JP5827029B2 - Easy dispersible granular whitener - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an easily dispersible granular whitener that is dispersed in water or warm water to eat and drink.

  When the food material is processed into a powdered coffee whitener such as a cream, and is dispersed in coffee to eat and drink, the lipid component in the coffee whitener is high. Conventionally, in order to solve this problem, methods such as pulverization of dairy products and polydextrose, pulverization using milk protein or soybean protein and addition of vegetable oils and fats, etc., have been used singly or in combination. .

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a powder that improves the mouthfeel, texture and taste of a food composition using the obtained powder by co-drying with a dairy product and fructans or polydextrose, and can be used as a whitener Is disclosed.

  On the other hand, there are few known methods for improving the dispersibility when a granular food with reduced lipids is added to water or warm water, and improving the whitening property of the input food.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-179025

  As described above, a method of using a granule with reduced lipids in a whitener by the conventional technology has been disclosed. However, the powder co-dried with polydextrose described in Patent Document 1 has a problem of low dispersibility when dispersed in water or warm water and low whitening property.

  An object of this invention is to provide the easily dispersible granular whitener which disperse | distributes to water and warm water, and to eat and drink.

  As a result of intensive studies to solve the above problems, the present inventors have used a microcrystalline cellulose preparation containing a thickening stabilizer defined by the Food Sanitation Law and a whitening agent usable in the Food Sanitation Law, It has been found that the granular whitener containing a protein material is improved in water dispersibility and whitening properties are improved, and the present invention has been achieved. That is, the present invention is as follows.

(1) Contains 5 to 30% by mass of protein material, 0.3 to 10% by mass of microcrystalline cellulose preparation (solid content) containing a thickening stabilizer, and 0.2 to 30% by mass of white agent Easily dispersible granular whitener.
(2) The easily dispersible granular whitener according to (1), wherein the thickening stabilizer is a natural additive.
(3) The easily dispersible granular whitener according to (1) or (2), wherein the microcrystalline cellulose preparation containing a thickening stabilizer is easily dispersible.
(4) The easily dispersible granular whitener according to any one of (1) to (3), further comprising 1 to 30% by mass of partially pregelatinized starch (solid content).
(5) The easily dispersible granular whitener according to any one of (1) to (4), further comprising 0.5 to 15% by mass of a sugar alcohol (solid content).

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an easily dispersible granular whitener that is excellent in dispersibility in water and warm water, does not immediately generate precipitates, and improves the whitening properties of the input food.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail.
The whitener of the present invention contains a protein material, a microcrystalline cellulose preparation containing a thickening stabilizer, and a whitening agent.

  The protein material said by this invention should just be used by edible, and may be an animal protein material and a vegetable protein material which have protein as a main component. It is preferable that the protein material contains less lipid. For example, caseins, whey protein isolate, milk protein such as milk protein concentrate, and soy protein are preferable examples, and the use of these alone or in combination is also a preferable example.

  The amount (solid content) of the protein material is 5 to 30% by mass, preferably 10 to 25% by mass, and more preferably 15 to 25% by mass. If it is less than 5% by mass, the taste as a whitener is weak in terms of taste, which is not preferable. When it exceeds 30 mass%, since the dispersibility of an easily dispersible granular whitener deteriorates, it is not preferable.

The microcrystalline cellulose preparation used in the present invention is, for example, an average degree of polymerization of 30 to 400 obtained by depolymerizing cellulose materials such as wood pulp and refined linter by acid hydrolysis, alkaline oxidation decomposition, enzyme decomposition, and the like. , Which is a composite of microcrystalline cellulose with a crystalline part exceeding 10% and a thickening stabilizer. Examples of the thickening stabilizer referred to in the present invention include karaya gum, xanthan gum, sodium carboxymethylcellulose (CMC-Na) and the like among food additives defined by the Food Sanitation Law. A thickening stabilizer for natural additives is preferable, and Karaya gum and xanthan gum are particularly preferable in terms of a moderate consistency and good mouthfeel. The blending amount is not particularly specified, but is preferably 1 to 20%, and more preferably 2 to 13%.
Furthermore, it is preferable that dextrin is contained as a redispersible auxiliary agent.

