JP4149890B2 - Oil and fat composition for improving water wettability of cocoa powder - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an oil / fat composition effective for improving water wettability of cocoa powder, a cocoa powder having improved water wettability obtained by treating cocoa powder with the oil / fat composition, and adjusted cocoa having improved water wettability.

  Conventionally, cocoa powder is made as follows. First, cacao beans are crushed raw and then roasted, or roasted and then crushed, and the outer skin and germ are removed to obtain cacao nibs as the endosperm portion. The cocoa nibs are then ground to obtain cocoa mass. The cocoa mass is squeezed to remove a portion of the cocoa butter, which is a fat component, to obtain a cocoa cake, and the kibble obtained by roughly crushing the cocoa cake is crushed to produce a cocoa powder. At this time, the cocoa powder or cacao mass is treated with an alkaline solution for the purpose of improving the dispersibility of the obtained cocoa powder in hot water and obtaining a preferable color tone.

  However, since the cocoa powder is usually a fine powder containing about 10 to 24% fat (cocoa butter), when trying to dissolve the cocoa powder in water, the water does not wet well and does not easily disperse and dissolve. Accumulate and become trash. Therefore, in order to disperse and dissolve the cocoa powder in water or hot water, it is necessary to work in advance with a small amount of water or hot water. In addition, even when powdered milk, saccharides, etc. are added to make adjusted cocoa, there is a drawback that it is likely to become lumpy when drinking.

In order to improve the solubility of cocoa powder in water or hot water, cocoa powder or adjusted cocoa is granulated by a known granulation method, but also in cocoa granules produced by this conventional method The dispersibility was poor, and even when hot water was added and stirred well, particles could remain without being completely dissolved and dispersed. This is considered to be because the granules became hard at the time of granulation, making it difficult for water to enter the granules. Moreover, since heat was applied at the time of granulation, there was a defect such as flavor volatilization. Therefore, various techniques have been proposed so far in order to improve the water wettability of the cocoa powder (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 5). For example, a method in which an aqueous solution containing an emulsifier is mixed with a mixture of cocoa powder and powdered sugar and then dried to obtain a readily water-soluble cocoa powder (Patent Document 1). To obtain easily water-soluble cocoa powder (Patent Document 2), cocoa powder is granulated and sprayed with lipophilic polyglycerin fatty acid ester and hydrophilic polyglycerin fatty acid ester dissolved and dispersed in fats and oils. (Patent Document 3), a cocoa water wettability improver composition and an oil and fat composition (Patent Document 4) containing diglycerin monofatty acid ester as an active ingredient, or an emulsifier added to a crushed kibble of cocoa cake A method for producing easily water-soluble cocoa powder by mixing, dispersing, and pulverizing (Patent Document 5) has been proposed.
However, a cocoa powder or a conditioned cocoa that has reached a sufficiently satisfactory level of water wettability has not yet been developed.
Japanese Patent Publication No. 36-010690 (Claim 1) JP 58-146238 A (Claim 1) Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 07-078992 (Claim 1) JP 09-275905 A (Claim 1) JP 2000-125767 A (Claim 1)

  The present invention provides an oil / fat composition for improving water wettability of cocoa powder, a cocoa powder having improved water wettability obtained by treating cocoa powder with the oil / fat composition, and an adjusted cocoa having improved water wettability. Objective.

  As a result of diligent investigations on the above-mentioned problems, the inventors of the present invention include (a) oil and fat, (b) polyglycerin fatty acid ester, and (c) polyoxyethylene sorbitan fatty acid ester. The present inventors have succeeded in developing an oil / fat composition for improving water wettability, and found that this oil / fat composition for improving water wettability of cocoa powder solves the above-mentioned problems all at once.

