JPH1025253A - Agent for suppressing bitter taste and method therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a bitter-taste suppressing agent having excellent bitter-taste suppressing effect by using a fatty acid as an active component. SOLUTION: This bitter-taste suppressing agent contains an 8-24C saturated or unsaturated fatty acid and/or fatty acid metal salt as an active component. The fatty acid may be used as it is or in a state separated and purifiedby fractionation, distillation, etc. The fatty acid can be produced from an easily available raw material by conventional method such as the hydrogenation and saponification of an oil and fat derived from animal, or vegetable raw materials with an enzyme or by chemical synthesis. Bitter taste of pharmaceuticals, foods or cosmetics is effectively suppressed by compounding 0.1-10wt.%, preferalby 0.5-3wt.% of the bitter-taste suppressing agent based on the total weight of the pharmaceuticals, etc. Especially, the bitter taste of a food can be suppressed without changing the good palatability of the food.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a bitterness reducing agent and a method for reducing bitterness using the same, and more particularly to a bitterness reducing agent which can effectively reduce bitterness by adding it to pharmaceuticals, foods or cosmetics having bitterness. The present invention relates to an agent and a method for reducing bitterness using the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The taste is roughly divided into five basic tastes (sweetness,
(Saltiness, acidity, umami, bitterness). Among them, bitterness often gives discomfort. Those exhibiting bitterness include pharmaceuticals, foods, and cosmetics. Of these drugs, most of pharmaceuticals exhibit bitterness, and it is sometimes difficult to drink due to the bitterness. Therefore, masking of bitterness is important.

Hitherto, as a method of masking bitterness in pharmaceuticals, sugar coating has been used for tablets, and sugar or a polymer film has been used for granules and fine granules. At present, a method of using microencapsulation or an inclusion compound in a solid preparation in general (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No.
No. 236316) and a method of insolubilizing a drug by chemical modification. However, all of these methods have problems such as the inability to completely mask bitterness, the complicated process, the use of only limited drugs, and an increase in production cost. On the other hand, infants, children, the elderly, and sick people often have difficulty taking solid preparations such as tablets and granules,
In this case, liquid preparations or dry syrups that can be dissolved in business use are often prescribed. However, the above-mentioned coating method and the like cannot be used for liquid preparations, and bitterness is reduced by adding flavors such as high-concentration sugars and organic acids, and flavors, but masking is more difficult than solid preparations. I have to be safe.

[0004] In foods too, unpleasant bitterness can be a problem. For example, peptides obtained from protein hydrolysates, off-tastes mainly including bitterness of amino acids, bitterness of fruit juice, and the like can be mentioned. Also, recently, especially health preferences have increased,
Various health foods containing a bitter crude drug and the like are commercially available. This includes, for example, extracts such as gymnema acid and aloe. Such bitterness in foods reduces the commercial value of the foods, so it is necessary to mask them. Examples of such a method include a method using an adsorbent (JP-A-55-108254),
A method using an clathrate compound (JP-A-61-40260) and a method of adding a sweetener (JP-A-60-977)
No. 4). Further, as a method of improving food raw materials, a method of previously removing a tissue containing an off-flavor component such as bitterness has been adopted. However, the above-mentioned method has many problems, such as bitterness not being completely suppressed and taste of food being changed. In the case of foods, it may be necessary to control bitterness in addition to completely masking off-flavors, mainly bitterness. For example, palatable beverages such as coffee, black tea, and green tea, alcohol-containing beverages such as beer and whiskey, some beverages such as vegetable juices, and flavored vegetables such as wild vegetables are foods that enjoy bitterness. Therefore, it is necessary to appropriately control the bitterness of such foods.

