JP7469007B2 - Powder - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a powder, in particular a powder containing balenine.

Health enriches the lives of citizens and contributes to the creation of a vibrant society. Providing foods that can help maintain or improve health is now an important issue not only in developed countries but also in developing countries. One prime example of such foods is marine products, such as fish. Humans have been eating fish for a long time, and its characteristics, such as high-quality animal protein, low calories, and improved brain function, have long attracted attention.

In recent years, attention has been focused on fish that have antioxidant and/or anti-fatigue effects among marine products that are said to enhance human physiological functions (Non-Patent Document 1).

For example, there are three main types of substances classified as imidazole dipeptides, and generally, the types of imidazole dipeptides present in fish are biased. Specifically, among the imidazole dipeptides, anserine and carnosine are mainly found in fish. For example, fast migratory fish such as bonito and tuna are known to contain relatively large amounts of anserine. In addition to seafood, carnosine and anserine are also abundant in pork and chicken. For this reason, research on carnosine and anserine is actively progressing. In particular, carnosine is broken down by carnosine dipeptidase present in serum or tissues, which impedes the function of carnosine, and a composition for inhibiting carnosine dipeptidase has been disclosed (Patent Document 1).

The inventors have also discovered that the sunfish (also known as the ocean sunfish) contains more balenine, a type of imidazole dipeptide, than the minke whale, a marine mammal, and have published this fact (Non-Patent Documents 3 and 4).

International Publication No. WO2017/104777

Nishitani, et al., "Review: New Anti-Fatigue Ingredients: Imidazole Dipeptides," Journal of the Japanese Society for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Vol. 6, No. 3, October 2009, pp. 123-129 Takahashi, et al., "Effect of anserine-containing salmon extract on suppressing fat accumulation in rats fed a high-fat diet," Journal of the Japanese Society of Fisheries Science, Vol. 76, No. 6, 2008, pp. 1075-1081 Omura, et al., "Balenin content in muscle of the red sunfish Lampris guttatus", Abstracts of the 2018 Spring Meeting of the Japanese Society of Fisheries Science, March 26, 2018, p. 92 Omura, et al., "Discovery of high content of balenine, which has fatigue suppression function, in sunfish," Research Progress (Collection of Major Results of the Central Fisheries Research Institute), September 2018, p. 11

Among the imidazole dipeptides, balenine is a substance that has not received much attention until now. This is because, as mentioned above, animals that contain balenine in their muscles are extremely limited, such as whales, which are marine mammals, and scallops. In addition, whale meat, which is known to contain relatively high amounts of balenine along with other imidazole dipeptides, is impossible or extremely difficult to consume in situations where whaling is not easy. For this reason, even in countries that were once whaling countries, there are currently very few opportunities to consume balenine.

However, among the imidazole dipeptides, balenine is a substance that is thought to have superior antioxidant and/or anti-fatigue effects compared to other imidazole dipeptides (carnosine, anserine), given the ecology of whales, which can swim long distances without eating. Therefore, even in situations where whaling is not easy, continuing to make efforts to find ways to continuously ingest imidazole dipeptides, especially balenine, is extremely important for a society that seeks to maintain or improve its health.

On the other hand, as mentioned above, the inventors discovered that the sunfish, despite being a fish, contains a large amount of balenine, and during the balenine extraction process, it became clear that the extract containing balenine has very high hygroscopicity (including deliquescent properties).

Therefore, since it has not yet been considered what form of extraction of balenin would lead to effective use of balenin, or what is suitable from the standpoint of productivity, logistics, preservation, manageability, etc. required economically or socially, it is necessary to study and analyze from various perspectives. Therefore, it can be said that research, development, and realization of methods for extracting and using balenin from fish have only just begun.

This invention will greatly contribute to the realization of a powder that can be rich in balenine.

In light of the current situation in which it is difficult to ingest whale meat, the inventor has engaged in research and analysis, including the ecology, of marine organisms that may contain balenine that may replace or exceed that of whales. As a result of extensive research and analysis, in addition to the viewpoint of migratory fish that can respond to continuous movement, the inventor has also focused on fish, particularly deep-sea fish, which are believed to exert antioxidant and/or anti-fatigue effects in the body through some kind of influence.

