JP2011024445A - Taste improver and taste-improving method for stevia extract - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a taste improver for a stevia extract exhibiting effect of ameliorating aftertaste feeling of sweetness of the stevia extract: and to provide a taste-improving method for stevia extract. <P>SOLUTION: The taste improver for stevia extract improves the taste of the stevia extract by adding 2×10<SP>-5</SP>to 1×10<SP>-4</SP>pts.mass of thaumatin to 1 pts.mass of the stevia extract. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a taste improving agent for stevia extract containing a specific proportion of thaumatin and a method for improving the taste.

Conventionally, high-intensity sweeteners have been widely used to impart sweetness to foods and beverages, pharmaceuticals, and quasi-drugs, and to adjust their taste.
Among these, non-calorie, low-calorie, or low caries high-intensity sweeteners are widely used due to the recent increase in health-consciousness.
High-intensity sweeteners include synthetic sweeteners such as aspartame, sucralose, neotame, and acesulfame potassium, as well as natural sweeteners such as stevia extract, rakan fruit extract, and thaumatin. Natural sweeteners such as stevia extract are becoming popular.
However, these natural sweeteners are different from sugar in sweetness, and stevia extract, in particular, has a sweet taste (a taste other than sweetness, such as bitterness, astringency, sourness, and pungent taste). There is a problem that it has a certain sweetness and remains in the mouth for a long time (remaining aftertaste).

In order to solve such problems of stevia extract, several proposals have been made conventionally.
For example, in order to improve the taste quality of stevia extract, rutin derivative (Patent Document 1), royal jelly (Patent Document 2), quinic acid (Patent Document 3), cellooligosaccharide (Patent Document 4), citrus fruit juice, etc. Bisenin-2 (patent document 5), inulin (patent document 6) and the like are proposed.

On the other hand, thaumatin itself is used as a sweetener, but since it has a masking effect such as a flavor enhancing effect and a bitter taste, it is a high-intensity sweetener used as a flavor enhancer, for example.
As a method for improving the taste quality using thaumatin, Patent Document 7 discloses that, in addition to thaumatin, at least one selected from stevia extract, licorice extract, Rakan fruit extract, candy tea extract, and the like is used. A method for preparing dressings with good sweetness and flavor is described.
Patent Document 8 relates to a method for producing a sweet composition in which thaumatin and one or more of licorice extract, stevia extract, and rakanka extract coexist, and coexisting thaumatin in stevia extract. Describes that sweetness that is strong and lasting can be obtained.
Furthermore, Patent Document 9 discloses that rebaudioside A, which is the main sweetening component of stevia extract, and mogroside V, which is the main sweetening component of Lacanca extract, are in a ratio of 95: 5 to 60:40 by weight. The sweetener further comprising thaumatin in a ratio of 0.01 to 3 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the total amount of rebaudioside A and mogroside V, and the sweetener Has been shown to improve the sweetness of rebaudioside A and mogroside V.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-146165 JP 2000-287642 A JP 2001-321115 A JP 2002-223721 A JP 2006-238828 A JP 2007-195449 A JP 2000-166506 A JP-A-53-104771 International Publication Number WO2009 / 063921

As described above, many attempts have been made to improve the sweetness of stevia extract so that it is as close as possible to the sweetness of sugar (sucrose).
However, as a method for solving the problems of stevia extract, in particular, the sweetness has an unpleasant taste (bitter taste, etc.) and the sweetness remains in the mouth for a long time (remaining aftertaste), The method described in 6 was not sufficient.
In addition, the above-mentioned Patent Document 8 does not describe an effective amount of thaumatin relative to stevia extract, and in the examples, a sweet composition (stevia extract containing 0.1% thaumatin to 23% stevia extract) The effect is only confirmed at 4.3 × 10 ⁻³ parts by mass of thaumatin per 1 part by mass.
Furthermore, even in Patent Document 9, it is not confirmed that thaumatin is effective in a proportion less than 1 × 10 ⁻⁴ parts by mass with respect to 1 part by mass of stevia extract.

In light of the above-described problems of the prior art, the present inventors have conducted extensive research and found that thaumatin is as low as 2 × 10 ⁻⁵ to 1 × 10 ⁻⁴ parts by mass with respect to 1 part by mass of stevia extract. It has been found that the taste quality of stevia extract can be remarkably improved by adding it at a concentration.

