JP7351051B2 - How to maintain a high content of barley grass ingredients - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a method for maintaining a high content of γ-aminobutyric acid in barley grass, and a method for producing barley grass or barley grass processed products containing a specific amount or more of γ-aminobutyric acid.

Along with vegetable juices, so-called "green juice" is known as a drink that easily solves the problem of insufficient vegetable intake. Green leafy plants containing chlorophyll such as kale, barley grass, wheat grass, tomorrow leaf, and mulberry grass are used as raw materials for this green juice, but among them, barley grass is a typical ingredient for green juice. As one of the green juice products, it has formed a large market for health food ingredients.
It is known that barley grass (including leaves and stems) contains a relatively large amount of γ-aminobutyric acid (hereinafter referred to as "GABA") in the fresh stems and leaves, but it is When processed into squeezed powder, etc., there is a problem in that the GABA content is greatly reduced compared to fresh barley grass.

GABA is known to have many functions and effects, such as improving high blood pressure, improving sleep quality, and alleviating psychological stress, and there is a demand for its intake from food on a daily basis.
Therefore, various techniques for maintaining a high content of GABA in the processing of barley grass have been investigated and reported. For example, Patent Document 1 reports a method of microwave-processing young barley leaves, but in actual agricultural processing plants, special equipment that generates microwaves is not normally used, so new equipment investment is required. Become. Patent Document 2 reports a method of anaerobic treatment and/or thermal insulation treatment at 20 to 50°C, but large-scale thermal insulation equipment is required to carry out thermal insulation treatment at a temperature of around 40°C for up to 24 hours. This method also requires new equipment investment, and the long-term thermal storage process reduces productivity. Furthermore, Patent Document 3 reports a method of immersing grass plants in a solution containing glutamic acid (salt); however, the original flavor of barley grass is lost due to the adhesion of glutamic acid (salt), and There is also a risk that the use of food additives may weaken consumers' appetite for consumption. As described above, the improved manufacturing method requires special large-scale equipment, and there are major problems in adopting it as an actual manufacturing method due to production efficiency and other reasons.
Therefore, we developed a new method that maintains a high content of GABA in barley grass using manufacturing equipment that is used in the general barley grass manufacturing process, and that does not reduce production efficiency and does not use food additives. A proposal for a manufacturing method was requested.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2000-300209 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2001-029041 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2001-352941

The present invention was made in view of the above-mentioned situation, and an object of the present invention is to provide a method for maintaining a high content of GABA in young barley leaves, which requires only a small amount of additional equipment and does not reduce production efficiency. It is said that

As a result of extensive research in order to solve the above problems, the present inventor discovered that GABA in fresh barley grass can be maintained at a high content by treating fresh barley grass with superheated steam heated to a specific temperature, This has led to the completion of the present invention.

Specifically, the present invention has the following points.
1. High content of γ-aminobutyric acid in young barley leaves, characterized by superheating fresh barley grass using superheated steam heated to 200°C or more and 600°C or less for 5 seconds or more and 120 seconds or less. How to hold it.
2. Containing 200 mg/100 g or more of γ-aminobutyric acid, characterized by superheating fresh barley grass using superheated steam heated to 200°C or more and 600°C or less for 5 seconds or more and 120 seconds or less. Method for producing barley grass.
3. Containing 200 mg/100 g or more of γ-aminobutyric acid, characterized by having a superheating step of fresh barley grass heated to 200° C. or more and 600° C. or less for a period of 5 seconds or more and 120 seconds or less. A method for producing processed barley grass products.

According to the present invention, GABA in the fresh barley grass can be maintained at a high content by subjecting the fresh barley grass to a superheated steam treatment heated to 200°C or higher and 600°C or lower. Furthermore, by performing this superheated steam treatment, it is possible to obtain a final processed product that retains a high GABA content, which is extremely useful.
To generate this superheated steam, all you need is a heater (heat source generator) used to heat regular steam, and a small It is simple because superheated steam can be generated with additional equipment.
Furthermore, in the present invention, the contact time between fresh barley grass and superheated steam is very short, ranging from 5 seconds to 120 seconds, and is therefore very effective in terms of production efficiency.
The present invention is a method for maintaining a high content of GABA in barley grass in that it does not require large special equipment and can be completed in a very short time compared to improved methods reported so far. It is extremely excellent.

