JP4789901B2 - Water-dispersible powdered free plant sterol composition and food and drink containing the composition - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention is easily dispersible in foods and drinks without requiring a special dispersing apparatus, and is excellent in water dispersible powder form and free of unpleasant flavor and texture even in added foods and drinks. The present invention relates to a type plant sterol composition and a food or drink containing the composition.

Technical background

  Plant sterol is a general term for plant-derived sterols such as β-sitosterol, stigmasterol, campesterol, and brassicasterol. Plant sterols are widely present as cell membrane constituents in cell membranes of plants such as cereals, cabbage, lettuce, rapeseed, and palm.

  It has long been known that this plant sterol has an action of lowering plasma cholesterol concentration. In order for cholesterol to be absorbed, cholesterol must first be solubilized in bile acid micelles.When plant sterols and cholesterol coexist, plant sterols are solubilized in bile acid micelles competitively with cholesterol, and cholesterol This is because the amount of solubilization in bile acid micelles decreases, and as a result, absorption of cholesterol is hindered.

  Since high plasma cholesterol levels are thought to cause cardiovascular disease, lowering plasma cholesterol levels has become a major concern for consumers.

  However, in order to obtain a sufficient plasma cholesterol level lowering effect, it is necessary to continuously take several grams of plant sterol per day, and if you intend to take this in capsules, take a large amount It was difficult to continue every day.

  Moreover, although plant sterol is also taken in slightly from a daily meal, it is difficult to take in an amount sufficient to suppress absorption of cholesterol in a normal meal.

  Therefore, beverages and various foods to which plant sterols are added have been proposed as methods for efficiently ingesting plant sterols. Adding plant sterols to foods taken on a daily basis is significant because it enhances its health benefits and facilitates continuous intake of plant sterols.

  However, since plant sterols have extremely low solubility in water and oil and have a high melting point of around 150 ° C., there are significant restrictions on their use in foods and drinks. For example, plant sterols are crystals with a high melting point, which may cause unpleasant unpleasant textures such as graininess and granularity due to crystals in foods, or precipitates when added to beverages due to low solubility. It was separated and the product value was greatly impaired. In addition, even if heated above the melting point, after standing to cool, it recrystallizes inside the food and causes the above-mentioned inconvenience, and there are many foods that cannot be heated in the first place. It was hardly used for etc.

  In recent years, the chemical modification of plant sterols, that is, esterification reaction with fatty acids, lowers the melting point to increase the solubility in fats and oils, and there are actual situations where they are used in some fats and oils such as edible fats, dressings and margarines.

  However, in many cases, esterification requires complicated operations because no organic solvent remains, and treatment costs increase due to long-term enzyme treatment. In addition, although the processability of plant sterols is slightly improved by esterification, the action of lowering plasma cholesterol concentration is reduced, and further, there is a disadvantage that the absorption of lipophilic nutrients is inhibited. Furthermore, since this ester-type plant sterol is dissolved in a large amount of fats and oils, human lipid intake is inevitably significantly increased. There is also the disadvantage that it cannot be added to non-fat foods.

  Therefore, there is a strong demand to improve the processability so that free plant sterols can be used in any food.

The following are typical prior arts in the technical fields related to the present invention.
JP-A-57-206336 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-179086 JP 2000-300191 A JP 2001-117 A JP-A-11-146757 JP-T-2002-517418 JP-A-10-231229

  Patent Documents 1 to 3 describe an oil and fat composition in which plant sterol is dissolved in an oil and fat containing vitamin E and an emulsifier. However, in these methods, when a certain amount of plant sterol is dissolved, plant sterol crystals are precipitated under low temperature storage, and the commercial value is greatly impaired. Moreover, since it cannot mix | blend with a water-based foodstuff and melt | dissolves and mix | blends in fats and oils, there existed a disadvantage that a large amount of fats and oils had to be taken unavoidable.

  Patent Document 4 discloses an oil-in-water emulsion composition containing plant sterol, lecithin, ethanol, polyhydric alcohol, and the like as an example that can be blended in an aqueous food. However, in this method, if free plant sterol is contained in the oil-in-water emulsion composition at a high concentration, crystals of free plant sterol are precipitated over time, and the commercial value is greatly impaired. It is extremely difficult to keep an emulsion containing a high concentration of free plant sterol having a high melting point of around 150 ° C. for a long period of time, considering the crystallinity of free plant sterol. Therefore, in order to obtain an oil-in-water emulsion composition containing a high concentration of plant sterols, there has been no use other than ester-type plant sterols having excellent solubility in fats and oils.

