JPS642339B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

The present invention relates to the improvement of lactic acid bacteria-fermented dairy products having sweet taste. Animal milk such as cow's milk is fermented with lactic acid bacteria, and the resulting fermented milk can be used as is or with a sweetener as appropriate.
"Fermented milk" or "lactic acid bacteria beverage" as defined in the Ordinance of the Ministry of Health and Welfare concerning ingredient standards for milk and dairy products, etc., by adding fruit juice, flavoring, etc., diluting, homogenizing, etc. The production of lactic acid bacteria-fermented dairy products (which includes both) has been practiced for a long time. Among these products, there are some products that do not use additives, such as some fermented milk products, but many products are made by adding sweeteners to soften the various odor components produced by lactic acid fermentation and the strong sour taste of lactic acid. The resulting refreshing and mellow flavor is characteristic of the flavor, and such flavor is generally preferred. Sucrose is the best sweetener used in this case in terms of sweetness, but due to cost and other reasons, glucose and fructose (actually, isomerized high fructose, which is a mixture of these) are used in combination with it. There is also. However, in recent years, low-calorie foods have become generally preferred due to their relationship with adult diseases such as diabetes, and it has become desirable to reduce the amount of carbohydrate sweeteners such as cane sugar used as much as possible. Therefore, consideration has been given to using sweeteners with lower or no calories than carbohydrate sweeteners, but it is difficult to change the sweetener in lactic acid bacteria-fermented dairy products, which are served chilled and are valued for their unique flavor. Despite many difficulties, no sweetener has yet been found that provides a flavor comparable to products sweetened with cane sugar. For example, stevioside, saccharin, N-L-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine methyl ester (hereinafter referred to as
Sweeteners made with high-intensity sweeteners such as APM) have a unique, addictive taste, and the quality of the sweetness is far from that of products that use cane sugar. There are no examples of successful use in combination with carbohydrate sweeteners such as Against the background of the above-mentioned current situation, the present inventors have conducted various studies with the aim of providing a low-calorie lactic acid bacteria-fermented dairy product that has an excellent flavor comparable to that sweetened with cane sugar. As a result of repeated efforts, the inventors discovered that good results can be obtained when glucose, fructose, and APM are used together in a specific ratio, leading to the completion of the present invention. That is, the present invention provides a lactic acid bacteria-fermented dairy product using a sweetener characterized by the following items (hereinafter referred to as AGF sweetener): (a) Mixed sweetness consisting of glucose, fructose, and APM (b) The weight ratio G/F of glucose to fructose in the mixed sweetener is within the range of 0.43 to 9.0; (c) 20 to 50% of the sweetness of the mixed sweetener is APM
It must be based on However, "sweetness level" here refers to how many times sweeter a solution of the sweetener is compared to a sucrose solution of the same concentration, and it is said that the concentration and intensity of sweetness are proportional to each other. The value measured in
In the present invention, the sweetness level of glucose is 0.70, the sweetness level of fructose is 1.15, and the sweetness level of APM is 200.
The sweetness level of mixed sugar of glucose and fructose or AGF mixed sugar is based on the sweetness level and quantitative ratio of the individual sweeteners that make up the sugar, ignoring the effects of synergistic effects on sweetness when combined. It shall be determined by calculation. APM is being considered for use in the food and beverage field as a virtually calorie-free sweetener that has about 200 times the sweetness of sucrose, but lactic acid bacteria-fermented dairy products using only APM do not have a sweet taste. It lacks thickness, has a poor balance between sourness and sweetness, and lacks freshness, resulting in a significantly inferior flavor. However, lactic acid bacteria-fermented dairy products using this in the form of the above-mentioned AGF sweetener do not have these drawbacks, and in terms of flavor, they are no different from products using sucrose. The above-mentioned advantageous properties of AGF sweeteners are not commonly found in many foods and drinks, and are actually found only in the case of lactic acid bacteria-fermented dairy products. Furthermore, even in the case of lactic acid bacteria-fermented dairy products, good flavor can only be obtained when the blending ratio is within the above range. Of course, the optimal component ratio differs depending on the type of lactic acid bacteria-fermented dairy product. For example, in the case of plain fermented milk, the sweetness level is 30-50%.
Most preferably, APM is used, and in the case of fermented milk with citrus juice added, 20 to 40% of the sweetness is due to APM. The lactic acid bacteria-fermented dairy product of the present invention can be used as a sweetener.
It can be produced in the same manner as the conventional lactic acid bacteria fermented milk product production method except for using the AGF sweetener. The AGF sweetener can be added in any manner at any stage of lactic acid bacteria fermented milk product production. In other words, animal milk before the start of fermentation by lactic acid bacteria,
It can be added to either fermented milk immediately after fermentation or processed fermented milk. However, it is better to avoid adding it before heat sterilization of raw milk, as it will cause losses in the APM field. The most desirable method is to add it after fermentation and mix it uniformly. In this case as well, stable glucose and fructose may be added to the raw milk separately from APM. As glucose and fructose, it is advantageous to use isomerized sugar syrup, which is a mixture of these sugars and usually has a G/F value within the range defined by the present invention. In addition, high-fructose isomerized sugar has an unfavorable effect on maintaining the viable bacterial count of some lactic acid bacteria, which is an obstacle when used in place of sucrose, but when used in combination with APM, the amount of high-fructose used is small. Therefore, such concerns are unnecessary. The present invention will be explained below with reference to experimental examples and examples. In each example, the term "mixed sugar" refers to a mixture of glucose and fructose. In addition, the "sweetness level" of a lactic acid bacteria drink or fermented milk refers to how many times sweeter the sample is compared to a 10% sucrose solution. This value is calculated from the sweetener content and the sweetness of each sweetener based on the same premise as in the case of . All storage tests were conducted at 10°C. In addition, a sensory test regarding flavor was conducted using a mass panel of 160 people.
The graded absolute evaluation method was used. Experimental Example 1 A lactic acid bacteria beverage sample (non-fat milk solid content 3.3%; acidity 7.0; PH 3.5) with a sweetness level of 1.60 was prepared using mixed sugar or sucrose with a G/F of 0.11 to 9.00 as a sweetener. Table 1 shows the results of a sensory test on the flavor of each sample immediately after preparation, 5 days after storage, and 10 days after storage. In the case of mixed sugar, when G/F is 0.43 or higher, flavor characteristics such as ``watery,'' ``lack of body,'' and ``syrup syrup smell'' are pointed out, and this tendency becomes even more pronounced when stored. On the other hand, products using mixed sugar with a G/F of 0.25 or less showed almost the same flavor as products using cane sugar (although fructose alone is extremely expensive, so fructose is used at such a high rate). However, even if the sugar itself already has good sweetness properties, mixed sugar with a G/F of 0.25 or less
When used in combination with a high-intensity sweetener such as APM,
(The study did not demonstrate the possibility of providing lactic acid bacteria-fermented dairy products with low calories and good flavor.) Similar results as above were also observed for solid or liquid fermented milk. Experimental Example 2 A fermented milk sample with a sweetness level of 0.70 was prepared using mixed sugar with a G/F of 2.33 or a mixture thereof with APM as a sweetener. The results of the sensory test on the flavor of seven types of samples obtained by variously changing the mixing ratio of APM (sweetening substitution rate by APM) and a control product (using cane sugar as a sweetener) are shown in Table 1.

