JP2018029548A - Salty taste reinforcing agent - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a salty taste reinforcing agent that is a food or drink with a reduced sodium content, but can reinforce the salty taste of a food or drink so as to present a salty taste comparable to that before the reduction of sodium content.SOLUTION: A salty taste reinforcing agent contains a lactic acid fermented product with an oil-in-water emulsion containing milk raw material as a substrate, as an active ingredient. The salty taste reinforcing agent, preferably, further contains a whey mineral extract. The salty taste reinforcing agent, also preferably, further contains an extract.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

  The present invention relates to a salty taste enhancer that can be added in a small amount and can enhance the salty taste without impairing the flavor and taste of the food and drink, and to a food and drink using the salty taste enhancer.

  Salt, which is seasoned with sodium chloride, is extremely important as a flavor of food and drink. However, due to health problems, low-salt foods and drinks with a reduced sodium content have recently been preferred.

  On the other hand, simply reducing the sodium chloride content in foods and drinks reduces the amount of sodium intake, but at the same time decreases the salty strength and the flavor and quality of foods and drinks. Therefore, methods that can reduce the sodium chloride content while maintaining the flavor of food and drink have been studied. This method is roughly classified into two methods: (1) a method using a sodium chloride substitute such as potassium chloride or an organic acid metal salt, and (2) a method using a salty taste enhancer.

  The salty taste enhancer itself does not show a salty taste or a very thin salty taste, but when added in a very small amount to sodium chloride, it shows an effect that makes the salty taste of sodium chloride strong, and has a low sodium chloride content. Even if it is food / beverage products of this, it can be given the same salty taste as food / beverage products with higher sodium chloride content. That is, the method of using a salty taste enhancer is a method in which a salty taste enhancer is added and the salty taste of sodium chloride is strongly felt during eating, that is, the salty strength per unit amount of sodium chloride contained is increased by the salty taste enhancer. This is a method for reducing the content of sodium chloride in food and drink.

  This method has been widely studied because it does not involve a significant change in flavor and taste, unlike the method using sodium chloride substitutes such as potassium chloride and organic acid metal salts. For example, specific whey minerals (Patent Literature 1, Patent Literature 2), furfuryl alcohol (Patent Literature 3), acidic amino acids, basic amino acids and succinic acid or salts thereof (Patent Literature 4), sodium lactate and / or lactic acid Potassium (Patent Document 5) and the like have been studied as salty taste enhancers.

  However, in the method using these salty taste enhancers, if the amount of salty taste enhancement is small or an amount sufficient to obtain a sufficient salty taste enhancing effect is added, a taste that the food or drink itself does not have may be imparted. was there. In addition, usually only with these salty taste enhancers, the reduction in sodium intake, so-called “salt reduction effect” tends to be poor, and as a result, it must be used in combination with a method using a sodium chloride substitute such as potassium chloride. The off-flavors of potassium chloride and the like often impaired the flavor of food and drink.

JP 2008-046662 A JP 2008-054665 A JP 2012-170393 A JP 2002-345430 A JP 2008-054661 A

  Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a salty taste enhancer that can enhance the salty taste of food and drink so that it can exhibit the same salty taste as before being reduced while being a food and drink with reduced sodium content. Is to provide.

As a result of intensive studies, the present inventors have found that the strength and expression pattern of salty taste are usually obtained by using a salty taste enhancer containing a specific lactic acid fermented product as an active ingredient without imparting a taste or miscellaneous taste. It was found that it is possible to reduce the sodium content of food and drink while being the same as the food and drink having a salt content of.
In addition, when the present lactic acid fermented product is used in combination with whey minerals and extracts, sodium chloride in food and drink is replaced with sodium chloride substitutes such as potassium chloride and organic acid metal salts, and further contains sodium. It has been found that even when the amount is reduced, the salty strength, expression pattern, and taste can be the same as those of foods and drinks having a normal salt content.

  The present invention has been made on the basis of the above knowledge, and a salty taste enhancer comprising a lactic acid fermented product with an oil-in-water emulsion containing a milk raw material as a substrate, and a food and drink using the salty taste enhancer Goods.

  Although the sodium chloride content is reduced by using the salty taste enhancer of the present invention, the salty strength and expression pattern can be changed to the normal salt content food and drink without losing the flavor and taste quality of the food or drink. The amount of sodium intake can be reduced.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on preferred embodiments.
The salty taste enhancer of the present invention is characterized by containing, as an active ingredient, a lactic acid fermented product that uses an oil-in-water emulsion containing a milk raw material as a substrate, and is used for the purpose of imparting a salty taste to foods and drinks. The salty taste imparted to food and drink by the salty substance) can be enhanced.

<Lactic acid fermented product>
First, the fermented lactic acid that is an active ingredient of the present invention will be described.
A lactic acid fermented product is a flavor material obtained by lactic acid fermentation of a substrate that can be assimilated by lactic acid bacteria. In the present invention, a small amount of the lactic acid fermented product is obtained by using an oil-in-water emulsion containing a milk raw material as the substrate. By addition, it becomes possible to enhance the salty taste without impairing the flavor and taste quality of the food and drink.

  The above milk ingredients include milk, dairy products such as milk, concentrated milk, condensed milk, whey, cream, butter, butter cream, cream cheese, natural cheese, process cheese, butter oil, milk fat degradation products, skim milk powder, Powdered milk such as powdered milk, whey powder and total milk protein, and dairy products containing lactose such as skim milk and skim concentrated milk can also be used.

The content of the milk raw material in the oil-in-water emulsion is preferably 2 to 50% by mass as the non-fat milk solid content in that a lactic acid fermented product having a good flavor can be stably produced. More preferably, it is -20 mass%.
The non-fat milk solid content is a solid content other than fats and oils in milk raw materials such as milk and dairy products, and its main components are proteins and carbohydrates. The pure fats and oils contained in the said milk raw material shall be included in the content of the fats and oils mentioned later.