On the other hand, in the case of cosmetics, it is preferable that mouthwash, dentifrice and lotion and lipstick used for the oral cavity have no bitterness. However,
Some surfactants and fragrances (flavors) as components thereof have a bitter taste, and the types and amounts thereof may be limited when used. Conventionally, bitterness has been removed by adding sweeteners or specific flavors to reduce bitterness.
With such a method, a sufficient effect has not been obtained for a component exhibiting strong bitterness.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to safely reduce the bitterness of pharmaceuticals, foods or cosmetics exhibiting an off-taste such as bitterness, and particularly to reduce the bitterness of foods without changing the taste. An object of the present invention is to provide a reducing agent for reducing bitterness.

[0007]

In general, taste components are roughly classified into five basic tastes: sweet, salty, sour, umami, and bitter. Although various mechanisms have been proposed for taste substance reception by taste cells, it has been reported that generally, sweetness and umami are received by receptor proteins, and that salty and sour tastes are received by channel proteins. On the other hand, it has been reported that bitter taste is received in the hydrophobic regions between lipids and between lipids and proteins of the taste receptor membrane (Kumazawa, Kurihara et al .; Biochim.
Biophys. Acta., 888, 62, 1986). Of the five basic tastes, taste substances other than bitter substances are hydrophilic substances, and only bitter substances are molecules having relatively strong hydrophobicity. For this reason, it is considered that the bitter substance is received in the hydrophobic region of the taste receptor membrane. There are a huge number of substances exhibiting bitterness,
It is estimated that there are 100,000 species, but it is not certain. for that reason,
Studies on structure-activity for bitterness have been performed in some places, but no consensus has been obtained. However, a common property of bitter substances is that they have a hydrophobic region and a hydrophobic group in the molecule (Kumazawa, Kurihara et al .; Biochemistry, 27, 1239, 1988). In addition, it has been reported that molecules having strong bitterness have a positive charge under physiological pH (RS Schallenberge
r et al., Handbook of Sensory Physiology 4-2, 221, 197
1). Further, it is known that the surface of a biological membrane is negatively charged, and the same is true of the taste receptor membrane of taste cells. Therefore, it is considered that a bitter substance having a positive charge has a stronger affinity for the taste receptor membrane.

As a result of intensive studies based on such findings, the present inventor has found that substances having a hydrophobic group in the molecule and having a negative charge tend to bind to bitter substances. The combination of a substance and a bitter substance prevents the bitter substance from being accepted by the taste receptor membrane,
As a result of diligent search for such substances, they have found that fatty acids and metal salts thereof have a hydrophobic group and a negative charge, and have an excellent bitterness-reducing action, thereby completing the present invention.

That is, the present invention provides a bitterness reducing agent comprising a fatty acid and / or a metal salt of a fatty acid as an active ingredient.

[0010] The present invention also provides a method for reducing the bitterness of pharmaceuticals, foods or cosmetics, characterized by adding the bitterness reducing agent to pharmaceuticals, foods or cosmetics having a bitter taste.

[0011]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The fatty acids and metal salts thereof used in the present invention may be saturated or unsaturated, and preferably have 8 to 24, especially 12 to 18 carbon atoms.
Examples of metal salts of fatty acids include salts of sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium and aluminum.

The fatty acids and metal salts of the fatty acids (hereinafter referred to as "fatty acids") used in the present invention can be produced by known methods and are not particularly limited. For example, there is a method in which an oil or fat obtained from animal or plant raw materials is hydrolyzed by an enzyme or saponified. When animals and plants are used as raw materials, the resulting fatty acids and the like are mixtures of various fatty acids and the like. This mixture can be used as a bitterness reducing agent as it is, but it is preferable to isolate and purify by a treatment such as fractionation or distillation in order to enhance the bitterness reducing effect. In addition, fatty acids and the like may be chemically synthesized or hydrogenated ones may be used.

The above fatty acids and the like may be used singly or in combination of two or more. The compounding ratio is not particularly limited.
The amount is based on the total amount of medicine, food or cosmetics.
It is preferably 0.01 to 10% by weight, particularly preferably 0.01 to 5% by weight, more preferably 0.1 to 3% by weight, and further preferably 0.5 to 3% by weight.

