JP6716417B2 - Jelly composition and jelly-like food - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a jelly composition and a jelly-like food containing the jelly composition.

Jelly-like food is widely used as a dessert because of its peculiar soft elasticity and smooth texture. Further, jelly-like foods are also used as adjusted foods for people who have difficulty swallowing due to weakened swallowing ability due to aging or illness. By making the food into a soft jelly, even a person whose ability to swallow is weakened can be easily swallowed.

Jelly-like foods have hitherto been prepared using substances having gel forming ability, such as agar and gelatin. These are suitable in that they do not give off-taste to the food, but since they have a high melting temperature, it was necessary to cool them after the melting step by heating and gel them when preparing the jelly-like food.

In order to save the labor of heating and cooling as described above, gelatin whose melting temperature has been lowered, and gelling agents (jelly agents) using alginate or pectin which are soluble in water at room temperature have been developed.

Further, as a jelly agent that does not require heating and cooling, a solid instant jelly mix containing sodium alginate, a neutral insoluble/slightly soluble calcium salt, and a neutral soluble calcium salt (see Patent Document 1), alginic acid and A jellified composition (see Patent Document 2) containing one or more selected from the group consisting of salts, pectin and carrageenan and a surfactant having an HLB value of 8 or less has been reported.

JP, 2009-232845, A JP, 2014-103872, A

However, gelling agents (jelly agents) that use alginate, pectin, etc., that dissolve in water at room temperature, when the powder itself is added to a liquid, may cause lumps due to poor dispersibility or cause uneven gels. There was a problem I could do.

Further, according to the conventional technique, the gel may become too hard with time, and there is a problem that stable hardness cannot be obtained. In particular, it is very important to provide patients with dysphagia with stable physical properties from the viewpoint of preventing aspiration and safely swallowing. For example, for caregivers, if the gel becomes too hard over time, it will be necessary to prepare the jellied food again, and it will take time and effort to prepare the meal, which is a disadvantage. Also in Patent Documents 1 and 2 described above, stability of gel hardness over time is not examined.

Therefore, the object of the present invention does not require heating and cooling to prepare a jelly-like food, has excellent dispersibility when dissolved in food, and can be quickly gelled after being dissolved in food. And to provide a jelly composition which does not make the gel too hard over time and does not give a problematic level of off-taste to the food, and a food containing the jelly composition.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a jelly composition of the following [1] to [4] and a jelly-like food product of the following [5] to [6].
[1] When the content of sodium alginate, calcium carbonate, citric acid and sodium hydrogencarbonate is set to 1, and the content of sodium alginate is 1, the content of calcium carbonate is 0.15 to 0.50 in mass ratio. The jelly composition, wherein the citric acid content (anhydrous basis) is 0.09 to 0.29, and the sodium hydrogen carbonate content is 0.02 to 0.33.
[2] The jelly composition according to the above [1], which contains an excipient.
[3] The jelly composition according to [2], wherein the excipient is one kind or two or more kinds selected from granulated sugar, dextrin, sugar, powdered sugar, and glucose.
[4] When the jelly composition is dissolved in water at 10° C. to form a 3% aqueous solution, the hardness of the gel at 10° C. 10 minutes after the dissolution is 500 to 2500 N/m ² , Any one of the above [1] to [3], characterized in that the hardness of the gel at 10° C. 30 minutes after the dissolution is 100 to 300% of the hardness of the gel after 10 minutes. The jelly composition according to 1.
[5] A jelly-like food containing the jelly composition according to any one of [1] to [4].
[6] 0.15-0.45 mass% sodium alginate, 0.03-0.12 mass% calcium carbonate, 0.02-0.07 mass% citric acid (anhydrous basis), and sodium hydrogen carbonate Is contained in an amount of 0.006 to 0.075% by mass, and a jelly-like food product.

According to the present invention, heating and cooling are not required for the preparation of a jelly-like food, excellent dispersibility at the time of dissolution in a food, after being dissolved in a food, the food can be quickly gelled, and with the passage of time. It is possible to provide a jelly composition that does not cause the gel to be too hard and does not give a problematic level of off-taste to the food, and a food containing the jelly composition.

[Jelly composition according to an embodiment of the present invention]
The jelly composition according to the embodiment of the present invention contains sodium alginate, calcium carbonate, citric acid and sodium hydrogencarbonate, and when the content of the sodium alginate is 1, the mass ratio of the calcium carbonate is The content is 0.15 to 0.50, the citric acid content (anhydrous basis) is 0.09 to 0.29, and the sodium hydrogen carbonate content is 0.02 to 0.33. It is a feature. The details will be described below.

