JP4352251B2 - Flavor, taste improver and method for producing the same - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a flavor and taste improver for foods and beverages and a method for producing the same.

  Milk contains protein, lipids, sugars, ash, and water, and is processed into skim milk and cream through a centrifugal separation process, and into whey and other components through a cheese manufacturing process. Yes. Milk, skim milk and whey can be separated into concentrate (concentrated skim milk, WPC, WPI, etc.) and permeate using a membrane separation technique such as ultrafiltration membrane (hereinafter also referred to as UF membrane). it can.

  Examples of reports using these milk-derived isolates as taste improvers include the following.

  For example, the technology of obtaining dairy flavor by elution of adsorbed components from the adsorbent using ethyl alcohol solution after contacting whey discharged as a large amount of by-products in the process of manufacturing cheese with the adsorbent It is described in Document 1.

  In addition, when an enzymatic degradation product of protein such as whey is used as a flavor imparting agent, there is a problem of bitterness derived from a bitter taste peptide caused by enzymatic degradation. Patent Document 2 discloses a protease treatment to solve this problem. Later, a technique for aging with koji enzymes is described.

Patent Document 3 describes a flavor improver for foods and drinks containing as an active ingredient a protease-treated product of whey protein and a lipase-treated product of milk fat.
JP 2003-169626 A Japanese Patent No. 2,674,695 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 9-37735 (Japanese Patent No. 3274792)

  However, the taste improving agent described in the above-mentioned prior art is not necessarily sufficient in the effect of improving the taste, and in particular, the effect of improving or enhancing the taste, umami, and the like, which are components of taste that are common to foods. Was not enough.

  Accordingly, the present invention provides a flavor, a taste improver and a method for producing the same, and a flavor and taste improver that are produced using milk, skim milk, whey, etc. It aims at providing the foodstuff containing this.

  As a result of earnest research in view of the above problems, the present inventor treated milk, skim milk or whey with a separation membrane, and obtained an enzyme degradation product obtained by treating the resulting permeate with a proteolytic enzyme. It has been found that it has a strong body taste and umami enhancing action for various foods and drinks. As a result of further research based on this knowledge, the present invention has been completed.

  That is, the present invention provides a flavor, taste improver (hereinafter referred to as “flavor, taste improver”), a production method thereof, and a food containing the improver, which contain the following body richness / taste enhancer as a subordinate concept. To do.

  Item 1. A method for producing a flavor and taste improver, characterized by treating milk, skim milk or whey membrane separation permeate with a proteolytic enzyme.

  Item 2. A flavor and taste improver produced by the production method according to Item 1.

  Item 3. A food comprising the flavor and taste improver according to Item 2.

  Item 4. Use of the flavor and taste improver of Item 2 for improving the flavor and taste of food.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail.

  The membrane separation permeate of the present invention means a permeate after milk, skim milk and whey are treated with a separation membrane. The milk, skim milk and whey used in the present invention are not particularly limited, and for example, the following can be used.

  Examples of milk include goat milk, sheep milk, buffalo milk, donkey milk and the like in addition to cow milk, with milk being particularly preferred.

  Examples of skim milk include those obtained by reducing the lipid by centrifuging the milk, and particularly those having a lipid content of about 0.1 to 0.5% by weight (hereinafter also referred to as “%”). .

  In addition, as whey, in the process of producing various cheeses using rennet from the milk and skim milk, an aqueous component called rennet cheese whey that remains as waste after separating the curd, cheese using acid In the process of manufacturing, there is acid whey that remains as waste. Furthermore, there are rennet casein whey produced using rennet during the production of casein and acid whey produced using acid. In addition, the whey used by this invention means the thing which is not processed with the below-mentioned separation membrane.

  Examples of the separation membrane used in the present invention include an ultrafiltration membrane and a microfiltration membrane. The ultrafiltration membrane in the case of subjecting milk, skim milk or acid whey to membrane separation is sufficient if the molecular weight cut off is about 1,000 to 800,000 Da, preferably about 500,000 Da or less, more preferably Is preferably about 50,000 Da or less. In addition, the ultrafiltration membrane in the case where rennet cheese whey or rennet casein whey is subjected to membrane separation has a fractional molecular weight of about 30,000 Da or less, more preferably about 10,000 Da or less, and further about 5,000 Da. The following are preferred.

  The pore size of the microfiltration membrane when milk, skim milk or acid whey is the subject of membrane separation is about 0.1 to 0.7 μm, preferably about 0.1 to 0.5 μm, more preferably 0.1 to 0. About 3 μm.