Fatty acids and the like, whether liquid or powdery, can be used as a bitterness reducing agent. That is, if the fatty acid or the like is in a liquid state, the fatty acid or the like can be powdered by mixing with a protein, starch, saccharide, high-molecular cellulose, or the like, and used. In addition, cholesterol or the like can be added and used for improving physical properties. Further, when the above fatty acid or the like has an unsaturated fatty acid residue, an antioxidant can be added for the purpose of preventing oxidation. This includes, for example, tocopherol acetate, trade name Sankatol, trade name Sancanon, trade name sammerin and the like. It is also possible to dissolve the fatty acids and the like in edible oil (triglyceride) before use. In this case, for example, soybean oil, rapeseed oil, corn oil, palm oil, cottonseed oil, coconut oil, palm kernel oil, rice oil, sesame oil, safflower oil, high oleic safflower oil, sunflower oil and high oleic sunflower Vegetable oils such as oil; animal fats such as beef tallow, lard, fish oil, whale oil and milk fat; fractionated oils thereof; hydrogenated products thereof; and transesterified products thereof. Among these fats and oils, one or more can be used in combination. If necessary, a fatty acid or the like and a surfactant can be used in combination. Examples include sucrose fatty acid ester, polyglycerin fatty acid ester, sorbitan fatty acid ester, polyglycerin condensed ricinoleate, lecithin,
Polyoxyethylene hydrogenated castor oil, polyethylene glycol fatty acid ester, glycerin fatty acid ester, polyoxyethylene-based nonionic surfactant and the like can be mentioned.

The method for reducing bitterness of the present invention can be preferably applied to pharmaceuticals, foods or cosmetics having bitterness. The form of pharmaceuticals, foods and cosmetics having bitterness to be applied may be any of liquid or paste such as aqueous solution, suspension and emulsion or solid such as powder. When these forms are in the form of a liquid or paste such as an aqueous solution, suspension, or emulsion, they may be sufficiently stirred, dispersed, etc. after addition of the fatty acid or the like. For the stirring and dispersion, a homogenizer, an emulsifier, an ultrasonic treatment device or the like can be used.
The obtained dispersion may be dried into a solid such as a powder or a granule after drying with a spray drier or a freeze drier. When the pharmaceutical, food or cosmetic having a bitter taste is a solid such as powder, a method of adding and mixing a fatty acid or the like which is an active ingredient of the present invention can be used. In addition, the fatty acid or the like may be dispersed in water or the like, and the resulting mixture may be mixed with a bitter medicine, food, cosmetic, or the like in the form of a solid, homogenized, and then dehydrated. In addition,
Pharmaceuticals, foods or cosmetics having the above-mentioned bitterness, when poorly soluble in water, using an organic solvent such as hexane or ethyl acetate or alcohols such as ethanol, and dissolving these components according to the present invention. Fatty acids and the like may be added.

Pharmaceuticals having a bitter taste to which the bitterness reducing agent of the present invention is applied are not particularly limited, and particularly, basic drugs (eg, promethazine, propranolol, berberine, chlorpromazine, chlorpheniramine, papaverine, thiamine, Quinine) and its acid addition salts. Specifically, it can be used for mineral salts such as hydrochloride, nitrate, sulfate, acetate, citrate and carbonate of basic drugs and / or organic acid salts such as maleate. Furthermore, it can be applied to Chinese herbal preparations and crude drug preparations. Examples include spinach, assemblage, calyx, gin, yellowfin, kouka, rhubarb, rhododendron, giant psyllium, gymnema, locust, ginkgo, chlorella, jujube and the like.

The dosage form of the drug to which the present invention is applied is not particularly limited, and may be various dosage forms. Dosage forms include, for example, capsules, granules, fine granules, pills, powders, tablets, troches, chewables, dry syrups and other solid preparations, liquids, extracts, elixirs, spirits, syrups, Liquid preparations such as a fragrance agent, a limonade agent and a fluid extract can be mentioned.