[Table] * Control product using cane sugar

[Table] * The results were as in Control Product 2 using cane sugar. As is clear from the table, when the sweetness substitution rate by APM is in the range of 20 to 50%, the disadvantages of products using only mixed sugar (substitution rate 0%) are eliminated, and the evaluation is equal to or higher than that of the control product. There is no deterioration in flavor due to storage. When the sweetness substitution rate exceeds 60%, undesirable tastes such as bitterness and astringency appear, and the flavor deteriorates significantly during storage. Experimental Example 3 Using mixed sugar with a G/F of 9.0, two types of standard samples were prepared: fermented milk with a sweetness level of 0.70 according to a sensory test, and lactic acid bacteria drink with a sweetness level of 1.50 or 1.70 according to a sensory test. Furthermore, for calculation purposes, a fermented milk or lactic acid bacteria drink was prepared that had the same sweetness level as the standard sample and part of the sweetness was replaced by the sweetness of APM. The results of actually evaluating the sweetness level of each sample through a sensory test are shown in Figure 1.
Significant sweetness enhancement was observed when the sweetness substitution rate by APM was in the range of 20-50%. In the case of an aqueous solution, when the sweetness level of APM is actually measured, the value decreases as the APM concentration increases, as shown in Figure 2. The sweet taste properties of APM are quite unique. Furthermore, the range in which sweetness specifically increases is consistent with the range of preferable substitution rate in terms of flavor confirmed in Experimental Example 2, and the range in which the sweetness is specifically increased corresponds to the range of preferable substitution rate in terms of flavor, which was confirmed in Experimental Example 2. It appears that there is a complex interplay among the ingredients, mixed sugars, and APM that happens to produce the desired results. Experimental Example 4 Fermented milk was prepared using a mixed starter of Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus, and a lactic acid bacteria drink was prepared using a mixed starter of Lactobacillus acidophilus and Streptococcus thermophilus. At that time, mixed sugar or a mixture of this and APM was used as a sweetener, and the composition was changed as shown in Table 3 to obtain eight types of samples. Tables 4 and 5 show the results of examining changes over time in the number of viable bacteria for each sample obtained. As is clear from each table, when part of the sweetness was replaced with APM, an improvement in the survival of lactic acid bacteria was observed, and in particular, the survival of L. bulgaricus and L. acidophilus was significantly improved.