  Oils and fats used to make an oil-in-water emulsion include soybean oil, rapeseed oil, corn oil, cottonseed oil, olive oil, peanut oil, rice oil, benflower oil, sunflower oil, palm oil, palm kernel oil, coconut oil, monkey Fats, mango fat, milk fat, beef fat, pork fat, cacao fat, fish oil, whale oil and other vegetable oils and animal fats, soybean origin, sunflower origin, milk origin, egg-derived lecithin and phospholipid, and hydrogen in these fats and oils Oils and fats that have been subjected to one or more physical or chemical treatments such as addition, fractionation, transesterification, enzymatic degradation, and chemical degradation can be used alone or in combination of two or more.

The oil and fat content in the oil-in-water emulsion is preferably 1.5 to 50% by mass, more preferably 1.5 to 30% by mass, and most preferably 2 to 20% by mass.
If the fat content is less than 1.5% by mass, it is difficult to obtain an excellent salty taste enhancing effect, and the stability of the salty taste enhancing agent also deteriorates because the retention of the product by lactic acid fermentation is weakened. There is a fear. When the fat content is more than 50% by mass, the oil-in-water emulsion used as a substrate for the lactic acid fermented product that is the active ingredient of the present invention cannot sufficiently contain non-fat milk solids. There is a risk of becoming a water-in-oil emulsion, and the emulsion stability of the oil-in-water emulsion may be poor, and the progress of lactic acid fermentation may be delayed.
The fat and oil content is calculated as the total amount of pure fats and oils derived from other raw materials to be described later in addition to the pure fats and oils in the fats and milk raw materials.

  In this invention, it is preferable to use milk fat from the point from which the salty taste enhancer with especially high salty taste enhancing effect is obtained among the said fats and oils. When using milk fat, milk fat itself can be used, and milk containing milk fat such as milk, concentrated milk, condensed milk, cream, butter, butter cream, cream cheese, natural cheese, process cheese, etc. Milk fat can also be used by using dairy products, and these milk and dairy products can be used alone or in combination of two or more.

Water can be used to obtain the oil-in-water emulsion. The water to be used is not particularly limited, and any of tap water, soft water / hard water mineral water, ion-exchanged water, distilled water, and the like can be used, and these can be mixed and used.
Moreover, in the said oil-in-water emulsion, it replaces with water or in addition to water, the milk and dairy products containing much water among the said milk and dairy products, or the food / beverage products containing many waters are used. In the present invention, one or more kinds of milk and milk products containing a lot of water such as milk, concentrated milk, whey, cream, butter, cream cheese, natural cheese, and processed cheese are used. It is preferable to do.
The oil-in-water emulsion is prepared so that the water content is preferably 30 to 95% by mass, more preferably 70 to 90% by mass.

  In the present invention, a free fatty acid can be contained in the oil-in-water emulsion, and particularly by containing 0.001 to 0.5% by mass of a free fatty acid in the oil-in-water emulsion, It is possible to improve the expression pattern of salty taste, particularly the first taste (early taste) when ingested.

  The form of free fatty acid added is not limited, but the fat or oil is subjected to one or more treatments by chemical decomposition using alkali or the like, or enzymatic decomposition using an enzyme such as lipase. It is particularly preferable that it is added in the form of a fat and oil decomposition product in that a taste closer to the salty taste of sodium chloride is obtained. Although it does not specifically limit about the kind of fats and oils used for a decomposition | disassembly, When the decomposition product of milk fat is used, the salty taste enhancer which can aim at strengthening of a taste especially will be obtained. In addition, only fatty acids can be taken out from this oil and fat decomposition product by an operation such as extraction, and commercially available free fatty acids can be added as they are, but free fatty acids have various carbon numbers and saturations. A mixture of fatty acids is preferred because there is no unpleasant odor and the salty taste can be enhanced.

  In addition, other components other than those described above can be added to the oil-in-water emulsion as necessary. Examples of other components include alginic acid, alginate, pectin, LM pectin, HM pectin, seaweed extract, seaweed extract, agar, glucomannan, locust bean gum, guar gum, gellan gum, tarragant gum, xanthan gum, carrageenan, curdlan, Tamarind seed gum, karaya gum, tara gum, tragacanth gum, gum arabic, cassia gum, methyl cellulose, carboxymethyl cellulose, polydextrose and other gelling agents and stabilizers, sequestering agents, salt, rock salt and other salting agents, inorganic salts, organic acid salts , Inorganic acids, organic acids, dextrins such as linear dextrin, branched dextrin, cyclic dextrin, indigestible dextrin, sucrose, liquid sugar, honey, glucose, fructose, maltose, lactose, cyclodextrin, enzymatic saccharification Koji, Saccharified starch syrup, Reduced starch saccharified product, Reduced sugar polydextrose, Reduced lactose, Sorbitol, Xylitol, Maltitol, Erythritol, Mannitol, Isomerized liquid sugar, Sucrose-conjugated starch syrup, Oligosaccharide, Xylose, Trehalose, Fructooligosaccharide, Soybean oligosaccharide, galactooligosaccharide, xylo-oligosaccharide, arabinose, palatinose oligosaccharide, agarooligosaccharide, chitin oligosaccharide, dairy oligosaccharide, hemicellulose, molasses, isomaltoligosaccharide, malto-oligosaccharide, raffinose, lactulose, theande-oligosaccharide, gentio-oligosaccharide, etc. Saccharides, acesulfame potassium, sucralose, stevia, aspartame, saccharin, neotame, licorice, rahan fruit, glycyrrhizin, glycyrrhizinate, dihydrochalcone, thaumatin, monelin, etc. Taste ingredients such as sweeteners, alcohol, propylene glycol, flavorings, bitters and seasonings, coloring agents, preservatives, antioxidants, pH adjusters, emulsifiers, excipients, anti-caking agents, dispersants, gloss Preparations, vitamin preparations and the like can be added.