Hereinafter, a method for maintaining a high GABA content in barley grass, a method for producing barley grass with a high GABA content, and a method for producing a processed barley grass product with a high GABA content of the present invention will be described in detail below.
In this specification, "barley grass" refers to barley leaves and stems to which the leaves are attached.

Specific examples of the barley used in the present invention include two-row barley, six-row barley, and naked barley, depending on the shape of ears and seeds, but any of these can be used without particular limitation. Examples of barley varieties include Aominori, Agrimochi, Kusumochi Nijo, Asaka Gold, Kinuyutaka, Oumiyutaka, Kawahonami, Kawamizuki, Kirinijo, Haruna Nijo, Amagi Nijo, Fuji Nijo, Ishuku Shiraz, and Kinuka. Nijo, Komaki Nijo, Sakitama Nijo, Tone Nijo, Sachiho Golden, Satsukibare, Shunrei, Sky Golden, Takaho Golden, Tsuyushirazu, Nasu Nijo, Nishino Gold, Nishinochikara, Nishinohoshi, Haruka Nijo, Nirasaki Nijo, Chive Nijo, Harushizuku, Satsuki Nijo, Hoshuun, Mikamo Golden, Myogi Nijo, Misato Golden, Miharu Gold, Miho Golden, Yashio Golden, Yachiho Golden, Hokuiku 41go, Sai no Hoshi, Ryofu, etc. Two-rowed barley, Beaufiber, Kirarimochi, Yume Sakiboshi, Waxy Fiber, etc., Asamagi, Kashimagor, Minorimugi, Katrimugi, Musashinomugi, Drilled wheat, Tapadumgi, Steel barley, Sayakaze, Suzukaze, Shunrai, Silky snow, Shinjuboshi , six-rowed barley such as Setsugamochi, Natrio barley, Hayamiyutaka, Hayami barley, Fiber Snow, Haneumamochi, White Fiber, Bakutori, Miyuki Barley, Ichibanboshi, Senbon Nadaka, Sanuki Hadaka, Kikai Hadaka, Sanshu, Nampu Hadaka, Shiratama Hadaka, Yunagi Hadaka, Naked wheat such as Daishimochi, Toyonokaze, Hayatehadaka, Ichisawei, Biwairohadaka, Benihadaka, Hashirihadaka, and Mantenboshi (formerly Mantenboshi) may be mentioned, but are not particularly limited. These barleys may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

Fresh barley grass in the present invention refers to barley grass that has been cut and harvested when it reaches a height of about 30 to 50 cm above the ground before earing, that is, it has not been subjected to any treatment such as drying. It is desirable that fresh barley grass, which is the raw material, be processed immediately after harvesting, but if it takes time to process, it may be stored using commonly used storage methods such as low-temperature storage or frozen storage at sub-zero temperatures to prevent deterioration of the raw material. It can also be stored.
Fresh barley grass obtained by harvesting is cut into pieces of approximately 5 to 10 cm after removing foreign substances and dead leaves, washed with water, dehydrated by centrifugation, etc., and then heated at 200°C or higher. Used for superheated steam treatment heated to 600°C or less.