[Sodium alginate]
The jelly composition according to the embodiment of the present invention contains sodium alginate. Sodium alginate is a neutral salt in which a part of the carboxyl group of alginic acid is combined with sodium ion. Alginic acid is a polysaccharide having a structure in which two types of uronic acids (mannuronic acid and guluronic acid) are randomly linearly polymerized and is abundantly contained in natural brown algae such as kelp and seaweed.

Sodium alginate can be obtained according to a known method. For example, sodium alginate can be obtained by neutralizing alginic acid obtained by extracting and purifying from brown algae and the like by a method such as hydrolysis with an acid, neutralizing with sodium hydroxide or sodium carbonate and then purifying.

The sodium alginate in the present embodiment can be used without particular limitation as long as it is used for food. For example, Kimika Algin I series and Kimika Algin High/G series manufactured by Kimika Co., Ltd. can be used. Although the molecular weight of sodium alginate is not particularly limited, it is preferable to use a sodium alginate having a viscosity of 50 to 900 mPa·s at 20° C. in a 1% by mass aqueous solution of sodium alginate, and 200 to 700 mPa·s. It is more preferable to use a certain material, and it is further preferable to use a material having a viscosity of 300 to 500 mPa·s.
The viscosity of sodium alginate is the rotor No. of a viscometer (manufactured by TOKIMEC, model number: VISCOMETER (MODEL: BM)). It is specified by measuring the viscosity at 20° C. of 1% by mass aqueous solution of alginate using 1 (rotation speed 30 rpm).

The content of sodium alginate in the jelly composition according to the embodiment of the present invention is preferably 5 to 15% by mass. The lower limit value is more preferably 5.5% by mass, further preferably 6% by mass, and most preferably 6.5% by mass. The upper limit value is more preferably 12% by mass, further preferably 10% by mass, and most preferably 8.5% by mass. When the content of sodium alginate is within the above range, gelation occurs rapidly, and a jelly having an appropriate hardness can be obtained. When it is more than 15% by mass, lumps are formed at the time of melting and it is difficult to melt.

[Calcium carbonate]
The jelly composition according to the embodiment of the present invention contains calcium carbonate. The calcium carbonate is not particularly limited as long as it is used for food.

The content of calcium carbonate (CaCO ₃ ) in the jelly composition according to the embodiment of the present invention is 0.15 to 0.50 in mass ratio when the content of sodium alginate is 1. The lower limit is preferably 0.17, more preferably 0.20, most preferably 0.23. The upper limit value is preferably 0.45, more preferably 0.35, and most preferably 0.30. When the content of calcium carbonate is within the above range, gelation occurs quickly, and a jelly having an appropriate hardness can be obtained. On the other hand, if it is larger than 0.50, lumps are formed at the time of melting and it is difficult to melt.

Further, the content of calcium carbonate (CaCO ₃ ) in the jelly composition according to the embodiment of the present invention is preferably 1 to 4% by mass, more preferably 1.5 to 3.5% by mass. Most preferably, it is 5 to 2.5% by mass.

[citric acid]
The jelly composition according to the embodiment of the present invention contains citric acid. Citric acid includes citric acid (anhydrous) and citric acid (crystal), both of which can be used and which are edible. Preference is given to using citric acid (anhydrous).

The content of citric acid (anhydrous basis) in the jelly composition according to the embodiment of the present invention is 0.09 to 0.29 in mass ratio when the content of sodium alginate is 1. The lower limit value is preferably 0.10, more preferably 0.11 and most preferably 0.12. The upper limit value is preferably 0.25, more preferably 0.20, most preferably 0.16. When the citric acid content is within the above range, gelation occurs quickly.

Moreover, the content (anhydrous basis) of citric acid in the jelly composition according to the embodiment of the present invention is preferably 0.7 to 2.2% by mass, and more preferably 0.8 to 1.7% by mass. It is preferably 0.9 to 1.3% by mass, and the most preferable.

When citric acid (anhydrous) is used, it is sufficient to weigh and mix an amount within the above numerical range. On the other hand, in the case of using citric acid (crystal), weigh the amounts within the numerical range of the value obtained by multiplying the above numerical values by {molecular weight of citric acid (crystal)/molecular weight of citric acid (anhydrous)}. By blending, the content of citric acid in the jelly composition falls within the above numerical range.

[sodium hydrogen carbonate]
The jelly composition according to the embodiment of the present invention contains sodium hydrogen carbonate. Sodium hydrogen carbonate is not particularly limited as long as it is used for food.