After further trial and error and analysis, the inventor discovered that the sunfish (also known as "mandai"), a type of deep-sea fish, contains abundant amounts of imidazole dipeptides, particularly balenine. The inventor then focused on researching and analyzing the sunfish, a type of fish. As a result, he gained the very interesting technical knowledge that the balenine content does not substantially change even when heat is applied to almost all parts of the sunfish.

The inventors have also discovered that, among imidazole dipeptides, balenine can exert at least one effect selected from the group consisting of antioxidant effect, anti-fatigue effect, active oxygen scavenging effect, autonomic nerve regulating effect, alcohol metabolism promoting effect, blood glucose level rise suppression effect, uric acid level lowering effect, iron absorption promotion effect, eye fatigue reduction effect, wound healing promotion effect, metal chelating effect, and suppression effect of decreased muscle activity caused by pH decrease due to lactic acid.

As a result of further analysis, the inventors have discovered that the imidazole dipeptides contained in the edible part (ordinary muscle) of the sunfish and in parts other than the edible part have the following characteristics (1) to (5).
(1) Parts of the sunfish other than the so-called edible parts (ordinary muscles) (head, internal organs, and skin) contain balenin in amounts comparable to those of the edible parts (ordinary muscles).
(2) The amount of imidazole dipeptides contained in parts of the sunfish other than the so-called edible part (ordinary muscle) (internal organs and skin) is significantly greater than the amount of imidazole dipeptides contained in the edible part (ordinary muscle).
(3) The amount of each type of imidazole dipeptide contained in the so-called edible part (ordinary muscle) of the sunfish is significantly different from the amount of each type of imidazole dipeptide contained in parts other than the edible part (ordinary muscle) (especially the internal organs and skin).
(4) Compared to the normal muscles of the sunfish, the variation (standard deviation) in the amount of imidazole dipeptides (including balenine) in the dark muscle is very large.
(5) The bone and tail 90 contain balenine.

In addition, resolving or alleviating the technical issues that may arise due to the extremely high hygroscopicity (including deliquescent) of the extract containing balenine, which the present inventor discovered during the extraction process of balenine, can lead to, for example, increased productivity and improved logistics efficiency. As a result of the inventor's repeated research and analysis into the effective use of balenine based on the above-mentioned technical knowledge, the inventor discovered that the adoption of a certain manufacturing method can contribute to one or more of the following: improved productivity of the extract, more efficient logistics, improved storage stability, and easier management. The present invention was created based on the above-mentioned perspective and technical knowledge.

One powder of the present invention is derived from fish meat, fish heads, fish viscera, fish skin, fish tails, or fish bones and contains balenine and an excipient or binder suitable for spray drying.

This powder contains an excipient or binder applicable to spray drying together with balenine, so that hygroscopicity can be eliminated or mitigated. In addition, since this powder contains balenine, by ingesting the powder, at least one selected from the group consisting of antioxidant effect, anti-fatigue effect, active oxygen elimination effect, autonomic nerve regulation effect, alcohol metabolism promotion effect, blood sugar level rise suppression effect, uric acid level reduction effect, iron absorption promotion effect, eye fatigue reduction effect, wound healing promotion effect, metal chelating effect, and suppression effect of reduction in muscle activity caused by pH reduction due to lactic acid can be achieved.

In this application, "skin" or "skin part" refers to a part of a fish (e.g., an ocean sunfish) that is less than 10 mm thick from the outermost surface toward the inside (inside the body). In addition, in this application, "dark meat" refers to a dark red part of the muscle on the side of the body of a fish. In other words, in this application, "dark meat" refers to a part that contains more than twice the amount of iron contained in "normal muscle." In this application, the term "powder" is a general term for "granules (typically with an outer diameter of 10 μm to 150 μm)" and "powder (typically smaller than granules)."

According to one of the powders of the present invention, hygroscopicity can be eliminated or alleviated. In addition, for example, according to the powder, at least one selected from the group consisting of antioxidant effect, anti-fatigue effect, active oxygen scavenging effect, autonomic nerve regulating effect, alcohol metabolism promoting effect, blood glucose level increase suppression effect, uric acid level lowering effect, iron absorption promotion effect, eye fatigue reduction effect, wound healing promotion effect, metal chelating effect, and suppression effect of decrease in muscle activity caused by pH decrease by lactic acid can be achieved.