(1) Superheated steam treatment The superheated steam treatment in the present invention involves superheating fresh barley grass using superheated steam heated to 200°C or more and 600°C or less for a period of 5 seconds or more and 120 seconds or less. . The lower limit of the temperature of the heated superheated steam is preferably 200°C, more preferably 250°C, and the upper limit of the temperature is preferably 400°C, more preferably 350°C. The processing time with superheated steam may be set depending on the amount of fresh barley grass to be processed and the size of the processing equipment, but it is preferably approximately 100 seconds or less, more preferably 80 seconds or less, and 70 seconds or less. More preferred.
Even if the temperature of the superheated steam is 150°C or higher and lower than 200°C, it is possible to maintain the GABA content in the young barley leaves to some extent, but this will take a long time to process, which may affect the flavor and color of the young barley leaves. It is not desirable.
Superheated steam in the present invention means steam heated to a temperature of 100°C or higher, and is obtained by further heating saturated steam generated by boiling at normal pressure without changing the pressure. Although the apparatus for producing superheated steam is not particularly limited, it can be produced using, for example, a superheated engine manufactured by Miyamura Iron Works Co., Ltd.
This treatment with superheated steam is performed by moving the fresh barley grass through the superheated steam treatment device. Therefore, the treatment time with superheated steam in the present invention is defined as the time from the time when the fresh barley grass comes into contact with the superheated steam heated in the device to the time when the barley grass leaves the device and is no longer affected by the superheated steam. means the time until
This superheated steam treatment not only makes it possible to maintain a high content of GABA in young barley leaves, but also deactivates enzymes in the leaf bodies that cause discoloration and deterioration of young barley leaves and stems. It can also provide flexibility.
After the superheated steam treatment, the barley grass is preferably cooled to room temperature by cooling it by blowing air or rapidly cooling it by using cold air or a vacuum cooler. Rapid cooling can prevent excessive heating. Thereby, quality deterioration of young barley leaves can be suppressed.

In the method of the present invention, fresh barley grass may be subjected to the above-mentioned "superheated steam treatment" using superheated steam heated to 200°C or more and 600°C or less for a period of 5 seconds or more and 120 seconds or less. Other processing methods are not particularly limited, and may be processed according to known methods. Processing methods after the above-mentioned "superheated steam treatment" are not particularly limited, but include, for example, the following "juicing and powdering", "drying treatment", "shredding treatment", "sterilization treatment", and "pulverization treatment". ” can be exemplified.
Furthermore, if the following processing cannot be performed immediately after the "superheated steam treatment", storage may be performed by freezing the product.
If fresh barley grass is to be frozen and stored after being subjected to "superheated steam treatment," it may be frozen as is, but if the barley grass is subjected to a tearing process and then frozen, the quality may deteriorate due to the freezing process. It is possible to produce a frozen barley grass product that is small in amount and easy to handle after freezing.
To perform a tearing treatment on young barley leaves, for example, Green Up manufactured by Miyamura Iron Works Co., Ltd. can be used.

(2) Juicing and pulverization The cooled barley grass that has been subjected to superheated steam treatment is shredded if necessary, and processed according to known methods using equipment that can apply pressure, such as a screw press or cold press. It is preferable to squeeze the juice. The squeezed juice may be used in a low-temperature liquid state or frozen, and if necessary, excipients such as dextrin, cyclodextrin, starch, maltose, etc. may be added and then spray-dried or freeze-dried. It can also be used after being powdered.

(3) Drying treatment It is also preferable that the young barley leaves after being cooled and subjected to superheated steam treatment are subjected to drying treatment. This drying treatment is carried out, for example, by placing the superheated steam-treated young barley leaves on a ventilation belt conveyor and blowing hot air at about 70 to 100 degrees Celsius so that the product temperature is between 30 degrees Celsius and 40 degrees Celsius. . The final moisture content is preferably about 10%, more preferably less than 10%. Finish drying may be performed, for example, by placing the young barley leaves on a belt conveyor and continuously drying them with hot air, or by drying them with stationary hot air on a shelf or the like.

(4) Shredding treatment and sterilization treatment For the shredding treatment, methods commonly used by those skilled in the art for shredding plant bodies can be used, and it is preferable to shred the plants to a length of less than 1 cm.
The shredded young barley leaves are preferably sterilized. The sterilization treatment is not particularly limited as long as it is a treatment commonly known to those skilled in the art, but for example, it may be a treatment that physically or chemically kills microorganisms using temperature, pressure, electromagnetic waves, chemicals, etc. can. Among these, sterilization using an airflow sterilizer is preferable.

