JP7563732B2 - Food and drink compositions, food and drink compositions for improving skin, food and drink compositions for improving skin and improving constipation - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a food and drink composition, a food and drink composition for improving skin, and a food and drink composition for improving skin and improving constipation. In particular, the present invention relates to a food and drink composition for oral ingestion, a food and drink composition for improving skin, and a food and drink composition for improving skin and improving constipation.

Aojiru, or green juice, is a drink made by dispersing dried powder of green leaves from green plants in water, milk, or the like. Green juice contains dietary fiber and vitamins, and has been attracting attention in recent years as a health food because it can help alleviate a lack of vegetables. Various types of green leaves, such as kale, young barley leaves, and mulberry leaves, are known as the raw materials for green juice. In particular, dried and crushed mulberry leaves are known to have blood sugar lowering effects and diabetes prevention effects, and are known to be consumed as green juice. It is also known to add hot or cold water to the drink and consume it as tea (see Patent Document 1). It is also known that mulberry leaf extracts are incorporated into cosmetics (see Patent Document 2).

Regarding rough skin, it is common to improve the condition of the skin by applying cosmetics such as moisturizing cream to the skin, but skin quality improving agents that can be taken orally are also known. For example, it is known that the moisture content of the skin is increased by orally taking oligosaccharides consisting of 1 to 10 molecules of mannose-based monosaccharides (see Patent Document 3), and that rough skin can be improved by using coffee bean extract as an active ingredient, which contains chlorogenic acids and has a chlorogenic acids/caffeine mass ratio of 65 or more (see Patent Document 4).

JP 2006-101732 A JP 2007-282632 A Patent No. 6269251 JP 2018-108977 A

As mentioned above, oral agents for improving rough skin are known. However, Patent Document 3 only describes a beverage in which oligosaccharides consisting of 1 to 10 mannose-based monosaccharide molecules are added to coffee. Furthermore, Patent Document 4 only describes an example in which a coffee bean extract with a chlorogenic acids/caffeine mass ratio of 65 or more is added to a beverage containing sweeteners and the like. In other words, Patent Documents 3 and 4 only describe that specific ingredients have the effect of improving rough skin.

After extensive research, the inventors have newly discovered that (1) a food and drink composition that combines mulberry leaf components, oligosaccharides, water-soluble dietary fiber, and probiotic bacteria can be taken orally without difficulty, (2) the mulberry leaf components provide the effects of drinking so-called green juice, and (3) in addition to the effects of drinking green juice, the effect of improving skin condition can also be obtained.

That is, the object of the present invention is to provide a food and beverage composition, a food and beverage composition for improving skin, and a food and beverage composition for improving skin and relieving constipation.

The present invention relates to the following food and beverage compositions, food and beverage compositions for improving skin, and food and beverage compositions for improving skin and relieving constipation.

(1) Mulberry leaf components, oligosaccharides, water-soluble dietary fiber, and probiotic bacteria,
A food or beverage composition comprising:
(2) The oligosaccharide is a fructooligosaccharide,
The water-soluble dietary fiber is an enzymatic decomposition product of guar gum,
The probiotic bacteria are lactic acid bacteria.
The food and beverage composition described above in (1).
(3) The mulberry leaf component is contained in an amount of 40 to 80% by mass based on the dry mass of the food or beverage composition.
A food or beverage composition described in (1) or (2) above.
(4) The oligosaccharide contains at least 1-kestose,
The 1-kestose is contained as a composition for improving the grassy smell of mulberry leaves.
A food or beverage composition according to any one of (1) to (3) above.
(5) A food or beverage composition for improving skin, comprising the food or beverage composition according to any one of (1) to (4) above, and used for improving skin conditions.
(6) A food or beverage composition for improving skin and improving constipation, comprising the food or beverage composition according to any one of (1) to (4) above, and used for improving skin conditions and improving constipation.
(7) The use of improving constipation is to improve constipation in pregnant women.
The food and beverage composition for improving skin and constipation described above in (6).