That is, the present invention relates to a stevia extract taste improving agent, a taste improving method, and a high-intensity sweetener composition to which a specific ratio of thaumatin listed below is added.
Item 1. A taste improving agent for stevia extract, comprising 2 × 10 ⁻⁵ to 1 × 10 ⁻⁴ parts by mass of thaumatin per 1 part by mass of stevia extract.
Item 2. A method for improving the taste quality of stevia extract, comprising adding 2 × 10 ⁻⁵ to 1 × 10 ⁻⁴ parts by mass of thaumatin to 1 part by mass of stevia extract.
Item 3. A stevia extract-containing sweetener composition comprising a stevia extract and the stevia extract taste improving agent according to item 1.
Item 4. A beverage containing 2 × 10 ⁻⁵ to 1 × 10 ⁻⁴ parts by mass of thaumatin per 1 part by mass of stevia extract.
Item 5. Item 2. The taste improving agent according to Item 1, wherein the stevia extract is rebaudioside A.
Item 6. Item 3. The method for improving taste according to Item 2, wherein the stevia extract is rebaudioside A.

  By adding a specific proportion of thaumatin to the stevia extract, it is possible to improve the taste quality of the stevia extract, in particular, to improve the aftertaste of sweetness, and to reduce miscellaneous tastes such as the bitter taste of the stevia extract.

  The present invention is characterized by adding a taste improving agent for stevia extract characterized by containing a specific proportion of thaumatin, and a stevia extract-containing taste improving agent containing thaumatin to stevia extract. The present invention relates to a stevia extract-containing sweetener composition comprising a stevia extract and a stevia extract and a stevia extract-containing taste improver.

The stevia extract taste improving agent of the present invention contains 2 × 10 ⁻⁵ to 1 × 10 ⁻⁴ parts by mass of thaumatin with respect to 1 part by mass of stevia extract.
The stevia extract used in the present invention is extracted and purified with water or an organic solvent from leaves and stems of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni, which is a perennial asteraceae plant native to South America, and stevioside and rebau. Dioside A is contained as a main component of sweetness.
Furthermore, the stevia extract includes enzyme-treated stevia in which sugars such as glucose and fructose are transferred to the stevia extract using α-glucosyltransferase and the like.
The thaumatin used in the present invention is a sweet substance mainly composed of a protein having a molecular weight of about 21000 obtained from seeds of the perennial plant Thaumatococcus daniellii Bentham belonging to the Marantaceae family. is there. Somatin has a very strong sweetness of 3000 to 8000 times that of sugar.
Although thaumatin can be prepared by water-extracting and purifying the temporary seed coat of the fruit of Saumatococcus danieli, a commercially available product can also be used conveniently. Examples of such products include Sun Sweet [trademark] T (manufactured by San-Ei Gen FFI Co., Ltd.).

By adding the taste improving agent of the present invention to the stevia extract, a stevia extract-containing sweetener composition in which the taste quality of the stevia extract is improved can be obtained.
This sweetener composition only needs to contain stevia extract and thaumatin, regardless of the dosage form such as powder, granule, solid, liquid, and whether it is one or two. Absent.
This sweetener composition may be a powder mixture of stevia extract and thaumatin, or a solution of stevia extract sprayed onto thaumatin powder, and conversely, a solution of thaumatin into stevia extract powder. It may be obtained by spraying. Alternatively, a stevia extract solution and a thaumatin solution may be mixed and then dried. The drying method is not particularly limited, and various methods such as spray drying and freeze drying can be used.
This sweetener composition contains other foods and food additives such as fragrances, pigments, antioxidants, preservatives, vitamins, calciums, and minerals as long as the effects of the present invention are not impaired. You can also.
According to this sweetener composition, the aftertaste (unpleasant aftertaste) of the sweetness of stevia extract can be improved, the richness can be enhanced, and the bitterness and other miscellaneous tastes can be reduced. Can be brought close to the taste of sucrose.

When the taste improving agent of the present invention is added to the stevia extract, the amount of thaumatin added to the stevia extract is 2 × 10 ⁻⁵ to 1 × 10 ^{−4 of} thaumatin relative to 1 part by mass of the stevia extract. It is a mass part, Preferably it is 5 * 10 < ^-5 > -1 * 10 <^-4> mass part.
When the amount of thaumatin added is less than 2 × 10 ⁻⁵ parts by mass with respect to 1 part by mass of stevia extract, the effect of improving the taste quality of stevia extract is not sufficient.

