JPH05137535A - Fine crystal-containing sweetening agent composition having fluidity - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make it possible to retain fine crystals and uniform disperse state even in such condition that erythritol content or solid content is relatively low in an erythritol fine crystal-containing sweetening agent composition having fluidity. CONSTITUTION:The objective fine crystal-containing sweetener composition contains 0.01-0.2(W/W)% agar or furcellaran in the sweetener composition containing erythritol and a sugar alcohol in a weight ratio of (1:1) to (1:4) as main components and having 70-85(W/W)% solid content.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a low-calorie, non-cariogenic, microcrystalline, flowable sweetener composition, and more particularly to a low-calorie, non-caloric, non-caloric, non-cariogenic, and low-calorie composition containing erythritol microcrystalline. It relates to a carious flowable sweetener composition.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, in Japan, various harmful effects due to excessive intake of sugars, particularly sugar (for example, increase in dental caries, obesity, and diabetes) have been regarded as problems.
Consumers are becoming more concerned about such problems, and the intake of these sugars tends to be restricted.

For this reason, much effort has been made in the food industry for many years to develop a low-calorie, non-cariogenic, sweet food that does not use sugar. As a result of these efforts, many sweet foods with low calorie and non-cariogenic use of sugar alcohols and synthetic sweeteners (high-intensity sweeteners) have been developed, and many of them are already on the market.

[0004] In such existing low-calorie, non-cariogenic foods, sugar alcohol is often used as a raw material for sweetening sugars, and maltitol, isomaltooligosaccharide reduced products, sorbitol and the like are particularly sweet. It is widely used in various foods due to its excellent degree, taste and low calorie content. In particular, maltitol is used as a liquid table sweetener by adding a small amount of saccharin, etc. because its sweetness and taste quality are very close to that of sugar and the calorie content is low. ..

However, as a result of recent research on absorption and metabolism of the above sugar alcohols, particularly maltitol, it was found that maltitol is not as low in calories as originally said, There are also moves to reexamine the low calorie content of maltitol.

[0006]

Under the circumstances described above, erythritol, which is a sugar alcohol of tetracarbon sugar, has recently been commercialized and has become generally available. Because this erythritol is low in calories and non-cariogenic, it can be used in a variety of food products (eg candy, chocolate,
It has been tried to use it for tablet confectionery, etc.). Further, as for the above-mentioned table-top type liquid sweetener, a sweetener composition is proposed in which erythritol and sugar (or sugar alcohol) are blended to improve the taste quality and reduce calories, and can be used for fondant. (For example, JP-A 1-2254
(See No. 58).

However, the sweetener composition disclosed in JP-A-1-225458 achieves improvement in taste quality and reduction in calories, but the proportion of erythritol incorporated in the composition is low. Then, the homogeneity of the fine crystals dispersed in the composition is lost, and when the solid content concentration becomes 75% by weight or less (that is, when the water content is 25% by weight or more), the liquid composition becomes a transparent sugar solution. There is a drawback that the layer of (3) and the layer containing microcrystals are separated to cause precipitation, so that a fondant-like uniform fluid composition cannot be obtained.

Accordingly, the present invention has improved the above-mentioned drawbacks of the known flowable sweetener composition containing erythritol microcrystals, and has a uniform dispersed state of microcrystals even under the condition that the erythritol content and the solid content are relatively low. It is an object of the present invention to provide a microcrystalline-containing fluid sweetener composition capable of retaining the following.

[0009]

According to the present invention, the object is to contain erythritol and sugar alcohol as main components in a ratio (weight ratio) of 1: 1 to 1: 4, and a solid content concentration of
In the composition of 70 to 85 (W / W)%, the composition is 0.
01 to 0.2 (W / W)%, preferably 0.05 to 0.2 (W / W)
W) A crystallizable flowable sweetener composition comprising% agar or furceleran.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the inventors of the present invention conducted extensive studies on the composition and additives, and found that the sweetener composition was made to coexist with a trace amount of agar or furceleran to give the erythritol content. The present invention has been achieved by obtaining new knowledge that a uniform dispersed state of fine crystals in a composition can be maintained for a long period of time even under the condition that the solid content concentration is relatively low, and further conducting various studies.