Oral ingestion of the food and beverage composition of the present invention provides the effect of improving skin condition in addition to the effects of ingesting green juice.

FIG. 1 is a graph showing the results of measuring the moisture content of the stratum corneum before, and after 2 and 4 weeks of ingestion in Example 2. FIG. 2 shows images of the texture and the stained stratum corneum before, and after 2 and 4 weeks of ingestion in Example 2. FIG. 3 is a graph showing the number of defecations per week from before the start of drinking to four weeks later in Example 3. FIG. 4 is a graph showing the frequency of defecation per week before and per week after the start of intake in Example 4. FIG. 5 is a graph showing the frequency of defecation per week in Example 6 for two weeks before the start of drinking, eight weeks during drinking, and four weeks after stopping drinking. FIG. 6 is a graph showing the results of measuring skin elasticity before and after 8 weeks of consumption in Example 7.

The food and beverage composition, the food and beverage composition for improving skin, and the food and beverage composition for improving skin and relieving constipation of the present invention are described in detail below.

The food and beverage composition of the present invention is characterized by containing mulberry leaf components, oligosaccharides, water-soluble dietary fiber, and probiotic bacteria.

When the food or beverage composition is provided as a dried powder, the mulberry leaf component may be prepared by drying and powdering the mulberry leaf portion using a known method. The mulberry leaf component may be the harvested mulberry leaves as is, or may be processed (e.g., fermented).

When the food and beverage composition is provided in liquid form, a liquid such as water or milk may be added to the dry powder, the powdered mulberry leaf fiber portion may be dispersed in the liquid, and only the extract components contained in the mulberry leaves may be dissolved in the liquid. Alternatively, the extract components contained in the mulberry leaves may be extracted in advance, and only the extracted extract components may be added to the liquid that constitutes the beverage. As described above, in this specification, when the term "mulberry leaf components" is used, it means both the dry mulberry leaf powder and the extract components extracted from the mulberry leaves.

Mulberry leaf components are known to have the effect of suppressing the rise in blood glucose level caused by 1-deoxynojirimycin. Mulberry leaves refer to the leaves of woody plants belonging to the genus Morus. Examples of major species in the genus Morus include M. Ihou, M. bombycis, M. laevigata, M. tiliaefolia, M. boninensis, M. serrata, M. rubra, M. alba, M. nigra, and M. mesozygia, and the leaves of any of these can be used in the present invention.

The oligosaccharides are not particularly limited as long as they are oligosaccharides commonly used in the food industry, such as resistant oligosaccharides and digestible oligosaccharides. Examples of resistant oligosaccharides include fructooligosaccharides, lactulose, gentiooligosaccharides, nigerooligosaccharides, soybean oligosaccharides, raffinose, xylooligosaccharides, chitosan, mannooligosaccharides, difructose, cellobiose, galactooligosaccharides, palatinose, maltosyl sucrose, 1-kestose, and fructose. Examples of digestible oligosaccharides include maltooligosaccharides, glucosyl sucrose, palatinose, trehalose, and isomaltooligosaccharides. Of course, the above-mentioned various oligosaccharides are merely examples, and oligosaccharides not exemplified may also be used. Furthermore, one type of oligosaccharide may be used alone, or two or more types may be used in combination.

Among the oligosaccharides exemplified above, resistant oligosaccharides are preferred because they increase the number of good bacteria in the intestines and improve the intestinal environment, and among the resistant oligosaccharides, fructooligosaccharides are more preferred because they facilitate the absorption of minerals and other components of mulberry leaves. Furthermore, among the fructooligosaccharides, 1-kestose is particularly useful because it has the effect of suppressing the unpleasant odor and taste, such as the grassy odor, of mulberry leaf components when taken orally. As the oligosaccharide, 1-kestose alone may be used.