  Patent Document 5 includes an aqueous dispersion containing one or more high melting point lipids having an average particle size of 15 μm or less and a non-sterol emulsifier, wherein the weight ratio of the non-sterol emulsifier to the high melting point lipid is less than 1/2. A suspension is disclosed. According to Patent Document 5, a stable dispersion state can be temporarily created. However, a precipitate of free plant sterols is formed with a change over time of about 24 hours. When stored for a long time, the appearance and texture deteriorated.

  In the said patent document 6, it is proposed to include a plant sterol with a cyclodextrin. In this method, it is necessary to dissolve the plant sterol in the solvent in advance or to emulsify the plant sterol, which is likely to cause undesirable problems such as a complicated manufacturing process, a decrease in yield, and a residual harmful solvent.

  In Patent Document 7, it is proposed that a lamella structure is formed by a plant sterol and a sucrose fatty acid ester. However, since an organic solvent is used, the manufacturing process is complicated and the yield rate is increased as described above. Undesirable problems such as reduction and residual harmful solvents are likely to occur.

  As described above, it is difficult to say that a stabilization method including the dispersibility of the free plant sterol in an aqueous solution system has been established.

  The problem to be solved by the present invention is that the above-mentioned free-type plant sterols that are hardly soluble in water can be used for water-based foods and drinks by adding a composition that is easily dispersible in water, and added. Another object of the present invention is to provide a water-dispersible powdered free plant sterol composition that does not adversely affect the texture and flavor of food and drink.

  As a result of earnest research for solving the above problems, the present inventor has an average particle diameter of 5 μm or less by a laser light scattering method of free plant sterol particles, which contains or does not contain an emulsifier, It has been found that a water-dispersible powdery free plant sterol composition having excellent dispersion stability can be obtained by blending with agar powder having a weight average molecular weight of 60,000 or less, and the present invention has been completed. .

  The first invention of the present invention is “a free plant sterol particle (A) having an average particle diameter of 5 μm or less by or not containing an emulsifier and not containing an emulsifier” (hereinafter abbreviated as “(A)”). ”,“ Powder emulsifier (B) ”(hereinafter abbreviated as“ (B) ”), and“ agar powder (C) having a weight average molecular weight of 60,000 or less ”(hereinafter“ (C) ”). A water-dispersible powdered free plant sterol composition characterized by comprising:

  The second invention of the present invention is the water-dispersible powder according to the first invention, wherein (B) is one or a combination of two or more selected from organic acid monoglycerides, sucrose fatty acid esters, and gum arabic It is a free-form plant sterol composition.

  The third invention of the present invention is the first and second inventions, wherein the free plant sterol is 5 to 70% by mass of the water-dispersible powdered free plant sterol composition, and the emulsifier is a blend of the free plant sterol. 0.2 to 1 times the mass, and (C) is a water-dispersible powdered free plant sterol composition that is 0.1 to 1 times the mass of the free plant sterol. .

  4th invention of this invention is the plant sterol containing food / beverage products which mix | blended the water dispersible powder-form free type plant sterol composition of 1st-3rd invention.

  Plant sterols are contained in plant cell membranes as free or ester forms. In the present invention, free sterols are used.

  The plant sterol used in the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it is a free type, and the origin of the plant sterol is not particularly limited. Examples of the free plant sterol used in the present invention include a mixture of β-sitosterol, stigmasterol, campesterol and brassicasterol.

  In the present invention, an ester type plant sterol can be mixed with a free type plant sterol as long as the performance of the composition is not hindered.

  The purity of the free plant sterol used in practicing the present invention is not particularly limited, but in order to prepare a composition having a higher concentration of free plant sterol, the purity of the plant sterol is 70% by mass or more. Is preferably used, and more preferably 90% by mass or more.

  The amount of the free plant sterol blended in the water-dispersible powdered free plant sterol composition is preferably 5 to 70% by mass. If it is less than 5% by mass, the concentration of free plant sterol in the composition becomes thin, which is not practical. On the other hand, if it exceeds 70% by mass, the free plant sterol is added to the food. This is because the dispersion stability tends to be insufficient. The amount of free plant sterol referred to in the present invention is the amount of free plant sterol itself. Therefore, the amount of the ester-type plant sterol mixed and used within a range not impeding the performance of the composition of the present invention, and the amount of the impurity when the free-type plant sterol containing impurities is used are the free type referred to in the present invention. It is not included in the amount of plant sterols.

