almost no difference in CI from when the impurities were 0% by mass, and the emulsifying power was maintained without being affected by the increase in impurities. In the W/O system, when the amount of impurities added was less than 10% by mass (Reference Examples 7 to 9), the CI decreased with the decrease in the addition ratio.
Therefore, it was shown that the content of impurities affects emulsifiability, and in order to exhibit sufficient emulsifiability in both O/W and W/O systems, it is preferable that the content of impurities in the composition (lecithin) is less than 10 mass%, and that the content of impurities in the oil phase in a mixture of the composition (lecithin), oil and water is less than 100 ppm.

[Experimental Example 4] Evaluation of emulsifying properties (O/W system) (combined phospholipid content)
Each sample in the following table was added to rice salad oil (manufactured by Tsuno Food Industry Co., Ltd.) to make the mass of phospholipids in each sample (lecithin) of Example 1 and Comparative Example 2 equal to that of 0.15 g of soybean lecithin sample, and the amount was adjusted to 30 g. This mixture was mixed with water of four times the mass and vigorously stirred for two minutes with a homogenizer. Then, the mixture was left to stand, and the separation of the oil layer and the water layer was visually confirmed. The creaming index (CI) was evaluated after standing for three hours (n=3). The CI was calculated using the same formula as in Experimental Example 1.

The results of the average CI are shown in the table below. Blank in the table means that no lecithin was added. In the O/W system, Comparative Example 2 had a larger CI than soybean lecithin, and the emulsifying effect was inferior to soybean lecithin. On the other hand, Example 1 had a CI equivalent to that of soybean lecithin, indicating that it has the same emulsifying effect as soybean lecithin.

[Experimental Example 5] Evaluation of emulsifying properties (W/O system) (combined phospholipid content)
Each sample in the amounts shown in the table below was added to rice salad oil (manufactured by Tsuno Food Industry Co., Ltd.) to make 120 g so that the phospholipid content of each sample (lecithin) in Examples 1 to 2 and Comparative Example 2 was equivalent to that of 0.15 g of soybean lecithin sample. This mixture was mixed with 1/4 mass of water and vigorously stirred for 2 minutes with a homogenizer. Then, the mixture was allowed to stand, and the separation of the oil layer and the water layer was visually confirmed. The creaming index (CI) was evaluated after standing for 3 hours (n=3). The CI was calculated using the same formula as in Experimental Example 2 above.

The average CI results are shown in Table 9 below. Blank in the table means that no lecithin was added. In Comparative Example 2, the CI was clearly larger than that of soybean lecithin, and the emulsifying effect was inferior to that of soybean lecithin. On the other hand, in Examples 1 and 2, a CI equivalent to that of soybean lecithin was obtained, indicating that the emulsifying effect is equivalent to that of soybean lecithin.

These results confirm that the proportion of impurities affects emulsifying properties, even when the phospholipid content is matched to that of soy lecithin.

[Production Example 1] Margarine (W/O type)

Manufacturing method of each margarine The oil layer materials shown in the table below (solid oils and fats, liquid oils and fats, each lecithin (Comparative Example 2, soybean lecithin, Examples 1 and 2), and monoglyceride) were weighed out and heated to 70°C to prepare the margarine. The water layer materials shown in the table below (water and salt) were weighed out and heated to 70°C to prepare the margarine. The oil layer was stirred with a homogenizer (70°C, 11,000 rpm, diameter 25 mm/18 mm (stator/rotor) and gap 0.5 mm), and the water layer was added and emulsified for 2 minutes. The emulsion was cooled and stirred at -20°C in a stainless steel bowl, placed in a storage container, and cooled in a refrigerator (about 5°C) to obtain margarine. Each sample was added as shown in the table below so that the phospholipid content ratio contained in each lecithin was equivalent to that of 0.30 g of the soybean lecithin sample.

Evaluation of emulsifiability of each margarine For the emulsion of each margarine in Production Example 1 before cooling, the state of liquid phase separation was measured 5 minutes after stirring with a homogenizer (70°C, 11,000 rpm, diameter 25 mm/18 mm (stator/rotor) and gap 0.5 mm), and CI was evaluated.

Results The results of CI are shown in the table below. In the case of the margarine using Comparative Example 2, liquid phase separation began in the emulsion immediately after mixing of the oil layer and the water layer, and the emulsifying property was far worse than that of the margarines using soybean lecithin, Example 1, and Example 2. From the above results, it became clear that the homogeneity of the margarine was lost even after the cooling process after emulsification, and that the use of rice lecithin with poor emulsifying property is not suitable for the product.

[Production Example 2] Whipped cream (O/W type)

Manufacturing method of each whipped cream In a beaker, the materials for the water layer shown in the table below (skim milk, sucrose fatty acid ester, and water) were weighed and heated to 70°C to prepare. In addition, the materials for the oil layer shown in the table below (RBO palm oil, each lecithin (Comparative Example 2, soybean lecithin, Examples 1 and 2), and monoglyceride) were weighed and heated to 70°C to prepare. The oil layer was added to the water layer while stirring it with a homogenizer (70°C, 11,500 rpm, diameter 25 mm/18 mm (stator/rotor) and gap 0.5 mm), and emulsified for 6 and a half minutes. This emulsion was cooled and stirred at 5°C in a stainless steel bowl, placed in a storage container and cooled in a refrigerator (about 5°C) for half a day to obtain a cream before whipping. Thereafter, the cream before whipping held at about 5°C and granulated sugar were placed in a bowl, and the whipped cream was obtained by stirring for 3 minutes with a tabletop whipper while holding at about 5°C. Each sample was added as shown in the table below so that the phospholipid content of each lecithin was equivalent to that of 0.60 g of the soybean lecithin sample.