3 is a flow diagram showing a manufacturing process of the powder according to the first embodiment. 1 is a photograph showing a portion of an Okhotsk sunfish showing cut locations and parts of the Okhotsk sunfish of the first embodiment. 11 is a photograph showing the state of powder under specified conditions in the modified example (2) of the first embodiment.

As an embodiment of the present invention, a powder derived from fish meat, fish heads, fish viscera, fish skin, fish tails, or fish bones and containing balenine and an excipient or binder applicable to spray drying, and a method for producing the same will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

First Embodiment
Fig. 1 is a flow diagram showing the steps of producing the powder of this embodiment. In the powder and its production method of this embodiment, each process step shown in Fig. 1 can be all or a part of the process in the powder production method. Therefore, the powder production method of this embodiment does not necessarily have to include all of the process steps shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 2 is a photograph showing a part of an ocean sunfish 100, which is an example of a fish of this embodiment, showing cut locations and parts of the ocean sunfish 100.

(Freezing process and cutting process)
Specifically, as shown in Fig. 1, a caught sunfish 100 is frozen (step S1). Then, as shown in Fig. 2, a cutting (dissection) process is carried out in which the frozen sunfish 100 is cut in a substantially straight line along _C1 , _C2 , and _C3 so that the head 10, muscles 20 (more specifically, ordinary muscles 20a and dark meat 20b), internal organs 30, bones (not shown), and tail 90 of the sunfish 100 are separated from each other (step S2). Note that some parts including the dorsal fin are not shown in the photograph in Fig. 2, but the parts not shown are not the raw material of the powder of this embodiment, so the description of those parts is omitted.

Here, the cut shown in _C1 in FIG. 2 is made so that the jaw of the sunfish 100 of this embodiment is not included in the muscle 20, and is made along a direction approximately tangential to the end of the jaw on the muscle 20 side. The cut shown in _C2 in FIG. 2 is made so that the eyes and mouth of the sunfish 100 of this embodiment are included in the head 10. In addition, the cut shown in _C3 is made so that the muscle 20 of the sunfish 100 of this embodiment is not included in the tail 90 as much as possible. Bones not shown in FIG. 2 are separated from other parts by a cutting process using a blade such as a kitchen knife, or by a cutting device such as a known electric grinder. Note that, although a known band saw device is used in the cutting (disassembly) process of this embodiment, the means for cutting the sunfish in this process is not limited to the band saw device. Other known cutting methods capable of cutting the sunfish in a frozen state along _C1 , _C2 , and _C3 may also be adopted.

Then, in order to perform shredding using a known chopping device (e.g., model MC-22 manufactured by Nantsune Co., Ltd.), each part of the frozen sunfish 100 (head 10, ordinary muscle 20a, blood meat 20b, internal organs 30, skin 40, bones, tail 90) is thawed completely or partially to the extent that it can be introduced into the chopping device. Then, a shredding process is performed using the chopping device, and the minced parts can be obtained from a plate with a through hole of 10 mm diameter, for example. Note that, although a known chopping device is used in the shredding process of this embodiment, the means for obtaining the shredded parts in this process is not limited to the chopping device. For example, a known silent cutter can also be used in the shredding process.

(Extraction process)
[Analysis of imidazole dipeptide content extracted from each part of fish]
Here, the inventor analyzed the amount of imidazole dipeptides including balenine contained in each of the pieces of the present embodiment. Specifically, perchloric acid extracts were prepared from each of the pieces of the above-mentioned embodiment, and free amino acids and bound amino acids were analyzed for each of the pieces of the sunfish 100 (head 10, muscle 20a, blood meat 20b, viscera 30, skin 40, bone, tail 90) using a known automatic amino acid analyzer.

In Table 1, "Bal." means "balenine content." In addition, the skin portion 40 as the subject of analysis in Table 1 is the skin of the muscle 20 .

In this analysis, the presence of balenine was revealed by the detection of high concentrations of 3-methylhistidine through hydrolysis with hydrochloric acid and analysis of bound amino acids. The amount of balenine in each of the finely chopped parts was also quantified by quantifying the amount of balenine based on the 3-methylhistidine in the hydrolysis solution using a balenine standard. The method for quantifying the amount of balenine is the same as the method for quantifying the amount of balenine in the powdering process described below.

As shown in Table 1, the above analysis revealed the following characteristic (1) regarding the amount of balenine in each minced part.
(1) Parts of the sunfish other than the so-called edible parts (ordinary muscles) (head, internal organs, and skin) contain balenin in amounts comparable to those of the edible parts (ordinary muscles).