  The material of the separation membrane may be a polymer material or an inorganic material, but a ceramic material using alumina, zirconia, titania or the like, or a polymer material such as cellulose acetate, polysulfone, polyacrylonitrile, polyolefin, polysulfone or the like is suitable. In particular, polyolefins and polysulfone having high hydrophilicity or high heat resistance are preferably used. The separation membrane may be a flat membrane, a tubular membrane, a hollow fiber membrane or the like, and the module type may be a spiral type, a tubular type, a plate & frame type, a hollow fiber type, or the like. In particular, a spiral type and a hollow fiber type having a large membrane area per volume and excellent permeation ability are preferably used. In any case, in order to ensure a stable filtration flux, it is preferable to employ cross-flow filtration in which the treatment liquid flows along the membrane surface.

  Particularly preferably, for both ultrafiltration (UF) membrane and microfiltration, polysulfone is used as a membrane material, and a hollow fiber type module is used as a membrane shape. Specifically, an ultrafiltration membrane HF66-60-PM50 type, a microfiltration membrane, HF66-43-PMF0.1 manufactured by Nippon Abuko Co., Ltd. and the like are exemplified.

  As described above, the membrane separation permeate of the present invention means a permeate after milk, skim milk and whey are treated with a separation membrane, and does not include components concentrated by the separation membrane. For example, whey protein concentrate (WPC) produced by concentrating rennet cheese whey with an ultrafiltration membrane, and whey protein separation produced by purifying rennet cheese whey with a resin and then concentrating it with an ultrafiltration membrane Each solution such as a product (WPI) is not included. The membrane separation permeate of the present invention does not naturally include rennet cheese whey that has not been membrane-treated.

As for the solid content concentration in the obtained separation membrane permeate, the protein is usually separated to about 0.01 to 0.8% by weight and lactose to about 4.0 to 4.7% by weight. To be served.

Next, the membrane separation permeate is treated with a proteolytic enzyme. The proteolytic enzyme used in the present invention is also called a protease or peptidase, and is a general term for enzymes that catalyze the hydrolysis reaction of peptide bonds. This enzyme includes endopeptidases such as serine protease, cystine protease, aspartic protease, metalloprotease and aminopeptidases, dipeptidases, dipeptylaminopeptidases, dipeptylcarboxypeptidases, serine carboxypeptidases, metal carboxypeptidases, etc. Peptidase. Most of these enzymes are commercially available and are readily available.

  For example, orientase ONS, orientase 20A, orientase 90N, orientase 10NL, nuclease (above, manufactured by Hankyu Bioindustry), trypsin, flavorzyme 1,000L, alcalase 2.4L, neutrase 0.5L (or more, Novo Nordisk Bioindustry), Cochlase P (Sankyo), Papain W-40, Bromelain F, Proleather, Pancreatin F, Protease M “Amano”, Protease A “Amano”, Protease N “Amano”, Protease P “Amano”, Umamizyme G, Nuclease “Amano” (manufactured by Amano Enzyme, Inc.), Biolase SP-15FG, Papain, Denateam AP, Denapsin 10P (manufactured by Nagase ChemteX), Protin AY 10, Protin NY-10, thermoase Y-10 (manufactured by Daiwa Kasei Co., Ltd.). Among the proteolytic enzymes, peptidase, especially exopeptidase is preferable.

  Proteolytic enzymes can be used alone or in combination of two or more. Particularly preferably, three or more kinds of enzymes each including at least one of an enzyme derived from an animal such as pancreatin F and trypsin, an enzyme derived from a plant such as bromelain F and papain, and an enzyme derived from a microorganism such as equinezyme G and protease M It is good to use in combination in that the umami, richness, and volume increase.

  In the present invention, lactose-degrading enzyme can be used in combination with proteolytic enzyme as necessary.

  The amount of proteolytic enzyme used varies depending on the type of enzyme or enzyme activity, but is generally about 100 units to about 5 million units, preferably about 1,000 units to about 1 million units per gram of protein in the membrane separation permeate. It can be illustrated within the range.

  When the membrane separation permeate is decomposed with the above enzyme, the membrane separation permeate and the enzyme are mixed, but the order of mixing is not particularly limited. The membrane separation permeate is used as it is or in any form such as a concentrated solution, and is not particularly limited. Suitable enzyme treatment conditions are a temperature of 20 to 60 ° C. and a treatment time of 1 to 24 hours. In addition, although pH conditions are not specifically limited as long as an enzyme reaction advances, pH 4-9 is mentioned as a preferable range. In the enzyme treatment, the membrane separation permeate is decomposed into peptides, free amino acids and the like by the action of the enzyme.

