TW201639474A - Jelling agent composition and food - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a jelling agent composition, in the case of preparing a jellylike food, said jelling agent composition being capable of quickly gelling the food after dissolved in the food without requiring heating and cooling, not hardening the gel with the lapse of time and imparting to the food no undesirable taste at such a level as causing troubles. Also provided is a food that contains the jelling agent composition. The jelling agent composition according to the present invention comprises 5-25 mass% of sodium alginate, 2-10 mass% of calcium citrate, 0.4-2.5 mass% (on the anhydrous basis) of citric acid and an excipient, wherein the content ratio of calcium citrate to citric acid (calcium citrate/citric acid) is 2-5.

Description

Gel composition and food

The present invention relates to a gel composition and a food product containing the gel composition.

Gel-like foods are widely used as desserts because of their unique soft elasticity and smooth mouthfeel. Further, the gelled food is also used as an adjusted food, which is a person who is unable to swallow swallowed due to a decrease in swallowing ability due to ageing or illness. By making the food soft and gelatinous, even people with reduced swallowing ability can easily swallow.

Gelatinous foods, previously prepared using materials having gel forming ability, such as agar or gelatin. These substances are suitable from the viewpoint of not imparting odor to foods, but since the dissolution temperature is high, when a gel-like food is produced, it is necessary to cool the gel after passing through a dissolution step by heating. Chemical.

In order to omit the steps of heating and cooling as described above, a gelling agent (gelling agent) which uses gelatin which has lowered the dissolution temperature or alginate or pectin which is soluble in water at normal temperature has been developed. Wait.

Further, as a gelling agent which does not require heating and cooling, the following substances are also reported: a solid instant gel mixture containing sodium alginate, a neutral insoluble or poorly soluble calcium salt, and a neutral a dissolved calcium salt (refer to Patent Document 1); or a gelled composition containing one or more selected from the group consisting of alginic acid and a salt thereof, gelatin, and carrageenan, and HLB (hydrophile) A lipophile balance, a hydrophilicity-lipophilic balance, is a surfactant of 8 or less (see Patent Document 2).

[Previous Technical Literature] (Patent Literature)

Patent Document 1: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2009-232845

Patent Document 2: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2014-103872

However, according to the prior art, there is a problem that the gel may become excessively hard over time, and a stable hardness cannot be obtained. In particular, for patients with dysphagia, it is very important to provide a diet having stable physical properties from the viewpoint of preventing ingestion and safely swallowing. For example, in the case of a caregiver, if the gel becomes too hard over time, there is a need to re-modulate the gelled food, which is a disadvantage because the steps or time for preparation of the diet are excessively consumed. Even in the above Patent Documents 1 and 2, the stability with respect to the hardness of the gel was not investigated.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a gel composition comprising a food composition containing the gel composition, which does not require heating and cooling to dissolve the gel-like food. After the food, the food can be gelled quickly, and the gel does not become too hard over time, and does not impart a problem to the food.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides the gel composition of the following [1] to [4] and the foods of the following [5] to [6].

[1] A gel composition comprising 5 to 25% by mass of sodium alginate, 2 to 10% by mass of calcium citrate, 0.4 to 2.5% by mass of citric acid based on anhydrous basis, and An excipient; wherein the mass ratio of the calcium citrate to the citric acid, that is, calcium citrate/citric acid is 2-5.

[2] The gel composition according to the above [1], which contains 40 to 90% by mass of the aforementioned excipient.

[3] The gel composition according to the above [1], wherein the excipient is one selected from the group consisting of granulated sugar, dextrin, granulated sugar, powdered sugar, and glucose. Or two or more.

[4] The gel composition according to any one of the above [1], wherein, when the gel composition is dissolved in water at 10 ° C to form a 3% aqueous solution, after dissolving The hardness of the gel at 10 ° C at 10 ° C is 1000 to 3000 N/m ² , and the hardness of the gel at 10 ° C at 30 minutes after dissolution is a gel at 10 ° C at 10 minutes after dissolution. The hardness is 100~200%.

[5] A food composition comprising the gel composition according to any one of the above [1] to [4].

[6] A gelled food comprising 0.201 to 0.600% by mass of sodium alginate, 0.087 to 0.120% by mass of calcium citrate, and 0.02 to 0.051% by mass of citric acid based on anhydrous basis; The mass ratio of the calcium citrate to the citric acid described above, that is, the calcium citrate/citric acid is 2-5.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a gel composition which does not require heating and cooling, and which dissolves in a food, and a food containing the gel composition. After that, the food can be gelled quickly, and the gel does not become too hard over time, and does not impart a problem to the food.