  In the present invention, the free plant sterol can be used as a raw material as it is, but it is more preferable to use it by mixing it with an emulsifier after heating and melting to a temperature higher than the melting point. By mixing an emulsifier in advance, the dispersion stability when added to a food or drink can be further improved, and aggregation of the water-dispersible powdered free plant sterol composition can be prevented.

  As (B), any emulsifier can be used as long as it is powdery. Preferred as (B) are organic acid monoglycerides, polyglycerin fatty acid esters, sucrose fatty acid esters, saponins, lecithins, and gum arabic.

  Any emulsifier can be used as the emulsifier contained in (A) as long as it can be mixed with a free plant sterol to obtain particles, and the form thereof is not limited. That is, it may be a powder or a paste. Particularly preferred as the emulsifier contained in (A) is citric acid monoglyceride and / or succinic acid monoglyceride.

  The blending amount of the emulsifier in the present invention, that is, the total amount of the emulsifier in (A) and (B) is preferably 0.2 to 1 times the blending mass of the free plant sterol. When the blending amount of the emulsifier is less than 0.2 times the amount of the free plant sterol, the dispersion stability of the free plant sterol tends to be insufficient when the composition is added to food. This is because there is no particularly advantageous effect even when blending over twice the amount, and on the contrary, there is a tendency that flavor deterioration caused by the emulsifier tends to be felt.

  The content of the emulsifier in (A) is not particularly limited. However, when an emulsifier is blended, the melting point of the free plant sterol is lowered, and if the melting point is too low, it becomes difficult to grind to 5 μm. In order to suppress the melting point drop, the content is desirably 1/3 or less, particularly preferably 1/6 or less, and most preferably 1/12, based on the blended mass of the free plant sterol. It is desirable to make the amount below. The blending amount of the emulsifier in (A) for expressing the action of the emulsifier while suppressing the melting point drop is preferably 1/3 to 1/36, particularly preferably 1 with respect to the blended mass of the free plant sterol. The amount is from / 6 to 1/30, and most preferably from 1/12 to 1/24.

  It is important to adjust the average particle diameter of the free plant sterol particles or the particles made of a mixture of free plant sterol and an emulsifier to 5 μm or less by the laser light scattering method. If the average particle size exceeds 5 μm, the dispersion stability of the free plant sterol will be insufficient when the composition is added to food. It is desirable to adjust the fine particles as fine as possible for the dispersion stability.

  Such fine particle adjustment may be performed by any means and using any pulverizer. Examples thereof include pulverization using a jet mill, a hammer mill, a ball mill, and a bead mill.

  In the present invention, pulverization by a dry pulverizer is practically preferred and advantageously employed. As such a dry pulverizer, for example, a jet mill that pulverizes free-type plant sterols by mutually colliding raw materials accelerated at supersonic speed using compressed air is practical. The pulverization conditions vary depending on the state of the raw material of the free plant sterol, the conditions such as the feed rate of the raw material, the mill operation conditions, and the like, but the optimum conditions can be found while examining the change in the particle diameter through experiments.

  In the present invention, (C) is blended for the dispersion stability of free plant sterols. (C) is not particularly limited to the starting material, but a material having a weight average molecular weight of 60,000 or less is used. If the weight average molecular weight is too large, unfavorable texture changes such as gelation occur in the added food, but if a weight average molecular weight of 60,000 or less is used, unfavorable texture such as gelation in the added food. No change occurs.

  The blending amount of (C) is preferably 0.1 to 1 times the amount of free plant sterol. When the addition amount is less than 0.1 times the amount, the dispersion stability of the free plant sterol tends to be insufficient when this composition is added to a food or drink, particularly when blended into a liquid food. This is because there is a tendency for precipitates to be generated, and on the other hand, there is no particularly advantageous effect even when the amount is 1 times or more, and on the contrary, an unfavorable change in texture is caused with respect to the added food. .

  In the composition of the present invention, other materials can be mixed within a range not impeding the effects of the present invention. Examples of other materials include dextrin, saccharide, and starch.

  The composition of the present invention can be stably dispersed in any food including beverages, and does not impair the texture and flavor of the added food. Further, the addition can be easily dispersed without using a special apparatus, and the food production process can be simplified. Furthermore, since the composition of the present invention is excellent in heat resistance, it can be sterilized under high temperature and pressure, and the added food can be kept stable for a long period of time. Furthermore, since the composition of this invention has favorable water dispersibility and heat resistance, it can mix | blend suitably not only food / beverage products but a wide thing, such as cosmetics.