  After completion of the enzyme treatment, the enzyme treatment solution is preferably heated to, for example, 75 to 100 ° C. to deactivate the enzyme. Thus, the enzyme-treated product obtained is the flavor and taste improver of the present invention.

  According to the production method of the present invention, since it consists of a very simple process of treating a membrane separation permeate obtained from milk, skim milk or whey with a proteolytic enzyme, a flavor and taste improver with high added value can be easily and It can be manufactured efficiently. Moreover, it is a significant invention that contributes to the recycling of food waste such as whey.

  The obtained flavor and taste improver of the present invention is a greenish yellow liquid. Generally, the solid content in the improver is about 4.0 to 6.0%, and the protein is 0.2 to 1.0. %, With a slight odor but no cheese odor. Moreover, it is preferable that the range of molecular weight 100-500 occupies the estimated molecular weight distribution by gel filtration HPLC measurement, for example, 70% or more, Furthermore, 90% or more is preferable, and amino nitrogen / total nitrogen is, for example, 0.00. It is preferably 27 to 0.45, more preferably 0.40 to 0.45.

  Further, the flavor and taste improver of the present invention can be handled as a solution (liquid), but depending on the application, it can also be made into a powder form by a known method such as spray drying or freeze drying.

  The flavor and taste improver of the present invention imparts a rich taste, umami, volume, and the like to foods as a component of deliciousness common to foods. Further, since the flavor and taste improver of the present invention has a strong body taste and umami enhancing action, it can be understood as a body taste and umami enhancer as a subordinate concept.

  The flavor and taste improver of the present invention can be used alone or as a base material in combination with other materials such as fragrances, milk materials (skim milk powder, etc.), etc. It is. That is, it is an advantage of the present invention that various combinations can be considered for use.

  Examples of the other fragrances include dairy flavors, fruit flavors such as strawberry and apple, citrus flavors, vanilla flavors, coffee flavors, Western flavors, sparkling and beer flavors, black tea, oolong tea and green tea. And tea-based flavors.

  The flavor and taste improver of the present invention is used in foods alone or in combination with flavors and / or milk materials. For example, dairy products include creams (including fresh cream, whipped cream containing vegetable oils, cream sauces, etc.), butters (including daily spreads containing vegetable oils), cheeses (processes) Cheese, including cheese food), ice cream (including lacto ice, etc.), concentrated milk (including nonfat concentrated milk, full fat concentrated milk, sweetened defatted concentrated milk, etc.), whole milk powder, skim milk powder, cream powders , Prepared powdered milk, milk, fermented milk, lactic acid bacteria beverages, milk beverages and foods made mainly from these dairy products; fruit beverages, carbonated beverages, tea-based beverages (such as black tea, oolong tea, green tea) as beverages , Coffee drinks, functional drinks; Western liquors (wine, whiskey, brandy, rum, gin, liqueur, etc.), refined liquors, sparkling liquor, beer; confectionery Candy / desserts, chewing gums, chocolates, baked confectionery / bakery, frozen confectionery (ice creams, sorbets, ice candy); soups; processed meat products; processed fish products; cooked food products; Frozen foods; seasonings; microwave foods; tobacco and the like. Among the foods, for example, oily foods such as margarine containing a large amount of fats and oils, and foods such as dairy products are preferable.

  The amount of the flavor and taste improver of the present invention added to the food varies depending on the type and dosage form of the food, but it may be, for example, 0.001 to 50%, preferably 0.01 to 20%. it can. Moreover, the addition amount in terms of solid content in the flavor and taste improver of the present invention is 0.00005 to 2.5%, preferably 0.0005 to 1%.

  The flavor and taste improver of the present invention imparts a rich taste, umami, volume, and the like to foods as a component of deliciousness common to foods.

  The production method of the present invention can easily produce an excellent flavor and taste improver capable of imparting richness and umami to foods using milk, skim milk, whey and the like as raw materials.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[Measurement method of gel filtration HPLC]
The gel filtration column was TSK-GEL G2000SWXL (Tosoh Corp., inner diameter 7.8 mm, length 300 mm) with a flow rate of 0.5 ml with a mobile phase of 45% acetonitrile containing 0.1% trifluoroacetic acid (TFA). Elute at / min. The detector was detected with an absorbance of 210 nm using an ultraviolet spectrophotometer. For data analysis, GPC software (manufactured by Shimadzu Corporation) was used. From the molecular weight distribution logarithm obtained from the molecular weight (logarithmic scale) and elution time of β-lactoglobulin, α-lactalbumin, human insulin, bacitracin, glutathione and glycine as molecular weight markers, molecular weights 10,000, 5,000, Elution times corresponding to 1,000, 500 and 100 were determined.

