JP6513332B2 - Sweetener taste improving method, sweetener taste improving agent, and taste improving composition - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for improving the taste of sweeteners, a taste improving agent for sweeteners, and a taste improving composition.

  Sweeteners include sugars such as sugar, glucose and maltose, and natural sweeteners such as sugars such as reduced palatinose, xylitol, maltitol and erythritol; peptide based sweet substances represented by aspartame, neotame and alitame, stevia sweetness Glucoside sweetening substances represented by stevioside, sucrose derivatives represented by sucralose, synthetic sweeteners such as saccharin sodium and acesulfame K.

  In recent years, due to the rise in health consciousness, harsh sweetness is being avoided including natural sweeteners and synthetic sweeteners. In addition, food and drink using low-calorie high-sweetness sweeteners such as sucralose, aspartame, acesulfame K and stevioside are increasing. While such high-intensity sweeteners have the advantage of having low calories and several hundred times the sweetness of sucrose, on the other hand, the appearance of unnatural sweetness when contained in the mouth, and sweetness which lasts as a aftertaste It has an unpleasant off-tasting peculiar to high-sweetness sweeteners such as after-taste (so-called after-draw) and unnatural bitterness, and has a disadvantage that the quality of taste is inferior to sucrose.

  In order to address such problems, taste improvers of high-sweetness sweeteners (patent documents 1 and 2) consisting of plant extracts or essential oils, and after-sweetness taste improvers consisting of rutin and / or rutin derivatives Patent Document 3) and the like are disclosed.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2006-223104 JP 2011-30535 A JP 10-146165 A

  Glucosamine is an amino sugar in which the hydroxyl group at the 2-position of glucose is substituted with an amino group, which is present in nature as a main component of chitin of crustaceans such as shrimp and crab. N-acetylglucosamine is obtained by acetylating the amino group at the 2-position of glucosamine. These are safe and inexpensive ingredients often used for food as components of supplements aiming mainly at joint repair effects. However, the taste improving effect of at least one of glucosamine and N-acetylglucosamine has not been reported.

  The present inventors have surprisingly found that adding at least one of glucosamine and N-acetylglucosamine to a food or beverage containing a sweetener has a taste-improving effect on the sweetener, The present invention has been completed.

The present invention is as follows.
[1] A method for improving the taste of a sweetener, which comprises combining a sweetener and at least one of glucosamine and N-acetylglucosamine.
[2] The method for improving taste according to item 1, wherein at least one of glucosamine and N-acetylglucosamine is combined at a weight ratio of 1/10 to 10 with respect to the sweetener 1.
[3] The method for improving taste according to item 1, wherein the sweetener is a high sweetness degree sweetener.
[4] The method according to Item 3, wherein the high-intensity sweetener is selected from the group consisting of sucralose, aspartame, advantame, acesulfame potassium, stevia extract, lacanca extract, neotame, alitame, and saccharin sodium.
[5] A sweetener taste improver containing at least one of glucosamine and N-acetyl glucosamine.
[6] The above-mentioned sweetener is one or more high-intensity sweeteners selected from the group consisting of sucralose, aspartame, advantame, acesulfame potassium, stevia extract, lacanca extract, neotame, alitame, and saccharin sodium The taste improving agent as described in 5.
[7] A taste improving composition comprising a sweetener and at least one of glucosamine and N-acetyl glucosamine in an amount such that the taste of the sweetener is improved.
[8] The taste improving composition according to Item 7, wherein the sweetening agent in the composition is 0.00001 to 1% by weight, and at least one of glucosamine and N-acetylglucosamine is 0.001 to 0.1% by weight.
[9] The above-mentioned sweetener is one or more high-intensity sweeteners selected from the group consisting of sucralose, aspartame, advantame, acesulfame potassium, stevia extract, lacanca extract, neotame, alitame, and saccharin sodium The taste improving composition as described in 7.

  Glucosamine and / or N-acetylglucosamine used for food can be used safely and inexpensively to improve the taste of the sweetener.

  As used herein, "sweetener" includes natural sweeteners and / or synthetic sweeteners. Natural sweeteners include sugars such as sugar, glucose and maltose, sugar alcohols such as reduced palatinose, xylitol, maltitol and erythritol, and synthetic sweeteners such as aspartame, advantame, neotame and alitame Examples thereof include peptide-based sweetening substances, glucoside-type sweetening substances represented by stevioside of stevia sweetener, sucrose derivatives represented by sucralose, saccharin sodium, acesulfame K and the like. The sweetener of the present invention may be one kind or a combination of two or more kinds.