  The food / beverage products of the present invention have an effect of lowering plasma cholesterol concentration, and have the effect that the original appearance, texture and flavor of the food / beverage products are not impaired.

EXAMPLES Hereinafter, although an Example is given and this invention is demonstrated further more concretely, this invention is not limited only to this Example.
The average particle diameter in the following Examples and Comparative Examples means an average particle diameter by a laser light scattering method.

[Example 1]
54 kg of plant sterol (purity 96%: β-sitosterol 43.5%, stigmasterol 25.5%, campesterol 25.0%, brassicasterol 2.0%) was heated to 160 ° C. to melt, 2.6 kg of succinic acid monoglyceride (HLB value 3.4) was dissolved in the mixture and allowed to cool by stirring, and then solidified by cooling in a refrigerator at 5 ° C. for 96 hours. This was coarsely pulverized using a hammer mill, and further pulverized to an average particle size of 2.5 μm using a jet mill (manufactured by Seishin Enterprise Co., Ltd.) to obtain a plant sterol composition containing monoglyceride succinate. To this, 15 kg of agar (weight average molecular weight 50,000 or less, Ultra Agar Ina (trade name) manufactured by Ina Agar Kogyo Co., Ltd.) and sucrose fatty acid ester (Ryoto Sugar Ester P1670 (trade name) manufactured by Mitsubishi Chemical Foods Co., Ltd.) ) 15 kg of HLB value 13) and 13.4 kg of dextrin (Paindex # 100 (trade name) manufactured by Matsutani Chemical Co., Ltd.) are mixed to form a water-dispersible powder containing 51.84% by mass of plant sterol. Free plant sterol composition A was obtained.

  0.5 g of this product was stirred and mixed with 99.5 g of purified water at 80 ° C. After standing for 30 days, no precipitate of plant sterol was observed.

[Comparative Example 1]
In Example 1, it prepared similarly, without mix | blending agar.
0.5 g of this product was stirred and mixed with 99.5 g of purified water at 80 ° C. After standing for 30 days, plant sterol aggregates were observed.

[Example 2]
54 kg of plant sterol (purity 96%: β-sitosterol 43.5%, stigmasterol 25.5%, campesterol 25.0%, brassicasterol 2.0%) using a jet mill and having an average particle size of 2.5 μm To grind. This was mixed with 15 kg of agar (weight average molecular weight 50,000 or less, Ultra Agar manufactured by Inagar Kogyo Co., Ltd.), 15 kg of sucrose fatty acid ester (HLB value 13) and 16 kg of dextrin, and 51.84% by mass of plant sterol. A water-dispersible powdered free plant sterol composition B was obtained.
0.5 g of this product was stirred and mixed with 99.5 g of purified water at 80 ° C. After standing for 30 days, almost no phytosterol precipitate was observed.

[Comparative Example 2]
The weight average molecular weight of the agar of Example 2 was changed to 400,000, and the same preparation was performed.
0.5 g of this product was stirred and mixed with 99.5 g of purified water at 80 ° C. After standing for 30 days, the solution gelled and aggregates of plant sterols were observed.

[Comparative Example 3]
It was prepared in the same manner except that the average particle size of the plant sterol was changed to 23.1 μm without performing the pulverization by the jet mill of Example 2.
0.5 g of this product was stirred and mixed with 99.5 g of purified water at 80 ° C. After standing for 30 days, many plant sterol precipitates were observed.

≪Heat resistance test≫
Using the compositions obtained in Examples 1 and 2 and Comparative Examples 2 and 3, a heat resistance test was performed by the following method.

  1 g of the composition obtained in Examples 1 and 2 and Comparative Examples 2 and 3 was added to 99 g of water, stirred and heated at 95 ° C. for 20 minutes, and these aqueous solutions were allowed to cool at room temperature. Visual evaluation was made. The results are shown in Table 1.

The evaluation criteria for dispersion stability in Table 1 are as follows.
(Double-circle): It is a cloudy solution, and precipitation and aggregation are not recognized.
○: It is a cloudy solution, and a very small amount of aggregates and precipitates are observed.
(Triangle | delta): It is a cloudy solution and a small amount of aggregates and deposits are recognized.
X: Many aggregates and precipitates are observed.