The oral composition to which the present invention is applied is a product (edible product) to be taken orally, a product used in the oral cavity, and the like, for example, pharmaceuticals such as foods and drinks, syrups, oral refreshing agents, gargles, etc. And quasi-drugs such as toothpaste.
The food and drink are not particularly limited, but preferably fruit drinks or vegetable juices including citrus juice or vegetable juice, carbonated drinks such as cola, ginger ale or cider, soft drinks such as sports drinks, coffee, tea Beverages such as tea beverages such as tea and matcha, milk beverages such as cocoa and lactic acid bacteria beverages; desserts such as yogurt, jelly, pudding and mousse; Confectionery such as confectionery and steamed confectionery; rice confectionery and snacks; frozen confectionery such as ice cream and sherbet and ice confectionery; sugar confectionery in general including chewing gum, hard candy, nougat candy, jelly beans, etc .; including fruit flavor sauce and chocolate sauce Sauces; butter cream, flower paste and whipped Cream such as ome; jam such as strawberry jam and marmalade; bread including confectionery bread; seasonings such as sauce, tomato ketchup, sauce, noodle soup, sugar substitute sweeteners etc. ; Wide variety of processed products such as koji, processed meat products such as sausages, retort foods, pickles, boiled foods, delicacies, side dishes, frozen foods, etc. Is preferred.

In these foods, stevia extract is usually contained in an amount of 0.0001 to 0.5% by mass, and thaumatin is contained in the above-mentioned proportion with respect to stevia extract.
There is no particular restriction on the timing and order of the combination of both when added to food, and it is not always necessary to add stevia extract and thaumatin in the same food, but they are included separately in different foods. Even if it exists, it is sufficient if stevia extract and thaumatin coexist at the time of eating.
As an example of this, there is a case where yogurt containing a stevia extract is mixed with a sauce containing an attached thaumatin and mixed.

The method for improving the quality of stevia extract of the present invention is characterized by adding a specific proportion of thaumatin to stevia extract.
By adding and blending 2 × 10 ⁻⁵ to 1 × 10 ⁻⁴ parts by mass of thaumatin to 1 part by mass of stevia extract, the taste quality of stevia extract is improved, especially the sweetness aftertaste is reduced, and stevia is extracted. It is possible to mask miscellaneous tastes such as bitterness of the extract.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the following experimental examples and examples, but the present invention is not limited thereto.
In the following description, “*” indicates a product made by Saneigen FFI Co., Ltd., and “*” indicates a registered trademark of Saneigen FFI Co., Ltd.

Experimental Example 1: Effect of improving the taste quality of stevia extract by adding thaumatin To a solution containing 300 ppm of stevia extract (note 1), thaumatin preparations (note 2) were added at various concentrations in Table 1 to The taste quality improving effect was evaluated, and the results are also shown in Table 1.

(Note 1): Rebaudio J-100 (Morita Chemical Industry Co., Ltd. contains 95% Rebaudioside A)
(Note 2): * Neo Saint Marc * AG (contains 0.15% thaumatin)

In the aqueous solution of Comparative Example 1 containing 1 × 10 ⁻⁵ parts by mass of thaumatin relative to 1 part by mass of stevia extract, the sweetness postpone improvement and bitterness masking effect of stevia extract were not observed, but thaumatin In the aqueous solution of Example 1 containing 2 × 10 ⁻⁵ parts by mass, the bitter taste reducing effect of the stevia extract was recognized, and in the aqueous solution of Example 2 containing 5 × 10 ⁻⁵ parts by mass of thaumatin, 5 × As in the case of the aqueous solution of Comparative Example 2 containing 10 ⁻⁴ parts by mass, the effect of improving the aftertaste of sweetness of stevia extract and the masking effect of bitterness were observed.

Example 3
According to the formulation in Table 2, the above 1-7 are added to water and dissolved. Next, carbonated water was added to the obtained syrup and filled into a container to obtain a carbonated beverage containing stevia extract.
The obtained carbonated beverage contains thaumatin in a proportion less than 9 × 10 ⁻⁵ mass relative to 1 part by mass of stevia extract, but the sweet aftertaste of stevia extract is reduced and bitterness is also masked. It was what was done.

According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the aftertaste of sweetness of stevia extract and to improve the taste quality such as masking of bitterness. Therefore, further use of stevia extract is promoted, which is particularly useful in the food industry.

Claims (4)

A taste improving agent for stevia extract, comprising 2 × 10 ⁻⁵ to 1 × 10 ⁻⁴ parts by mass of thaumatin per 1 part by mass of stevia extract. A method for improving the taste quality of stevia extract, comprising adding 2 × 10 ⁻⁵ to 1 × 10 ⁻⁴ parts by mass of thaumatin to 1 part by mass of stevia extract. A stevia extract-containing sweetener composition comprising a stevia extract and the taste improving agent for stevia extract according to claim 1. Beverages containing 2 × 10 ⁻⁵ to 1 × 10 ⁻⁴ parts by weight of thaumatin per 1 part by weight of stevia extract.