[Gel composition of the embodiment of the present invention]

The gel composition of the embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter sometimes referred to as a gelling agent composition) is characterized in that it contains 5 to 25% by mass of sodium alginate and 2 to 10% by mass of calcium citrate. The citric acid and the excipient are 0.4 to 2.5% by mass on a water-free basis; wherein the mass ratio of the calcium citrate to the citric acid, that is, the calcium citrate/citric acid is 2 to 5. The details will be described below.

[sodium alginate]

The gel composition of the embodiment of the present invention contains sodium alginate. Sodium alginate is a neutral salt in which a part of the carboxyl group of alginic acid is bonded to sodium ions. The so-called alginic acid is a polysaccharide having a structure in which two types of uronic acid (mannuronic acid and glucuronic acid) are randomly linearly polymerized, and are abundantly contained in kelp, wakame, etc. Natural brown algae.

Sodium alginate can be obtained according to a known method. For example, sodium alginate can be obtained by extracting and purifying the alginic acid obtained by brown algae or the like by hydrolysis by an acid or the like, and neutralizing it by sodium hydroxide or sodium carbonate. Refined to get.

The sodium alginate of the present embodiment can be used as long as it can be used for food, and is not particularly limited. For example, KIMICA ALGIN I series manufactured by XIMIK Co., Ltd., KIMICA ALGIN HIGH G series, and the like can be used. The molecular weight of sodium alginate is not particularly limited, and it is preferred to use a viscosity of 50 to 900 mPa. s, better use 200~700mPa. s, further preferably using 300~500mPa. In the above, the viscosity is a viscosity at 20 ° C when it is used as a 1 mass % aqueous solution of sodium alginate.

The viscosity of sodium alginate is specified by the following method: a 1 mass% aqueous solution of alginate is measured using a No. 1 rotor (rotation speed 300 rpm) manufactured by TOKIMEC Co., Ltd., model: VISCOMETER (MODEL: BM). Viscosity at 20 ° C.

In the gel composition of the embodiment of the present invention, the content of sodium alginate is 5 to 25% by mass. The lower limit is preferably 5.5% by mass, more preferably 6% by mass, most preferably 6.5 % by mass. The upper limit is preferably 20% by mass, more preferably 15% by mass, still more preferably 10% by mass, most preferably 8.5% by mass. If the sodium alginate content is in the above range, gelation can be rapidly performed, and a gel having an appropriate hardness can be obtained. If it is larger than 25% by mass, it will agglomerate when dissolved and will not dissolve easily.

[Calcium Citrate]

The gel composition of the embodiment of the present invention contains calcium citrate. Calcium citrate, which is actually tricalcium citrate tetrahydrate, is used as a consumer.

In the gel composition of the embodiment of the present invention, the content of calcium citrate (as a content of tricalcium citrate tetrahydrate) is 2 to 10% by mass, preferably 2.2 to 7% by mass, more preferably 2.5. ~5 mass%, further preferably 2.8 to 4.5 mass%, most preferably 3 to 4 mass%. If the calcium citrate content is in the above range, gelation can be rapidly performed and a gel of a suitable hardness can be obtained. If it is larger than 10% by mass, it will agglomerate when dissolved and will not dissolve easily.

The mass ratio of sodium alginate to calcium citrate (sodium alginate/calcium citrate) in the gel composition is preferably 1.5 to 6, more preferably 2 to 5.5, still more preferably 2.2 to 5. Here, the calcium citrate is used as the content of tricalcium citrate tetrahydrate.

[citric acid]

The gel composition of the embodiment of the present invention contains citric acid. Citric acid, which has citric acid (anhydrous) and citric acid (crystalline), can be used either, and can be used as a consumer. Preferably, citric acid (anhydrous) is used.

In the gel composition of the embodiment of the present invention, the content of citric acid is 0.4 to 2.5% by mass, preferably 0.45 to 2% by mass, more preferably 0.5 to 1.8% by mass, further preferably on the basis of anhydrous. It is 0.55 to 1.2% by mass, and most preferably 0.6 to 0.9% by mass. That is, when citric acid (anhydrous) is used, it may be formulated so as to be in an amount within the above numerical range. On the other hand, when citric acid (crystallization) is used, it is weighed by the amount within the numerical range of the value calculated by multiplying the above numerical value by {the molecular weight of citric acid (crystal) / the molecular weight of citric acid (anhydrous). By the amount, the content of citric acid in the gel composition can be in the above numerical range. If the citric acid content is in the above range, it can be rapidly gelled. Further, when the citric acid is more than 2.5% by mass, the acidity of the obtained gel becomes strong and the odor is felt.