[Method for measuring protein mass and calculation of amino nitrogen / total nitrogen]
For the measurement of protein mass, the total nitrogen of the sample was measured by the semi-micro Kjeldahl method, and the value was multiplied by a protein conversion factor of 6.38.

  Further, the total nitrogen of the sample was measured by the semi-micro Kjeldahl method, and the amino nitrogen was measured by the van-like method, and the ratio of both, that is, amino nitrogen / total nitrogen was calculated.

Production Example 1 (UF membrane permeate)
500 kg of raw milk (milk fat 3.8%, non-fat milk solid content 8.6%) was heated at 75 ° C. for 15 seconds and then cooled to 50 ° C., and this raw milk was subjected to a molecular weight cut off of 50,000 Da. Using a filtration membrane (HF-66-60-PM50 manufactured by Nippon Abuko Co., Ltd., membrane area of 6.1 m ² ), it was treated at an average permeation flow rate of 600 / m ² · hr, and 125 kg of concentrated liquid, 0.5% of protein (protein 0.5%, 375 kg of lactose (4.5%, total solids 5.2%) was obtained.

Production Example 2 (Permeated liquid using UF membrane)
A permeate using a UF membrane was obtained by treating in the same manner as in Production Example 1 using skim milk instead of raw milk.

Test example 1 (taste after enzyme treatment of milk material)
Various milk materials were subjected to enzyme treatment, and sensory evaluation was performed on the flavor and taste of the obtained enzyme-treated product.
A. Milk material UF membrane permeate (Ohm Milk Industry Co., Ltd.) (Production Example 1)
Whey powder (manufactured by Yotsuba Dairy)
WPC-80 (manufactured by Malay Gorvan in Australia)
WPI (manufactured by Fontera, New Zealand)
B. Solid content concentration The solid content concentration of the milk material other than the UF membrane permeate was adjusted to the protein and lactose concentrations of the UF membrane permeate (protein 0.5%, lactose 4.5%). The prescription is shown in Tables 1-4. The whey powder contains about 10% protein and about 90% lactose.

C. Enzyme treatment In the enzyme treatments of Example 1 and Comparative Examples 1 to 3, 4 kg of each was charged into 5 L Kolben, and a heat treatment was performed at 65 ° C. for 30 minutes while stirring at 100 rpm. Thereafter, the mixture was cooled to 50 ° C., and the enzyme was added. The prescription of the enzyme is Bromelain F (manufactured by Amano Enzyme) 0.3 g (240,000 unit), Trypsin (manufactured by Novozyme) 0.3 g (370,000 unit) and Ummamizyme G (manufactured by Amano Enzyme) 0.3 g (20 unit) Carried out. The enzyme reaction was carried out at 50 ° C. for 5 hours at a stirring speed of 100 rpm. Thereafter, the enzyme was heat-inactivated and rapidly cooled to 10 ° C.

The solid content concentration of the flavor and taste improver obtained in Example 1 was 5.2%, lactose was 4.5%, and amino nitrogen / total nitrogen was 0.34. Moreover, when the estimated molecular weight distribution was measured by gel filtration HPLC, the molecular weight range of 100 to 500 accounted for 95%.
D. Taste comparison C.I. Sensory evaluation was performed on the enzyme-treated product obtained in 1. above. Specifically, using the enzyme degradation product of the UF membrane permeate (Example 1) as a control, relative evaluation on bitterness, astringency, miscellaneous taste, sweetness, richness, umami, and rear mouth was performed by 10 panelists. Carried out.

  The evaluation method is 0 if it is the same as the control, plus 1 point slightly stronger than the control, minus 1 point slightly weaker than the control, plus 2 points slightly stronger than the control, minus 2 points slightly weaker than the control, considerably less than the control The average value was calculated at 3 points, which are strong and 3 points which are much weaker than the control. The result is shown in FIG.

  In Comparative Examples 1 and 2, as compared with Example 1, astringency, miscellaneous taste, and bitterness were strongly felt. On the other hand, the body, umami, and back mouth were hardly felt.

  In Comparative Example 3, as compared with Example 1, miscellaneous taste, astringency, and bitterness were felt weak, but richness and umami were hardly felt.

  As a result of comparing Example 1 with Comparative Examples 1 to 3, 10 persons identified that 10 persons had strong body and umami taste. In particular, in Example 1, the remaining richness was very strong, and it was evaluated that what was felt in the oral cavity as being rich or umami persisted.

