JPH0659187B2 - Appearance Microcrystalline low-calorie sweetener composition - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (a) Object of the Invention The present invention relates to a low-calorie and non-cariogenic sweetener composition having a microcrystalline appearance.

(Prior art) Non-sugar sweeteners such as aspartame, stevioside, saccharin sodium, thaumatin, glycyrrhizin, acesulfame potassium, and sodium cyclamate are sweeteners having sweetening power several hundred times that of sucrose and low calorie content. And because of its non-cariogenic nature, its use is expanding to replace sugar sweeteners, which are any health problem.

However, due to their high degree of sweetness, these non-sugar sweeteners are nearly impossible to use as a single product in ordinary households, and they are usually powdered with a bulking agent, or It is used as a product obtained by further molding it into an appropriate shape using an excipient. However, since their appearance is powdery or granular, they have a drawback that they do not fit the image of conventional sweeteners.

Further, sugar alcohols such as sorbitol, maltitol, and xylitol have good sweetness and are widely used as non-digestible (that is, low-calorie) and non-cariogenic sweeteners, and the sugar alcohol and aspartame and A sweetener composition comprising a mixture with a non-sugar sweetener such as stevioside or sodium saccharin is already known. However, these sugar alcohols have recently been significantly decomposed and absorbed in experiments with rats, dogs, human bodies, etc.,
There are reports that it is not much different from sucrose in terms of calories, and it can be assimilated by intestinal bacteria, digested and absorbed, and used as an energy source. In addition, the mixture of these sugar alcohols and non-sugar sweeteners has the drawback of having a powdery or granular drug-like appearance as described above.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) The present invention provides a sweetener composition having a beautiful microcrystalline appearance like sucrose like granulated sugar and good sweetness, and having low calorie and non-cariogenicity. It is the one we are trying to provide.

(b) Structure of the Invention (Means for Solving the Problems) The appearance microcrystalline low-calorie sweetener composition of the present invention comprises at least the surface of the microcrystalline particles of mesoerythritol, at least a non-sugar sweetener and A composition obtained by coating with a sweetener component including a paste.

Methoerythritol used in the present invention has a structural formula It is a tetravalent sugar alcohol represented by and has a molecular weight of 12
2. White crystals with a boiling point of 119 ° C. The appearance is similar to granulated sugar of sucrose, it is well soluble in water, and it is non-digestible, non-cariogenic, and non-brown denaturing. This mesotherythritol (hereinafter, may be simply referred to as "erythritol") is contained in natural algae, mushrooms and the like, and is also contained in small amounts in sake, wine, soy sauce and the like. According to the panel test results, the sweetness intensity and sweetness are slightly weaker than sucrose and slightly stronger than glucose, which is equivalent to about 75 to 80% of the sweetness of sucrose, and the sweetness of sucrose is Although close, the aftertaste is less sweet than sucrose.

In the present invention, the surface of such microcrystalline particles of erythritol is coated with a sweetener component containing at least a non-saccharide sweetener and a sizing agent as described above, and the sweetener component for coating is a non-saccharide sweetener. It may consist of an ingredient and a paste, or may consist of a mixture of a non-sugar sweetener, a sugar sweetener and a paste.

Examples of the non-sugar sweetener in the present invention include aspartame, stevioside, sodium saccharin, thaumatin, glycyrrhizin, and asphum potassium. Further, as the sugar sweetener that can be used in combination with the non-saccharide sweetener, there are various sugars, but the particularly preferable sugar sweetener is a highly moisturizing sugar, for example, a reduced linear oligosaccharide, a branched oligosaccharide alcohol, sorbitol, Coupling sugar, isomerized sugar, maltitol and the like.

Examples of the sizing agent in the present invention include gelatin, locust bingham, carrageenan, xanthan gum, pullulan, soluble starch and the like.

The microcrystalline particles of metherythritol in the present invention have no particular limitation on the particle size, but usually 0.1 to 0.1
A particle size of about 1.0 mm is preferable.

There are various methods for coating the surface of the microcrystalline particles of erythritol in the present invention. For example, a mixed aqueous solution or water dispersion of a non-sugar sweetener and a paste (these are collectively referred to as "aqueous liquid") or a mixed aqueous liquid of a non-sugar sweetener, a sugar sweetener and a paste is added to a small amount of erythritol. A method of spray-coating the surface of the crystal particles, and further, a sweetener component aqueous liquid containing a non-sugar sweetener and a paste as described above or a kneaded product of a non-sugar sweetener, a sugar sweetener and a paste, erythritol microcrystals There is a method of kneading with particles in a kneader.

The erythritol microcrystalline particles coated with the sweetener component by such a method can then be dried by a method such as vacuum drying or ventilation drying, if necessary. The drying temperature is preferably in the range of 50 to 110 ° C.

The composition ratio (weight ratio) of erythritol and the non-sugar sweetener in the composition of the present invention varies slightly depending on the type of non-sugar sweetener. The preferred ratio is usually 0.001 for stevioside to 1 erythritol.
~ 0.007, Glycyrrhizin 0.001-0.00
4, aspartame is in the range of 0.001 to 0.018, and sodium saccharin is in the range of 0.0004 to 0.001. Particularly, in the case of stevioside or aspartame, the ratio of stevioside to erythritol is 0.0
01-0.004, aspartame 0.002-0.
At 008, a sweetness most similar to sucrose is obtained.

The composition ratio (weight ratio) of the sizing agent and the non-sugar sweetener in the composition of the present invention is usually 0.05 to 0.3, preferably 0.1 to the non-sugar sweetener 1. Is in the range of 0.2. In addition, the paste is usually preferably used as a 1 to 4% liquid.

The sweetener composition of the present invention has a granulated sugar-like microcrystalline appearance of sucrose, and can easily have a degree of sweetness and a sweetness similar to that of sucrose, and has a low calorie content and a low calorie content. It is erosive.

(Example) An example is given below and further detailed.

Example 1 2.2 g of aspartame (manufactured by Ajinomoto Co., Inc.) and 30 g of a 1% by weight aqueous solution of gelatin (# 200 manufactured by Nitta Gelatin Co., Ltd.) were mixed well and heated to 70 ° C. 540 g of microcrystalline particles of erythritol (particle size 0.1 to 1.0 mm) were placed in a fluidized granulator and dried at 70 ° C. The above mixed solution of aspartame and gelatin was sprayed onto this and dried at 70 ° C.

The resulting product sweetener composition had a beautiful appearance like granulated sugar, in which aspartame covered the erythritol crystal surface firmly due to the effect of gelatin having a strong binding property. In addition, the sweetness is as shown in Table 1 as a result of the sensory evaluation by 15 panelists.
It was markedly superior to the aspartame alone.

Examples 2 to 6 and Comparative Example 1 A sweetener composition was produced in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the sweetener components were changed to the compositions shown in Table 2.

The product sweetener compositions obtained in Examples 2-6 were prepared according to Example 1
It had a beautiful appearance similar to that of granulated sugar, similar to the product obtained in.

On the other hand, the sweetener composition obtained in Comparative Example 1 was inferior in appearance because the sweetener component was not sufficiently coated on the microcrystal surface of erythritol.

(c) Effects of the Invention The sweetener composition of the present invention has a beautiful microcrystalline appearance similar to that of sucrose granulated sugar, has a good sweetness, and is low in calories and non-cariogenic. Therefore, this sweetener composition is excellent as a sweetener for tabletop use from the viewpoints of both health and appearance.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A low-calorie sweetener composition having an external appearance, which is obtained by coating the surface of microcrystalline particles of mesoyerythritol with a sweetener component containing at least a non-saccharide sweetener and a paste.