[Table] Example 1 A mixed starter of S. thermophilus and L. acidophilus was inoculated and cultured in a medium consisting of 16% reduced skim milk, and the acidity (0.1N NaOH solution required to neutralize 10 ml of culture solution) was A culture solution with a ml count of 29.0 was obtained. Separately, 980g of mixed sugar with a G/F of 0.43 and
Dissolve AGF sweetener consisting of 4.95g of APM (50% sweetness replacement rate by APM) in water to make a total volume of 2150ml, adjust the pH of the solution to 4.5 using lactic acid, and then heat to 100℃.
Sterilize by heating for 30 minutes,

【table】

[Table] Syrup was obtained. A mixture of 2850 ml of the above culture solution, 2150 ml of syrup, and a small amount of flavor was homogenized to obtain a lactic acid bacteria beverage stock solution, which was diluted 2.5 times with sterilized water to produce a lactic acid bacteria beverage. When the flavor of this product was tested using the same evaluation method as in Experimental Example 1, the absolute evaluation was 1.38±0.20, and after 10 days of storage it was 1.37±0.30. Example 2 A mixed starter of S. thermophilus and L. bulgaricus was inoculated into a medium consisting of 18% reduced skim milk and cultured to obtain a culture solution with an acidity of 16.0. Separately, 235g of mixed sugar with a G/F of 9.0 and
AGF sweetener consisting of 0.875 g of APM (50% sweetness replacement rate by APM) was dissolved in water to make a total volume of 2150 ml, and after adjusting the pH of the solution to 4.5 using lactic acid, the mixture was heated to 100°C.
The mixture was sterilized by heating for 30 minutes to obtain syrup. A mixture of 2850 ml of the above culture solution, 2150 ml of syrup, and a small amount of flavor was homogenized to produce liquid fermented milk. When the flavor of this product was tested using the same evaluation method as in Experimental Example 1, the absolute evaluation was 1.40±0.25, and after 10 days of storage it was 1.30±0.20. Example 3 A mixed starter of S. thermophilus and L. acidophilus was inoculated into a medium consisting of 17% reduced whole milk and cultured to obtain a culture solution with an acidity of 12.5. Separately, 302.7g of mixed sugar with a G/F of 1.0 and
AGF sweetener consisting of 0.60 g of APM (30% sweetness replacement rate by APM) was dissolved in water to make a total volume of 1000 ml, and after adjusting the pH of the solution to 4.5 using lactic acid, the mixture was heated to 100°C.
The mixture was sterilized by heating for 30 minutes to obtain syrup. Further, 125 g of gelatin and 37.5 g of agar were dissolved in water to make a total amount of 925 g, and the mixture was heat sterilized and cooled to 40°C. Fill a 125 ml container with a mixture of 3,075 ml of the above culture solution, 1,000 ml of syrup, 925 ml of gelatin/agar solution, and a small amount of flavoring at 37°C.
The mixture was cooled to 10°C and solidified to produce solid fermented milk. When the flavor of this product was tested using the same evaluation method as in Experimental Example 1, the absolute evaluation was 1.36±0.20, and after 10 days of storage it was 1.37±0.25.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figures 1 and 2: Graphs showing the results of Experimental Example 3.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A lactic acid bacteria-fermented dairy product whose main ingredient is fermented milk obtained by fermenting animal milk with lactic acid bacteria, and which is sweetened with a sweetener, in which the sweetener is glucose, fructose, and N-L-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine methyl. It is a mixed sweetener consisting of an ester, and the weight ratio of glucose to fructose in the mixed sweetener is 0.43 to 9.0;
and 20 to 50% of the sweetness of the above mixed sweetener is N-
A lactic acid bacteria-fermented dairy product characterized by being produced by L-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine methyl ester.