The amount of other components added is preferably 20% by mass or less, more preferably 15% by mass or less, and most preferably 10% by mass or less in the solid content of the oil-in-water emulsion.
When other components are added in an amount of more than 20% by mass, there is a risk of imparting a flavor that is not originally present when a salty taste enhancer is added to the food or beverage, and a texture that is not inherently present in the food or beverage may be imparted.

  Moreover, the said oil-in-water emulsion is prepared so that protein may satisfy | fill 75-250 mass parts and carbohydrates 120-300 mass parts with respect to 100 mass parts of fats and oils in this oil-in-water emulsion. It is preferable. The amount of protein and carbohydrate is calculated together with the amount of protein and carbohydrate contained in other components other than the milk raw material.

In the oil-in-water emulsion, when the protein is less than 75 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the fat and oil, the resulting oil-in-water emulsion may have a reduced emulsion stability, and the resulting invention is obtained. There is a risk that the salty taste enhancer and the flavor of foods and drinks will be lowered and the effect of reducing the sodium chloride content will be reduced. Moreover, when protein exceeds 250 mass parts, in the case of protein decomposition | disassembly during lactic acid fermentation, a taste component and a fragrance | flavor component will be produced excessively and will give a taste to the salty taste enhancer and food / beverage products of this invention obtained. There is a fear.
In addition, in the oil-in-water emulsion, when the amount of carbohydrate is less than 120 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of fats and oils, there is a risk that the substrate for lactic acid fermentation will be insufficient, and that flavor components and aroma components will not be produced sufficiently. The sodium reduction effect may be reduced. Moreover, when carbohydrate becomes more than 250 mass parts, there exists a possibility of giving a taste and miscellaneous taste to the salty taste enhancer and food-drinks of this invention which are obtained.

Next, the manufacturing method of the oil-in-water emulsion containing the said milk raw material is described.
The manufacturing method of the oil-in-water emulsion containing the said milk raw material is not specifically limited. For example, milk, milk products containing a lot of water such as milk, concentrated milk, whey, cream, cream cheese, natural cheese, processed cheese, or powdered milk such as skim milk powder, whole milk powder, whey powder, and milk After adding milk ingredients such as protein and lactose to form an aqueous phase, the aqueous phase contains an oil phase containing fats and oils, or a food material containing a large amount of fats and oils, especially butter, cream, cream cheese, natural cheese, The method of adding the milk raw material containing milk fat, such as process cheese, and emulsifying this to an oil-in-water type can be mentioned. In addition, about other raw materials, it can add to a water phase, can be added to an oil phase, and can also be added separately.

  Thereafter, homogenization is preferably performed in order to stabilize the obtained oil-in-water emulsion. Examples of the homogenizer for performing homogenization include high-speed shear emulsification kettles such as kettle type cheese emulsification pots and stefan mixers, static mixers, in-line mixers, homogenizers, colloid mills, disper mills, etc., preferably 1 Homogenization is performed at a homogenization pressure of ˜200 MPa.

  After homogenization, heat sterilization is further performed as necessary. As the method of heat sterilization, there is a direct heating method such as an injection method, an infusion method, a microwave, a Joule heating method, or an indirect heating method such as a batch method, a plate method, a tubular method, a scraping method, Heat treatment at 50 to 160 ° C., preferably 55 to 140 ° C., such as UHT, HTST, and LTLT can be performed. Further, after the heat sterilization, if necessary, cooling operations such as rapid cooling and slow cooling can be performed in addition to homogenization again.

  In the present invention, the oil-in-water emulsion is used as a mixed solution that is a substrate for lactic acid fermentation. Lactococcus lactis subsp. Lactis, Lactococcus lactis subsp.cremoris, Lactococcus lactis subsp. Lactis biovar diacetylactis, Lactobacillus casei subsp.casei, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus subbrueckii delbrueckii, Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp.bulgaricus, Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp.lactis, Lactobacillus jugurti, Lactobacillus helveticus, Lactobacillus kefyr, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Streptococcus thermophilus, Etc. These can be used alone or in combination of two or more.

  In the present invention, Lactobacillus helveticus, Lactococcus lactis subsp. Lactis, Lactococcus lactis subsp. Cremoris, Lactococcus lactis subsp. Lactis biovar diacetylactis, in that a lactic acid fermented product having a good flavor and aroma and a high sodium reduction effect can be obtained. One or more of Streptococcus thermophilus and Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. Cremoris are preferably used.

In the present invention, use of lactic acid bacteria having high lipid assimilation property and / or free fatty acid assimilation property further complicates the aroma component of the obtained lactic acid fermented product, so that the effect of reducing sodium in food and drink is enhanced. This is preferable.
Examples of lactic acid bacteria having high lipid utilization or free fatty acid utilization include Streptococcus thermophilus, Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. Cremoris, and the like.

  That is, in the present invention, among Lactobacillus helveticus, Lactococcus lactis subsp. Lactis, Lactococcus lactis subsp. Cremoris, Lactococcus lactis subsp. Lactis biovar diacetylactis, Streptococcus thermophilus, and Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. Cremoris It is preferable to use one or more kinds including cremoris, more preferably Lactobacillus helveticus, Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis, Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris, Lactococcus lactis subsp. 6 types are used together.

  The addition amount of lactic acid bacteria is 0.0001 parts by mass or more and 0.2 parts by mass or less by dry mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the oil-in-water emulsion from the viewpoint of efficiently obtaining a lactic acid fermented product having a pH described later. It is preferably 0.004 parts by mass or more and 0.05 parts by mass or less.

  The temperature conditions in lactic acid fermentation may be set as appropriate in consideration of the optimum temperature range of the lactic acid bacteria to be used. In order to prevent the lactic acid bacteria from dying, the temperature of the fermentation liquid during lactic acid fermentation is less than 60 ° C. Preferably there is.