[Example 3]
Plant sterol compositions obtained in Examples 1 and 2 and Comparative Examples 2 and 3 and untreated free plant sterols (purity 96%: β-sitosterol 43.5%, stigmasterol 25.5%, campesterol 25.0%, brassicasterol 2.0%), 500 mg of ester type plant sterol was added per rice unit in terms of free plant sterol, cooked as usual, and the dispersion state was evaluated visually. In addition, the taste and texture were evaluated by a panel of five people selected carefully. The results are shown in Table 2.

The evaluation of the dispersion state of plant sterols in Table 2 is as follows.
Uniformity: The plant sterol cannot be visually observed in the cooked rice.
Non-uniformity: Plant sterols can be visually observed in the cooked rice.

The score of flavor and texture in Table 2 is the total score of the five panelists who were sensory-evaluated according to the following criteria.
<Sensory evaluation>
Feels no flavor deterioration or roughness compared to the additive-free: feels slight flavor deterioration or roughness compared to the 3-point additive-free: Feels a significant flavor deterioration or roughness compared to the 2-point additive-free: 1 point

[Example 4]
150 kg of milk, 20 kg of sugar, 10 kg of skim milk powder and 2 kg of the water-dispersible plant sterol composition obtained in Example 1 were mixed and stirred, and sterilized by heating at 95 ° C. for 10 minutes. 10 kg of commercially available yogurt was added to this, and it fermented at 37 degreeC for 9 hours. Thereafter, 200 kg of milk was added, stirred and homogenized to obtain a yogurt drink. In this yogurt drink, no separation of plant sterols was observed, and it was possible to drink without any discomfort. In addition, no precipitate or the like was produced after the product was stored for 30 days.

[Example 5]
1 g of the water-dispersible plant sterol composition of Example 1 was mixed with 99 g of commercially available milk to obtain milk containing the plant sterol composition. Even after sterilization at 90 ° C. for 10 minutes, no separation of plant sterols was observed in this milk, and it was possible to drink without any discomfort. In addition, no precipitate or the like was produced after the product was stored for 30 days.

[Example 6]
99 g of commercially available tea drink was mixed with 1 g of the water-dispersible plant sterol composition of Example 1 to obtain a tea drink containing plant sterol. This tea beverage did not show any separation of plant sterols even after sterilization at 90 ° C. for 10 minutes, and was able to drink without any discomfort. In addition, no precipitate or the like was produced after the product was stored for 30 days.

[Example 7]
1 g of the water-dispersible plant sterol composition of Example 1 was mixed with 99 g of commercially available sake to obtain a sake containing plant sterols. This sake had no phytosterol separation even after 2 months storage, and could be drunk without problems.

[Example 8]
99 g of commercially available jelly beverage was mixed with 1 g of the water-dispersible plant sterol composition of Example 1 to obtain a jelly beverage containing plant sterol. This jelly beverage was not observed to separate plant sterols even after sterilization at 90 ° C. for 10 minutes, and could be drunk without problems. In addition, no precipitate or the like was produced after the product was stored for 30 days.

[Example 9]
One portion of commercially available consomme soup powder was dissolved in 99 g of water heated to 95 ° C., and 1 g of the water-dispersible plant sterol composition of Example 1 was mixed to obtain a consomme soup containing plant sterols. This soup showed no separation of plant sterols and could be drunk without problems.

[Example 10]
99 g of commercially available sauce was mixed with 1 g of the water-dispersible plant sterol composition of Example 1 to obtain a sauce containing plant sterol. This source showed no separation of plant sterols and could be used without problems.

  As described above, since the water-dispersible powdered free plant sterol composition of the present invention can be added in water, there is no difficulty in preparing the composition-containing food or drink. The versatility to food and drink was confirmed.

Claims (4)

Free plant sterol particles (A) containing an emulsifier or not having an average particle size of 5 μm or less by a laser light scattering method;
Powdered emulsifier (B);
A water-dispersible powdered free plant sterol composition comprising an agar powder (C) having a weight average molecular weight of 60,000 or less.   The water-dispersible powdered free plant sterol composition according to claim 1, wherein the powdered emulsifier (B) is one or a combination of two or more selected from organic acid monoglycerides, sucrose fatty acid esters, and gum arabic. object.   Free plant sterol is 5 to 70% by mass of the water-dispersible powdered free plant sterol composition, the emulsifier is 0.2 to 1 times the blending mass of free plant sterol, and the agar powder The water-dispersible powdered free plant sterol composition according to claim 1 or 2, wherein (C) is 0.1 to 1 times the amount of the free plant sterol blended mass.   A plant sterol-containing food or drink comprising the water-dispersible powdered free plant sterol composition according to any one of claims 1 to 3.