  As used herein, "high intensity sweetener" refers to natural sweeteners and / or synthetic sweeteners that have a stronger sweetness (eg, 100 times or more sweeter than sugar) than sugar. Examples of such high-intensity sweeteners include sucralose, acesulfame potassium (acesulfame K), aspartame and aspartame derivatives (such as advantame), stevia extract (such as stevioside and rebaudioside), thaumatin, glycyrrhizin, neotame , Alitame, Lakanka (Loran Hanwha) extract, saccharin sodium and the like.

  The Stevia extract used in the present invention is extracted and purified with water or an organic solvent from the leaves and stems of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni, which is a perennial plant native to South America, and is purified by stevioside and rebaudiodrome. Side A is contained as a main component of sweetness. Furthermore, the stevia extract of the present application also includes enzyme-treated stevia in which a sugar such as glucose or fructose is transferred to the above-mentioned stevia extract using α-glucosyltransferase or the like.

  The Lakanka extract used in the present invention is extracted from raw or dried fruit of the Cucurbitaceae family grown in a high temperature area in southern China with ethanol etc., and the main component of sweetness of mogroside V (five) is Is contained as

  Preferably, the high intensity sweetener is one or more high intensity sweeteners selected from the group consisting of sucralose, aspartame, advantame, acesulfame potassium, stevia extract, lacanca extract, neotame, alitame, and saccharin sodium is there.

  Glucosamine is a known amino sugar in which the hydroxyl group at the 2-position of glucose is substituted with an amino group. Glucosamine is removed by a known method, for example, by removing calcium and / or protein of crustacean shells such as shrimp and crab using aqueous hydrochloric acid solution and / or aqueous sodium hydroxide solution, and hydrolyzing the chitin thus produced with hydrochloric acid or sulfuric acid. It may be produced by a decomposition method, it may be produced from chitin / chitosan derived from squid (for example, Japanese Patent No. 5052702), or commercially available glucosamine may be used. As an example of a commercially available glucosamine, the brand name "Koyo glucosamine" (Koyo Chemical Co., Ltd.) is mentioned, for example.

  N-acetylglucosamine is a known amino sugar derivative in which the amino group at position 2 of glucosamine is acetylated. N-acetyl glucosamine may be manufactured by a well-known method, or commercially available N-acetyl glucosamine may be used. Examples of commercially available N-acetylglucosamine include, for example, trade name "N-acetylglucosamine PG" (Koyo Chemical Co., Ltd.).

  When glucosamine and N-acetyl glucosamine are used for the purpose of taste improvement of a sweetener, at least one of glucosamine and N-acetyl glucosamine may be used.

  In the method of the present invention, the above sweeteners are used alone or in combination of two or more kinds, and used as a taste improver in combination of at least one of glucosamine and N-acetylglucosamine.

  When a sweetener and at least one of glucosamine and N-acetylglucosamine are combined to prepare a composition such as a food or beverage, the amount of sweetener in the composition, and of glucosamine and N-acetylglucosamine The amount of at least one may be suitably determined in any amount that improves the taste of the sweetener. The amount of sweetener in the composition is usually 0.00001 to 30% by weight, and may be varied depending on the type of sweetener. For example, in the case of high-intensity sweeteners, usually 0.00001 to 10% by weight, preferably 0.00001 to 1, more preferably 0.0001 to 1% by weight, more preferably 0.001 to 1% by weight, still more preferably 0.01 to 0.1% by weight is there. Among high-intensity sweeteners, sucralose, aspartame, acesulfame potassium, stevia extract, lacanca extract, neotame, alitame, and saccharin sodium are usually 0.001 to 10% by weight, preferably 0.001 to 1% by weight, more preferably 0.01 The adjuvant may be generally 0.00001 to 1% by weight, preferably 0.00001 to 1% by weight, more preferably 0.0001 to 1% by weight. The amount of at least one of glucosamine and N-acetylglucosamine (total amount of both glucosamine and N-acetylglucosamine in the composition) in the composition is usually 0.001 to 1% by weight, more preferably 0.01 to 0.1% %. If the lower limit value of the amount of at least one of glucosamine and N-acetylglucosamine is less than 0.001% by weight, the effect of improving the taste can not be obtained. The upper limit is not particularly limited as long as the effect of improving the taste is obtained, but since glucosamine and N-acetylglucosamine itself have a slight sweetness, if it exceeds 1% by weight, it may affect the flavor of food and drink. Even if added beyond the above range, further improvement in taste improvement can not be expected, which is economically disadvantageous. The weight ratio of at least one of glucosamine and N-acetylglucosamine to the sweetener (glucosamine and / or N-acetylglucosamine / sweetener) is the sweetness required for the food or beverage composition to be used Although it is suitably selected according to the quality of sweetness and the sweetness rate of a sweetener, it is usually 1/100 or more and 100 or less, preferably 1/10 or more (10 parts by weight or more with respect to 100 parts by weight of sweetener) 10 or less (sweetness 1000 parts by weight or less with respect to 100 parts by weight of the coating). If it is less than 1/100 of a lower limit, the taste improvement effect of the sweetener by glucosamine and / or N-acetyl glucosamine is small. On the other hand, adding glucosamine and / or N-acetyl glucosamine beyond the upper limit of 100 is economically disadvantageous because no further improvement in taste improvement can be expected.