That is, the present invention
(1) (a) fats and oils, (b) polyglycerin fatty acid ester and (c) polyoxyethylene sorbitan fatty acid ester, an oil and fat composition for improving wettability of cocoa powder,
(2) (b) The oil and fat composition for improving wettability of cocoa powder according to (1), wherein the polyglycerol fatty acid ester is a diglycerol fatty acid ester,
(3) An improved cocoa powder comprising the cocoa powder and the oil / fat composition for improving water wettability according to (1) or (2),
(4) An improved adjusted cocoa characterized by comprising the improved cocoa powder according to (3),
It is made up of.

  According to the method of the present invention, it is possible to obtain a cocoa powder further improved in wettability and solubility as compared with the conventional method and a prepared cocoa using the same.

  The present invention relates to an oil / fat composition for improving the wettability of cocoa powder, comprising (a) an oil and fat, (b) a polyglycerin fatty acid ester and (c) a polyoxyethylene sorbitan fatty acid ester.

  The fats and oils used in the present invention are not particularly limited as long as they are edible fats and oils. For example, (I): vegetable oils such as soybean oil, rapeseed oil, cottonseed oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, rice bran oil, corn oil, coconut oil, palm oil, palm kernel oil, peanut oil, wheat germ oil, (b): Animal fats such as beef tallow, lard, fish oil or milk fat, (c): (i) or (b) fractionated oil, (d): (i), (b) or (c) hydrogenated, (e ): (I), (b), (c) or (d) one or two or more transesterified, or (f): medium chain fatty acid triglyceride (MCT), preferably soybean oil Rapeseed oil, MCT and the like.

  The above-mentioned medium chain fatty acid triglyceride (MCT) is a triglyceride having a medium chain fatty acid as a component, for example, one or two kinds of lauric acid which is a fatty acid having 12 carbon atoms from caproic acid which is a fatty acid having 6 carbon atoms. The triglyceride which makes the above the constituent fatty acid etc. are mentioned, Preferably it is a triglyceride which makes the lauric acid which is C12 fatty acid the constituent fatty acid from the caprylic acid which is a C8 fatty acid. Furthermore, in addition to fatty acids having 6 to 12 carbon atoms, triglycerides containing a slight or small amount of fatty acids having less than 6 carbon atoms or 13 or more carbon atoms as their constituent fatty acids are also included in medium chain fatty acid triglycerides (MCT). included.

  The polyglycerol fatty acid ester used in the present invention is an esterification product of polyglycerol and a fatty acid, and is produced by a method known per se such as an esterification reaction.

  The polyglycerin is a mixture of polyglycerin having different degrees of polymerization, which is usually obtained by heating glycerin, glycidol, epichlorohydrin or the like to cause polycondensation reaction. The polyglycerin used in the present invention has an average degree of polymerization of about 2 to 10, for example, diglycerin (average degree of polymerization 2), triglycerin (average degree of polymerization 3), tetraglycerin (average polymerization). Degree 4), hexaglycerin (average degree of polymerization 6), octaglycerin (average degree of polymerization 8) or decaglycerin (average degree of polymerization 10), preferably diglycerin, triglycerin or tetraglycerin, more preferably diglyceride. Examples include glycerin.

  As the diglycerin, the diglycerin composition having an average degree of polymerization of glycerin of about 1.5 to 2.4, or the content of diglycerin composed of two molecules of glycerin is about 50% by mass or more, preferably about 70% by mass. As mentioned above, More preferably, the diglycerin composition which is about 90 mass% or more is mentioned. As a purification method for increasing the concentration of diglycerin, a known method such as distillation or column chromatography is used.

  The fatty acid is not particularly limited as long as it is derived from edible animal and vegetable oils and fats. For example, a straight chain saturated or unsaturated fatty acid having 6 to 24 carbon atoms, preferably a straight chain having 8 to 18 carbon atoms. Saturated or unsaturated fatty acids, more preferably linear unsaturated fatty acids having 18 carbon atoms are mentioned. For example, specific examples include one or more fatty acids selected from the group of oleic acid, linoleic acid and linolenic acid, preferably containing about 50% by weight or more, more preferably about 70% by weight or more of oleic acid. Or fatty acid mixtures.