The mass ratio of calcium citrate to citric acid (calcium citrate/citric acid) in the gel composition is 2 to 5, preferably 2.4 to 4.8, more preferably 2.8 to 4.7, further preferably 3 to 3. 4.6, the best is 4~4.5. Here, the calcium citrate is used as the content of the above-mentioned tricalcium citrate tetrahydrate, and the citric acid is the content based on the anhydrous basis. If the mass ratio of calcium citrate to citric acid is in the above range, the gel does not become excessively hard over time, and a gel having a stable hardness can be obtained.

[excipient]

The gel composition of the embodiment of the present invention contains an excipient. The excipient is not particularly limited as long as it can be used for consumption, but it is preferably one or more selected from the group consisting of crude sugar, dextrin, granulated sugar, powdered sugar and glucose, and more preferably selected from raw sugar and One or two of dextrin. From the viewpoint of suppressing the acidity derived from citric acid, it is preferred to use one or more selected from the group consisting of granulated sugar, raw sugar and powdered sugar.

In the gel composition of the embodiment of the present invention, the content of the excipient is preferably 40 to 90% by mass, more preferably 60 to 90% by mass, still more preferably 75 to 90% by mass. If the excipient content is in the above range, the generation of agglomeration can be suppressed at the time of dissolution, and it dissolves rapidly.

[Other ingredients]

The gel composition of the embodiment of the present invention can contain gluconolactone. Gluconolactone is used as a consumer. The content of gluconolactone in the gel composition is preferably 2 to 20% by mass, more preferably 4 to 17% by mass, still more preferably 5 to 9% by mass.

Moreover, the gel composition of the embodiment of the present invention may contain a coloring matter, a flavor, a sweetener, or the like, within a range that does not impair the effects of the present invention. In order to mask the sour taste derived from citric acid, it is preferred to contain a high-intensity sweetener, and the content of the high-intensity sweetener in the gel composition is preferably 0.5 to 1% by mass.

[hardness of gel]

When the gel composition of the embodiment of the present invention is dissolved in water at 10 ° C to prepare a 3% aqueous solution, the hardness of the gel at 10 ° C at 10 minutes after dissolution is preferably 1000 to 3000 N/m ^{2 .} More preferably, it is 1000 to 2500 N/m ² , further preferably 1100 to 2200 N/m ² , and most preferably 1200 to 2000 N/m ² . If the hardness of the gel at 10 minutes is in the above range, the gel does not become too hard, and the gel is easily crushed in the oral cavity and becomes easy to swallow.

Further, when the gel composition of the embodiment of the present invention is dissolved in water at 10 ° C to prepare a 3% aqueous solution, the hardness of the gel at 10 ° C at 30 minutes after dissolution is preferably 10 minutes after dissolution. The hardness of the gel at 10 ° C is 100 to 200% (i.e., 1 to 2 times), more preferably 100 to 180%, still more preferably 100 to 160%. If the hardness of the gel at 30 minutes is in the above range, the change with time with respect to the hardness at 10 minutes is small, the gel is not excessively hard, and the gel is easily crushed in the oral cavity and becomes easy to swallow.

The hardness of the gel was measured using a rheometer and measured by the following conditions: a cylindrical plunger having a diameter of 20 mm, a compression speed of 10 mm/sec, a gap of 5 mm, and 10 °C.

In addition, the condition of being dissolved in water at 10 ° C is an example of a general use, and the food is stored in a refrigerator of about 10 ° C before and after preparation of the gelled food.

[use]

The gel composition of the embodiment of the present invention can be used to prepare a gelled food product by dissolving it in a food. In particular, it can be suitably used for modulating a gel-like food for those who have difficulty in chewing or swallowing. The food to be added as a gelling agent composition is not particularly limited. However, it is preferably a liquid food having a pH of 4 or more and a calcium concentration of 0.015 w/v% or less, particularly preferably water or tea. It can be directly added to these target foods to gel the liquid.

[form]

The gel composition of the embodiment of the present invention is not particularly limited in its form, but is preferably in a powder form or a granular form, and is obtained by granulating a mixture of the powder raw materials. .

[Production method]

The method for producing the gel composition of the embodiment of the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it can uniformly mix the respective raw materials. For example, it can be manufactured by mixing using a mixer such as a container rotary mixer, a stirring mixer, or a drum mixer. Further, granulation may be carried out by a fluidized bed granulation method, a stirring granulation method, a rotary granulation method, or a coating granulation method.

[Food of the embodiment of the present invention]

A food according to an embodiment of the present invention is characterized by comprising the gel composition of the embodiment of the present invention. As the target food to which the gelling agent composition is added, as described above, a liquid food having a pH of 4 or more and a calcium concentration of 0.015 w/v% or less is preferable, and water or tea beverage is particularly preferable, but it is not limited to the foods. .