  The lactic acid fermentation time can be appropriately selected according to the substrate concentration, the added amount of lactic acid bacteria, and the like. Preferably, the fermentation end point of the lactic acid fermentation product is appropriately determined depending on the pH. Specifically, it is preferable to stop the fermentation between pH 2.8 and 5.5, more preferably stop the fermentation between pH 3.0 and 5.0, and pH 3.5 to 5.0. Most preferably, the fermentation is stopped in between. If the fermentation end point is a pH lower than pH 2.8, the acidity of the lactic acid fermented product is too strong, and there is a risk that the food or drink will be given a sour taste. If the pH higher than pH 5.5 is the fermentation end point, There exists a possibility that the salty taste enhancing effect of the salty taste enhancer of this invention may become scarce.

  At the time of lactic acid fermentation, the mixed solution to which lactic acid bacteria have been added can be allowed to stand, but is preferably stirred. Preferable stirring conditions are 5 to 50 rotations per minute, more preferably 10 to 30 rotations.

  After the fermentation end point pH, that is, the pH is lowered by lactic acid fermentation and the growth of lactic acid bacteria is suppressed, the fermentation is stopped. Alternatively, when the fermentation end point pH is lower than the optimum pH, the fermentation is stopped when the optimum pH range is reached. As a means for stopping fermentation, heat sterilization is usually performed. Regarding the heating temperature and heating time at this time, conditions under which lactic acid bacteria are sufficiently inactivated are appropriately selected, and it is desirable to carry out at, for example, 65 ° C. for about 30 minutes.

In the obtained lactic acid fermented product, in addition to organic acids including lactic acid, hydrocarbons, alcohols, aldehydes, esters, sulfur-containing compounds, ketones, fatty acids, fatty acid esters, aromatic compounds, Flavor components such as lactones are produced and contained by lactic acid fermentation using the oil-in-water emulsion as a substrate.
The obtained lactic acid fermented product can be subjected to filtration with a filter paper or a filter, microfiltration, ultrafiltration, centrifugation, or the like.

  The salty taste enhancer of the present invention comprises the above lactic acid fermented product as an active ingredient, and even if it is a salty taste derived from sodium chloride or a salty taste derived from a sodium chloride substitute such as potassium chloride, the salty taste ( It is possible to enhance the salty taste of a salty substance used for the purpose of imparting salty taste in food and drink.

  In food and drink, the salty taste enhancer of the present invention is, for example, 0.00001 to 0.1 parts by mass of the lactic acid fermented product in the salty taste enhancer of the present invention with respect to 1 part by mass of the salty taste agent. It is preferable to be added, more preferably 0.0005 to 0.004 parts by mass, and even more preferably 0.001 to 0.003 parts by mass. .

  The salty taste enhancer of the present invention preferably contains whey minerals and / or extracts in addition to the lactic acid fermented product in order to obtain a salt-like salty strength and a salty expression pattern.

<Whey minerals>
The whey mineral is obtained by separating and removing whey protein and lactose from the whey. When whey minerals are contained in the salty taste enhancer of the present invention, it becomes easier to obtain an equivalent salty strength and salty expression pattern before and after reducing the sodium chloride content in foods and drinks. In the case of containing potassium, it is preferable because an effect of relieving bitterness peculiar to it can be obtained.

  The whey mineral used in the present invention preferably has a low content of impurities such as protein and lactose for the purpose of preventing the addition of an off-flavor and an unpleasant taste to the salty taste enhancer, and the ash content in the solid content is 30% by mass or more. It is preferable to use a certain whey mineral, and it is more preferable to use a whey mineral whose ash content in the solid content is 50% by mass or more. The higher the ash content, the better.

  In addition, the whey mineral used should preferably be a whey mineral having a calcium content in its solid content of less than 2% by weight, more preferably less than 1% by weight, and even more preferably less than 0.5% by weight. preferable.

In the salty taste enhancer of the present invention, the whey mineral is contained so that the solid content in the whey mineral is 0.001 to 1.0 part by mass with respect to 1 part by mass of the solid content of the lactic acid fermented product. Is more preferable, 0.005 to 0.3 parts by mass, and most preferably 0.05 to 0.3 parts by mass.
When the amount is less than 0.001 part by mass, the effect of adding whey minerals cannot be obtained. Moreover, in the case of exceeding 1.0 mass part, there exists a possibility that the miscellaneous taste which a whey mineral has may be provided to food-drinks.

  The form of the whey mineral used in the present invention is not particularly limited, and it can be used in a liquid state or in a solid state such as a powder, a granule, or a tablet. Or it is preferable that it is in a liquid state because it is easy to mix uniformly with a lactic acid fermented product or extracts.

<Extracts>
Extracts in the present invention refer to extracts obtained from one or more of livestock products, marine products, agricultural products and microorganisms. Specifically, livestock extracts such as chicken extract, beef extract, pork extract, salmon extract, salmon extract, salmon extract, bonito extract, boiled and dried extract, guillo extract, lemon extract, cod extract, oyster extract, abalone extract, scallop extract, shrimp extract, Marine extract such as crab extract, krill extract, oyster extract, clam extract, kelp extract, seaweed extract, fish sauce extract, malt extract, onion extract, carrot extract, cabbage extract, cabbage extract, celery extract, garlic extract, ginger extract, Agricultural extracts such as shiitake extract, mushroom extract and fruit extract, and yeast extracts such as beer yeast extract, baker's yeast extract and torula yeast extract can be exemplified. In the present invention, one or more selected from these extracts can be used, and yeast extract is preferably used.

  When the above-mentioned extracts are contained in the salty taste enhancer of the present invention, it is easy to obtain the same salty strength and salty expression pattern before and after reducing the sodium chloride content in food and drink, and in particular, potassium chloride in the salty agent. It is preferable because it has an effect of relieving salt and salt.

