JP7104049B2 - Method for producing plant-containing composition - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a production method for easily producing a plant-containing composition having excellent stability.

In recent years, focusing on the flavor and functional components of plants, the addition of plant-derived substances to various foods has become widespread. For example, matcha is preferred for its unique scent called Kabuse scent and scented scent, and for its abundance of amino acids, and its bright green color is also widely preferred. In addition, green tea is in demand as a natural material that ingests not only unique flavors and colors but also functional ingredients such as catechin contained in leaves, and as a raw material for foods that have both palatability and functionality. It is used in the production of various foods such as confectionery and bread.

However, when the plant is added to the food as it is, the flavor of the plant is not sufficiently felt, and the intake of the functional ingredient is inefficient. Therefore, plant pieces are crushed and added to foods, and a technique of mixing with fats and oils and crushing them in order to suppress deterioration of crushed plant products is known.

For example, in Patent Document 1, it is proposed to pulverize tea leaves after bleaching in the presence of fats and oils in a liquid state, and in Patent Document 2, natural products having a predetermined particle size or less are ultrafine in an organic medium. It has been proposed to grind using a grinder.
According to the invention disclosed in Patent Document 1, the green color of tea leaves can be maintained by crushing the tea leaves after sterilization in the presence of fats and oils, but the water content of the tea leaves used for crushing is as high as 5 to 70%. Therefore, the obtained tea-containing composition may contain a large amount of water, and the tea may be deteriorated due to the influence of water contained in the tea-containing composition, and the quality may be significantly deteriorated. In addition, since the water content of the tea leaves was high, they could not be sufficiently crushed, and there was a possibility that large tea leaves would separate during storage.
On the other hand, according to the invention disclosed in Patent Document 2, these problems are solved by using dried tea leaves, but the step of adjusting the maximum particle size of the plant to 5000 μm or less in order to pulverize to the required particle size. Must be provided separately, resulting in poor manufacturing efficiency.

Further, as an invention in which the powder itself obtained by crushing a plant is processed, the oil-soluble tea paste of Patent Document 3 and the powdered tea coated with the oil and fat of Patent Document 4 are disclosed. However, plant powder, which has a large surface area per single volume, deteriorates with frictional heat generated during crushing, contact with air, and with the passage of storage time after crushing, and its color and flavor have already diminished when used. There was a problem with stability such as.

JP-A-2017-123790 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-144949 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-107 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2011-50364

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a method for easily producing a plant-containing composition having excellent stability.

As a result of diligent research to solve the above problems, the present inventors can efficiently crush the dried plant pieces by crushing the dried plant pieces in the presence of a liquid medium and an auxiliary agent, and have excellent stability. It has been found that a plant-containing composition can be produced.

That is, the present invention has the following configuration.
(1) A method for producing a plant-containing composition, which comprises a step of mixing a dried plant piece and a liquid medium and pulverizing the dried plant piece in the presence of the liquid medium and an auxiliary agent.
(2) The method for producing a plant-containing composition according to (1), wherein the dried plant piece has a water content of 10.0% by mass or less.
(3) The method for producing a plant-containing composition according to (1) or (2), wherein the liquid medium is a food oil / fat component.
(4) The method for producing a plant-containing composition according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the auxiliary agent is a solid in the presence of the liquid medium.
(5) The method for producing a plant-containing composition according to any one of (1) to (4), wherein the Mohs hardness of the auxiliary agent is 1.5 to 7.
(6) The method for producing a plant-containing composition according to any one of (1) to (5), wherein the auxiliary agent is sugar.
(7) The method for producing a plant-containing composition according to any one of (1) to (6), wherein the dried plant piece is tea dried after bleaching.
(8) The dried plant piece and the liquid medium so as to be 0.5 to 25% by mass of the dried plant piece, 30 to 99.4% by mass of the liquid medium, and 0.1 to 65% by mass of the auxiliary agent. The method for producing a plant-containing composition according to any one of (1) to (7), which comprises mixing and using the auxiliary agent.
(9) A plant-containing composition-containing food containing the plant-containing composition produced by any of the methods (1) to (8).
(10) A method for crushing a dried plant piece, which comprises mixing the dried plant piece with a liquid medium and crushing the dried plant piece in the presence of the liquid medium and an auxiliary agent.

By providing the above configuration, the present invention makes it possible to provide a method for easily producing a plant-containing composition having excellent stability.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described, but the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.