Erythritol to be blended in the composition of the present invention is a known commercial substance and is a sugar alcohol of tetracarbon sugar,
It is well soluble in water and very easy to crystallize, the crystals are white and have a granulated sugar-like appearance. The intensity of sweetness is about 75-80% of sucrose, and the taste quality is close to sugar, non-digestive, and non-cariogenic. Although commercially available products include crystalline powder products and granule products, any shape product can be used as it is in the present invention.

As the sugar alcohol to be blended in the composition of the present invention, maltitol, an isomalt oligosaccharide reduced product, sorbitol and the like which are non-cariogenic sugar alcohols are usually used. As maltitol, various qualities are currently on the market, but in the present invention, in addition to high-purity crystalline products, low-purity liquid products containing a small amount of maltotriitol, maltotetriitol, etc. Etc. can also be used. As the isomaltooligosaccharide reductant, a liquid product containing a reductant such as isomaltose, isomalttriose, or panose (for example, S500 or the like commercially available from Niken Chemical Co., Ltd.) can be used. As sorbitol, not only powdery products having high purity but also products containing a small amount of maltitol, maltotriitol, mannitol and the like can be used. Among these sugar alcohols, high-purity maltitol or a sugar alcohol mixture containing maltitol as a main component can be used as a preferred sugar alcohol in the present invention. As agar or furceleran to be added to the composition of the present invention, any product such as powdered product and solid product can be used.

In the composition of the present invention, by adding another thickener together with agar or furceleran, it may be possible to obtain an effect equal to or more than that of agar or furcereran alone. Other thickeners that can be used in combination with agar include, for example, locust bean gum or karaya gum, and other thickeners that can be used in combination with furceleran include, for example, gum arabic, carrageenan, xanthan gum, locust bean gum. , Tara gum, pullulan and the like. These other thickeners are used in an amount less than that of agar or furceleran, usually 0.
About 1 to 1.0 parts by weight can be used.

In the present invention, aspartame, stevioside, saccharin, acesulfame K, thaumatin, in order to enhance or adjust the taste of the crystallizable fluid sweetener composition of the present invention, Synthetic or natural high-intensity sweeteners such as glycyrrhizin can be appropriately added.

The microcrystal-containing flowable sweetener composition according to the present invention comprises, for example, a raw material mixture prepared by mixing erythritol and sugar alcohol in a ratio of 1: 1 to 4 (weight ratio). Add water, heat and mix to solid concentration
A sugar solution of 70 to 85 (W / W)% was prepared, and then 0.01 to 0.2 (W / W)%, preferably 0.05 to 0.2, based on this sugar solution.
(W / W)% equivalent amount of agar or furceleran is optionally added together with the above-mentioned other thickener to uniformly dissolve and then cooled. After cooling, if necessary, a small amount of erythritol is added as a crystal seed and stirred. It can be produced by precipitating fine crystals of erythritol, appropriately dispensing in a desired container, and sealing if necessary.

The operations such as mixing and dissolving of the raw material mixture in producing the microcrystal-containing fluid sweetener composition according to the present invention are all conventionally used for producing sweetener compositions. The above method can be used as it is without any particular difficulty.

[0017]

The flowable sweetener composition containing fine crystals of the present invention obtained as described above is low in calories and non-cariogenic, and in terms of quality, the following Examples and Test Examples are also provided. As also shown in, the erythritol microcrystals have a uniform particle size and are stable for a long period of time, and since the products do not deteriorate during the process of distribution and sale, the product value is extremely high.

[0018]

EXAMPLES Next, the present invention will be described more specifically by showing Examples and Test Examples of the present invention, but it goes without saying that the scope of the present invention is not limited to these Examples and Test Examples. Absent.

Example 1 Erythritol (manufactured by Nikken Chemical Co., Ltd.) 340 g, Marvit (manufactured by Nikken Chemical Co., Ltd., solid content 75% by weight liquid product)
67 g and 1 g of agar powder (Yoneyama Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. reagent first grade) were mixed and heated at 90 ° C. to dissolve. The lysate is then brought to a temperature of 20.
When cooled to 0 ° C, erythritol microcrystals were precipitated, and a liquid sweetener composition was obtained in which fondant-like microcrystals were uniformly dispersed. The sweetness of this sweetener composition was about 0.8 times that of sugar.