  Taste improvement includes the reduction of the harshness of sweeteners and the suppression of unpleasant off-tastes with high-intensity sweeteners. More specifically, it makes the appearance of horny unnatural sweetness rounder, suppresses the sweetness lasting as a aftertaste (so-called post-subtraction), and / or high sweetness such as unnatural bitter aftertaste, etc. It is possible to suppress the unpleasant offensive taste peculiar to sweeteners. Because of this, the sweetness is good, and the food and beverage tastes delicious and totally natural.

  In the method of the present invention, the sweetener and / or glucosamine and / or N-acetylglucosamine may be used in any form such as powder, granules, cubes, paste or liquid according to the purpose regardless of the use form. it can.

  The taste improving agent of the present invention contains the above-mentioned glucosamine and / or N-acetylglucosamine as an active ingredient.

  The taste improving agent of the present invention may contain, in addition to the active ingredient, various additives such as dispersants, excipients and the like according to the purpose. Dispersants and excipients include, for example, reduced palatinose, various sugars, organic acids or organic acid salts, starch, dextrin, dextran, powdered milk and the like which have no problem in food use, and those skilled in the art can be used It is properly selected by The taste improving agent of the present invention may contain a solvent or a dispersion medium, and examples thereof include water, ethanol and the like.

  The form of the taste improver of the present invention is not particularly limited, and may be any form such as powder, granules, cubes, paste, liquid and the like.

  The composition of the present invention comprises a sweetener and at least one of glucosamine and N-acetylglucosamine in an amount such that the taste of the sweetener is improved. The amount of the sweetener and / or glucosamine and / or N-acetylglucosamine in the composition and / or the ratio of glucosamine and / or N-acetylglucosamine to the sweetener are as described above. Outside this range, the same disadvantages as described above occur.

  The composition of the present invention may contain, in addition to the above-mentioned sweetener and glucosamine and / or N-acetylglucosamine, various additives depending on the purpose, such as dispersants, excipients and the like. As the dispersant and the excipient, those mentioned above can be mentioned. The composition of the present invention can also contain a solvent or a dispersion medium, such as water, ethanol and the like.

  The form of the composition of the present invention is not particularly limited, and may be in any form such as powder, granules, cubes, paste, liquid and the like. Therefore, the method of producing the composition of the present invention can also be produced by the method of production according to the application. For example, in the case of making a powdery composition, each component is powdered and uniformly mixed or powdered after being mixed. In the case of a liquid composition, each component is dissolved (or dispersed) in a solvent (or dispersion medium).

  The field to which the method, taste improver and / or composition of the present invention can be applied is not particularly limited, and can be applied in various fields to which high-intensity sweeteners can be added for the purpose of imparting sweetness. For example, in the food field, coffee, tea, cola, carbonated drinks, milk drinks, sweet sake and other beverages with various sweeteners (in any form such as powder, granules, cubes, paste, liquid, etc.); hard candy, soft Candy such as candy; Candy such as fondant, icing, jelly, mousse, chocolate, cookie, cake, ice cream, sherbet, chewing gum and the like; Use for sweet pickles, dressing, dripping and other foods etc. can be mentioned.

  When the present invention is applied to a beverage, glucosamine and / or N-acetylglucosamine is stable to heat and has a low heat quantity, so it is applied to low-calorie soft drinks such as coffee, black tea and diet cola. Particularly suitable. When the beverage is packed into containers, the raw material components are prepared according to the ordinary process of beverage manufacture and then packed into containers such as PET bottles or packed into containers such as bottles or cans, and heat sterilization is performed before and / or after packaging. You can apply

  Moreover, as fields other than food, for example, dentifrices, oral agents, oral medicines (including Chinese medicine) and the like can be mentioned.

  The method, taste improver and / or composition of the present invention can be used in various fields regardless of the amount of sweetener used, but in particular, products using a large amount of high-intensity sweeteners (especially food products) ), The taste improving effect is remarkable and the usefulness is high. Such high intensity sweeteners are one or more high intensity sweeteners selected from the group consisting of sucralose, aspartame, advantame, acesulfame potassium, stevia extract, lacanca extract, neotame, alitame, and saccharin sodium .

  The disclosures of all patent applications and / or documents cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

  EXAMPLES The present invention will be more specifically described below with reference to examples, but it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited thereto.