Although not shown in Table 1, the present inventors have also obtained the following findings (2) to (5) as a result of their analysis.
(2) The amount of imidazole dipeptides (a combination of balenine, anserine, and carnosine) contained in the parts of the sunfish other than the so-called edible parts (ordinary muscles) (internal organs and skin) is significantly greater than the amount of imidazole dipeptides contained in the edible parts (ordinary muscles).
(3) The amount of each type of imidazole dipeptide contained in the so-called edible part (ordinary muscle) of the sunfish is significantly different from the amount of each type of imidazole dipeptide contained in parts other than the edible part (ordinary muscle) (especially the internal organs and skin).
(4) Compared to the normal muscles of the sunfish, the variation (standard deviation) in the amount of imidazole dipeptides (including balenine) in the dark muscle is very large.
(5) The bone and tail 90 contain balenine.

To explain the above characteristic (1) in more detail, it can be said that the amount of balenine contained in each of the shredded parts (head 10, ordinary muscle 20a, dark meat 20b, internal organs 30) derived from at least the sunfish 100 is equal to or significantly greater than the amount of balenine contained in the lean back meat of a minke whale. Interestingly, it was confirmed that the balenine content and imidazole dipeptide content of the ordinary muscle 20a in Table 1 from the center of the ordinary muscle 20a to the head side are approximately 6 wt% or more greater than the balenine content and imidazole dipeptide content of the ordinary muscle 20a from the center of the ordinary muscle 20a to the tail side.

In this embodiment, the position of the "center of the normal muscle 20a" is defined as 0.5 from the head end, assuming that the length ("L" in FIG. 2) from the tip of the head 10 (tip of the mouth) to the tail end of the normal muscle 20a (thus not including the tail 90) is 1. Therefore, in order to more reliably obtain normal muscle 20a with a high balenine content, it is a preferred embodiment to obtain imidazole dipeptide and/or balenine from normal muscle 20a that includes normal muscle 20a up to 0.4 from the head end.

In this embodiment, each of the shredded parts is then brought into contact with water (ion-exchanged water) at about 60 to about 100°C as an extraction medium. More specifically, an extraction step (step S3) is performed in which each of the shredded parts is immersed in the extraction medium at about 60 to about 100°C in a known container. Note that in the extraction step of this embodiment, it is also possible to intentionally stir the extraction medium.

(Separation process)
Thereafter, in this embodiment, about 2 hours after each of the shredded parts is immersed in the extraction medium, a separation step is performed in which the extraction medium (in this embodiment, an aqueous solution) containing the extract from each of the shredded parts is separated from each of the parts (which can be treated as residue) using a centrifuge (step S4). Specifically, the extract of this embodiment can be produced by performing a centrifugal filtration process using a 300 mesh filter cloth. Note that the extract of this embodiment is in a liquid state at this stage. In addition, in the separation step of this embodiment, a centrifugal filtration process using a 300 mesh filter cloth is adopted, but the separation step of this embodiment is not limited to such an embodiment. Another embodiment in which a known separation step (for example, a separation process by centrifugal sedimentation) can also be adopted.

(Concentration process)
In this embodiment, a concentration step (step S5) can be carried out to further concentrate the above-mentioned extract to produce an extract as a concentrated extract containing imidazole dipeptide or balenine (hereinafter also simply referred to as the "concentrated extract").

In the concentration step (step S5) of this embodiment, the extract obtained in the separation step is stirred or allowed to stand in a space at a temperature of about 60°C and a reduced pressure (e.g., 0.03 MPa) for about 1 hour to about 8 hours, for example, to produce a concentrated extract.

In the concentration step of this embodiment, the above-mentioned processing conditions are adopted, but the concentration step of this embodiment is not limited to such an embodiment. Other known concentration steps may also be adopted as another embodiment. In addition, a sterilization process (e.g., a heat treatment) may be performed before the concentration step of this embodiment. In addition, in the concentration step (step S5), if the temperature at which the extract obtained in the separation step is stirred or allowed to stand is 20°C or higher, 30°C or higher, 40°C or higher, or 50°C or higher, at least a part of the effect of this embodiment can be achieved.