(Dried plant pieces)
In the present embodiment, the plant refers to a plant tissue and a plant body having eating experience, and the edible part thereof is not particularly limited, and leaves, peduncles, stems, roots, flowers, and fruits (including fruit vegetables). , Seeds, seeds, beans, potatoes, mushrooms, algae, spices, medicinal plants and the like. The target plant species include vegetables such as carrots, beef seeds, onions, long onions, tomatoes, and spinach, fruits such as apples, pineapples, peaches, mangoes, strawberries, melons, oysters, and apricots, grains, and potatoes. It refers to all plants that are familiar as dried plants such as starches, beans, seeds and seeds, mushrooms, and algae. Specific plant names include seriaceous plants (parsley, celery, seri, honeybee, ceruleac, carrot, kinsai, ashitaba, etc.) and abrana family plants (cabbage, daikon, hakusai, broccoli, caracina, cauliflower, takana, kyouna, creson). , Komatsuna, Taisai, Chingensai, Cub, Wasabi, Nabana, etc.), Kiku family plants (Artichoke, Shungiku, Lettuce, Fuki, Yomena, Yomogi, Gobo, etc.) Garlic, lily, raccoon, etc.), Ukogi (Udo, Taranoki, etc.), Shinanoki (Moroheiya, etc.), Mikan (Sansho, Citrus, etc.), Rice (barley, Takenoko, Hatomugi, etc.), Tsuruna Family plants (Tsuruna, etc.), Akaza family plants (Horensou, Beet, etc.), Myoga family plants (Myoga, etc.), Perilla family plants (Shiso, etc.) Family plants (Okura, etc.), Uridae plants (cucumbers, pumpkins, watermelons, melons, other uris, etc.), pepper family plants (kosho, etc.), camellia plants (cha), rose family plants (strawberry, apple, etc.), Bean family plants (soybeans, green beans, pea, etc.), Akane family plants (coffee, etc.), water lily family plants (renkon, etc.), ginger family plants (ginger, etc.) and the like.

In the present embodiment, the dried plant piece may be a dried plant, may be a dried plant as it is, or may be shaped by cutting after drying from the viewpoint of storage, transportation, etc. It may be. However, from the viewpoint of retaining flavor, color and functional components, D50 is preferably 3 mm or more, more preferably 5 mm or more, and particularly preferably not pulverized.
The above-mentioned plant drying method may be any general treatment for reducing the water content in the plant, for example, hot air drying, freeze drying, microwave drying, infrared drying, vacuum drying, vacuum swelling drying, vacuum drying, vacuum freezing. Various drying methods such as drying can be mentioned, and these may be combined. In any of the drying methods, it is preferable to set the drying conditions so that dried plant pieces having a water content of 0.1% by mass to 10.0% by mass can be obtained, and further, the water content is 0.4% by mass or more. It is preferably 7.0% by mass, and particularly preferably the water content is 1.0% by mass to 5.0% by mass. By setting the moisture content in this range, the water content present in the plant-containing composition can be minimized even when dried plant pieces are used to the extent that plant-derived flavors and functional components can be added. Even when the plant-containing composition is stored for a long period of time, water separation and deterioration of the plant-containing composition can be suppressed.
Further, by setting the water content of the plant piece in this range, the plant piece can be easily crushed without pre-grinding, and the particle size of the crushed plant can be reduced.

(tea)
In the present embodiment, tea refers to tea (scientific name: Camellia sinensis), which is a perennial evergreen tree of Theaceae, tea leaves (having a plurality of leaves and cores) plucked from tea, or processed products thereof, particularly green tea leaves. To say. Dried tea leaves are tea leaves that are dried without undergoing a kneading step after a step of inactivating enzymes (blue killing step) by steaming or roasting the picked fresh leaves, and rough tea that has undergone a kneading step after the blue killing step. Further, it may be in any form of so-called tea making that has undergone a burning step.
It is also a concept that includes fermented tea and non-fermented tea that are fermented or wilted before sterilization, if necessary.
When tea is used as the dried plant piece, it is preferable to use tea that has been dried after bleaching.
Depending on the taste required for food, these dried tea leaves can be used alone or in combination of two or more.
From the viewpoint of compatibility between the liquid medium and the dried tea leaves, the looseness density of the dried tea leaves is preferably 100 ml / 100 g to 1200 ml / 100 g, more preferably 150 ml / 100 g to 1100 ml / 100 g, and 200 ml / 100 g to 1000 ml / 100 g is more preferable. The looseness density in the present specification can be calculated and / or measured by a method known to those skilled in the art. For example, 100 g of dried tea leaves are accurately taken and naturally dropped into a 2000 mL graduated cylinder to increase the volume. Can be measured and calculated. The looseness density can be adjusted by the type of raw material, the cutting method, and the ratio of the contained portion. However, the method is not limited to this method.