For the preparation of the above preparations, known methods can be used. Therefore, at the time of formulation, one or more conventionally used additives can be used in combination. Such additives include, for example, excipients, binders, disintegrants, lubricants, flow agents, coating agents, flavoring agents, masking agents, and fragrances. Examples of the granulator used in the formulation process include a planetary mixer, a stirring granulator, a high-speed mixing granulator, an extrusion granulator, a fluidized bed granulator, a centrifugal tumbling granulator, a roller compactor, and the like. Can be In the present invention, fatty acids and the like are added to a pharmaceutical having a bitter taste in an amount of 0.01 to 1 with respect to the total amount of the pharmaceutical.
0% by weight (preferably 0.01 to 5% by weight, more preferably 0.1 to 3% by weight) may be added, but fatty acids and the like are added in an amount of 0.1% to 1 part of the main ingredient which is a medicinal ingredient exhibiting a bitter taste. 0
It is preferable to add so as to have a content of 1 to 1000 parts (preferably 0.1 to 100 parts) (weight ratio). When two or more medicinal components having bitterness are present, the total weight is 1 part. The present invention can be used when the form of food having bitterness (including beverages) is any of solid, powder, paste, and liquid, and can be used as molded food, frozen food,
It can be applied to both refrigerated foods and retort foods.

Specific foods are not particularly limited, but examples thereof include the following. Citrus such as grapefruit, orange and lemon and fruit juice containing them; tomato, pepper, celery, cucumber, carrot, potato, asparagus, etc. and vegetable juice and vegetable juice containing these; sauce, soy sauce, miso, umami seasoning And seasonings such as chili; soy milk, soy milk including soy milk; emulsified foods such as cream, dressing, mayonnaise and margarine; processed fishery products such as fish meat, surimi and fish eggs; nuts such as peanuts; Fermented goods; meat and processed meat products; beer, cocoa, black tea, green tea, fermented tea, unfermented tea, soft drinks and functional drinks, etc .; pickles; noodles; soups including powdered soup; cheese, milk, etc. Dairy products; breads and cakes; snacks, chewing gum, chocolate and other confections; candies;
Cigarettes; health foods and the like.

The bitterness of the flavor can also be reduced by adding the bitterness reducing agent of the present invention to the flavor used in foods. Further, amino acids having a bitter taste such as leucine, isoleucine, phenylalanine,
It can also be used to reduce bitterness of peptides and oligosaccharides.

On the other hand, palatable beverages such as coffee, black tea and green tea, alcohol-containing beverages such as beer and whiskey, some beverages such as vegetable juices, flavored vegetables such as wild vegetables, root vegetables and the like are foods that enjoy bitterness. It is. Therefore, fatty acids and the like can be added to such foods for the purpose of controlling bitterness. Moreover, it can be used also for the lye removal process performed when processing flavored vegetables and root vegetables.

In the present invention, 0.01 to 10% by weight (preferably 0.01 to 5%) based on the total amount of the cosmetic, using the above-mentioned bitterness reducing agent as an active ingredient in a food having a bitter taste.
% By weight, more preferably 0.1 to 3% by weight).
1 to 1000 times by weight (preferably 0.1 to 50 times by weight)
Preferably, it is used. When two or more components have a bitter taste, the total weight is 1 part.

Next, examples of the cosmetic having a bitter taste include, but are not particularly limited to, the following. That is, facial cosmetics such as lotions, emulsions, creams, packs, lipsticks, foundations, shaving aids, after-shave lotions, cleansing foams and cleansing gels; toothpastes, mouthwashes, mouth rinses and the like can be mentioned. Examples of the component exhibiting a bitter taste in cosmetics having such a bitter taste include surfactants such as sodium alkyl sulfate and sodium monoalkyl phosphate, menthol, linalool, phenylethyl alcohol, ethyl propionate, geraniol, linalool acetate. , Fragrances such as benzyl acetate, fungicides such as methylparaben, propylparaben,
Examples include humectants such as lactic acid and sodium lactate, alcohol denaturants such as 8-acetylated sucrose and brucine, and astringents such as aluminum lactate.