Test Example 2 (Evaluation of Margarine Taste)
Various milk materials were added at the time of margarine preparation, and sensory evaluation was performed on flavor and taste.
A. Milk material Nonfat dry milk (made by Yotsuba Dairy)
Whey powder enzyme degradation product produced in Comparative Example 1 UF membrane permeate enzymatic degradation product produced in Example 1 Milk material addition amount The addition amount of various milk materials was prepared by adding 1% as a solid content. The prescription is shown in Tables 5-8.

C. Comparison of flavor and taste Each margarine obtained in the above was subjected to sensory evaluation by 10 panelists. As a result, the evaluation shown in Table 9 was shown.

The UF membrane permeate enzymatic degradation product (Example 2) imparted stronger taste to margarine than skim milk powder (Comparative Example 5) and whey powder enzymatic degradation product (Comparative Example 6). In particular, the UF membrane permeate enzymatic degradation product was remarkable in the following points.
a) The flavor masking effect of palm oil (vegetable oil) is high.
b) The margarine flavor is deep and has an improved body feeling.
c) When eating, the rich taste remaining in the rear mouth is noticeable. On the other hand, the margarine of the control (Comparative Example 4) does not feel the rich taste at all, and the margarine added with skim milk powder (Comparative Example 5) hardly feels the rich taste. Furthermore, the whey powder enzyme degradation product (Comparative Example 6) is subtly felt, but its strength is low.
d) A so-called compound (blended butter) type margarine-like flavor and taste is felt.

Test Example 3 (Evaluation of taste of low fat milk)
At the time of preparing low-fat milk, skim milk powder or UF membrane permeate enzymatic degradation product (powder) was added, and sensory evaluation was performed for flavor and taste.
A. Milk material Nonfat dry milk (made by Yotsuba Dairy Co., Ltd.)
The UF membrane permeate enzymatic degradation product (powder; protein about 10%, lactose about 89%) was prepared by lyophilizing the UF membrane permeate enzymatic degradation product obtained in Example 1 as usual.
B. Addition amount 1% of skim milk powder or ultrafiltration membrane permeate enzymatic degradation product (powder) was added and prepared. Tables 10 and 11 show the formulations.

C. Comparison of flavor and taste Each low-fat milk obtained in the above was subjected to sensory evaluation by 10 panelists. As a result, the evaluation shown in Table 12 was shown.

  In addition, the low fat milk obtained by adding 0.5% of UF membrane permeation | transmission liquid enzyme degradation product (powder) also recognized the effect obtained in Example 3 substantially similarly.

Test Example 4 (Evaluation of taste of whipped cream)
At the time of making whipped cream, skim milk powder or UF membrane permeate enzymatic degradation product (powder) was added, and sensory evaluation was performed on flavor and taste.
A. Milk material Nonfat dry milk (made by Yotsuba Dairy Co., Ltd.)
The UF membrane permeate enzymatic degradation product (powder) is the same as that used in Test Example 3.
B. Addition amount 1% of skim milk powder or UF membrane permeate enzymatic degradation product (powder) was added and prepared. Tables 13 and 14 show the prescription.

C. Comparison of flavor and taste A whipped cream was prepared according to the formulation shown in the above, bubbled with a whipping machine, and sensory evaluation was performed by 10 panelists. As a result, the evaluation shown in Table 15 was shown.

  In addition, when the sugar was added to both sides at about 6% and compared, the above difference was more noticeable.

Test Example 5 (Evaluation of Pound Cake Flavor and Taste)
Using the UF membrane permeate enzymatic degradation product obtained by subjecting the UF permeate obtained in Production Example 2 to the enzyme treatment under the same conditions as in Example 1, the pound cake of Example 5 was prepared according to the formulation shown in Table 16. Prepared. Using the additive-free system of Comparative Example 9 as a control, sensory evaluation of flavor and taste was conducted with five specialized panelists.

  The pound cake was imparted with taste characteristics such as richness and volume as compared with the additive-free system, and was excellent in masking oily feeling.

5 is a graph showing the results of taste sensory evaluation in Test Example 1.

Claims (4)

Milk, skim milk or whey membrane separation permeate Turkey bitterness be processed by proteolytic enzymes, a method for producing a taste enhancer, protein degrading enzymes, animal-derived enzymes, enzymes and microorganisms derived from plants A production method comprising a combination of three or more enzymes each containing at least one of the derived enzymes . A richness and umami enhancer produced by the production method according to claim 1 . The richness and umami enhancer according to claim 2 , wherein a molecular weight range of 100 to 500 is 90% or more in a molecular weight distribution measured by gel filtration HPLC. Use of the richness and umami enhancer of Claim 2 or 3 for improving the flavor and taste of food.

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