(Liquid medium)
In the present embodiment, the liquid medium is intended to enhance the stability of the plant-containing composition, and it is sufficient that the dried plant pieces can be crushed and the increase in the atmospheric temperature due to the heat generated during the crushing can be suppressed. The liquid medium preferably has a water content of 10.0% by mass or less, more preferably 0.1% by mass to 5.0% by mass, and particularly preferably does not contain water. By adjusting to this range, it is possible to suppress the deterioration of the crushed plant product due to the influence of water and enhance the stability of the plant-containing composition. Further, the liquid medium is preferably liquid at at least 85 ° C., more preferably 70 ° C. or lower, and particularly preferably 55 ° C. or lower. By using such a liquid medium, it is possible to prevent the flavor and color of the dried plant pieces from being reduced due to the heat during pulverization.

(Food oil and fat component)
In the present embodiment, the liquid medium is preferably a food oil / fat component. In the present embodiment, the food oil / fat component is not particularly limited as long as it can be used as a raw material for food products containing lipids, and specifically, shortening, salad oil, soybean oil, rapeseed oil, corn oil, sesame oil, and cotton seed oil. , Saflower oil, sunflower oil, fallen raw oil, rice germ oil, wheat germ oil, brown rice germ oil, honeybee oil, garlic oil, camellia oil, palm oil, olive oil, jojoba oil, macadamian nut oil, avocado oil, castor oil, Examples include solid or liquid edible oils and fats such as flaxseed oil, shiso oil, eucalyptus oil, coconut oil, cacao butter, pork fat, beef oil, horse oil, fish oil and egg oil, and vegetable oils and fats are preferable, and cacao butter is particularly preferable. It is preferably salad oil or corn oil. Further, it can be used alone or in combination of two or more kinds by appropriately selecting from such ones, and those in a solid state at room temperature can be used after being warmed to a liquid state.
Dried plant pieces and crushed plant products are in a state where oxidation is remarkably promoted by absorbing water, and deterioration of flavor, color and functional components is likely to occur. Therefore, food oil and fat components preferably have a low water content. Further, from the viewpoint of improving the stability during storage, a high lipid content is preferable and a low water content is preferable in order to cover the entire plant-containing composition with an oil-and-fat film that prevents the infiltration of water. More specifically, foods form a fat film before other substances are absorbed or act on the crushed plant, effectively suppressing deterioration of flavor, color and functional components and increasing stability. The lipid content in the fat and oil component is preferably 80% by mass or more, more preferably 90% by mass or more, and further preferably 95% by mass or more. In addition, the water content in food fats and oils is determined from the viewpoint of preventing water absorption, ease of mixing with other raw materials containing a large amount of lipids, and the influence of water on the stability of the final product such as appearance and taste. It is preferably 10.0% by mass or less, more preferably 5.0% by mass or less, and further preferably substantially free of water.

(Auxiliary agent)
In the present embodiment, the auxiliary agent is only required to be able to crush the dried plant pieces by diffusing into the liquid medium together with the dried plant pieces at the time of crushing and acting on the dried plant pieces. The auxiliary agent is preferably one that can be used as it is for food, preferably one that can give frictional force and shearing force to dried plant pieces at the time of crushing, and specifically, sugar, cellulose, dextrin, and carbonic acid. Examples include sodium hydrogen hydrogen (baking soda), myoban, sodium chloride, citric acid and ascorbic acid or salts that are acceptable as foods thereof, and plant materials that are somewhat hard such as coffee beans and cacao beans, and may be sugar in particular. preferable. Further, it can be used alone or in combination of two or more kinds by appropriately selecting from such ones.
Further, in order to effectively crush the dried plant pieces, the Mohs hardness of the auxiliary agent is preferably 1.5 to 7, more preferably 1.8 to 6, and particularly 2 to 4.5. It is preferable to have. Within this range, the auxiliary agent is also crushed while effectively crushing the dried plant pieces, so that large particles derived from the dried plant pieces and the auxiliary agent are less likely to remain in the plant-containing composition. As a result, large particles derived from dried plant pieces and auxiliaries are less likely to precipitate during storage, and a rough texture can be less likely to be felt when ingested, so that a smooth texture can be obtained. The average particle size of the auxiliary agent is preferably 0.1 mm to 10.0 mm, more preferably 0.15 mm to 5.0 mm, and particularly preferably 0.2 mm to 3.5 mm. By adjusting the average particle size of the auxiliary agent within this range, it effectively acts on the dried plant pieces to improve the pulverization efficiency, and it becomes difficult for large particles derived from the auxiliary agent to remain.