The content of sodium hydrogen carbonate (NaHCO ₃ ) in the jelly composition according to the embodiment of the present invention is 0.02 to 0.33 in mass ratio when the content of sodium alginate is 1. The lower limit value is preferably 0.03. The upper limit is preferably 0.20, more preferably 0.15, most preferably 0.06. When the sodium hydrogen carbonate content is within the above range, the dispersibility is improved, and lumps are less likely to occur during dissolution.

Further, the content of sodium hydrogen carbonate (NaHCO ₃ ) in the jelly composition according to the embodiment of the present invention is preferably 0.2 to 2.5% by mass, and 0.2 to 1.5% by mass. More preferably, 0.25 to 0.40 mass% is the most preferable.

[Excipient]
The jelly composition according to the embodiment of the present invention preferably contains an excipient in order to suppress the generation of lumps during dissolution and to dissolve quickly. The excipient is not particularly limited as long as it is used for food, but it is preferable to use one kind or two or more kinds selected from granulated sugar, dextrin, sugar, powdered sugar and glucose, and granulated sugar and dextrin. It is more preferable to use one or two selected from the following. From the viewpoint of suppressing the sourness derived from citric acid, it is preferable to use one or more selected from sugar, granulated sugar, and powdered sugar.

The content of the excipient in the jelly composition according to the embodiment of the present invention is preferably 2.0 to 30.0 in mass ratio when the content of sodium alginate is 1. The lower limit value is more preferably 3.0, further preferably 5.0, and most preferably 10.0. The upper limit value is more preferably 25.0, further preferably 20.0, most preferably 15.0.

The content of the excipient in the jelly composition according to the embodiment of the present invention is preferably 75 to 90% by mass, more preferably 80 to 90% by mass.

[Other ingredients]
The jelly composition according to the embodiment of the present invention may contain a coloring agent, a flavoring agent, a sweetening agent, etc. within a range that does not impair the effects of the present invention.

[Hardness of gel]
When the jelly composition according to the embodiment of the present invention is dissolved in 10° C. water to form a 3% aqueous solution, the hardness of the gel at 10° C. 10 minutes after the dissolution is 5000 to 2500 N/m. ² is preferable, 700 to 2000 N/m ² is more preferable, and 900 to 1500 N/m ² is most preferable. When the hardness of the gel after 10 minutes is in the above range, the jelly is not too hard, and the jelly is easily crushed in the oral cavity and easily swallowed.

Further, when the jelly composition according to the embodiment of the present invention is dissolved in 10° C. water to prepare a 3% aqueous solution, the hardness of the gel at 10° C. 30 minutes after the dissolution is dissolved. It is preferably 100 to 300% (that is, 1 to 3 times), and more preferably 100 to 200% (that is, 1 to 2 times) the hardness of the gel at 10° C. 10 minutes after the start. When the hardness of the gel after 30 minutes is within the above range, the change with time with respect to the hardness after 10 minutes is small, the jelly does not become too hard, and the jelly is easily crushed in the oral cavity and easily swallowed.

The hardness of the gel is a value measured by using a rheometer under the conditions of a cylindrical plunger having a diameter of 20 mm, a compression rate of 10 mm/sec, a clearance of 5 mm, and 10°C.

In addition, what melt|dissolved in the water of 10 degreeC assumes the embodiment which stores a foodstuff in a refrigerator of about 10 degreeC before and after preparation of a jelly-like foodstuff as a general use example.

[Use]
The jelly composition according to the embodiment of the present invention can be used for preparing a jelly-like food by dissolving it in a food. In particular, it can be suitably used for the preparation of jelly-like foods for people who have difficulty chewing and swallowing. The target food to which the jelly composition is added is not particularly limited, but liquid food having a pH of 4 or more and a calcium concentration of 0.015 w/v% or less is preferable, and water and tea beverages are particularly preferable. Liquids can be gelled by adding them directly.

[form]
The form of the jelly composition according to the embodiment of the present invention is not particularly limited, but it is in the form of powder or granules obtained by granulating a mixture of the powder raw materials. Is preferred.

[Production method]
The method for producing the jelly composition according to the embodiment of the present invention is not particularly limited as long as the respective raw materials are uniformly mixed. For example, it can be produced by mixing using a mixer such as a container rotary mixer, a stirring mixer, and a drum mixer. Further, granulation may be performed by a fluidized bed granulation method, a stirring granulation method, a tumbling granulation method, a coating granulation method, or the like.

[Jelly-like food according to an embodiment of the present invention]
The jelly-like food product according to the embodiment of the present invention is characterized by containing the jelly composition according to the embodiment of the present invention. As the target food to which the jelly composition is added, as described above, a liquid food having a pH of 4 or more and a calcium concentration of 0.015 w/v% or less is preferable, and water and tea beverages are particularly preferable, but not limited thereto.