  A preferred example of the polyglycerol fatty acid ester used in the present invention is a diglycerol fatty acid ester containing a high concentration of diglycerol mono fatty acid ester. That is, by reacting the high-purity diglycerin and fatty acid, for example, in an equimolar amount, unreacted diglycerin, diglycerin monofatty acid ester, diglycerin difatty acid ester, diglycerin trifatty acid ester or diglycerin tetrafatty acid. A mixture containing an ester or the like is obtained. Next, unreacted diglycerin and the like are removed from the mixture by a method known per se, and the mixture is further subjected to high vacuum distillation, for example, molecular distillation to obtain, for example, about 70 mass of diglycerin monofatty acid ester as a fraction. A diglycerin fatty acid ester containing at least% is obtained.

  The polyoxyethylene sorbitan fatty acid ester used in the present invention is produced by addition polymerization of ethylene oxide to a sorbitan fatty acid ester, and is also called alias (polysorbate). They are sold in the market, for example, under the product name Tween (registered trademark) from the company Atlas Powder, and Tween 20 (registered trademark), Tween 40 (registered trademark) depending on the type of constituent fatty acids. , Tween 60 (registered trademark), or Tween 80 (registered trademark).

  The characteristics of polyoxyethylene sorbitan fatty acid ester vary depending on the type of fatty acid constituting the sorbitan fatty acid ester, the degree of esterification, the average number of moles of addition polymerization of ethylene oxide, and the like, and there are many products other than the above. As the polyoxyethylene sorbitan fatty acid ester used in the present invention, Tween 40 (registered trademark), Tween 60 (registered trademark), or an equivalent thereof is preferably used from the viewpoint of its flavor and solubility in water.

  Although it does not specifically limit as an apparatus for manufacturing the oil-fat composition which concerns on this invention, For example, the normal stirring and mixing tank provided with the stirrer, the jacket for a heating, a baffle plate, etc. can be used. The shape of the stirring blades equipped in the stirrer may be any of a propeller type, a paddle cross type, a fan turbine type, a disk turbine type or an anchor type, but preferably a propeller type.

  Although the manufacturing method of the oil-fat composition which concerns on this invention is not specifically limited, For example, fats and oils, polyglycerin fatty acid ester, and polyoxyethylene sorbitan fatty acid ester are stirred at about 20-100 degreeC, Preferably about 50-70 degreeC, It can be produced by mixing and dissolving.

  In the oil and fat composition according to the present invention, (a) oil and fat is about 20 to 99% by mass, preferably about 40 to 95% by mass, and (b) polyglycerol fatty acid ester is about 0.1 to 80% by mass, preferably About 5 to 50% by weight, and (c) polyoxyethylene sorbitan fatty acid ester is mixed and dissolved in an amount of about 0.1 to 10% by weight, preferably about 0.5 to 5% by weight. preferable. The content of each component is selected so that the entire composition is 100% by mass. Moreover, it is preferable that the obtained oil-and-fat composition according to the present invention is transparent and liquid at room temperature (about 15 to 25 ° C.).

  In the oil and fat composition according to the present invention, a food emulsifier such as glycerin fatty acid ester, sucrose fatty acid ester, sorbitan fatty acid ester, propylene glycol fatty acid ester or lecithin is added to the extent that the object of the present invention is not impaired. Can do. Here, glycerin fatty acid ester includes, in addition to glycerin and fatty acid ester, glycerin acetic acid ester, glycerin acetic acid fatty acid ester, glycerin lactic acid fatty acid ester, glycerin citrate fatty acid ester, glycerin succinic acid fatty acid ester, glycerin diacetyl tartaric acid fatty acid ester, or Examples include polyglycerin condensed ricinoleic acid ester. In addition, lecithin includes fractionated lecithin, enzyme-decomposed lecithin, enzyme-treated lecithin, and the like.