(Powdering process)
In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, a powdering step (step S6) may be carried out in which the concentrated extract produced by the above-mentioned production step of the concentrated extract is dried and powdered by a spray drying method to obtain a powder of the extract.

In this embodiment, the powdering step (step S6) is performed on the concentrated extract described above, but the target of the powdering step (step S6) in this embodiment is not limited to the concentrated extract. For example, it is also possible to adopt an embodiment in which the powdering step (step S6) is performed after the separation step (step S4) without performing the concentration step (step S5) in this embodiment.

In the powdering process (step S6) of this embodiment, in order to find a powdering process with suitable conditions for an extract obtained from fish meat (ordinary muscle 20a), a known spray dryer (Tokyo Rikakikai Co., Ltd.: Model SD-1010) was used to prepare four types of samples shown in Table 2, in which the amount of extract after the above-mentioned concentration process (step S5) and the amount of excipient or binder (hereinafter collectively referred to as "excipient") were adjusted.

Specifically, sample A was set at a ratio of 20 parts by mass of the extract to 80 parts by mass of excipients. Sample B was set at a ratio of 40 parts by mass of the extract to 60 parts by mass of excipients. Sample C was set at a ratio of 60 parts by mass of the extract to 40 parts by mass of excipients. Sample D was set at a ratio of 80 parts by mass of the extract to 20 parts by mass of excipients. Circles, which are marks indicating the results of powdering, indicate that the product was able to be powdered at least at the beginning of production, and triangles indicate that some of the product was not powdered.

In this embodiment, the liquid extract and water are then mixed with dextrin, an example of an excipient, at a high temperature (set temperature of about 100°C to about 150°C) at a predetermined flow rate using a two-fluid nozzle of the spray dryer, and the product is ejected from the outlet. In this embodiment, the mass ratio of the mixture is about 95% dextrin and about 5% of the extract.

In addition, in this embodiment, the spray drying apparatus using a two-fluid nozzle was used, but the spray drying method of this embodiment is not limited to a means using a two-fluid nozzle. For example, another embodiment that can be adopted is to use a spray drying apparatus using a known rotary atomizer or pressure nozzle.

As a result, Sample A, Sample B, and Sample C were all able to be powdered, but Sample D was confirmed to have an event in which the product adhered to some of the outlets. Therefore, it became clear that the mass ratio of the extract to the excipient in this modified example can be powdered by setting the excipient to a mass ratio of more than 0.25 (more preferably 0.66 or more, and even more preferably 0.67 or more) when the extract is taken as 1. There is no particular upper limit to the amount of excipient when the extract is taken as 1. However, from the viewpoint of maintaining a high amount of balenine in the powder product, it is preferable that the amount of excipient is 2 or less when the extract is taken as 1.

The inventor furthered the analysis. Specifically, the inventor left the products of Sample A, Sample B, and Sample C in an air atmosphere at 40°C for one month and observed the state of the powder of each sample. Figure 3 is a photograph showing the state of the powder of each sample left in this modified example for one month under the above-mentioned conditions.

As shown in Figure 3, it was confirmed that the powder of sample C had become more aggregated due to moisture absorption or deliquescence. On the other hand, it was confirmed that both sample A and sample B were able to maintain their original powder state even when left to stand for one month under the above-mentioned conditions.

As a result of the investigation, including the above-mentioned analysis, it was confirmed that, from the viewpoint of realizing long-term storage stability or long-term stability of the product (powder), it is preferable that the mass ratio of the extract to the excipient in this modified example is set to be greater than 1 (more preferably 1.25 or more) when the extract is taken as 1.

The moisture content of the powder produced by the spray drying method of this embodiment can be adjusted by known means as appropriate. However, from the viewpoint of ease of transportation and/or ease of handling, it is a preferred embodiment that the moisture content is greater than 0 wt % and not more than 10 wt % of the powder of this embodiment. From the above viewpoint, it is more preferred that the moisture content is not more than 5 wt % of the powder of this embodiment, and even more preferred that the moisture content is not more than 3 wt % of the powder of this embodiment.

The powder of this embodiment can be manufactured through the steps described above.

<Modification (1) of the First Embodiment>
In the first embodiment described above, the extraction medium is water, but the extraction medium of the first embodiment described above is not limited to water. For example, one aspect of a modified example of the first embodiment described above is to use alcohol (e.g., ethanol) as an extraction medium (liquid medium) instead of water or together with water. Note that the aforementioned "alcohol" is not limited to high-purity ethanol (e.g., 99.5% or 100%). For example, the "alcohol" may include brewed alcohol including beer, wine, and sake, distilled alcohol including whiskey, shochu, and vodka, and mixed alcohol including blackcurrant and Campari.