Since the jelly composition according to the embodiment of the present invention does not require heating of the target food at the time of dissolution, it can be a cold food (for example, 5 to 15° C.) as well as a room temperature food or a warm food. It is possible to prepare jelly foods.

Although the content of the jelly composition in the food according to the embodiment of the present invention varies depending on the target food, for example, in the case of water or tea beverage, it is preferably 2 to 4% by mass. It is more preferably from 5 to 3.5% by mass.

0.15-0.45 mass% is preferable, as for content of the sodium alginate in the jelly-like foodstuff which concerns on embodiment of this invention, 0.17-0.40 mass% is more preferable, and 0.20-0. Most preferred is 30% by mass.

The content of calcium carbonate in the jelly-like food according to the embodiment of the present invention is preferably 0.03 to 0.12% by mass, more preferably 0.05 to 0.11% by mass, and 0.05 to 0. Most preferably, it is 0.08% by mass.

0.02-0.07 mass% is preferable, as for content of the citric acid in the jelly-like foodstuff which concerns on embodiment of this invention, 0.02-0.05 mass% is more preferable, 0.03-0. Most preferably, it is 0.04% by mass.

0.006 to 0.075 mass% is preferable, as for content of the sodium hydrogencarbonate in the jelly-like foodstuff which concerns on embodiment of this invention, 0.007 to 0.05 mass% is more preferable, and 0.008 to. 0.02 mass% is more preferable, and 0.008 to 0.013 mass% is the most preferable.

The content of the excipient in the jelly-like food according to the embodiment of the present invention is preferably 2.2 to 2.7 mass%, more preferably 2.4 to 2.7 mass%.

Next, the present invention will be described with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited to these examples.

[Production of jelly composition]
The jelly composition of each of Examples and Comparative Examples was produced by the following procedure according to the formulation shown in the table by the fluidized bed granulation method.

After weighing each raw material, all the raw materials were put into a fluidized bed granulation coating apparatus (trade name: SFC-5, manufactured by Freund Sangyo Co., Ltd.), and hot air heated to 90° C. was blown from the bottom of the apparatus. The powder raw materials were fluidized and mixed. Subsequently, a binder liquid (water) is sprayed from a spray nozzle on the upper part of the apparatus at a flow rate of 62 mL/min and an air pressure of 0.5 MPa onto the powder raw material to granulate and dry the granulated product (jelly composition). Got All the blended raw materials used were commercial products. The sodium alginate used had a viscosity of 352 mPa·s at 20° C. when made into a 1% by mass aqueous solution. Calcium carbonate was calcium carbonate (anhydrous), citric acid was citric acid (anhydrous), calcium phosphate was tricalcium phosphate, and calcium lactate was calcium lactate pentahydrate.

[Evaluation of dispersibility and measurement of hardness]
A 200 mL glass beaker was charged with 97 g of 10° C. water (trade name: Minami Alps natural water, manufactured by Suntory Ltd.) and a 3 cm stir bar, and the granulated product (jelly agent) produced while stirring with a stirrer (700 rpm). 3 g of the composition) was gently added and dissolved by stirring for 1 minute. The state of the jelly composition during stirring was visually confirmed, and the dispersibility was evaluated according to the following criteria. The evaluation results are shown in the table.
⊚: Dispersed in the whole water, and no lumps occurred
◯: Dispersed in the whole water, but some lumps were generated and disappeared at the end of stirring.
X: It is difficult to disperse, and many lumps occur.

The solution of the jelly composition obtained above was filled into a container having a diameter of 40 mm and a height of 15 mm up to a height of 15 mm, and allowed to stand at 10° C. for 10 minutes, and then, a rheometer (RE-33005 RHEONER, ( (Made by Yamaden). The measurement was performed using a resin cylindrical plunger having a diameter of 20 mm under the conditions of a compression speed of 10 mm/sec and a clearance of 5 mm. After dissolution of the jelly composition, the hardness of the gel after standing at 10° C. for 30 minutes was also measured in the same manner as above. The hardness of the gel at 10° C. 10 minutes after the dissolution is 500 to 2500 N/m ² , and the hardness of the gel at 10° C. 30 minutes after the dissolution is the hardness of the gel 10 minutes after the dissolution. Those having 100 to 300% of the height were evaluated as pass (⊚ or ○ in the following evaluation criteria). The measurement and evaluation results are shown in the table.
◎: 500~2500N / ^{m 2} and less than 100% or more 200% ○: 500~2500N / ^{m 2} and, 200% or more than 300% ×: 500 N / ^{m 2} or less than 2500N / ^{m 2} greater than, and / Alternatively, less than 100% or more than 300% (the former in each of the above evaluation criteria: the hardness of the gel at 10°C after 10 minutes, the latter in the above respective evaluation criteria: (the hardness of the gel at 10°C after 30 minutes). /10 degree gel hardness at 10° C.)×100)