In the present embodiment, the auxiliary agent is not particularly limited as long as it is solid in the presence of a liquid medium during pulverization and at an atmospheric temperature, but it is preferable to use sugar, and specifically, sucrose (sucrose) is mainly used. In addition to granulated sugar, white sugar, sanon tou, and brown sugar, glucose, fructose, lactose, malt sugar, and the like can be mentioned. Among them, it is desirable to use sugar mainly composed of sucrose, and it is particularly preferable to use granulated sugar. When refined sugar is used, the sugar has a crystal structure, which enables efficient pulverization. It is also possible to blend these sugars alone or in combination of two or more.

(Plant-containing composition)
In the present embodiment, the plant-containing composition is obtained by mixing a dried plant piece and a liquid medium and pulverizing the dried plant piece in the presence of the liquid medium and an auxiliary agent. Such a plant-containing composition has a composition ratio of 0.5% by mass to 25% by mass of dried plant pieces, 30% by mass to 99.4% by mass of a liquid medium such as a food oil / fat component, and 0.1% by mass to 65% by mass of an auxiliary agent. It is preferable to adjust the ratio to% and grind the dried plant pieces in the presence of an auxiliary agent. The timing of addition of the auxiliary agent can be appropriately adjusted as long as the dried plant piece can be crushed in the presence of the auxiliary agent. For example, the auxiliary agent may be added to the dried plant piece before the liquid medium is added to the dried plant piece, or dried. The plant pieces may be added after being added to the liquid medium, or the dried plant pieces may be added after being mixed with the food oil / fat component.

If the composition ratio of the liquid medium is less than 30% by mass, the liquid medium does not spread over the entire dried plant piece, and deterioration is likely to occur during the subsequent manufacturing process or storage in the final product. Furthermore, when most of the liquid medium is absorbed by the dried plant pieces, or when the dried plant pieces are soggy, the dried plant pieces are entangled with each other, and it is difficult to adjust the crushed plant to a predetermined particle size. May become. On the other hand, when the composition ratio of the liquid medium exceeds 99.4% by mass, the pulverization treatment is easy and smooth, but the color and flavor derived from the dried plant pieces may be weakened. Therefore, the composition ratio of the liquid medium is preferably 30% by mass to 99.4% by mass, more preferably 32% by mass to 98.5% by mass, and particularly 35% by mass to 97.5% by mass. It is preferable to have.
Further, if the composition ratio of the dried plant pieces is less than 0.5% by mass, the color and flavor derived from the dried plant pieces may be weakened, and if the composition ratio of the dried plant pieces exceeds 25% by mass, the dried plants In addition to the possibility that the pieces cannot be sufficiently crushed, the liquid medium may not spread throughout the dried plant pieces, and deterioration may easily occur during storage. Therefore, the composition ratio of the dried plant pieces is preferably 0.5% by mass to 25% by mass, more preferably 1% by mass to 20% by mass, and particularly 1.5% by mass to 15% by mass. Is preferable.

Further, if the composition ratio of the auxiliary agent is less than 0.1% by mass, the chance that the auxiliary agent acts on the dried plant pieces at the time of crushing is reduced, and the dried plant pieces may not be sufficiently crushed. Therefore, the composition ratio of the auxiliary agent is preferably at least 0.1% by mass to 65% by mass, more preferably 0.5% by mass to 55% by mass, and particularly preferably 1% by mass to 50% by mass. It is preferable to have. By setting the composition ratio of the auxiliary agent in this range, dried plant pieces can be efficiently crushed, and a product having a well-balanced taste can be produced.
The proportions of the dried plant pieces, the liquid medium, and the auxiliary agent can be appropriately adjusted according to the processed food to which the plant-containing composition is added and the purpose of addition.