(5) Grinding process The dried barley grass obtained by shredding or sterilization can be pulverized into a fine powder.
For the pulverization process, for example, dried barley grass can be pulverized using an impact pulverizer with a grinding effect (friction type impact pulverizer), which is an example of an impact pulverizer. Examples include, but are not limited to, impact type crushers such as pin mills and jet mills, shear type crushers, mass colloiders, grinders, grinding type crushers such as stone mills, and complex type crushers such as low-temperature freeze crushers, etc. Other known pulverizers may also be used.
In the pulverization process, it is preferable that the particle size of the barley grass powder is from 30 mesh passing through to 250 mesh remaining powder. If the particle size is small enough to pass through 250 mesh, it may become difficult to handle when processed as a food material or pharmaceutical raw material.On the other hand, if the particle size is large enough to remain in 30 mesh, other foods may Uniform mixing with the material may be hindered. However, this does not preclude the use of other particle sizes depending on usage and preference.
Note that the equipment used in each of the above treatments (2) to (5) is not particularly limited, and appropriate equipment may be used in consideration of the hardness of the young barley leaves, the orientation of the fibers, the leaf structure, etc. etc. can be selected.

<GABA high content barley grass>
According to the present invention, barley grass having a GABA content of 200 mg/100 g or more can be obtained. The GABA content is preferably 300 mg/100 g or more, more preferably 400 mg/100 g or more.
In general, as methods for analyzing GABA, there are two methods: method A (example 1 described below) in which the sample is analyzed after being hydrolyzed in advance, and method B (described later) in which free GABA is analyzed without hydrolysis treatment. Two methods of Example 2) are known. When analyzing GABA contained in plants, method A tends to yield slightly higher analytical values than method B. This is thought to be due to the presence of GABA bound to some component in addition to free GABA in the plant, which is the cause of the difference in analytical values. Based on these considerations, the GABA content in the present invention refers to an analysis value obtained by method A in which GABA is analyzed after a sample to be analyzed is hydrolyzed in advance.

The barley grass that maintains a high GABA content in the present invention can be consumed as it is as a powder or squeezed powder. In addition, it is mixed with excipients, fillers, binders, thickeners, emulsifiers, colorants, fragrances, food additives, seasonings, etc., and shaped into powders, granules, tablets, etc. according to the purpose. It is also possible to mix it into various foods and drinks for consumption.
The barley grass that maintains a high GABA content in the present invention contains GABA at a high concentration, but if necessary, it can be purified to obtain a pure GABA product.

Hereinafter, the method of maintaining a high content of GABA in barley grass of the present invention, the method of producing barley grass with a high GABA content, and the method of producing a processed product of barley grass with a high GABA content will be described in detail. It is not limited to these examples.

<Example 1>
<Production method of dried barley grass processed product>
1. Reaping and Harvesting When the height of the barley was about 35 cm from the ground, it was reaped at a site 15 cm or more above the ground to harvest young barley leaves. The barley varieties used are shown below.
Two-rowed barley: Nishinohoshi Two-rowed barley: Kirarimochi, Beaufiber 2. Superheated steam treatment of young barley leaves The young barley leaves harvested in step 1 above were cut into pieces of about 7 cm, washed and drained, and heated to 350°C using superheated steam (using a superheated engine manufactured by Miyamura Iron Works Co., Ltd.). The treatment was carried out for 50 seconds.
3. Drying treatment of young barley leaves After the treatment in "2" above, the young barley leaves were dried using a hot air dryer with a blowing temperature of 80°C.
4. Sterilization of dried barley grass The dried barley grass obtained in step 3 above was shredded into pieces of several millimeters in length and sterilized using an airflow sterilizer.
5. Grinding of Dried Barley Grass Using a hammer mill type grinder, a fine powder with a rate of passing through a 200 mesh sieve of 90% or more was produced.

<GABA analysis>
(Preparation of test solution)
Precisely weigh 0.5 g of the sample into a hydrolysis test tube, add 20 mL of 20% hydrochloric acid (containing 0.04% 2-mercaptoethanol), degas for 15 minutes, seal the tube, and hydrolyze at 110°C for 24 hours. did. After cooling, the hydrolyzed solution was made to a constant volume of 100 mL with water, and an aqueous sodium hydroxide solution was added to this solution to adjust the pH to 2.2, and the pore size was diluted 10 times with sodium citrate buffer (pH 2.2). A test solution was prepared by filtration with a 0.45 μm membrane filter.
(Amino acid automatic analyzer conditions)
Model: JLC-500/V2 (JEOL Ltd.)
Column: LCR-6, 4mm x 90mm (JEOL Ltd.)
Mobile phase: Sodium citrate buffer (JEOL Ltd.)
Reaction solution: Ninhydrin coloring solution kit for JEOL Ltd.-II (Fujifilm Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd.)
Flow rate: Mobile phase 0.42mL/min, reaction liquid 0.22mL/min
Reaction temperature: 130℃
Measurement wavelength: 570nm
(Amino acid automatic analyzer time program)
The amino acid automatic analyzer time program is shown in Table 1 below.