  The extract may be used in any form such as liquid, paste, or solid (powder, granule, tablet) as long as it can be uniformly contained in the salty taste enhancer. be able to. In addition, when said extract is a liquid form or a paste-form, the solid content is preferably 20 to 80% by mass, more preferably 40 to 70% by mass.

In the salty taste enhancer of the present invention, the extract is preferably contained so that the extract becomes 0.001 to 10 parts by mass with respect to 1 part by mass of the solid content of the lactic acid fermented product, more preferably 0. 0.02 to 3.0 parts by mass, and most preferably 0.1 to 3.0 parts by mass.
When the amount is less than 0.001 part by mass, the effect of adding extracts cannot be obtained. Moreover, in the case of more than 10 mass parts, the umami | taste which extracts have will be provided and there exists a possibility of changing the flavor of the food / beverage products to which the salty taste enhancer was added.

<Form of salty taste enhancer>
The form of the salty taste enhancer of the present invention can be solid or liquid, and is arbitrarily selected depending on the form of the food or drink in which the salty taste enhancer of the present invention is used.
About the mixing method and mixing order of each component at the time of manufacturing the salty taste enhancer of this invention, if the component contained in the obtained salty taste enhancer is mixed uniformly, there will be no restriction | limiting in particular. As a form of the raw material used when manufacturing the salty taste enhancer, a solid raw material such as a powder, a liquid raw material, and the like can be arbitrarily selected. The salty taste enhancer of the present invention can be prepared as an aqueous solution, and then the solvent is distilled off to prepare a uniform powder. When the solvent is distilled off, the solvent can be distilled off by any method. For example, the solvent can be distilled off by a method such as spray drying or granulation drying.

<Food &Drink>
The food / beverage products of this invention are food / beverage products using the salty taste enhancer of this invention.
Here, the said food / beverage products generally point out the foodstuffs which generally use the salt which has sodium chloride as a main component, and are not specifically limited. For example, miso, soy sauce, noodle soup, sauce, soup stock, pasta sauce, dressing, mayonnaise, tomato ketchup, toaster sauce, tonkatsu sauce, sprinkle, seasoning salt, etc., soup stock, curry sauce, white sauce, tea sauce Instant cooking food such as soup stock, miso soup, soup, consommé soup, soups such as potage soup, processed livestock products such as beef jerky, ham, sausage, cheese, kamaboko, dried fish, salted fish, boiled, delicacy, etc. Processed fishery products, processed vegetables such as pickles, confectionery snacks such as potato chips, rice crackers, bakery foods such as bread, confectionery bread, cookies, boiled foods, fried foods, grilled foods, curry, stew, gratin, rice, rice crackers, rice balls, etc. Of cooked foods. In addition, even if it is food / beverage products which do not contain salt, the salty taste enhancer of this invention can be used if it is food / beverage products which salt is contained at the time of eating and drinking.

<Low salt food and drink>
The food / beverage products of the present invention are characterized in that the saltiness per sodium chloride content is enhanced while maintaining the taste quality. In the case of a food or drink in which part of the sodium chloride is replaced with a sodium chloride substitute such as potassium chloride, the salty taste per sodium chloride content can be further enhanced. That is, when the salty taste enhancer of the present invention is added to reduce the amount of salt contained in conventional foods and drinks, even if the amount of salt used is reduced, the salty taste equivalent to that of conventional foods and drinks is equivalent. It can be used as a low-salt food or drink. Therefore, compared with conventional low-salt foods and drinks with only a reduced sodium chloride content and low-salt foods and drinks with part or all of sodium chloride replaced with sodium chloride substitutes It can be.

  In the present invention, the salt-reduced food / beverage product refers to a food in which the sodium chloride content is reduced by 10 to 90% by mass, preferably 20 to 80% by mass, and more preferably 30 to 70% by mass, compared to a normal food / beverage product. When the ratio of the sodium chloride content is less than 10% by mass, the superiority as a salt-reduced food and drink is poor, and when it is reduced to over 90% by mass, even with the salty taste enhancer of the present invention, It becomes difficult to obtain a salty taste.

As a method of adding the salty taste enhancer of the present invention to the food or drink, the method of adding the salty taste enhancer of the present invention can be mainly used at the time of manufacturing or eating and drinking, preferably by the time of eating. It is sufficient that the salty taste enhancer and the salty taste enhancer of the present invention are contained in the food and drink at the ratio described above.
For example, the method of adding the salty taste enhancer of the present invention to a food or drink containing a salty agent, the method of adding the salty taste enhancer of the present invention during the production of a food or drink containing a salty agent, the salty taste of the present invention to a salty agent A method of using a seasoning salt to which an agent is added during production of a food or drink, a method of adding the seasoning salt to a food or drink, a method of adding a food or drink containing a salty enhancer to a food or drink containing a salty agent, etc. Can be mentioned.

  In addition, since the salty taste enhancer of the present invention is also effective in improving the flavor of sodium chloride substitutes such as potassium chloride, the present invention is used together with sodium chloride substitutes such as potassium chloride for low-salt foods and drinks that are not salty. It is also possible to adopt a method of adding a salty taste enhancer.

  EXAMPLES Hereinafter, although this invention is explained in full detail by a specific Example, this invention is not restrict | limited at all by description of the following Example.