Since the gel composition of the embodiment of the present invention does not require heating of the target food during dissolution, it can be used for foods at room temperature or warm foods, and even cold foods (for example, 5 to 15 ° C) can be prepared. Gelatinous food.

The content of the gel composition in the food of the embodiment of the present invention varies depending on the target food. However, when it is water or tea beverage, for example, it is preferably 2 to 4% by mass, more preferably 2.5 to 3.5. quality%.

The invention is illustrated by the following examples, but the invention is not limited to the examples.

[Examples]

[Manufacture of gel composition]

The gelling agent compositions of the examples and the comparative examples were produced by a fluidized bed granulation method according to the compositions described in the table, and were produced by the following procedures.

After weighing each raw material, all the raw materials were put into a fluidized bed granulation coating apparatus (trade name: SFC-5, manufactured by FREUND Industries Co., Ltd.), and the hot air heated to 90 ° C was blown from the bottom of the apparatus. The powder raw material flows to mix. Then, the powder (raw water) was sprayed at a flow rate of 62 mL/min and a gas pressure of 0.5 MPa by a spray nozzle on the upper portion of the apparatus to granulate, and dried to obtain a granulated product (gelling agent). Composition)). In addition, all the raw materials used for blending are commercially available. Sodium alginate is used with a viscosity of 352mPa. s, the viscosity is a viscosity at 20 ° C when it is regarded as a 1% by mass aqueous solution. And the following compounds are used: citric acid is citric acid (anhydrous), calcium citrate is tricalcium citrate tetrahydrate, calcium carbonate is calcium carbonate (anhydrous), calcium phosphate is tricalcium phosphate, calcium lactate is calcium lactate pentahydrate The magnesium chloride is magnesium chloride hexahydrate, the sodium citrate is trisodium citrate dihydrate, the calcium chloride is calcium chloride (anhydrous), and the calcium malate is calcium malate monohydrate.

[Table 1]

[Measurement of hardness]

Into a 200 mL glass beaker, 97 g of water (trade name: natural water of Southern Alps, manufactured by Suntory Co., Ltd.) and a stirrer of 3 cm were added to the glass beaker at a temperature of 10 ° C, and the mixture was stirred while being stirred by a stirrer (700 rpm). The gelling agent composition was 3 g, and it was stirred for 30 seconds to completely dissolve it.

In a container having a diameter of 40 mm and a height of 15 mm, the solution of the gelling agent composition was filled to a height of 15 mm, and after standing at 10 ° C for 10 minutes, a rheometer was used (RE-33005 RHEONER, Shandian Co., Ltd.) The company manufactures) the measurement. A cylindrical plunger made of a resin having a diameter of 20 mm was measured under the conditions of a compression speed of 10 mm/sec and a gap of 5 mm.

After the gelling agent composition was dissolved, the hardness of the gel when it was allowed to stand at 10 ° C for 30 minutes was also measured in the same manner as above. The results of each measurement are shown in Tables 1 to 4.

[Functional test]

After the hardness at the above 30 minutes was measured, the flavor was confirmed. The flavor was evaluated by the following three stages by the agreement of three professionals. The evaluation results are shown in Tables 1 to 4.

◎: No sour taste is felt, and other odors are not felt.

○: Slightly felt sour (not causing problems), but no other odor was felt.

×: I feel a strong sour taste.

Each of Examples 1 to 6 conforms to the following: After the gelling agent composition is dissolved in water at 10 ° C, the water can be rapidly gelled. As shown in Table 1, even after dissolving for 30 minutes, the hardness of the gel at the time of dissolution for 10 minutes was in the range of 100 to 200%, and the gel did not become too hard over time. Further, in terms of flavor, Examples 1 to 5 were not excellent in odor such as sourness, and in Example 6, although a sour taste was slightly felt, it was not problematic.

On the other hand, in Comparative Examples 1 and 2, since the content of sodium alginate was outside the predetermined range, gelation could not be performed even after 10 minutes, and rapid gelation could not be performed. Specifically, in Comparative Example 1, gelation was not possible because sodium alginate was small, and in Comparative Example 2, since sodium alginate was abundant, agglomeration occurred during dissolution, and a uniform solution could not be obtained, so that no gel was formed. Chemical.

Further, in Comparative Examples 3 and 4, since the content of calcium citrate was outside the predetermined range, gelation could not be achieved even after 30 minutes, and gelation could not be achieved. Specifically, in Comparative Example 3, since calcium citrate was small, gelation could not be achieved. Further, in Comparative Example 4, since calcium citrate was large, it was not able to be a uniform solution due to its poor solubility property, so gelation was not performed. .