(result of analysis)
The GABA content of processed barley grass products subjected to superheated steam treatment is shown in Table 2 below.
As a comparative example, the GABA content before the treatment to increase the GABA content in Tables 1 and 2 of Patent Document 2 above is equivalent to the GABA content of the processed barley grass product that is not subjected to the superheated steam treatment in the present invention. Also listed.

As shown in Table 2, the GABA content of the processed barley grass products subjected to the superheated steam treatment in the present invention can maintain an extremely high GABA content compared to the GABA content of the processed barley grass products that are not subjected to the superheated steam treatment. confirmed.

<Example 2>
<Method for manufacturing pressed barley grass processed products>
1. Reaping and Harvesting Using the barley variety "Mihal Gold", when the height of the barley reached approximately 35 cm from the ground, it was reaped at a site 15 cm or more above the ground to harvest young barley leaves.
2. Superheated Steam Treatment of Young Barley Leaves The young barley leaves harvested in step 1 above were cut into pieces of about 7 cm, washed with water, drained, and then subjected to superheated steam treatment heated to 250° C. for 60 seconds.
3. Juice extraction treatment of young barley leaves After the superheated steam treatment, the young barley leaves were cut into pieces of about 1 cm in length and squeezed using a juice extraction screw press to extract juice.
4. Powderization of squeezed barley grass juice After adding dextrin to the squeezed juice and sterilizing it with a plate sterilizer, it was dried with a spray dryer to prepare a powdered squeezed barley grass product. The squeezed barley grass processed product was adjusted to yield 10 parts of the squeezed barley grass processed product from 100 parts of fresh barley grass.
(Comparative example)
Instead of the superheated steam treatment in "2" above, a heat treatment was performed in 90° C. hot water for 30 seconds, and after the juice was squeezed, the same procedure as in Example 2 was followed to prepare a comparative example of the squeezed barley grass processed product.

<GABA analysis>
(Preparation of test solution)
Precisely weigh and add 0.5 g of the specimen to 100 mL of sodium citrate buffer (pH 2.2), and perform extraction with stirring at room temperature for 1 hour. The extract was diluted 10 times with sodium citrate buffer (pH 2.2) and filtered through a membrane filter with a pore size of 0.45 μm to prepare a test solution.
(Amino acid automatic analyzer conditions)
The analysis was conducted under the same conditions as in Example 1 above.

(result of analysis)
The GABA contents of the Examples and Comparative Examples of the above-mentioned "Juice-squeezed barley grass processed product" are shown in Table 3 below.

As shown in Table 3, the GABA content of the pressed barley grass processed product subjected to the superheated steam treatment in the present invention is extremely high compared to the GABA content of the squeezed barley grass processed product that is not subjected to the superheated steam treatment. It was confirmed that it was retained.

The method of maintaining a high content of GABA in barley grass of the present invention, the method of producing barley grass with a high GABA content, and the method of producing a processed product of barley grass with a high GABA content include superheating at a temperature of 200°C or more and 600°C or less. By superheating using steam for a period of 5 seconds to 120 seconds, GABA remains at a high content even after subsequent processing steps such as drying, crushing, and squeezing. This is a very effective method and is very useful.

Claims (3)

High content of γ-aminobutyric acid in young barley leaves, characterized by superheating fresh barley grass using superheated steam heated to 200°C or more and 600°C or less for 5 seconds or more and 120 seconds or less. How to hold it. Containing 200 mg/100 g or more of γ-aminobutyric acid, characterized by superheating fresh barley grass using superheated steam heated to 200°C or more and 600°C or less for 5 seconds or more and 120 seconds or less. Method for producing barley grass. Containing 200 mg/100 g or more of γ-aminobutyric acid, characterized by having a superheating step of fresh barley grass heated to 200° C. or more and 600° C. or less for a period of 5 seconds or more and 120 seconds or less. A method for producing processed barley grass products.