  The method for treating the cocoa powder using the fat composition according to the present invention is not particularly limited. For example, the cocoa powder is put in a fluid state and sprayed with the fat composition, or the cocoa powder is coated with the fat composition. It may be carried out by a method known per se such as a method of adding, mixing and dispersing. In that case, it is preferable that about 0.1-20 mass parts of this oil-fat composition is used with respect to about 100 mass parts of cocoa powders.

  In the present invention, adjusted cocoa with improved water wettability is added to cocoa powder treated with an oil composition as described above, for example, by adding sugar, dairy products, or other edible substances such as salt or flavor, After stirring and mixing using a mixer, the mixture can be produced by pulverization using a pulverizer.

  Here, the saccharides include sugar, powdered sugar, lactose, glucose, fructose, maltose, powdered starch syrup, oligosaccharide, trehalose, etc., sorbitol, mannitol, palatinit, maltitol, raffinose, erythritol, lactitol, xylitol, etc. Other sugar alcohols can also be used.

  Examples of dairy products include whole milk powder, skim milk powder, powdered fresh cream, condensed milk powder, creaming powder using dairy products, and the like.

  According to the present invention, water wettability-improved cocoa powder or prepared cocoa that is easily dispersed and dissolved in water or hot water can be obtained. Furthermore, in order to further improve the solubility, the cocoa powder or the adjusted cocoa can be granulated by using, for example, a fluidized bed granulator / dryer or a stirring type mixer / granulator.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described more specifically based on examples, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[Examples 1 to 3, Comparative Examples 1 to 4] Preparation of oil and fat compositions (1) Raw materials for oil and fat composition preparation (a) MCT (Product name: Actor M-107FR, manufactured by Riken Vitamin Co., Ltd.)
(B) Diglycerin monooleate (Product name: Poem DO-100V, manufactured by Riken Vitamin Co., Ltd.)
(C) Tetraglycerin monooleate (Product name: SY Glister MO-310, manufactured by Sakamoto Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.)
(D) Polyoxyethylene sorbitan monostearate (Product name: Lamessorb SMS20, manufactured by Grenault)
(E) Polyoxyethylene sorbitan tristearate (product name: NIKKOL TS-30, manufactured by Nikko Chemicals)

表中数値の単位は質量％である。 (2) The above raw materials were blended at various blending ratios to prepare various oil and fat compositions (Examples 1 to 3 and Comparative Examples 1 to 4). Table 1 shows the composition of the oil / fat composition prepared in Examples 1 to 3, and Table 2 shows the composition of the oil / fat composition prepared in Comparative Examples 1 to 4.

The unit of numerical values in the table is mass%.

表中数値の単位は質量％である。

The unit of numerical values in the table is mass%.

(3) Preparation method of oil-fat compositions of Examples 1 to 3 and Comparative Examples 2 to 4 Based on the mixing ratio of the raw materials shown in Tables 1 and 2, predetermined raw materials were put in a 300 ml beaker and heated to 60 ° C. The mixture was heated and mixed using a stirrer (product name: three-one motor, model: FBL-600, manufactured by HEIDON) while stirring at 200 rpm. The processing amount of each example and each comparative example was set to 200 g.

(4) The oil and fat compositions according to Examples 1 to 3 and Comparative Examples 2 to 4 prepared as described above were left overnight at room temperature, and then the properties of each oil and fat composition were observed. The results are shown in Table 3.

[Examples 4 to 6, Comparative Examples 5 to 6] Preparation of Cocoa Powder Sample (1) Each of the fat and oil compositions obtained in Examples 1 to 3 or Comparative Examples 1 and 2 was added to 99 parts by mass of cocoa powder. A cocoa powder sample was obtained by adding parts by mass and stirring and mixing at low speed for 10 minutes using a beater with a Hobart mixer (model number: N-50; Hobart). The contents of Examples 4 to 6 or Comparative Examples 5 to 6 are shown in Table 4.

(2) Wetness, solubility, and solution flavor of the cocoa powder samples obtained in Examples 4 to 6 or Comparative Examples 5 to 6 were evaluated. The evaluation results are shown in Table 5.