In addition, in the first embodiment described above, an extract obtained from fish meat (typically, ordinary muscle 20a) is described, but the first embodiment described above can also be applied to extracts and powders obtained from parts other than fish meat or ordinary muscle 20a (head 10, dark meat 20b, internal organs 30, skin 40, bones, tail 90).

As described above, according to the first embodiment and each of the modifications, a powder containing a large amount of balenine can be obtained by adopting one of the following manufacturing methods.
(Example (1) of the method for producing the powder)
A method for producing a powder, comprising: an extraction step of contacting fish meat, fish head, fish internal organs, fish skin, fish tail, or fish bones of a fish (typically, a sunfish) with an extraction medium which is a physiologically acceptable liquid medium (typically, water and/or alcohol) to obtain an extract containing balenin soluble in the extraction medium or balenin extractable from the extraction medium; and a powdering step of obtaining a powder from the extract and an excipient or binder by a spray drying method.
(Example (2) of the method for producing the powder)
The method for producing the powder further comprises a concentration step before the powdering step and after the extraction step, of concentrating the extract to obtain a concentrated extract containing the balenine.
(Example (3) of the method for producing the powder)
The powder producing method includes drying the powder so that the moisture content of the powder is more than 0 wt % and not more than 10 wt %.

Furthermore, as mentioned above, the variation (standard deviation) in the amount of imidazole dipeptides (including balenin) in the dark meat 20b of fish meat is very large compared to the normal muscle 20a, so having the proportion of the extract formed from the dark meat in the fish meat be less than 5 wt% can have the effect of reducing the variation in the amount of balenin contained in the powder obtained in the first embodiment described above, or in each of the modified examples described above or below. In other words, having the proportion of the powder formed from the dark meat in the fish meat be less than 5 wt% can realize the production of a powder containing a more stable amount of balenin.

<Modification (2) of the First Embodiment>
In addition, in the above-mentioned first embodiment, dextrin is used as an example of an excipient or binder, but the excipient or binder of the above-mentioned first embodiment is not limited to dextrin. For example, if the excipient or binder is at least one selected from the group consisting of maltodextrin, galactomannan, cyclodextrin, dextrin, starch, mannitol, crystalline cellulose, lactose, hydroxypropyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, methylcellulose, carboxymethyl cellulose, carboxymethyl ethyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl starch, hydroxyethyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose acetate succinate, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose phthalate, carboxyvinyl polymer, polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyvinyl alcohol, methacrylic acid copolymer, macrogol, starch, gelatin, pullulan, agar, and gum arabic, at least a part of the effect of the above-mentioned first embodiment can be achieved.

<Modification (3) of the First Embodiment>
In this modified example, as shown in FIG. 1, a classification step (step S7) can be performed to obtain a fine powder (hereinafter simply referred to as "fine powder") consisting of powder having a particle diameter of less than 1 mm (more preferably, less than 0.8 mm) by further classifying the powder produced by the manufacturing process of the first embodiment.

By adopting the classification process (step S7) of this modified example, it is possible to collect only fine powder that passes through a sieve with an opening size of 0.7 mm, for example. As a result, it is possible to produce the powder of this modified example (fine powder consisting of powder having a particle size of less than 1 mm).

In addition, the moisture content of the powder as the fine powder of this modified example can be adjusted by known means as appropriate, as described above. However, from the viewpoint of ease of transportation and/or ease of handling, it is a preferred embodiment that the moisture content is more than 0 wt% and not more than 10 wt% of the fine powder (powder) of this modified example. From the above viewpoint, it is more preferable that the moisture content is not more than 5 wt% of the fine powder (powder) of this modified example, and even more preferable that the moisture content is not more than 3 wt% of the fine powder (powder) of this modified example.