Water-soluble dietary fiber refers to water-soluble polymeric components, mainly polysaccharides, that cannot be digested by human digestive enzymes. Water-soluble dietary fiber moves slowly through the stomach and intestines and inhibits the absorption of carbohydrates, preventing the rise in blood sugar levels after meals and also lowering cholesterol.

Examples of water-soluble dietary fibers include guar gum or its enzymatic hydrolysis products, resistant dextrin, isomaltodextrin, pectin, polydextrose, alginic acid (or its salts), laminarin, glucomannan, carrageenan, fucoidin, locust bean gum, xanthan gum, tamarind gum, tragacanth gum, gellan gum, chondroitin sulfate (or its salts), pullulan, psyllium, galactomannan, corn fiber, apple fiber, beet fiber, resistant starch, glucan, xyloglucan, inulin, agar, agar, collagen, and hyaluronic acid (or its salts). Of course, the above water-soluble dietary fibers are merely examples, and water-soluble dietary fibers not exemplified may also be used. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more types.

Among the water-soluble dietary fibers listed above, guar gum enzymatic hydrolysate is preferred because it has the effects of suppressing the rise in blood sugar level, improving diarrhea, promoting intestinal mucosal cell proliferation, and improving intestinal flora.

In this specification, probiotic bacteria refers to microorganisms that have a positive effect on the human body, so-called good bacteria. Examples of probiotic bacteria include lactic acid bacteria, bifidobacteria, natto bacteria, butyric acid bacteria, and saccharifying bacteria.

Among probiotic bacteria, "lactic acid bacteria" refers to bacteria that produce lactic acid through metabolism. Lactic acid bacteria may be live or dead, and in the case of dead bacteria, the cells may be crushed. Lactic acid bacteria powder can be obtained, for example, by removing unnecessary materials such as the medium from cultured lactic acid bacteria or from a lactic acid bacteria culture used in fermentation, and then powdering the lactic acid bacteria cells using a known method. The type of lactic acid bacteria is not particularly limited as long as it produces lactic acid as a metabolic product, and examples include those that have traditionally been orally ingested by animals such as humans, such as those of the genera Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, Enterococcus, Leuconostoc, Pediococcus, Staphylococcus, Tetragenococcus, and Bacillus.

Examples of the genus Bifidobacterium include Bifidobacterium bifidum, Bifidobacterium breve, Bifidobacterium infantis, Bifidobacterium lactis, Bifidobacterium longum, Bifidobacterium adolescentis, and Bifidobacterium mongoliense.

Lactobacillus genus includes Lactobacillus brevis, Lactobacillus gasseri, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus buchneri, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Lactobacillus delburvecki, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus crispatus, Lactobacillus curvatus, Lactobacillus halivaticus, Lactobacillus pentosus, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus paracasei, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Lactobacillus s alivarius, Lactobacillus sporogenes, Lactobacillus sakei, Lactobacillus fructivorans, Lactobacillus hilgardii, Lactobacillus reuteri, Lactobacillus fermentum, etc.

Examples of the genus Enterococcus include Enterococcus faecalis (sometimes called Streptococcus faecalis), Enterococcus faesium (sometimes called Streptococcus faesium), Streptococcus thermophilus, and Lactococcus lactis (sometimes called Streptococcus slactis).

Examples of the Leuconostoc genus include Leuconostoc mesenteroides, Leuconostoc oenos, etc.

Examples of the Pediococcus genus include Pediococcus acidilactici, Pediococcus pentosaceus, etc.

The genus Staphylococcus includes Staphylococcus carnosus, Staphylococcus xylosus, Staphylococcus thermophilus, Staphylococcus faecalis, and Staphylococcus faecium.

An example of the Tetragenococcus genus is Tetragenococcus halophilus.

Bacillus genus includes Bacillus coagulans and Bacillus mesentericus.