<Manufacture of lactic acid fermented product>
[Production Example 1]
Non-fat dry milk (non-fat milk solid content 95.2% by mass, protein content 34% by mass, lipid 1% by mass) 4.5% by mass, whey powder (non-fat milk solid content 95 to 83.0% by mass of water Mass%, protein content 13 mass%, lipid 1 mass%) 3.5 mass%, total milk protein (non-fat milk solid content 91 mass%, protein content 81 mass%, lipid 4 mass%) 1 mass%, and defatted Add 4% by mass of concentrated milk (25.6% by mass of non-fat milk solids, 9.2% by mass of protein, 3.5% by mass of lipid) and stir while maintaining the temperature of the water bath at 60 ° C. After dispersion and dissolution, salt-free butter (non-fat milk solid content 1.20% by mass, lipid 83% by mass) 2% by mass, and cream cheese (non-fat milk solid content 14% by mass, lipid 55% by mass) 2% by mass was added, and the mixture was further stirred while maintaining the temperature of the water bath at 60 ° C. The went.
After stirring until no lumps of raw material are seen, homogenize with a pressure type homogenizer H20 manufactured by Sanwa Engineering Co., Ltd. at a homogeneous pressure of 20 MPa, heat sterilize at 80 ° C. for 3 minutes in a plate heat exchanger, It cooled to 30 degreeC with a type | formula heat exchanger, and the oil-in-water type emulsion containing a milk raw material whose non-fat milk solid content is 9.8 mass% and fats and oils content is 2.9 mass% was prepared.

  Subsequently, the oil-in-water emulsion containing the milk raw material is used as it is as a mixed solution, and Lactobacillus helveticus, Lactococcus lactis subsp. Lactis, Lactococcus lactis subsp. Cremoris, Lactococcus lactis subsp. Lactis biovar with respect to 100 parts by mass of the mixed solution. 0.04 parts by mass of freeze-dried lactic acid bacteria starter containing 6 species of diacetylactis, Streptococcus thermophilus, Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. cremoris was added, and the mixture was fermented at 30 ° C. with stirring at 15 rpm for 12 hours. The pH at the time when the lactic acid bacteria starter was added was 6.4, and the pH at the end of the lactic acid fermentation process was 4.5. Through the lactic acid fermentation step, a lactic acid fermentation product A having a solid content of 12.3% by mass was obtained.

[Production Example 2]
In the formulation of Production Example 1, salt-free butter was reduced from 2% by mass to 1.7% by mass, and 0.3% by mass of the reduced amount was used as a free fatty acid source. In the same manner as in Production Example 1 except that the non-fat milk solid content is 9.8% by mass and the fat content is 2.9% by mass, Prepared. Subsequently, this oil-in-water emulsion was fermented in the same manner as in Production Example 1 to obtain a lactic acid fermented product B having a solid content of 12.3% by mass.

[Production Example 3]
To 28.2% by mass of water, 65.3% by mass of soy milk (manufactured by Marsan Eye Co., Ltd., non-fat solid content 6.3% by mass, protein content 4.7% by mass, lipid content 3.1% by mass), And Fujipro F (Fuji Oil Co., Ltd. soybean protein, non-fat solid content 94.3% by mass, protein content 85.8% by mass, lipid content 0.20% by mass) 5.5% by mass, and the temperature of the water bath The mixture was stirred while maintaining at 60 ° C. and sufficiently dispersed and dissolved, and then 1% by mass of soybean oil was added and further stirred to emulsify into an oil-in-water type.
After stirring until no lumps of raw material are seen, homogenize with a pressure type homogenizer H20 manufactured by Sanwa Engineering Co., Ltd. at a homogeneous pressure of 20 MPa, heat sterilize at 80 ° C. for 3 minutes in a plate heat exchanger, It cooled to 30 degreeC with a type | formula heat exchanger, and the oil-in-water-type emulsion whose fat-free solid content is 9.3 mass% and oil-fat content is 3.0 mass% was prepared.

  Subsequently, this oil-in-water emulsion is used as it is as a mixed solution, and Lactobacillus helveticus, Lactococcus lactis subsp. Lactis, Lactococcus lactis subsp. Cremoris, Lactococcus lactis subsp. Lactis biovar diacetylactis, Streptococcus thermophilus , Adding 0.008 parts of freeze-dried lactic acid bacteria starter containing 6 species of Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. Cremoris, fermenting under the same fermentation conditions as in the production of lactic acid fermented product A, and having a solid content of 12.3% by mass A lactic acid fermentation product C was obtained.

[Production Example 4]
10.3% by mass of skim milk powder (nonfat milk solid content 95.2% by mass, protein content 34% by mass) is added to 89.7% by mass of water, and stirring is performed while maintaining the temperature of the water bath at 60 ° C. And fully dispersed and dissolved. After stirring until no lumps of raw material are seen, homogenize with a pressure type homogenizer H20 manufactured by Sanwa Engineering Co., Ltd. at a homogeneous pressure of 20 MPa, heat sterilize at 80 ° C. for 3 minutes in a plate heat exchanger, It cooled to 30 degreeC with a type | formula heat exchanger, and the mix liquid containing a milk raw material whose non-fat milk solid content is 9.8 mass% and fats and oils content is 0.1 mass% was prepared.

  Subsequently, the mixed solution containing the milk raw material is used as it is as a mixed solution, and Lactobacillus helveticus, Lactococcus lactis subsp. Lactis, Lactococcus lactis subsp. Cremoris, Lactococcus lactis subsp. Lactis biovar diacetylactis, Streptococcus to 100 parts by mass of the mixed solution 0.04 parts by mass of freeze-dried type lactic acid bacteria starter group including 6 species of thermophilus and Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. cremoris was added, fermentation was performed under the same fermentation conditions as in the production of lactic acid fermented product A, and the solid content was 9.9. A lactic acid fermentation product D having a mass% was obtained.

<Manufacture of whey minerals>
[Production Example 5]
After the sweet whey obtained as a by-product when producing cheese was subjected to nanofiltration membrane separation, it was further concentrated by reverse osmosis filtration membrane separation until the solid content became 20% by mass. Subsequently, the precipitate formed by heat treatment at 80 ° C. for 20 minutes was removed by centrifugation, and this was further concentrated by an evaporator to obtain a whey mineral having a solid content of 30% by mass. The calcium content in the solid content of the obtained whey mineral was 0.4% by mass, and the ash content in the solid content was 55% by mass.