(Crushing)
In the present embodiment, a general wet pulverization method may be used for pulverization, and a bead mill, a ball mill, a roll mill, a refiner, or the like can be used, but a roll mill is particularly preferable. Unlike a bead mill or the like, a roll mill does not have a crushing medium (beads, balls, etc.) that applies a shearing force or a frictional force to a dried plant piece, so that the crushing efficiency of the dried plant piece can be further improved by adding an auxiliary agent.
Further, in the present embodiment, the atmospheric temperature of pulverization is preferably 20 ° C. to 90 ° C., more preferably 30 ° C. to 70 ° C., and particularly preferably 30 ° C. to 55 ° C. By crushing at such an atmospheric temperature, it is possible to prevent the flavor and color of the plant pieces from being reduced due to the heat during crushing.

From the viewpoint of stability and texture, the average particle size of the crushed dried plant pieces, which is a crushed plant product, is preferably 1 μm to 420 μm, more preferably 5 μm to 177 μm, and 10 μm to 10 μm. 50 μm is more preferable. If it is less than 1 μm, it is preferable in terms of the flavor and color of the dried plant pieces, but since it is fine, special equipment and a long crushing time are required for the crushing process. If it is 50 μm or more, it can be crushed without using special equipment. Further, if it is within the range of 10 μm to 50 μm, a particularly smooth tactile sensation can be obtained. The average particle size can be adjusted according to the method used for crushing, the length of crushing time, the type and size of the dried plant pieces used, and the like.

(Other ingredients)
The plant-containing composition according to the present embodiment does not exclude the addition of various additives and the like according to the taste of the consumer and the like. In particular, it does not exclude the addition of components that can normally be contained in food and drink, such as seasonings, coloring agents, thickeners, emulsifiers, stabilizers, and the like. Further, it is not excluded that powdered milk, powdered sugar, wheat flour, starch and the like are appropriately added according to the processed food using the plant-containing composition as a raw material, and pulverization is performed in the presence of the powdered milk, powdered sugar, wheat flour, starch and the like.

Further, components other than the above can be added as long as they do not interfere with the effects of the present embodiment. For example, acidulants such as citric acid, malic acid, tartaric acid, lactic acid, and gluconic acid; antioxidants; pH adjusters such as sodium hydrogen carbonate (baking soda); emulsifiers such as glycerin fatty acid ester, sucrose fatty acid ester, and lecithin, calcium. It may contain a strengthening agent such as a salt, a magnesium salt, niacin, and pantocitric acid.

(Foods containing plant-containing compositions)
In the present embodiment, the plant-containing composition-containing food is not particularly limited as long as it is a food containing the plant-containing composition obtained as described above, but cookies, biscuits, cakes, pies, breads, and ice creams. , Whip cream, chocolate and the like containing oil and fat components are particularly preferable embodiments. The form of the plant-containing composition in food is not particularly limited, such as kneading into the dough during the manufacturing process, coating on the product, and use as a filling. Further, the raw materials other than the plant-containing composition are not particularly limited as long as they are generally used for food and drink. Further, the inclusion includes the meaning that the plant-containing composition itself can be a plant-containing composition-containing food.

In the present embodiment, chocolate is a particularly preferable aspect of the above-mentioned plant-containing composition-containing food, and among them, white chocolate in which the color of tea leaves is directly reflected in the final product is most preferable. In order to adopt chocolate as the plant-containing composition-containing food of the present embodiment, for example, cocoa butter may be used as the liquid medium.
For chocolate and quasi-chocolate, the cocoa content and water content are defined in the "Fair Competition Code for Labeling Chocolates", and edible oil containing tea paste and tea leaf components that are widely available on the market is added to chocolate. When the type is finished into chocolate and semi-chocolate standard products, not only the amount of edible oil containing tea paste and tea leaf components is limited, but also the amount of tea leaves is limited. However, since the present invention can produce tea leaf-containing chocolate without adding raw materials such as additives other than tea leaves, it is possible to produce tea leaves with an unprecedentedly high content of tea leaves, and additives. There is an advantage that it is not necessary to consider the influence on the flavor given by. Furthermore, in the chocolate manufacturing process, tea leaf-containing chocolate can be manufactured simply by adding dried tea leaves impregnated with cocoa butter to equipment that is responsible for grinding and atomizing raw materials such as grinders and refiners. Simple and efficient manufacturing can be realized without using equipment.