Example 2 4.125 g of saccharin Na (food additive standard product manufactured by Aisan Chemical Co., Ltd.) was added to a mixture of 214 g of erythritol, 700 g of marbit and 25 g of water, and heated and dissolved at 70 ° C. to prepare a sugar raw material. Separately, 50 g of water was added to 0.75 g of agar and dissolved by heating at 90 ° C. to obtain an agar solution. Agar solution was added to the sugar raw material obtained above and mixed, and after cooling to a temperature of 40 ° C, 10 g of erythritol crystals was added as a crystal seed, and when cooled to 20 ° C, fine fondant-like crystals were uniformly dispersed. A liquid sweetener composition was obtained. The sweetness of this sweetener composition was about twice that of sugar.

Example 3 Erythritol (150 g), Marvit (853 g) and Stevioside (Nippon Kagaku Co., Ltd. Stevia Sweet Nikken) 9
g, and 0.75 g of agar was further added. This mixture was heated and melted at 90 ° C, cooled to 40 ° C, 10 g of erythritol fine powder (particle size 150 µm) was added as a seed, and cooled to 20 ° C, and fondant-like fine crystals were uniformly dispersed. A liquid sweetener composition was obtained. The sweetness of this sweetener composition was about twice that of sugar.

Example 4 Erythritol 225 g, Isomaltooligosaccharide reduced product 70%
Liquid product (Niken Chemical Co., Ltd. S500) 750g and Stevioside (Nikken Chemical Co., Stevia Suite Niken) 15.8g are mixed, and agar 0.8g and water are further added.
25 g was added. This mixture is heated to 90 ° C to dissolve and 40
After cooling to 0 ° C, 10 g of erythritol fine powder (particle size 150 µm) was added as a crystal seed, and cooled to 20 ° C to obtain a liquid sweetener composition in which fondant-like fine crystals were uniformly dispersed. The sweetness of this sweetener composition was about twice that of sugar.

Example 5 225 g of erythritol, 750 g of 70% sorbitol liquid product (Sorbitol F manufactured by Nikken Chemical Co., Ltd.), 0.8 g of agar and 25 g of water were mixed, and this mixture was heated at 90 ° C. to dissolve it, and 40 ° C. Cooled down. When 10 g of erythritol fine powder (particle size: 150 μm) was added as a crystal seed and cooled to 20 ° C., a liquid sweetener composition was obtained in which fondant-like fine crystals were uniformly dispersed. The sweetness of this sweetener composition was about 0.8 times that of sugar.

Example 6 A mixture of 190 g of erythritol, 400 g of malbite and 25 g of water was heated and dissolved at 70 ° C. to obtain a sugar raw material. Separately, Fur Cerelan (San-ei Chemical Industry Co., Ltd. Gel Up J-19
15) To 40 g of water was added 1.0 g, and the mixture was heated and dissolved at 90 ° C. to obtain a furceleran solution. The farcerelan solution was added to the sugar raw material obtained above and mixed, and after cooling to a temperature of 40 ° C, 10 g of erythritol crystals were added as a crystal seed, and when cooled to 20 ° C, fine fondant-like crystals were uniformly dispersed. A liquid sweetener composition was obtained.

Example 7 A mixture of 190 g of erythritol, 400 g of Marvit and 25 g of water was heated and dissolved at 70 ° C. to obtain a sugar raw material. Separately, agar
0.52g and Locust Bean Gum (Marine Colloid S
40 g of water was added to 0.13 g of ea Gel-L) and dissolved by heating at 90 ° C.
It was an agar solution. Add the agar solution to the sugar raw material obtained above,
After mixing and cooling to a temperature of 40 ° C., 10 g of erythritol crystals as a crystal seed was added and cooled to 20 ° C. to obtain a liquid sweetener composition in which fine fondant-like crystals were uniformly dispersed.

Example 8 A mixture of 190 g of erythritol, 400 g of malbite and 25 g of water was heated and dissolved at 70 ° C. to obtain a sugar raw material. Separately, water (40 g) was added to 0.8 g of furceleran and 0.2 g of carrageenan (reagent first grade manufactured by Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd.), and the mixture was heated and dissolved at 90 ° C. to obtain a furcereran solution. The farcerelan solution was added to the sugar raw material obtained above and mixed, and after cooling to a temperature of 40 ° C, 10 g of erythritol crystals were added as a crystal seed, and when cooled to 20 ° C, fine fondant-like crystals were uniformly dispersed. A liquid sweetener composition was obtained.