Further, in comparison with calcium citrate, other examples of calcium salts (calcium carbonate, calcium phosphate, calcium lactate, calcium chloride, calcium malate) or magnesium chloride were used in Comparative Examples 5 to 8, 17, and 20, even after 10 minutes. A sufficient gel hardness or gelation is not obtained, so rapid gelation cannot be performed. In Comparative Examples 7, 8, 17, and 20, gelation was not possible even after 30 minutes, so gelation could not be performed.

In Comparative Example 9, since the content of citric acid is small, although it is formulated by replacing sodium citrate, the mass ratio of calcium citrate/citric acid is high. If it exceeds the predetermined range, gelation cannot be achieved even after 10 minutes, so rapid gelation cannot be performed.

In Comparative Example 10, the citric acid content was small, and since the mass ratio of calcium citrate/citric acid was more than a predetermined range, a sufficient gel hardness could not be obtained even after 10 minutes, so that rapid gelation could not be performed.

In Comparative Example 11, the citric acid content was high because the mass ratio of calcium citrate/citric acid was less than the specified range, the hardness of the gel at 10 minutes exceeded 3000 N/m ² , and the hardness of the gel at 30 minutes was also Become hard. Also, a strong sour taste is felt and the flavor is not preferred.

In Comparative Examples 12 to 13, since citric acid was not used, gelation was not performed even after 10 minutes, or sufficient gel hardness could not be obtained, so that rapid gelation could not be performed. Further, in Comparative Example 14 in which citric acid was not used in the same manner, the gel strength at 30 minutes was 404% with respect to the gel strength at 10 minutes, and the gel became excessively hard with time. Further, in Comparative Examples 18 and 19 in which citric acid was not used in the same manner, gelation was not performed even after 10 minutes and 30 minutes, and gelation could not be performed.

In Comparative Example 15, since the mass ratio of calcium citrate/citric acid was less than the predetermined range, the hardness of the gel at 10 minutes exceeded 3000 N/m ² , and the hardness of the gel at 30 minutes also became too hard.

In Comparative Example 16, since the mass ratio of calcium citrate/citric acid exceeded the predetermined range, the gel strength at 30 minutes was 318% with respect to the gel strength at 10 minutes, and the gel became hard over time. .

[Evaluation in tea drinks]

Immediately after adding 3 g of the granulated product (gel composition) of Example 1 by stirring 97 g of a commercially available tea beverage (trade name: Oi Ocha roasted tea, manufactured by Ito Garden Co., Ltd.) at 10 °C with a spatula Disperse and dissolve in the liquid as a whole. Moreover, when the hardness of the gel at 10 ° C for 10 minutes was measured by a rheometer in the same manner as the above-mentioned "measurement of hardness", it was 1654 N/m ² . Further, the hardness of the gel when left to stand at 10 ° C for 30 minutes was 1842 N/m ² (111% of the gel strength at 10 minutes). When the hardness at the time of 30 minutes was measured, when the gel of the above tea beverage was eaten, the sour taste was not obtained, the flavor was good, and the hardness was moderate, which was easy to be crushed by the tongue and easily swallowed.

Claims (6)

A gel composition comprising 5 to 25% by mass of sodium alginate, 2 to 10% by mass of calcium citrate, 0.4 to 2.5% by mass of citric acid based on anhydrous basis, and an excipient Wherein, the mass ratio of the calcium citrate to the citric acid described above, that is, the calcium citrate/citric acid is 2-5. The gel composition according to claim 1, which contains 40 to 90% by mass of the aforementioned excipient. The gel composition according to claim 1, wherein the excipient is one or more selected from the group consisting of crude sugar, dextrin, granulated sugar, powdered sugar, and glucose. The gel composition according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein when the gel composition is dissolved in water at 10 ° C to prepare a 3% aqueous solution, 10 ° C at 10 minutes after dissolution. The hardness of the gel in the medium is 1000 to 3000 N/m ² , and the hardness of the gel at 10 ° C at 30 minutes after dissolution is 100 to 200 of the hardness of the gel at 10 ° C at 10 minutes after dissolution. %. A food composition comprising the gel composition according to any one of claims 1 to 4. A gelatinous food characterized by containing 0.201 to 0.600% by mass of sodium alginate and 0.087 to 0.120% by mass of lemon Calcium citrate and citric acid in an amount of from 0.021 to 0.051% by mass on a water-free basis; wherein the mass ratio of the calcium citrate to the citric acid, that is, calcium citrate/citric acid is 2 to 5.