  As specific examples of the microcrystalline cellulose preparation, Theolas RC-N81 (trade name, manufactured by Asahi Kasei Chemicals Corporation), Theolas RC-N30 (trade name, manufactured by Asahi Kasei Chemicals Corporation), Theolas DX-2 (trade name, Asahi Kasei Chemicals) Co., Ltd.), Theolas RC-591 (trade name, manufactured by Asahi Kasei Chemicals Corporation), and the like.

  In order to improve the dispersibility of the easily dispersible granular whitener of the present invention, it is preferable to use an easily dispersible microcrystalline cellulose preparation having an average particle size of 10 μm or less. The average particle size referred to in the present invention is described in the Examples as a specific measuring method, but in a general 1-2 L stainless steel beaker, microcrystals are obtained so that a dispersion of 1% by mass in terms of cellulose is obtained. Sufficient stirring of cellulose preparation and deionized water, for example, 1500 ml in a 2 L beaker and using a propeller stirrer equipped with 4 paddle blades with a radius of 30 to 40 mm in water at 25 ° C. and 500 rpm for 20 minutes It means the average particle size when dispersed. For example, Theolas DX-2 (trade name, manufactured by Asahi Kasei Chemicals Corporation) is a microcrystalline cellulose preparation that satisfies the requirement of such an average particle size of 10 μm or less. The particle size of the microcrystalline cellulose preparation often refers to a particle size dispersed for about 5 minutes at a rotation speed of 10,000 rotations / minute or more by a powerful stirrer such as ACE homogenizer (AM-T manufactured by Nippon Seiki). Since this condition is a very strong dispersion condition, it is much stronger than the stirring force applied when dispersing the easily dispersible granular whitener in water or warm water. Therefore, it is preferable to improve the dispersibility to blend an easily dispersible microcrystalline cellulose preparation having an average particle diameter of 10 μm or less measured according to the above measuring method into an easily dispersible granular whitener.

  The compounding quantity of a microcrystalline cellulose formulation (solid content) is 0.3-10 mass%, Preferably it is 1-8 mass%, More preferably, it is 2-7 mass%. If the amount is less than 0.3% by mass, the dispersibility of the easily dispersible granular whitener is insufficient, and a precipitate is easily generated. If the amount exceeds 10% by mass, the dispersion becomes viscous and the texture is impaired, which is not preferable. .

  The method for incorporating the microcrystalline cellulose preparation into the easily dispersible granular whitener is not particularly limited, but it is necessary to prevent the microcrystalline cellulose preparation from being unevenly distributed. A method of pre-mixing with a food material and granulating while spraying the binding liquid is one of the preferred methods.

The whitening agent referred to in the present invention is not limited as long as it is used for food, and may be inorganic or organic. Titanium dioxide, which is an example of an inorganic part, and resistant starch, which is an example of an organic substance, are preferable examples.
Examples of the resistant starch include amylogel (trade name, manufactured by Sanwa Starch Co., Ltd.).

  The compounding quantity of a white agent is 0.2-30 mass%, Preferably it is 1-25 mass%, More preferably, it is 7-20 mass%. If it is less than 0.2% by mass, the whitening property of the easily dispersible granular whitener is inferior. If it exceeds 30% by mass, the amount of precipitates in the food containing the easily dispersible granular whitener increases, which is not preferable.

  In the present invention, it is preferable to use partially pregelatinized starch in combination with the microcrystalline cellulose preparation because dispersibility is further improved. It is preferable to blend 1-30% by mass of partially pregelatinized starch (solid content). More preferably, it is 3-25 mass%, More preferably, it is 5-20 mass%. When the content is 1% by mass or more, the effect of improving dispersibility is further improved, and when the content is 30% by mass or less, the amount of other food materials to be blended is preferable.

  The partially pregelatinized starch as used herein is a product obtained by partially pregelatinizing starch by wet heat treatment. The raw material is not particularly limited, and any starch raw material such as corn starch, wheat starch, rice starch, and potato starch may be used. Among the partially pregelatinized starches, those in which the outer shell thin film structure remains are preferable. Specifically, those having a cold water soluble content of 6% by mass or less are preferable. When the cold water soluble content is 6% by mass or less, there is little outflow of the paste component, and a good texture can be maintained.