(Explanation of words)
When expressed as "X to Y" (X, Y are arbitrary numbers) in the present specification, unless otherwise specified, it means "X or more and Y or less" and "preferably larger than X" or "preferably Y". It also includes the meaning of "smaller".
Further, when expressed as "X or more" (X is an arbitrary number) or "Y or less" (Y is an arbitrary number), it means "preferably larger than X" or "preferably less than Y". Intention is also included.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited to the following examples.

<Example 1>
As shown in Table 1, a sample was prepared by the following method.
(Example sample 1)
As a raw material, green tea from Kagoshima prefecture (2017, Ichibancha Sencha) was used. This green tea was sieved with a 3.5 mesh (opening 5660 μm) sieve, and the dried tea leaves remaining on the sieve were used. The moisture content of the dried tea leaves remaining on the sieve was 2.4% by mass, and the looseness density was 340 ml / 100 g. The water content was measured on a wet basis using an infrared moisture meter (manufactured by Ketsuto Scientific Research Institute, Inc., product name: FD-620). As for the loose bulk density, 100 g of the dried tea leaves remaining on the sieve was accurately taken, dropped naturally into a 2000 mL graduated cylinder, and the volume was measured to calculate the loose bulk density. The same applies hereinafter.
To 28.0 g of this dried tea leaf, 602.0 g of cocoa butter (manufactured by Daito Cacao Co., Ltd.) liquefied by heating to 40 ° C. is added, and further 70.0 g of granulated sugar (manufactured by Fuji Nihon Seito Corporation) is added. did. Then, it was pulverized with a blender (DBL247-WH, manufactured by Delonghi Japan Co., Ltd.) for 15 minutes and filtered through a 20-mesh sieve to obtain a sample.

(Example sample 2)
A sample was obtained by treating the cocoa butter of Example Sample 1 in the same manner as in Example Sample 1 except that the cocoa butter was changed to cooking oil (manufactured by Nisshin Oillio Group Co., Ltd.).

(Comparative Example Sample 1)
A sample was obtained by treating in the same manner as in Example sample 1 except that the granulated sugar of Example sample 1 was not added and the amount of cocoa butter was increased by the corresponding amount.

(Comparative Example Sample 2)
A sample was obtained by treating the cocoa butter of Comparative Example Sample 1 in the same manner as in Comparative Example Sample 1 except that the cocoa butter was changed to cooking oil (manufactured by Nisshin Oillio Group Co., Ltd.).

(Comparative Example Sample 3)
Comparative Example Instead of the dried tea leaves of Sample 1, the dried tea leaves were crushed with a blender (DBL247-WH, manufactured by Delonghi Japan Co., Ltd.) at room temperature for 5 minutes, sieved with a 20-mesh (opening 850 μm) sieve, and sieved. The passed powdered green tea was used. A sample was obtained by treating in the same manner as in Comparative Example Sample 1 except that the dried tea leaves were changed to powdered green tea.

(Comparative Example Sample 4)
Instead of the dried tea leaves of Example Sample 2, the tea leaves produced in Shizuoka Prefecture (2017, Ichibancha) during the tea-making process, specifically after the middle kneading, were used. The water content of the tea leaves was 25.3% by mass. A sample was obtained by treating in the same manner as in Example Sample 2 except that the dried tea leaves were changed to tea leaves after medium kneading.

(Crushing efficiency)
The residue remaining on the sieve by filtration using a 60 mesh (opening 250 μm) sieve is washed with boiling water to remove granulated sugar, then washed with hexane to remove edible oils and fats, and the obtained tea leaves are dried. The mass was measured. As a result, the mass of the crushed plant in the sample that passed the 60-mesh sieve was calculated and obtained. Comparative Example sample 3 in which tea leaves were crushed in advance was not evaluated.

(Stability)
Example sample 2, Comparative Example sample 2, and Comparative Example sample 4 prepared using cooking oil were stored at 20 ° C. for 1 month, and their states were visually and functionally confirmed.