<Manufacture of salty taste enhancer>
[Example 1]
The lactic acid fermented product A obtained in Production Example 1 was directly used as the salty taste enhancer A of the present invention.
[Example 2]
The lactic acid fermented product B obtained in Production Example 2 was directly used as the salty taste enhancer B of the present invention.
[Comparative Example 1]
The lactic acid fermented product C obtained in Production Example 3 was used as the salty taste enhancer C of Comparative Example 1 as it was.
[Comparative Example 2]
The fermented lactic acid D obtained in Production Example 4 was used as the salty taste enhancer D of Comparative Example 2 as it was.
Example 3
The lactic acid fermented product A obtained in Production Example 1 and the whey mineral obtained in Production Example 5 were mixed and dispersed at a mass ratio of 90:10 to obtain the salty taste enhancer E of the present invention.
Example 4
The lactic acid fermented product A obtained in Production Example 1 and a yeast extract (Wellnex YN-1, manufactured by Fuji Foods Industries Co., Ltd., solid content 98% by mass powder) were mixed and dispersed at a mass ratio of 75:25. It was set as the salty taste enhancer F.
Example 5
72: 8: Fermented lactic acid A obtained in Production Example 1 and whey mineral obtained in Production Example 5 and yeast extract (Wellnex YN-1, manufactured by Fuji Foods Industry Co., Ltd., 98 mass% solid content powder product) It mixed and disperse | distributed by 20 mass ratio, and was set as the salty taste enhancer G of this invention.

<Salt taste enhancer evaluation test 1>
A 1% by mass aqueous solution of sodium chloride was prepared. Here, the salty taste enhancer A has a solid content of 0.000002 parts by mass, 0.00002 parts by mass, 0.0002 parts by mass, 0.002 parts by mass, 0.02 parts per 1 part by mass of sodium chloride. It added so that it might become a mass part, 0.2 mass part, 1 mass part, 2 mass parts, fully disperse | distributed and melt | dissolved and it was set as the aqueous liquid.
(Salt taste strength and taste evaluation method)
Let 11 panelists lick the above aqueous liquid and 1% by weight sodium chloride aqueous solution prepared as a control, and evaluate the saltiness intensity and taste quality according to the following paneler's evaluation criteria according to the following four levels. A five-step or four-step evaluation was performed according to the following evaluation criteria. The results are shown in Tables 1 and 2, respectively.

・ Paneler's salty strength evaluation criteria Feels clearly enhanced saltiness compared to the control ・ ・ 2 points Feels a slightly enhanced saltiness compared to the control ... 1 point Feels almost the same saltiness as the control ・ ・…… 0 points I feel a weak saltiness than the control …… −1 point · salty strength evaluation criteria ◎: Total score of 11 panelists is 17 to 22 points ○: 11 people The total score of the panelists is 11 to 16 points. Δ: The total score of the 11 panelists is 6 to 10 points. X: The total score of the 11 panelists is 1 to 5 points. XX: The total score of the 11 panelists is 0 points. Less than

・ Panelers' taste quality evaluation standards No taste other than sodium chloride ... 2 points Feels a taste other than sodium chloride, but there is no sense of incongruity as a salty taste ... 1 point Other than sodium chloride Feels flavor and has a sense of incongruity as a salty taste ... 0 points Feels an unpleasant taste ... ... -1 point-taste quality evaluation criteria A: There were 2 panelists most.
○: One panelist was the most.
Δ: Most panelists with 0 points.
X: The number of -1 point panelists was the most.

From the results of Tables 1 and 2, the fermented lactic acid product has an effect of enhancing salty taste when the addition amount per 1 part by mass of sodium chloride is 0.00002 to 0.2 parts by mass, but it is 1 part by mass or more. It can be seen that the effect of enhancing the saltiness is not observed, and the saltiness is almost the same level as sodium chloride. Moreover, it turns out that flavors other than saltiness will be felt when it is 0.2 mass part or more, and the unpleasant feeling as saltiness will appear when it is 1 mass part or more.
From the above, it can be seen that the lactic acid fermented product according to the present invention can be suitably used as a salty taste enhancer when used in an appropriate amount.

<Salt taste enhancer evaluation test 2>
A 0.5% by mass aqueous solution of sodium chloride was prepared. Here, the salty taste enhancers A to G are added so that the solid content of the lactic acid fermented product contained in the salty taste enhancer is 0.002 parts by mass with respect to 1 part by mass of sodium chloride, and sufficiently dispersed and dissolved. To obtain an aqueous liquid.
(Salt taste strength and taste evaluation method)
Eleven panelists licked the aqueous liquid and the 0.5% by weight sodium chloride aqueous solution prepared as a control, and evaluated the saltiness intensity and taste quality according to the following paneler evaluation criteria according to the following four levels. The total score was evaluated according to the following evaluation criteria in 5 or 4 stages. The results are shown in Table 3 and Table 4, respectively.

・ Paneler's salty strength evaluation criteria Feels clearly enhanced saltiness compared to the control ・ ・ 2 points Feels a slightly enhanced saltiness compared to the control ... 1 point Feels almost the same saltiness as the control ・ ・…… 0 points I feel a weak saltiness than the control …… −1 point · salty strength evaluation criteria ◎: Total score of 11 panelists is 17 to 22 points ○: 11 people The total score of the panelists is 11 to 16 points. Δ: The total score of the 11 panelists is 6 to 10 points. X: The total score of the 11 panelists is 1 to 5 points. XX: The total score of the 11 panelists is 0 points. Less than

・ Panel taste evaluation criteria Feels strongly the taste and has a salty expression pattern equivalent to sodium chloride .... 2 points Feels the taste slightly stronger and has a salty expression pattern almost equivalent to sodium chloride. -1 point is a salty expression pattern with a weak taste and different from sodium chloride.-0 points A salty expression pattern with a weak taste and completely different from sodium chloride-1 point-taste quality Evaluation criteria A: The number of panelists with 2 points was the highest.
○: The panel with 1 point was the most.
Δ: Panelists with 0 points were the most.
X: The number of -1 point panelists was the most.