  In the present invention, it is preferable to use sugar alcohol together with the microcrystalline cellulose preparation because dispersibility is further improved. Of 100% by mass of the easily dispersible granular whitener (solid content), 0.5 to 15% by mass of sugar alcohol (solid content) is preferable. More preferably, it is 1-10 mass%. When the amount of the sugar alcohol (solid content) is 0.5% by mass or more, the effect of improving dispersibility is further improved, and when the amount is 15% by mass or less, the amount of other food materials to be mixed is preferable.

  Although there is no restriction | limiting in particular in the kind of sugar alcohol, A sugar alcohol with high solubility and low hygroscopicity is preferable. For example, sorbitol and trehalose are preferable examples.

  The easily dispersible granular whitener of the present invention is used as a whitener for coffee or tea or a stew whitener.

  The present invention will be described more specifically with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited to these examples. Measurement and evaluation were performed as follows.

<Average particle size of microcrystalline cellulose preparation [μm]>
(1) A propeller stirrer (three-one) equipped with a general-purpose stirring blade and cross (radius 35 mm) was weighed in a 2 L stainless steel beaker so that the aqueous dispersion had a solid content of 1% and a total amount of 1300 to 1700 ml. Motor HEIDON (trade name) BL-600) was dispersed at 25 ° C. and 500 rpm for 20 minutes.
(2) A value (median diameter) at which the integrated volume becomes 50% was read by a laser diffraction scattering apparatus (LA-910, manufactured by Horiba, Ltd., ultrasonic dispersion 1 minute) and used as an average particle diameter.

<Dispersibility of easily dispersible granular whitener>
Instant coffee (trade name: Nescafe Gold Blend, manufactured by Nestle Japan Co., Ltd.) (1.5 g) is added to 100 g of hot water at 98 ° C. and stirred to dissolve. Next, 2.0 g of the easily dispersible granular whitener was added and stirred with a spoon for 10 seconds, and the dispersibility of the easily dispersible granular whitener was evaluated as follows.
○: Dispersed quickly and good dispersibility △: Dispersed but undispersed material exists ×: Difficult to disperse, many undispersed materials exist and poor dispersibility

<Whitening of easily dispersible granular whitener>
(1) The liquid which evaluated the dispersibility of an easily dispersible granular whitener was stirred with the spoon until there was no undispersed substance in the liquid, and then cooled to room temperature.
(2) After stirring the cooled liquid with a spoon for 10 seconds, 6.5 g was put into a round cell (diameter 35 mm, height 15 mm), and a spectral color difference meter (SE-2000, manufactured by Nippon Denshoku Industries Co., Ltd., reflection) Mode). The whitening property of the easily dispersible granular whitener was determined by the following formula.
Whitening property (-) = Whiteness of easily dispersible granular whitener (-)-Whiteness of instant coffee (-)

[Production Example 1]
Prepare 10 kg of warm water at 60 ° C., and with light agitation, dry cellulose composite consisting of 80% by weight of microcrystalline cellulose, 10% by weight of Karaya gum and 10% by weight of dextrin (trade name: Theolas RC-N81, Asahi Chemical Chemicals After adding 1.35 kg (manufactured by Co., Ltd.), 1.65 kg of dextrin (trade name: Paindex # 3, manufactured by Matsutani Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.) was added as a dispersion aid, and the mixture was further stirred for 20 minutes. After this dispersion solution was mixed by two passes at a pressure of 15 MPa using a high-pressure homogenizer (manufactured by APV), an inlet temperature was 90-100 ° C. and an outlet temperature was 70-80 ° C. using a spray dryer. Was spray-dried to obtain an easily dispersible microcrystalline cellulose preparation A. This microcrystalline cellulose preparation A is a microcrystalline cellulose preparation that is very easy to disperse because it is treated with a high-pressure homogenizer after adding a dispersion aid and dried by spray drying. The average particle size of the microcrystalline cellulose preparation A was 8.0 μm.