As described above, the fine powder in this modified example is a fine powder produced without a purification process. More specifically, the fine powder is obtained without a process of extracting and purifying imidazole dipeptides containing balenine using an ion exchange resin (e.g., a cation exchange resin) after dissolving the fine powder in water, as in the method disclosed in Non-Patent Document 2. Therefore, even if the powder is an unrefined fine powder, it is worth noting that it contains a rich amount of imidazole dipeptides, particularly balenine, that can exert at least one of the following effects selected from the group consisting of antioxidant effect, anti-fatigue effect, active oxygen elimination effect, autonomic nerve regulation effect, alcohol metabolism promotion effect, blood sugar level increase suppression effect, uric acid level reduction effect, iron absorption promotion effect, eye fatigue reduction effect, wound healing promotion effect, metal chelating effect, and effect of suppressing the decrease in muscle activity caused by a decrease in pH due to lactic acid.

<Other embodiments>
Incidentally, in the first embodiment and its modified examples, in order to know the characteristics of each part of the sunfish 100 (head 10, ordinary muscles 20a, blood meat 20b, internal organs 30, skin 40, bones, tail 90), an extraction process (step S3) and a separation process (step S4) are individually performed, as well as a concentration process (step S5), powdering process (step S6), or classification process (step S7) as necessary; however, this embodiment is not limited to such a form.

For example, the inventor's analysis confirmed that the internal organs 30 and skin 40 contain a large amount of imidazole dipeptides because they contain a lot of carnosine. Therefore, it is one aspect that can be adopted in which each step after the cutting (disassembly) step (step S2) is carried out so that the internal organs 30 and skin 40 can be mixed. It is also one aspect that can be adopted in which each step after the cutting (disassembly) step (step S2) is carried out so that all of the parts (head 10, ordinary muscle 20a, dark meat 20b, internal organs 30, skin 40, bones, tail 90) that have the notable characteristic of being rich in imidazole dipeptides including balenine can be mixed.

In the first embodiment and its modified examples, the sunfish caught by the longline fishing boat was quickly (for example, within 60 minutes) subjected to low-temperature freezing (for example, at a temperature between -65°C and -15°C) on board the fishing boat, but the method of catching the sunfish and the method of storing the sunfish on the fishing boat are not limited to the above examples. However, from the viewpoint of reducing the possibility of the amount of imidazole dipeptide (typically balenin) decreasing due to autolysis, it is a preferred embodiment to quickly (for example, within 60 minutes) subject the caught sunfish to low-temperature freezing (for example, at a temperature between -65°C and -15°C) on board the fishing boat.

In the first embodiment, an extraction step (step S3) is performed in which each part of the sliced sunfish 100 is immersed in an extraction medium (e.g., water) in the container at a temperature of from about 60° C. to about 100° C. However, the first embodiment is not limited to such an extraction step. For example, the following extraction steps (step S3) as shown in (a) to (c) are also suitable modified examples of the first embodiment.
(a) an extraction step in which each part of the sliced sunfish 100 is immersed in an extraction medium (e.g., water) having a temperature of 20°C or higher, 30°C or higher, 40°C or higher, or 50°C or higher; (b) an extraction step in which the pressure inside the container in the extraction step is a pressure different from the normally adopted pressure of about 1 atm (about 0.101 MPa) (e.g., from about 0.001 MPa to about 100 MPa (excluding about 0.101 MPa)); (c) an extraction step in which the extraction medium is a physiologically acceptable liquid medium (e.g., an organic liquid medium) and/or salt water as an example of another physiologically acceptable extraction medium (liquid medium). It goes without saying that the aforementioned "physiologically acceptable liquid medium" includes water and alcohol.

Of the extraction steps (step S3) described as modified versions of the first embodiment above, when the extraction step (a) is adopted, extraction at a lower temperature is achieved, which can contribute to energy savings. As a result of the inventor's research, it has been found that, when the amount that can be extracted at the temperature (about 60°C) of the first embodiment is taken as 1, about 0.77 can be extracted even when the temperature of the extraction medium is 20°C under the normally adopted pressure of about 1 atm (about 0.101 MPa).

Even if the extraction medium is used at a fairly low extraction temperature of 20°C, a significant amount of imidazole dipeptide (typically balenine) can be extracted.

Furthermore, among the extraction steps (step S3) described as modified examples of the first embodiment above, when the extraction step (b) is adopted, for example, when extraction is performed at a pressure higher than that normally adopted, the extraction step can be realized using an extraction medium at a lower temperature.