Among these, Bacillus coagulans, Bifidobacterium longum, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Staphylococcus thermophilus, Staphylococcus faecalis, and Staphylococcus faecium are preferred. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

Among the probiotic bacteria listed above, the lactic acid bacterium Lactobacillus casei is preferred because it is easier to regulate the intestinal environment.

It is preferable to mix mulberry leaf ingredients at 40-80% by mass, oligosaccharides at 10-50% by mass, water-soluble dietary fiber at 5-30% by mass, and probiotic bacteria at 0.01-5% by mass, based on the dry mass of the food or beverage composition.

The food and beverage composition may further contain additives used in the food and beverage industry, as long as the effects of the composition are not impaired. Examples of additives include excipients, bulking agents, binders, thickeners, emulsifiers, colorants, and flavors. In addition, as necessary, vitamins (vitamin A, B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E, vitamin K, folic acid, pantothenic acid, biotin, derivatives thereof, etc.), minerals (compounds containing metals such as iron, magnesium, calcium, and zinc), selenium compounds, chitin/chitosan, lecithin, polyphenols (flavonoids, derivatives thereof, etc.), carotenoids (lycopene, astaxanthin, zeaxanthin, lutein, etc.), xanthine derivatives (caffeine, etc.), fatty acids, amino sugars (glucosamine, acetylglucosamine, galactosamine, acetylgalactosamine, neuraminic acid, acetylneuraminic acid, hexosamine, salts thereof, etc.), sphingolipids and derivatives thereof (sphingomyelin, ceramide, etc.), sulfur-containing compounds (alliin, sepaene, taurine, glutathione, methylsulfonylmethane, etc.), sugar alcohols, lignans (sesamin, etc.), etc.

As shown in the examples below, the food and drink composition of the present invention has the effect of improving skin condition and improving constipation in addition to the effect of orally taking so-called green juice. In particular, the composition shows a remarkable effect of improving constipation in pregnant women. More specifically, during pregnancy, constipation is likely to occur due to the effects of progesterone hormone and pressure from the pregnant uterus, but many pregnant women are resistant to taking medicine. However, as shown in the examples below, the food and drink composition of the present invention shows the effect of improving constipation when taken by pregnant women. Therefore, the food and drink composition of the present invention can be used as a food and drink composition for improving skin, a food and drink composition for improving skin and improving constipation, and can also be used suitably for pregnant women as subjects for improving constipation.

In this specification, "improving skin condition" means that the "water content of the stratum corneum (so-called "moisture")" is increased by orally ingesting the food or beverage composition. "Improving skin condition" may also be defined as an increase in the "water content of the stratum corneum" as well as an improvement in one or more indicators selected from "oiliness," "rough skin," "smoothness of the skin surface," "skin texture," "dullness/transparency," and "visibility of pores."

The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to examples. These examples are provided merely to illustrate the present invention and to provide reference for specific embodiments. These examples are provided to illustrate certain specific embodiments of the present invention, but are not intended to limit or restrict the scope of the invention disclosed in this application.

Example 1
[Preparation of food and beverage composition]
A food and beverage composition was prepared using the following ingredients and mixing ratios.
<Ingredients>
(1) Mulberry leaves: Wakuwakuen Co., Ltd., product name: organic mulberry leaf powder (2) Oligosaccharides: fructooligosaccharides (Nippon Oligosaccharide Co., Ltd., product name: fructooligosaccharides)
(3) Water-soluble dietary fiber: Guar gum enzymatic hydrolysate (manufactured by Taiyo Kagaku Co., Ltd., product name: Sunfiber R)
(4) Probiotic bacteria: Lactobacillus casei (manufactured by Toa Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., product name: LC-Casei Lactobacillus Powder Toa)

<Mixing ratio>
(1) Mulberry leaves: 64%
(2) Oligosaccharides: 20%
(3) Water-soluble dietary fiber: 15%
(4) Probiotic bacteria: 1%

Example 2
[Skin condition evaluation (VAS) experiment]
(1) Five subjects (five males) were asked to drink 12 g (one packet of 4 g was dissolved in 100-180 mL of water or hot water, three times a day) of the food and drink composition prepared in Example 1 for four weeks. Every week, the subjects were asked to fill out a questionnaire about their skin condition using a VAS (Visual Analogue Scale). Table 1 shows the questionnaire items and results. The values in Table 1 indicate that the closer to 0 the worse the skin condition, and the closer to 10 the better the skin condition.