[Production Example 2]
Prepare 10 kg of warm water at 60 ° C. and stir lightly, and dry cellulose composite consisting of 75% by weight of microcrystalline cellulose, 5% by weight of xanthan gum and 20% by weight of dextrin (trade name: Theolas RC-N30, Asahi Chemical Chemicals After adding 1.2 kg of (manufactured by Co., Ltd.), 1.8 kg of dextrin (trade name: Paindex # 3, manufactured by Matsutani Chemical Co., Ltd.) was added as a dispersion aid, and the mixture was further stirred for 20 minutes. This dispersion / dissolution solution was mixed by two passes at a pressure of 15 MPa using a high-pressure homogenizer, and then spray-dried using a spray dryer under conditions of an inlet temperature of 90 to 100 ° C. and an outlet temperature of 70 to 80 ° C. An easily dispersible microcrystalline cellulose preparation B was obtained. This microcrystalline cellulose preparation B is a microcrystalline cellulose preparation that is very easy to disperse because it is treated with a high-pressure homogenizer after adding a dispersing aid and dried by spray drying. The average particle size of the microcrystalline cellulose preparation B was 7.3 μm.

[Example 1]
Dextrin (Sandek # 300, manufactured by Sanwa Starch Co., Ltd.) 31.8% by mass, milk protein (MPC480, manufactured by Fontera Japan Co., Ltd.) 20% by mass, resistant starch (trade name amylogel HB-450) 20 % By mass, partially pregelatinized starch (PCS FC-30, manufactured by Asahi Kasei Chemicals) 10% by mass, and microcrystalline cellulose preparation having an average particle size of 7.2 μm (Theorax DX-2 (36% by mass of microcrystalline cellulose and Karaya gum 4.5) 6% by mass of dried microcrystalline cellulose complex consisting of 5% by mass and 59.5% by mass of dextrin, 4.64% by mass of sugar ester (trade name: Ryoto Sugar Ester P-1670, manufactured by Mitsubishi Chemical Foods Co., Ltd.) %, 471.2 g of sorbitol (manufactured by Food Science Co., Ltd.) at 1.8% by mass as a solid content in a plastic bag This mixed powder was mixed for 3 minutes using a fluidized bed column of a tumbling fluidized coating apparatus ("Multiplex" MP-01, manufactured by POWREC Co., Ltd.). 1mm out, spray position top (middle set), spray pressure 0.12MPa, spray flow rate 30L / min, bag filter type T-4000, bag filter discharge pressure 0.65MPa, supply air temperature setting 80 ° C, air volume 30 Granulation was carried out at a rate of 12 g / min at a binding solution input speed of ˜50 m ³ / hour, and as a binding solution for granulating the mixed powder, 180 g of a mixed solution of sorbitol and sugar ester (sorbitol in the mixed solution) Solid content: 27.0 g, sugar ester solid content: 1.8 g) After spraying, the granulated mixed powder has an exhaust temperature of 40 ° C. Further, the sieve was sieved with a 500 μm sieve to remove coarse particles to obtain an easily dispersible granular whitener A. The proportion of coarse particles was 0.9%, and the water content was 4.1%. Met.
The easily dispersible granular whitener A had dispersibility ○ and whitening property 18.4, and both dispersibility and whitening property were good.

[Example 2]
21.8% by mass of dextrin, 20% by mass of milk protein, 20% by mass of resistant starch, 20% by mass of partially pregelatinized starch, 6% by mass of DX-2, 4.82% by mass of sugar ester, 485.6 g of sorbitol as a solid content at a ratio of 4.5 mass% was put in a plastic bag and mixed for 3 minutes. As a binding liquid when granulating the mixed powder, 90 g of a mixed solution of sorbitol and sugar ester (solid content of sorbitol in the mixed solution: 13.5 g, solid content of sugar ester: 0.9 g) was used. Granulation was performed in the same manner as in Example 1 to obtain an easily dispersible granular whitener B. The proportion of coarse particles was 0.3%, and the water content was 4.9%.
The easily dispersible granular whitener B had dispersibility ○ and whitening property 18.5, and both dispersibility and whitening property were good.

[Example 3]
Easily dispersible granular whitener C was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the amount of resistant starch was changed to 10% by mass and 11.8% by mass of sorbitol. The proportion of coarse particles was 1.0%, and the water content was 3.8%.
The easily dispersible granular whitener C had dispersibility ○ and whitening property 16.9, and both dispersibility and whitening property were good.

[Example 4]
Except that DX-2 was changed to microcrystalline cellulose preparation A, granulation was performed in the same manner as in Example 1 to obtain an easily dispersible granular whitener D. The proportion of coarse particles was 0.5%, and the water content was 4.0%.
The easily dispersible granular whitener D had dispersibility ○ and whitening property of 17.9, and both dispersibility and whitening property were good.