Example 9 A mixture of 190 g of erythritol, 400 g of Marvit and 25 g of water was heated and dissolved at 70 ° C. to obtain a sugar raw material. Separately, agar
Water (40 g) was added to 0.39 g and locust bean gum (0.26 g), and the mixture was heated and dissolved at 90 ° C. to obtain an agar solution. Add the agar solution to the sugar raw material obtained above, mix and cool to a temperature of 40 ° C, then add 10 g of erythritol crystals as crystal seeds,
When cooled to 0 ° C., a liquid sweetener composition in which fondant-like fine crystals were uniformly dispersed was obtained.

Example 10 190 g of erythritol and 270 g of S-500 were mixed,
In addition, 0.6 g of furceleran and 0.15 g of xanthan gum (Soaxane XG200 manufactured by Mitsubishi Rayon Co., Ltd.)
And 35 g of water were added. This mixture was heated to 90 ° C to dissolve it, cooled to a temperature of 40 ° C, added with 10 g of erythritol fine powder as crystal seeds, and cooled to 20 ° C. A liquid sweetener in which fine fondant-like crystals were uniformly dispersed. A composition was obtained.

Test Example Preparation of Test Composition Regarding the liquid sweetener compositions prepared in Examples 1 to 3 and Examples 6 to 8, the quality (stability) of liquid sweetener products A and B prepared by a known method was used as a control. The comparative test of was carried out. In the present test, among the known sweetener compositions used as a control, the composition A was a container containing 50 g of erythritol, 35 g of maltitol and 15 g of water according to the method of Example 2 of JP-A-1-225458. It was prepared by heating in a mortar to 100 ° C to dissolve it, and then gradually cooling the solution to 25 ° C with stirring in a mortar. Also,
The known composition B was prepared by mixing 99.9% by weight of a 38% erythritol solution and 0.1% of saccharin (W / W) according to the method of Example 2 of JP-B-56-18180, and heating the mixture at 118 ° C. It was prepared by placing it in a mortar, keeping it at 38 ° C., and stirring for 15 to 18 minutes.

Comparative Test 1 In Comparative Test 1, a predetermined amount of each test composition was placed in a container of 360 ml, sealed tightly, and allowed to stand at room temperature to visually observe the separation state of crystals in the liquid. It was evaluated according to the standard.

A) The distribution of crystals in the liquid is uniform and no separation of the liquid layer is observed: (-) b) There is no boundary line in the liquid, but between the upper and lower layers of the liquid, Difference in crystal concentration (distribution): (+) c) There is a boundary line in the liquid, and the liquid is clearly separated into an upper layer containing no crystals and a lower layer containing crystals: (++ )

The test results are shown in Table 1.

[0033]

[Table 1]

Comparative Test 2 Comparative test 2 was conducted under the assumption of severe conditions. That is, a predetermined amount of each test composition was placed in a container of 360 ml, sealed tightly, held at 45 ° C. for 6 hours, and then kept at 25 ° C. for 18 hours. The state of separation was visually observed and evaluated in the same manner as in Comparative Test 1 according to the above criteria. The results are shown in Table 2.

[0035]

[Table 2]

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A sweetener composition containing erythritol and sugar alcohol as main components in a ratio (weight ratio) of 1: 1 to 1: 4 and a solid content concentration of 70 to 85 (W / W)%. And
A microcrystalline containing flowable sweetener composition, wherein the composition comprises 0.01 to 0.2 (W / W)% agar or furceleran. 2. The microcrystal-containing fluid sweetener composition according to claim 1, wherein the sugar alcohol is maltitol, an isomaltooligosaccharide reduced product or sorbitol. 3. The content of agar is 0.05 to the composition.
The crystallizable fluid sweetener composition according to claim 1, wherein the composition is 0.2 (W / W)%. 4. The microcrystal-containing fluid sweetener composition according to claim 1, wherein the content of furceleran is 0.05 to 0.2 (W / W)% with respect to the composition.