<Salt taste enhancer evaluation test 3>
A 0.5% by mass aqueous solution of a salting agent with a mass ratio of sodium chloride and potassium chloride of 90:10 was prepared. The above-mentioned salty taste enhancers A to G are added so that the solid content of the lactic acid fermented product contained in the salty taste enhancer is 0.002 parts by mass with respect to 1 part by mass of the salty taste agent, and sufficiently dispersed and dissolved. To obtain an aqueous liquid. An aqueous liquid with no added salty taste enhancer was also prepared.
(Salt taste strength and taste evaluation method)
Eleven panelists licked the aqueous liquid and the 0.5% by weight sodium chloride aqueous solution prepared as a control, and evaluated the saltiness intensity and taste quality according to the following paneler evaluation criteria according to the following four levels. The total score was evaluated according to the following evaluation criteria in 5 or 4 stages. The results are shown in Tables 5 and 6, respectively.

・ Paneler's salty strength evaluation criteria Feels clearly enhanced saltiness compared to the control ・ ・ 2 points Feels a slightly enhanced saltiness compared to the control ... 1 point Feels almost the same saltiness as the control ・ ・…… 0 points I feel a weak saltiness than the control …… −1 point · salty strength evaluation criteria ◎: Total score of 11 panelists is 17 to 22 points ○: 11 people The total score of the panelists is 11 to 16 points. Δ: The total score of the 11 panelists is 6 to 10 points. X: The total score of the 11 panelists is 1 to 5 points. XX: The total score of the 11 panelists is 0 points. Less than

・ Panel taste evaluation criteria Salty expression pattern equivalent to sodium chloride ... 2 points Salty expression pattern almost equivalent to sodium chloride ... 1 point Discomfort different from sodium chloride It is a certain salty taste expression pattern ... 0 point It is a salty taste expression pattern completely different from sodium chloride ... ... -1 point / taste quality evaluation standard A: There were most 2 point panelists.
○: The panel with 1 point was the most.
Δ: Panelists with 0 points were the most.
X: The number of -1 point panelists was the most.

<Manufacture of food and drink>
Example 6
Using 1 g of water and 10 g of kelp and 20 g of chopped knot, Ichiban dashi (bonito and kelp dashi) was prepared by a conventional method. According to a conventional method, miso soup containing 0.4% by mass of sodium chloride was prepared using 25 g of reduced salt miso (manufactured by Takeya: reduced salt miso) for 300 ml of this first stock. The salty taste enhancer B was added here so that the addition amount of the lactic acid fermented product was 0.002 parts by mass as a solid content with respect to 1 part by mass of sodium chloride, and was sufficiently mixed.
Drink 2mL in a cup while maintaining at 60 ° C, and compare the salty strength and salty taste with miso soup with no added salty taste enhancer. The miso soup with added salty taste enhancer has a salty taste compared to the miso soup without additive. It was a natural salty substance that was strengthened and felt strongly.

Example 7
Reduced salt miso (Miyasaka brewing: Shinshu Ichimi additive-free reduced salt) 100g, Koji white sugar 80g, Sake 50g and Hon Mirin (Takara Hon Mirin) 25g in a pan. Add so that the amount of addition becomes 0.002 parts by mass as a solid content with respect to 1 part by mass of sodium chloride, mix well while heating with low heat, cool, and knead miso containing 3.9% by mass of sodium chloride Created (finished weight 220 g).
A cotton tofu cut into a length of 7 cm, a width of 3 cm and a thickness of 1.5 cm was baked by baking, then 2 g of kneaded miso was applied to both sides of the tofu, and lightly simmered to create a tofu dish.
After eating 2cm length (width 3cm, thickness 1.5cm) excluding both ends of this tofu-daku, and comparing the salty strength and salty quality with the tofu-daku without additive salty salt, The added tofu danraku had a natural salty taste with enhanced saltiness and a strong taste compared to the additive-free tofu danraku.

Example 8
1000 ml of water was put in a pan and it was set on fire. When the water boiled, it was set to low heat and 60 g of powdered consomme was dissolved. The salty taste enhancer B is added here so that the addition amount of the lactic acid fermented product is 0.002 parts by mass as a solid content with respect to 1 part by mass of sodium chloride, and is mixed well while heating on a low heat. Consomme soup containing 0.5% by mass was prepared.
Drink 2mL in a cup while maintaining the temperature at 60 ° C. Compared to the consomme soup with no salty taste enhancer, the consomme soup with the added salty taste enhances the consomme soup with no added salty taste. In comparison, the salty taste was enhanced and the taste was a natural salty taste.

Example 9
To salt-reduced soy sauce (manufactured by Kikkoman), add saltiness enhancer B so that the amount of lactic acid fermented product added is 0.002 parts by mass as a solid content with respect to 1 part by mass of sodium chloride. Reduced salt soy sauce containing mass% was prepared.
The salty strength and saltiness of the salted soy sauce with no added salty taste enhance the salty taste of the salted soy sauce with the added salty taste enhancer compared to the additive-free reduced salted soy sauce. It was a natural salty taste that felt strongly.

Claims (5)

  A salty taste enhancer comprising a fermented lactic acid as an active ingredient using an oil-in-water emulsion containing raw materials for milk as a substrate.   Furthermore, the salty taste enhancer of Claim 1 containing a whey mineral.   The salty taste enhancer according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising an extract.   The food-drinks using the salty taste enhancer of any one of Claims 1-3. The food / beverage product according to claim 4, which is a reduced salt food / beverage product.