[Example 5]
Except that DX-2 was changed to microcrystalline cellulose formulation B, granulation was performed in the same manner as in Example 1 to obtain an easily dispersible granular whitener E. The proportion of coarse particles was 1.2%, and the water content was 4.3%.
The easily dispersible granular whitener D had dispersibility ○ and whitening property of 17.7, and both dispersibility and whitening property were good.

[Example 6] (Reference Example)
Granulate in the same manner as in Example 1 except that DX- 2 is RC-N81 used in Production Example 1 (the average particle size of the microcrystalline cellulose preparation is about 70 μm) to obtain an easily dispersible granular whitener F. It was.
The proportion of coarse particles was 0.6%, and the water content was 3.8%.
The easily dispersible granular whitener F had a dispersibility Δ and a whitening property of 16.4. The dispersibility was almost good and the whitening property was good.

[Example 7] (Reference Example)
DX-2 is a dried cellulose composite composed of 89% by mass of crystalline cellulose and 11% by mass of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (trade name: Theorus RC-591, manufactured by Asahi Kasei Chemicals Co., Ltd., average particle size of microcrystalline cellulose is about Except that it was 35 μm), granulation was performed in the same manner as in Example 1 to obtain an easily dispersible granular whitener G. The ratio of coarse particles was 1.1%, and the water content was 4.2%.
The easily dispersible granular whitener G had a dispersibility Δ and a whitening property of 15.7. The dispersibility was almost good and the whitening property was good.

[Example 8]
Dextrin 51.55 wt%, milk protein 20 wt%, titanium dioxide (CR-97, manufactured by Ishihara Sangyo Co., Ltd.) 0.25 wt%, partially pregelatinized starch 10 wt%, DX-2 6 wt% %, Sugar ester was 4.64% by mass, and sorbitol was 1.8% by mass, and the solid content was changed to 471.2 g to obtain an easily dispersible granular whitener H. It was. The ratio of coarse particles was 1.5%, and the water content was 4.4%.
The easily dispersible granular whitener H had dispersibility ○ and whitening property 16.7, and both dispersibility and whitening property were good.

[Example 9]
Dextrin 50.8% by mass, milk protein 20% by mass, titanium dioxide (CR-97, manufactured by Ishihara Sangyo Co., Ltd.) 1% by mass, partially pregelatinized starch 10% by mass, DX-2 6% by mass, Easily dispersible granular whitener I was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the sugar ester was 4.64% by mass and sorbitol was 1.8% by mass, and the solid content was 471.2 g. The ratio of coarse particles was 1.3%, and the water content was 4.0%.
The easily dispersible granular whitener I had dispersibility ○ and whitening property 21.8, and both dispersibility and whitening property were good.

[Example 10] (Reference Example)
Dextrin (53% by mass), milk protein (20% by mass), resistant starch (20% by mass) and DX-2 (solid content) at a ratio of 6% by mass were placed in a plastic bag and mixed for 3 minutes. An easily dispersible granular whitener was granulated in the same manner as in Example 1 except that 100 g of dextrin aqueous solution (solid content of dextrin in the mixed solution: 5 g) was used as a binding liquid when granulating this mixed powder. J was obtained. The proportion of coarse particles was 1.8%, and the water content was 4.6%.
The easily dispersible granular whitener J had dispersibility Δ and whitening property of 17.1, dispersibility was almost good, and whitening property was good.

[Example 11] (Reference Example)
Except for dextrin 43% by weight, milk protein 20% by weight, resistant starch 10% by weight, partially pregelatinized starch 20% by weight, DX-2 6% by weight as solid content 495.0g Was granulated in the same manner as in Example 10 to obtain an easily dispersible granular whitener K. The proportion of coarse particles was 1.8%, and the water content was 4.6%.
The easily dispersible granular whitener K had a dispersibility Δ and a whitening property of 17.5. The dispersibility was almost good and the whitening property was good.