In the present invention, the above-mentioned bitterness reducing agent is used as an active ingredient in the cosmetic having a bitter taste in an amount of 0.01 to 10% by weight (preferably 0.0 to 10% by weight) based on the total amount of the cosmetic.
(1 to 5% by weight, more preferably 0.1 to 3% by weight) may be added, but the fatty acid or the like is 0.1 to 1000 times (preferably 0 to 0) by weight with respect to the component exhibiting the bitterness. (1 to 50 times by weight). When two or more components have a bitter taste, the total weight is 1 part.

[0025]

Industrial Applicability The bitterness reducing agent of the present invention is composed of fatty acids and the like which are easily available and safe, and exhibits an excellent bitterness reducing action, so that it can be suitably used for pharmaceuticals, foods and cosmetics having bitterness. .

[0026]

EXAMPLES Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail by way of examples, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

Example 1 Quinine hydrochloride having a strong bitter taste was selected as a drug to be added, and the final concentration of sodium laurate, sodium myristate, and sodium stearate as a bitterness reducing agent in a 0.5 mM aqueous solution (control) was 1. 0%
(W / V) or 0.1% (W / V)
V) and disperser (Ja
The mixture was stirred and dispersed at 9500 rpm for 3 minutes using Nke & Kunkel to prepare a liquid preparation containing a bitterness inhibitor. The intensity of bitterness of each of the obtained liquid preparations was evaluated by a panel of five healthy male and female subjects having normal taste using the following equivalent concentration test method. Table 2 shows the results. (Equivalent concentration test method) In the equivalent concentration test method, a reference solution is prepared in advance so that the intensity of bitterness is evenly spaced, and this reference solution and the liquid prepared above are compared by sensory evaluation of the subject. In this method, the intensity of the corresponding bitterness is represented by its average value. Here, as the reference liquid, a liquid prepared by adjusting the intensity of bitterness to 10 levels using quinine sulfate, which is a typical bitter substance, was used. Note that the intensity of the sensation such as the taste is proportional to the logarithm of the density, so that the density interval is not constant, but the intensity of the bitterness to be sensed is equal (Table 1).

[0028]

[Table 1]

[0029]

[Table 2]

The results in Table 2 show that the addition of the bitterness reducing agent according to the present invention significantly reduces bitterness.

Example 2 As a bitter substance to be added, thiamine nitrate, which is used as a main component of health foods and nutritional supplements and has a strong bitter taste, was selected, and its 0.5% (W / V) aqueous solution (control) was used.
And sodium oleate at a final concentration of 0.1%
(W / V) or 0.3% (W / V), and a liquid preparation was prepared and evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1. Table 3 shows the evaluation results.

[0032]

[Table 3]

The results in Table 3 show that the addition of the bitterness reducing agent according to the present invention significantly reduces bitterness.

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Nohisa Katsuragi Kao Corporation Ibaraki Pref.

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A bitterness reducing agent comprising a fatty acid and / or a metal salt of a fatty acid as an active ingredient. 2. The bitterness reducing agent according to claim 1, wherein the fatty acid and / or the metal salt of the fatty acid is a saturated or unsaturated fatty acid having 8 to 24 carbon atoms and / or a metal salt thereof. 3. The bitterness reducing agent according to claim 1, wherein the fatty acid and / or the metal salt of the fatty acid is a saturated or unsaturated fatty acid having 12 to 18 carbon atoms and / or a metal salt thereof. 4. A method for reducing the bitterness of a drug, which comprises adding the bitterness reducing agent according to claim 1 to a drug having a bitter taste. 5. A method for reducing the bitterness of a drug, comprising adding the bitterness reducing agent according to claim 1 to a food having a bitter taste. 6. A method for reducing bitterness in cosmetics, comprising adding the bitterness reducing agent according to claim 1 to a cosmetic having bitterness. 7. The method for reducing bitterness according to claim 4, wherein the amount of the bitterness reducing agent is 0.01 to 10% by weight based on the total amount of the drug, food or cosmetic.