Furthermore, among the extraction steps (step S3) described as modified examples of the first embodiment above, when the extraction step (c) is adopted, it can contribute to improving the flavor of the extract. For example, it has been confirmed that the amount of imidazole dipeptide (representatively, balenine) when the above extraction step (c) is performed using ethanol (purity 99.5%) is about 70 wt% of the amount of imidazole dipeptide (representatively, balenine) when water is used as the extraction medium. Therefore, when the extraction medium is alcohol, the amount of extraction is less than when the extraction medium is water, but it is noteworthy that a considerable amount of imidazole dipeptide (representatively, balenine) is extracted even when the amount is about 70 wt% of the amount of extraction when water is used. Therefore, even when an extraction medium other than water is adopted, at least some of the effects of the first embodiment can be achieved.

In addition, in the first embodiment and each of its modifications, as well as other embodiments, the dorsal fin of the sunfish 100 is not included in the powder produced from an extract (typically an extract, but not limited to an extract, and including the concentrated extract described above; the same applies below) that is soluble in a physiologically acceptable liquid medium or extracted using a physiologically acceptable liquid medium as an extraction medium, but the powder is not limited to such an embodiment. For example, in order to simplify the manufacturing process of the powder, one embodiment that can be adopted is to perform each subsequent step without performing the cutting shown in _C3 in FIG. 2. Therefore, it can be adopted that the dorsal fin is included as one of the components of the powder of the first embodiment and each of its modifications.

Furthermore, producing the following (a) and/or (b) produced in the first embodiment and each of its modified examples and other embodiments is a suitable mode that can be adopted.
(a) Tablets, capsules, powders (including granules), pills, syrups, liquids, drinks, lozenges, drops, starch syrups, etc., which contain a powder containing balenine as at least a part of their components (hereinafter collectively referred to as "preparations").
(b) A preparation derived from a powder, which contains, as at least a part of its components, a solution in which a powder containing balenine is dissolved in a physiologically acceptable liquid medium, or a gel formed from the powder.

The preparation contains imidazole dipeptides, particularly a rich amount of balenine, so that by ingesting the preparation, at least one selected from the group consisting of antioxidant effect, anti-fatigue effect, active oxygen scavenging effect, autonomic nerve regulating effect, alcohol metabolism promoting effect, blood glucose level increase suppression effect, uric acid level reduction effect, iron absorption promotion effect, eye fatigue reduction effect, wound healing promotion effect, metal chelating effect, and suppression effect of muscle activity reduction caused by pH reduction by lactic acid can be achieved. The preparation can be manufactured by a known manufacturing method. In addition, the preparation can be formed by mixing a disintegrant or wetting agent, or honey, etc., as appropriate, in addition to the excipient or binder used in each of the above-mentioned embodiments or modifications, in order to improve moldability or ease of oral administration, etc.

One of the powders and preparations of the present invention is derived from fish that can be rich in balenine, and is therefore extremely useful not only in the food and fisheries industries, but also in industries related to medicine, health, medical care, and beauty.

10 Head 20 Muscle 20a Ordinary muscle 20b Dark flesh 30 Internal organs 40 Skin 90 Tail 100 Sunfish

Claims (6)

A powder derived from sunfish ,
Contains balenine and an excipient ,
In terms of mass ratio, the amount of the excipient is more than 1 and not more than 4 when the amount of the extract containing balenine is 1.
Powder. the excipient is at least one selected from the group consisting of maltodextrin, galactomannan, cyclodextrin, dextrin, starch, mannitol, crystalline cellulose, lactose, hydroxypropyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, methylcellulose, carboxymethyl cellulose, carboxymethyl ethyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl starch, hydroxyethyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose acetate succinate, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose phthalate, carboxyvinyl polymer, polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyvinyl alcohol, methacrylic acid copolymer, macrogol, starch, gelatin, pullulan, agar, and gum arabic;
2. The powder of claim 1. In terms of mass ratio, the amount of the excipient is more than 1 and not more than 2 when the amount of the extract containing the balenine is 1.
2. The powder of claim 1. The powder is derived from fish meat, and the proportion of the powder formed from dark meat in the fish meat is less than 5 wt %.
The powder according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The moisture content is more than 0 wt% and 10 wt% or less.
The powder according to any one of claims 1 to 4. A composition comprising or derived from the powder according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The medicine is in the form of a tablet, capsule, powder, pill, syrup, liquid, drink, lozenge, drop, or syrup.
formulation.

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