[Sensory test]
After measuring the hardness after 30 minutes, the flavor was confirmed. The flavor was evaluated by the consensus of three professional panelists on the following three levels. The evaluation results are shown in the table.
⊚: No sourness is felt, and no other off-taste is felt.
○: Slightly sour (no problematic level) is felt, but no other off-taste is felt.
X: A strong sourness is felt.

In each of Examples 1 to 7, water can be quickly gelled after dissolution, and as shown in Tables 1 and 2, even after 30 minutes of dissolution, the hardness of the gel after 10 minutes of dissolution It was in the range of 100 to 300%, and the gel was not made too hard over time. Further, in Examples 2 to 5, when the jelly composition was dissolved in water at 10° C., it was immediately dispersed and dissolved in the whole liquid, and no lump was generated. In Examples 1, 6, and 7, when the jelly composition was dissolved in water at 10° C., it immediately dispersed and dissolved in the whole liquid, but some lumps were generated and the lumps disappeared at the end of stirring. Regarding the flavor, all the examples were good without feeling any off taste such as acidity.

On the other hand, Comparative Example 1 does not contain sodium hydrogen carbonate, and Comparative Example 2 contains less sodium hydrogen carbonate than the specified range, so that it was difficult to disperse upon dissolution, and many lumps were generated. In Comparative Example 3, since the content of sodium hydrogen carbonate was more than the specified range, sufficient gel hardness could not be obtained even after 10 minutes, and rapid gelation could not be achieved.
Moreover, in Comparative Example 4, the content of calcium carbonate was less than the specified range, and therefore gelation did not occur. In Comparative Example 5, since the content of calcium carbonate was more than the specified range, gelation was too fast and it was difficult to disperse upon dissolution, and the hardness of the gel after 10 minutes exceeded 2500 N/m ² and after 30 minutes The hardness of the gel in Example 2 was too hard.
Further, in Comparative Example 6, the content of citric acid was less than the specified range, so gelation did not occur. Comparative Example 7 did not gel because the content of citric acid was more than the specified range.
Further, in Comparative Example 8, since sodium hydrogen carbonate was not contained, it was difficult to disperse upon dissolution, and many lumps were generated. Since Comparative Example 9 does not contain sodium hydrogen carbonate but contains calcium phosphate instead of calcium carbonate, it is difficult to disperse upon dissolution, and many lumps are generated. Comparative Example 10 did not gel because it did not contain sodium hydrogen carbonate and contained calcium lactate instead of calcium carbonate.

[Evaluation with tea beverages]
While stirring 97 g of a commercially available tea beverage (trade name: Oi Ocha Houjicha Itoen Co., Ltd.) at 10° C. with a spatula, 3 g of the granulated product (jelly composition) of Example 2 was added, and immediately in the liquid. It was dispersed and dissolved throughout, and no lumps were generated. Further, the hardness of the gel after standing for 10 minutes at 10° C. was measured with a rheometer by the same method as in the above “Measurement of hardness”, and it was 816 N/m ² . The hardness after standing still at 10° C. for 30 minutes was 1489 N/m ² (182% of gel strength after 10 minutes). After measuring the hardness after 30 minutes, when the jelly of the tea beverage was eaten, the taste was good without feeling sourness, it had an appropriate hardness, and it was a physical property that was easy to crush with a tongue and easy to swallow. ..

Claims (4)

Contains sodium alginate, calcium carbonate, citric acid and sodium hydrogen carbonate,
When the content of the sodium alginate is 1, the content of the calcium carbonate is 0.15 to 0.50, and the content of the citric acid (anhydrous basis) is 0.09 to 0.29 in a mass ratio. And the content of the said sodium hydrogencarbonate is 0.02-0.33, The jelly composition. The jelly composition according to claim 1, further comprising an excipient. The jelly composition according to claim 2, wherein the excipient is one or more selected from granulated sugar, dextrin, sugar, powdered sugar, and glucose. When the jelly composition was dissolved in 10° C. water to prepare a 3% aqueous solution, the hardness of the gel at 10° C. after 10 minutes from dissolution was 500 to 2500 N/m 2, and after dissolution The gel hardness at 10°C after 30 minutes is 100 to 300% of the hardness of the gel after 10 minutes, and the jelly composition according to any one of claims 1 to 3. ..