(Active ingredient)
The contents of tannins and catechins were measured in Example Sample 1 and Comparative Example Sample 1. Here, the catechins include catechin (C), galocatechin (GC), catechin gallate (Cg), galocatechin gallate (GCg), epicatechin (EC), epigallocatechin (EGC), epicatechin gallate (ECg) and Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCg) means a total of 8 types, and the content of catechins means the total value of the concentrations of 8 types of catechins.
Specifically, the following method was adopted. First, the obtained sample was heated to 50 ° C. and held for 10 minutes. Then, Example sample 1 and pure water were mixed at a volume ratio of 1: 1 and shaken at level 10 for 3 minutes using a shaker (manufactured by SCIENTIFIC INDUSTRIES, INC.). Then, the aqueous layer was separated at 1500 rpm using a centrifuge (manufactured by Tommy Kogyo Co., Ltd.), the tannin contained in the aqueous layer was measured by the tartrate acid method, and the total amount of catechins was measured by HPLC. Comparative Example sample 1 and Comparative Example sample 3 were also prepared and measured in the same manner.

The content of catechins (total of 8 types of catechins) was quantified and measured by a calibration curve method by operating high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) using an Alliance system (manufactured by Waters Corp.) under the following conditions.
Column: wakosil 3C18HG φ3.0 × 100mm (manufactured by Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd.)
Column temperature: 35 ° C
Mobile phase: Phase A 5% acetonitrile (containing 0.1% phosphoric acid)
: Phase B 50% acetonitrile (containing 0.1% phosphoric acid)
Flow velocity: 0.43 mL / min
Injection volume: 5 μL
Detector: Waters 2475 Multi-wavelength fluorescence detector Detection wavelength: UV272nm
Gradient Program:
[Analysis start-4.67 minutes (A phase: B phase = 96: 4)] →
[16.67 minutes (A phase: B phase = 83:17)] →
[20.67 minutes to 25.37 minutes (A phase: B phase = 72:28)] →
[25.47 minutes to 28.29 minutes (Phase A: Phase B = 10:90 Flow velocity 0.60 mL / min)] →
[28.39 minutes to 32.06 minutes (Phase A: Phase B = 96: 4 Flow velocity 0.60 mL / min)] →
[32.14 minutes to 33.69 minutes (Phase A: Phase B = 96: 4)]

(Color evaluation)
The hue angle was determined by measuring L *, a *, and b * using a spectroscopic color difference meter (SE6000 manufactured by Nippon Denshoku Kogyo Co., Ltd.). As for the hue angle, it is known that bright green is around 120 °.

(Discussion)
As shown in Table 2, the pulverization efficiency of Example Sample 1 in which granulated sugar as an auxiliary agent was added and pulverized using cocoa butter was higher than that of Comparative Example Sample 1 in which granulated sugar was not added. In addition, Example Sample 2 pulverized by adding granulated sugar as an auxiliary agent using cooking oil had higher pulverization efficiency than Comparative Example Sample 2 in which granulated sugar was not added. In addition, in Comparative Example Sample 4, which has a high water content of tea leaves, many tea leaves were not crushed.
As for the stability, as shown in Table 3, in Comparative Example Sample 2 in which the pulverization efficiency was 20% or less, precipitation of relatively large particles was generated. Further, in Comparative Example Sample 4, the water contained in the tea leaves was separated from the water, and the tea leaves were oxidized due to the influence of the water, and the taste was not suitable for food.
As shown in Table 4, it was found that the amount of the active ingredient in Example sample 1 was higher than that in Comparative Example sample 1 in terms of tannins and catechins. The reason is not clear, but it is considered that the improved pulverization efficiency resulted in finer particle size and increased elution of the components contained in the tea leaves. According to this result, it is considered that the absorption of the functional component can be easily enhanced by adding the auxiliary agent.
Further, it is considered that the component of Comparative Example Sample 3 in which the tea leaves were crushed in advance was oxidized due to contact with oxygen during crushing. According to this result, it is considered that the deterioration of the component contained in the dried plant piece can be suppressed by crushing the dried plant piece in the presence of the edible oil and fat component, and further crushing by adding an auxiliary agent. It is thought that it can be crushed efficiently and finely, and the elution of the components will be enhanced so that it can be easily ingested.
As shown in Table 5, the hue angle of Example Sample 1 crushed by adding granulated sugar as an auxiliary agent using cocoa butter was closer to 120 ° than that of Comparative Example Sample 1 to which no granulated sugar was added. rice field. Further, the example sample 2 pulverized by adding granulated sugar as an auxiliary agent using cooking oil had a hue angle closer to 120 ° than that of the comparative example sample 2 to which no granulated sugar was added. Although the difference in hue angle is less than 1 °, those skilled in the art can visually recognize the difference of 0.1 °, which causes a large difference in the purchase price.
From these results, even dried tea leaves, which are relatively large pieces of dried plants, can be easily crushed by crushing them together with an auxiliary agent in a liquid medium. Further, it is possible to improve the stability by reducing the pulverized particle size and to reduce the influence of water by using the dried plant pieces having a low water content.