[Skin condition evaluation (mechanical measurement) experiment]
During the above-mentioned [Skin Condition Evaluation (VAS) Experiment], the skin condition of the subjects was measured by a measuring device before, after 2 weeks, and after 4 weeks of drinking. The measurement items and measurement methods are as follows.
(1) Moisture content of the stratum corneum: Measured using a Corneometer (registered trademark) CM825 (manufactured by Courage+Khazaka). Figure 1 is a graph showing the measurement results, and a relative evaluation was performed with the moisture content of the stratum corneum before ingestion set at 100.

(2) Texture Photography Photographs were taken using a microscope M3 (manufactured by Scalar Corporation).
(3) Stratum corneum staining image This was carried out by tape stripping method using a stratum corneum checker AST-01 (manufactured by Asahi Techno Labo).
FIG. 2 shows images of the texture and the stained stratum corneum before, and after 2 and 4 weeks of ingestion.

As is clear from Figure 1, oral intake of the food and beverage composition prepared in Example 1 significantly improved the moisture content of the stratum corneum. In general, when a moisturizing cosmetic is applied directly to the skin, the moisture content of the skin is improved in a short period of time, but it was thought that oral intake was difficult to rapidly improve the moisture content of the skin. On the other hand, it was confirmed that the food and beverage composition of the present invention showed a remarkable effect of improving the moisture content of the stratum corneum by 20% in just two weeks through oral intake. In addition, as is clear from Figure 2, oral intake of the food and beverage composition prepared in Example 1 improved the skin texture and improved the delamination of each layer.

These results confirm that the food and beverage composition of the present invention can improve skin conditions when taken orally.

Example 3
[Confirmation of improvement in constipation]
Except for replacing the subjects with four healthy adults (one male and three females) who experienced constipation, the subjects drank the food and beverage composition in the same manner as in Example 2. Figure 3 is a graph showing the number of defecations per week from before the start of consumption until four weeks later. As is clear from Figure 3, oral intake of the food and beverage composition of the present invention significantly improved the number of defecations in the first week of oral intake. Therefore, it was confirmed that the food and beverage composition of the present invention can be used for improving constipation.

Example 4
[Drinking experiment with pregnant women]
Except for changing the subjects to 24 pregnant women, the subjects consumed the food and beverage composition in the same manner as in Example 2. Figure 4 is a graph showing the number of defecations per week before and per week after the start of consumption. As is clear from Figure 4, the oral intake of the food and beverage composition of the present invention significantly improved the number of defecations in the first week of oral intake. Therefore, the food and beverage composition of the present invention is particularly useful for pregnant women who are reluctant to take medicine.

Example 5
[Confirmation of the grassy odor reducing effect of 1-kestose]
Food and drink compositions were prepared in the same manner as in Example 1, except that the amount of fructooligosaccharide in the food and drink composition prepared in Example 1 was set to 10% and 1-kestose (manufactured by Bussan Food Science Co., Ltd., product name: Baby Oligo) was added at 10%. The sweetness of the food and drink compositions of Example 1 and Example 5 was the same.

Next, five subjects drank the food and beverage compositions prepared in Examples 1 and 5 using the same method as in Example 2, and a sensory evaluation was conducted on the "bitterness," "grassy smell," and "sweetness." The sensory evaluation was performed by evaluating the strength of the food and beverage composition of Example 5 based on the food and beverage composition of Example 1, and scoring was performed according to the following criteria.