Example 1 Effects of adding N-acetylglucosamine or glucosamine to several kinds of sweetener solutions Solution containing N-acetylglucosamine or glucosamine in a solution containing a sweetener and a sweetener without N-acetylglucosamine or glucosamine A sensory test was performed in comparison with (control).
(Method)
A solution of each sweetener (sucralose, aspartame, acesulfame K, stevia, a mixture of acesulfame K and sucralose, and a mixture of acesulfame K and aspartame) was prepared (Table 1). ). To this, N-acetylglucosamine or glucosamine is added to a concentration of 0.01%, and 10 panelists in each solution are compared with a sweetener solution when N-acetylglucosamine or glucosamine is not added. The change in taste due to the addition of N-acetylglucosamine or glucosamine was evaluated in the following four steps: "delicious = 5 points", "somewhat delicious = 3 points", "no change = 1 point", "bad = 1 point"". The results were statistically processed by the Wilcoxon signed rank sum test.

The sources of each reagent are as follows.
Sucralose: Brand name "Sun Suite" (San-Ei Gen FFI Co., Ltd.)
Aspartame: Product name "Pal Sweet Diet G-100" (Ajinomoto Co., Ltd.)
Acesulfame K: Brand name "Sanette" (Kirin Kyowa Foods Co., Ltd.)
Stevia: Brand name "Rebaudio J-100" (Morita Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.)
N-Acetylglucosamine: Brand name "Koyo SQNAG" (Koyo Chemical Co., Ltd.)
Glucosamine: Brand name "Koyo Glucosamine PG" (Koyo Chemical Co., Ltd.)

(result)
When N-acetylglucosamine is added at a concentration of 0.01% to a single sweetener solution, sensory evaluation indicates that the evaluation of the sweetener solution is improved compared to the case where N-acetylglucosamine is not added except for single acesulfame solution. And the addition of N-acetylglucosamine to smooth the appearance of horny unnatural sweetness, add thickness to the quality of sweetness, and reduce the offensive off-tastes typical of high-sweetness sweeteners. I understand. It is an unexpected effect that the evaluation is improved when the acesulfame solution is combined with other high-intensity sweeteners such as sucralose and aspartame even if the evaluation as a single component is not improved. Furthermore, according to the Wilcoxon signed rank sum test, a taste improvement was felt significantly in the single sucralose solution. Also, although there was no significant difference, N-acetylglucosamine tended to improve the taste by rounding the quality of sweetness even in the mixed solution of acesulfame K and sucralose (Table 2).

  When glucosamine is added to a single sweetener solution at a concentration of 0.01%, sensory evaluation shows that all sweetener solutions tested have an improved evaluation of the sweetener solution compared to when no glucosamine is added, It has been found that the addition provides a natural thickness to the sweetness quality and reduces the offensive off-tastes typical of high intensity sweeteners. Furthermore, according to the Wilcoxon signed rank sum test, a taste improvement was felt significantly in the mixed solution of acesulfame K and sucralose. Although there was no significant difference, glucosamine tended to improve the taste quality by imparting thickness and natural complexity to the sweetness quality also in a single aspartame solution and a single acesulfame K solution (Table 3).

Claims (7)

A method for improving the taste of a sweetener comprising combining a sweetener with N-acetylglucosamine,
The method for improving taste according to claim 1, wherein the sweetening agent is one or more high-intensity sweeteners selected from the group consisting of sucralose, aspartame, advantame, acesulfame potassium, kalanuka extract, neotame, alitame, and saccharin sodium.   The method for improving taste according to claim 1, wherein the high sweetness degree sweetener comprises sucralose, aspartame, a combination of acesulfame potassium and sucralose, or a combination of acesulfame and aspartame.   The method for improving taste according to claim 1, wherein N-acetylglucosamine is combined at a weight ratio of 1/10 or more and 10 or less with respect to the high sweetness degree sweetener 1.   A sweetener taste improver characterized in that it comprises N-acetylglucosamine, wherein the sweetener comprises sucralose, aspartame, advantame, acesulfame potassium, Lakanka extract, neotame, alitame, and saccharin sodium A taste improver, which is one or more high-intensity sweeteners selected from the group. The taste improver according to claim 4 , wherein the high sweetness degree sweetener comprises sucralose, aspartame, a combination of acesulfame potassium and sucralose, or a combination of acesulfame and aspartame. What is claimed is: 1. A taste improving composition comprising a sweetener and N-acetylglucosamine, which composition comprises:
The above-mentioned sweetener is one or more high-intensity sweeteners selected from the group consisting of sucralose, aspartame, advantame, acesulfame potassium, kalanuka extract, neotame, alitame, and saccharin sodium,
A taste improving composition, wherein the high sweetness degree sweetener in the composition is 0.00001 to 1% by weight, and the N-acetylglucosamine is 0.001 to 0.1% by weight. The taste improving composition according to claim 6 , wherein the high sweetness degree sweetener comprises sucralose, aspartame, a combination of acesulfame potassium and sucralose, or a combination of acesulfame and aspartame.