<Example 2>
As shown in Table 6, a sample was prepared by the following method.
(Example sample 3)
As a raw material, Tencha from Kyoto Prefecture (2017, Ichibancha) was used as it was without being crushed. The water content of Tencha was 3.1% by mass, and the looseness density was 436 ml / 100 g. To 30.0 g of this tencha, 250.0 g of cocoa butter (manufactured by Daito Cacao Co., Ltd.) liquefied by heating to 40 ° C. was added, and 300.0 g of granulated sugar (manufactured by Fuji Nihon Seito Corporation) was further added. .. In addition, 50.0 g of milk powder (manufactured by Meiji Co., Ltd.) and 2.0 g of emulsifier (lecithin, manufactured by J-Oil Mills Co., Ltd.) were added as auxiliary raw materials. Then, it was pulverized with a 3-axis roll mill (BR-100V, manufactured by IMEX Co., Ltd.) to obtain a sample.
(Example sample 4)
The tencha of Example sample 3 was changed to a domestically produced tencha (produced in 2016, second tea) having a water content of 2.8% by mass and a loose bulk density of 850 ml / 100 g. Further, the amount of granulated sugar added was reduced to 200 g, and the amount of cocoa butter was increased by 100 g to use 350 g. Other than that, the same treatment as in Example sample 3 was performed to obtain Example sample 4.
(Example sample 5)
The tencha of Example sample 3 was changed to a domestically produced tencha (produced in 2016, second tea) having a water content of 3.6% by mass and a loose bulk density of 920 ml / 100 g. Further, the amount of granulated sugar added was reduced to 100 g, and the amount of cocoa butter was increased by 200 g to use 450 g. Other than that, the same treatment as in Example sample 3 was performed to obtain Example sample 5.

(Comparative Example Sample 5)
A sample was obtained by treating in the same manner as in Example sample 3 except that the granulated sugar of Example sample 3 was not added and the amount of cocoa butter was increased by the corresponding amount.

In Example Sample 3, Example Sample 4, and Example Sample 5 in which granulated sugar as an auxiliary agent was added and crushed, the tea leaves were crushed so finely that they could not be visually confirmed. On the other hand, in Comparative Example Sample 5 to which granulated sugar was not added, the tencha could not be crushed and the tencha remained at the entrance of the roll mill.
Further, when chocolate was produced using Example Sample 3, Example Sample 4, and Example Sample 5, the texture was smooth, there was no roughness, and no tea leaf particles were felt.

The present invention is suitable for a method for easily producing a plant-containing composition having excellent stability.

Claims (8)

Including the step of mixing the dried plant pieces and the liquid medium and grinding the dried plant pieces in the presence of the liquid medium and the auxiliary agent.
A method for producing a plant-containing composition, wherein the Mohs hardness of the auxiliary agent is 1.5 to 7. The method for producing a plant-containing composition according to claim 1, wherein the water content of the dried plant piece is 10.0% by mass or less. The method for producing a plant-containing composition according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the liquid medium is a food oil / fat component. The method for producing a plant-containing composition according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the auxiliary agent is a solid in the presence of the liquid medium. The method for producing a plant-containing composition according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the auxiliary agent is sugar. The method for producing a plant-containing composition according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein the dried plant piece is tea that has been dried after bleaching. The dried plant piece and the liquid medium are mixed so as to have 0.5 to 25% by mass of the dried plant piece, 30 to 99.4% by mass of the liquid medium, and 0.1 to 65% by mass of the auxiliary agent. The method for producing a plant-containing composition according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein the auxiliary agent is used. Includes mixing dried plant pieces with a liquid medium and grinding the dried plant pieces in the presence of a liquid medium and an auxiliary agent.
A method for crushing dried plant pieces, wherein the Mohs hardness of the auxiliary agent is 1.5 to 7.