<Evaluation criteria>
When the green juice of Example 1 was scored as 3 points,
1 point = Very weak;
2 points = weak;
3 points = equal;
4 points = strong,
・5 points = Very strong.

The results of the sensory test are shown in Table 2. As is clear from Table 2, it was confirmed that the grassy smell of mulberry leaves could be reduced when 1-kestose was used as the oligosaccharide. In addition, it was confirmed that although the sweetness of the food and beverage compositions prepared was the same, the addition of 1-kestose made the subjects perceive it as sweet when orally ingested.

These results confirm that there are no particular problems with oral ingestion of oligosaccharides in the food and beverage composition of the present invention, but that the use of 1-kestose among oligosaccharides makes the composition easier to drink.

Next, we increased the number of subjects and conducted the following experiment.

Example 6
[Check for improvement in constipation before and after drinking]
The subjects were replaced with healthy adults (21 women, age (years) 42.9±5.5) and consumed the food and beverage composition in the same manner as in Example 5, except that the consumption period was extended to 8 weeks. Figure 5 is a graph showing the number of bowel movements per week for two weeks before the start of consumption, eight weeks during consumption, and four weeks after consumption was stopped. As is clear from Figure 5, oral intake of the food and beverage composition of the present invention significantly improved the number of bowel movements, as in the results of Examples 3 and 4. Furthermore, even after consumption was stopped, the number of bowel movements remained high compared to before consumption. Therefore, it was confirmed that the food and beverage composition of the present invention can maintain its constipation-improving effect even after consumption is stopped, in addition to its constipation-improving effect during consumption.

Example 7
[Skin elasticity experiment]
During the experiment of Example 6, the elasticity of the skin of the subjects was measured before drinking (the same day as the start of drinking) and immediately after the end of 8 weeks of drinking (the same day as the end of drinking or the next day). The measuring device used was Cutometer CT580 (manufactured by Courage+Khazaka). Figure 6 is a graph showing the measurement results, with the vertical axis showing skin elasticity (rebound rate). The higher the skin elasticity value, the higher the skin elasticity can be evaluated. In addition, when the measurement results before drinking and after the end of 8 weeks of drinking were statistically analyzed by t-test, P<0.05 was confirmed to be statistically significant.

As is clear from Figure 6, it was confirmed that oral ingestion of the food and beverage composition of the present invention improved skin elasticity. Note that skin elasticity decreases due to aging of the subcutaneous tissue, etc., and is different from the moisture content of the stratum corneum in Example 2 as an index for evaluating skin condition. In other words, the results of Example 7 confirmed that oral ingestion of the food and beverage composition of the present invention has the effect of improving skin elasticity.

The food and beverage composition of the present invention can exert multiple different effects when orally ingested. Therefore, it is useful for the health food industry.

Claims (5)

Mulberry leaf ingredients, oligosaccharides, water-soluble dietary fiber, probiotic bacteria,
Including,
The mulberry leaf component is contained in an amount of 40 to 80% by mass based on the dry mass of the food or beverage composition;
The oligosaccharide contains at least 1-kestose,
The 1-kestose is contained as a composition for improving the grassy smell of mulberry leaves.
Food and beverage compositions (excluding food and beverage compositions containing soy milk, okara (containing soybeans), and yuba (containing soybeans)) . the oligosaccharide is a fructooligosaccharide,
The water-soluble dietary fiber is an enzymatic decomposition product of guar gum,
The probiotic bacteria are lactic acid bacteria.
The food and beverage composition according to claim 1. A food or beverage composition for improving skin, comprising the food or beverage composition according to claim 1 or 2 , and used for improving skin conditions. A food or beverage composition for improving skin and improving constipation, comprising the food or beverage composition according to claim 1 or 2 and used for improving skin conditions and improving constipation. The use of improving constipation improves constipation in pregnant women.
The food and drink composition for improving skin and constipation according to claim 4 .