[Example 12]
Dextrin 43.1% by weight, milk protein 20% by weight, resistant starch 10% by weight, partially pregelatinized starch 10% by weight, DX-2 2% by weight, sugar ester 4.64% by weight, Granulation was performed in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the solid content was 471.2 g at a ratio of 4.5% by mass of sorbitol to obtain an easily dispersible granular whitener L. The proportion of coarse particles was 0.8%, and the water content was 4.0%.
The easily dispersible granular whitener L had dispersibility ○ and whitening property of 17.0, and both dispersibility and whitening property were good.

[Comparative Example 1]
Dextrin 51.8% by mass, milk protein 20% by mass, partially pregelatinized starch 10% by mass, DX-2 6% by mass, sugar ester 4.64% by mass, sorbitol 1.8% by mass. Granular whitener M was obtained by granulation in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the solid content was 471.2 g. The proportion of coarse particles was 0.8%, and the water content was 3.8%.
The granular whitener M had dispersibility (circle) and whitening property 14.3, and dispersibility was good, but whitening property was not good.

[Comparative Example 2]
Example 1 except that dextrin was 67.8% by weight, milk protein was 20% by weight, sugar ester was 4.64% by weight, and sorbitol was 1.8% by weight, and the solid content was 485.7 g. The granulated whitener N was obtained by granulation. The proportion of coarse particles was 0.5%, and the water content was 4.0%.
The granular whitener N had a dispersibility Δ and a whitening property of 12.2. Although the dispersibility was almost good, a precipitate was formed immediately and the whitening property was not good.

[Comparative Example 3]
Ratio of 37.8% by weight of dextrin, 20% by weight of milk protein, 10% by weight of resistant starch, 10% by weight of partially pregelatinized starch, 4.64% by weight of sugar ester, and 11.8% by weight of sorbitol A granulated whitener O was obtained by granulation in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the solid content was 471.2 g. The proportion of coarse particles was 0.5%, and the water content was 3.8%.
The granular whitener O had dispersibility x and whitening property 15.8, and the dispersibility was poor, precipitation immediately occurred, and the whitening property was good.

[Comparative Example 4]
Granular whitener P was obtained in the same manner as in Example 10, except that 79% by mass of dextrin and 20% by mass of milk protein were used and the solid content was changed to 495 g. The proportion of coarse particles was 0.8%, and the water content was 4.0%.
The granular whitener P had a dispersibility Δ and a whitening property of 13.5, and the dispersibility was almost good. However, precipitation immediately occurred and the whitening property was not good.

[Comparative Example 5]
Granular whitener Q was obtained by granulating in the same manner as in Example 1 except that DX-2 was replaced with polydextrose (trade name: Lites, manufactured by Danisco Japan Co., Ltd.). The ratio of coarse particles was 1.8%, and the water content was 4.3%.
The granular whitener Q had dispersibility x and whitening property of 15.1. The dispersibility was poor, precipitation immediately occurred, and the whitening property was good.

[Comparative Example 6]
Dextrin 11.12% by mass, milk protein 50% by mass, partially pregelatinized starch 10% by mass, DX-2 6% by mass, resistant starch 20% by mass as a solid content of 485.6 g Except that, granulation was performed in the same manner as in Example 2 to obtain a granular whitener R. The ratio of coarse particles was 2.3%, and the water content was 4.4%.
Even when the granular whitener R was stirred with a spoon, a large undispersed material was not lost and the dispersibility x was not able to be evaluated.

The present invention improves the dispersibility when the granular whitener is dispersed in water or warm water, and improves the whitening properties of the input food, and therefore can be suitably used for the granular whitener.

Claims (3)

0.3 to 10% by mass of a readily dispersible microcrystalline cellulose preparation (solid content) containing 5 to 30% by mass of a protein material and containing a thickening stabilizer, 0.2 to 30% by mass of a white agent , sugar Alcohol (solid content) is contained in an amount of 0.5 to 15% by mass, and the above easily dispersible microcrystalline cellulose preparation disperses 1% by mass of the cellulose preparation in pure water using a propeller stirrer at 25 ° C. and 500 rpm for 20 minutes. An easily dispersible granular whitener having an average particle diameter measured by a laser diffraction scattering apparatus of 10 μm or less in a water dispersion liquid .   The easily dispersible granular whitener according to claim 1, wherein the thickening stabilizer is a natural additive. Furthermore, 1-30 mass% of partially pregelatinized starch (solid content) is contained, The easily dispersible granular whitener of Claim 1 or 2 characterized by the above-mentioned.