Emulsifying property evaluation of each whipped cream (1) (overrun)
The cream before whipping in Production Example 2 and each whipped cream immediately after production (within 1 hour after production) were filled into a 50 mL plastic cup at room temperature (1 to 30°C) so that the pre-whipped cream and the whipped cream using each lecithin had the same volume, and the weight of each cream was measured to calculate the overrun. The overrun was calculated using the following formula. The larger the overrun value, the more air was incorporated into the cream, and it can be evaluated that the emulsified state is maintained.

Results The overrun values of the whipped cream using Comparative Example 2, the whipped cream using soy lecithin, the whipped cream using Example 1, and the whipped cream using Example 2 were 94%, 180%, 166%, and 190%, respectively. That is, the overrun values of the whipped cream using soy lecithin, the whipped cream using Example 1, and the whipped cream using Example 2 were much larger than those of the whipped cream using Comparative Example 2. In addition, the overrun of the whipped cream using Example 2 was larger than that of the whipped cream using soy lecithin, and the overrun of the whipped cream using Example 1 was equivalent (about -7.8%) to that of the whipped cream using soy lecithin. Furthermore, the whipped creams using Examples 1 and 2 had improved foaming and mouthfeel compared to the whipped cream using soy. From the above, it was found that the whipped creams using Examples 1 and 2 had the same emulsification state as the whipped cream using soy lecithin.

The composition of the present invention is useful as an oil composition containing phospholipids with few impurities, particularly in the food industry.

Claims (26)

A composition that has an emulsifying effect equivalent to that of soy lecithin and contains phospholipids, oils and fats, and gamma-oryzanol. The composition of claim 1, containing less than 10% by weight of impurities. The composition according to claim 1, comprising 18 to 48% by mass of phospholipids. A method for producing the composition according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising a step of increasing the proportion of fats and/or fatty acids obtained or contained in the hydrate obtained by the degumming step in the rice oil refining process. An emulsifier comprising the composition according to any one of claims 1 to 3. Component (1) the composition according to any one of claims 1 to 3;
The method includes a step of mixing the component (2) with a hydrophilic component and/or water,
A method of emulsifying component (2) with a lipophilic component. Component (1) the composition according to any one of claims 1 to 3;
Component (2) a hydrophilic component and/or water;
The method includes a step of mixing the component (3) with a lipophilic component,
A method for emulsifying component (2) and component (3). Component (1) the composition according to any one of claims 1 to 3;
Component (2) a hydrophilic component and/or water;
A composition comprising a mixture of component (3) a lipophilic component. The composition according to claim 8, which is emulsified. The composition according to claim 9, wherein the emulsion type is a water-in-oil type or an oil-in-water type. The composition according to claim 8, comprising less than 100 ppm of impurities in the oil phase. The composition according to claim 8, in which the degree of emulsification is equal to or greater than that when soybean lecithin is used instead of component (1). A non-aqueous compatibilizer comprising the composition according to any one of claims 1 to 3. Component (1) the composition according to any one of claims 1 to 3;
A composition comprising component (2) a hydrophilic component and/or water, or a mixture with component (3) a lipophilic component. The composition according to claim 14, comprising less than 100 ppm of contaminants in the oil phase. A food or drink, a food or drink ingredient, a feed, a cosmetic, a daily necessities, a medicine or a quasi-drug, comprising the composition according to claim 8. A food or drink, a food or drink ingredient, a feed, a cosmetic, a daily necessities, a medicine or a quasi-drug, comprising the composition according to claim 14. The composition according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which has the property of having no interface after mixing a composition adjusted to have a phospholipid amount of 0.065 g with 119.85 g of oil to obtain mixture 1, further mixing with 30 g of water, and stirring the resulting mixture 2 for 2 minutes with a homogenizer under conditions of room temperature, 11,000 rpm, diameter 25 mm/18 mm (stator/rotor) and gap 0.5 mm, and leaving it to stand for 5 hours. The composition according to claim 2, wherein the contaminants are components other than phospholipids, fats and oils, fatty acids, oil-soluble vitamins, ferulic acid, phytosterols, sterol fatty acid esters, and γ-oryzanol. A composition containing less than 10% by mass of impurities, and including phospholipids, fats and oils, and γ-oryzanol. The composition according to claim 20, comprising 18 to 48% by mass of phospholipids. A method for reducing the proportion of contaminants in a phospholipid- and oil-containing composition, comprising at least a step of increasing the proportion of oils and/or fatty acids obtained or contained in a hydrate obtained by a degumming step in a vegetable oil refining process. A method for producing a phospholipid- and oil-containing composition, comprising at least a step of increasing the proportion of oils and/or fatty acids obtained or contained in a hydrate obtained by a degumming step in a vegetable oil refining process. An antioxidant comprising the composition according to any one of claims 1 to 3. A method for producing a mixture of the composition according to any one of claims 1 to 3 and 19 to 21 with component (2) and/or component (3), comprising a step of mixing the composition according to any one of claims 1 to 3 and 19 to 21 with component (2) and/or component (3). The food or drink according to claim 16 or 17, which is selected from margarine, whipped cream, and mayonnaise.