(3) The evaluation method of the wetness of a cocoa powder sample, solubility, and the flavor of a solution is as follows.
[Evaluation methods]
1) Wetting: Put 100 g of hot water of about 90-100 ° C. into a 200 ml beaker, place 20 g of sample gently on the liquid surface, measure the time (seconds) from dropping the sample to the liquid surface until it completely sinks, This was used as an indicator of the degree of wetness.
2) Solubility: After completion of the above test, the undissolved amount when stirring 20 times with a spoon was observed and evaluated qualitatively. The evaluation criteria are shown below.
++ indicates that there is much unsolved.
+ Indicates that there is a little unsolved residue.
± means that there is a little unsolved.
-Indicates that there is no unsolved residue.
3) Flavor of the solution: 6 parts by mass of granulated sugar was added to 4 parts by mass of the sample, dissolved in 100 parts by mass of milk heated to about 60 ° C. to prepare a test solution, and a sensory test was performed on a panel of 20 people. The evaluation was a five-level evaluation, and the result was an average value of 20 people, which was used as an index of the flavor of the solution.
5 represents very delicious.
4 represents delicious.
3 represents normal.
2 represents not so delicious.
1 indicates that it is not delicious at all.

[Examples 7 to 9, Comparative Examples 7 to 8] Preparation of Adjusted Cocoa Powder Sample (1) 20 mass parts of each cocoa powder sample obtained in Examples 4 to 6 or Comparative Examples 5 to 6 and 40 mass of sugar Part, 19.7 parts by weight of lactose, 10 parts by weight of whole milk powder, 10 parts by weight of skim milk powder, 0.1 part by weight of salt and 0.2 part by weight of fragrance and added with Hobart mixer (model number: N-50; Hobart) Using a beater, the mixture was stirred and mixed at low speed for 10 minutes. Next, this was pulverized with a pulverizer to obtain adjusted cocoa powder samples (Examples 7 to 9, Comparative Examples 7 to 8). Table 6 shows the contents of the prepared cocoa powder samples obtained in Examples 7 to 9 or Comparative Examples 7 to 8.

(2) Wetness, solubility, and flavor of the solutions of the prepared cocoa powder samples obtained in Examples 7-9 and Comparative Examples 7-8 were evaluated based on the following evaluation methods. The evaluation results are shown in Table 7.

(3) The method for evaluating the wetness, solubility and flavor of the prepared cocoa powder sample is as follows.
[Evaluation methods]
1) Wetting: 100 g of hot water of about 90-100 ° C. was put in a 200 ml beaker, 20 g of the sample was gently placed on the liquid surface, and the time (seconds) from dropping the sample to the liquid surface until completely sinking was measured.
2) Solubility: After completion of the above test, the undissolved amount when stirring 20 times with a spoon was observed and evaluated qualitatively. The evaluation criteria are shown below.
++ indicates that there is much unsolved.
+ Indicates that there is a little unsolved residue.
± means that there is a little unsolved.
-Indicates that there is no unsolved residue.
3) Flavor of the solution: 20 parts by mass of the sample was dissolved in 100 parts by mass of hot water at about 90 to 100 ° C. to give a test solution, and a sensory test was performed on a panel of 20 people. The evaluation was a five-level evaluation, and the result was an average value of 20 people.
5 means very delicious.
4 means delicious.
3 means normal.
2 indicates that it is not delicious.
1 indicates that it is not delicious at all.

Claims (4)

(a) fat, (b) viewed contains a polyglycerol fatty acid ester and (c) polyoxyethylene sorbitan fatty acid esters, water wettability improvers for oil compositions of cocoa powder characterized by exhibiting the liquid state at normal temperature.   (b) Polyglycerin fatty acid ester is diglycerin fatty acid ester, The oil-and-fat composition for water wettability improvement of the cocoa powder of Claim 1 characterized by the above-mentioned.   An improved cocoa powder comprising the cocoa powder and the oil / fat composition for improving water wettability according to claim 1.   An improved cocoa powder comprising the improved cocoa powder according to claim 3.