JP2902875B2 - Foods containing ascorbic acid - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a highly acidic,
Low-content food containing ascorbic acid or a salt thereof.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, ascorbic acid and ascorbate (hereinafter, collectively referred to as "ascorbic acids"), which are often contained in vegetables, fruit juices and the like, are called vitamin C and have anti-scurvy. Because it is a factor, it is used as a health care product. In addition, recent studies have shown that ascorbic acid plays a role in vivo not only to prevent or treat scurvy, but also to produce and maintain collagen, have anti-fatigue effects, and enhance immune function. And its importance is gaining attention.
In addition, 0.01 to 0.05% by weight of ascorbic acid has been added to fruit juice beverages and the like for the purpose of preventing oxidative browning of fruit juice. Was also blended with a high concentration of 0.3% by weight or more,
Many functional foods have been launched on the market, and the market scale is expanding.

[0003] However, ascorbic acids themselves are unstable, and are easily decomposed by, for example, light, heat, oxygen and the like to produce browning substances. As a result, products containing these brown over time, impairing their appearance. In particular, when ascorbic acid is contained in an amount of 0.3% by weight or more as in the above functional food, browning occurs in a short time as the ascorbic acid-containing concentration increases,
And progress is fast. As a result, the degree of browning increases, the nutritional value decreases, the fresh aroma is lost, and the appearance deteriorates. Furthermore, when a transparent container such as glass is used as a packaging material, the contents are visible from the outside, and the deterioration due to the browning described above significantly lowers the commercial value. Recently, with the diversification of consumer preferences, beverages with a strong sour taste have been preferred, and the demand for such beverages has been growing. However, as a functional drink with mood activity and awakening effect, the acidity is strong, and
In the case of a beverage containing ascorbic acid, there is a problem that the degree of browning becomes more remarkable.

Therefore, at present, in order to prevent this browning,
In the field of foods and beverages, antioxidants (erythorbic acid, polyphosphoric acid, EDTA, etc.) are added to products as additives that inhibit the chemical reaction of ascorbic acid. However, in the case of foods and drinks, among the additives having a browning effect, the chemically synthesized product has a low allowable amount of addition to food from the viewpoint of safety. Sufficient browning inhibiting effect cannot be obtained. In addition, it is not preferable to add it from the viewpoint of recent consumers' natural products. On the other hand, a substance derived from a natural product (mallow flower extract, rutin, eucalyptus extract, etc.) cannot obtain a sufficient browning preventing effect when ascorbic acid is 0.3% by weight or more.

[0005]

In view of such circumstances, the present inventors have conducted a series of studies on a method for suppressing browning involving ascorbic acid. As a result, in a product containing ascorbic acid, by adjusting the pH of a particularly strong sour beverage to a specific range, even if ascorbic acids are contained in an amount of 0.3% by weight or more, browning over time is effectively performed. And found that the present invention was achieved.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide an ascorbic acid-containing food in which ascorbic acid or a salt thereof is highly concentrated, particularly ascorbic acid is stabilized even in a beverage having a strong acidity.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The object of the present invention is to provide an initial pH.
Is less than 2.7, and the pH of a food containing ascorbic acid or a salt thereof having an acid content (in terms of citric acid) of 2.2% by weight or more is adjusted to 2.7 to 4.0. Is achieved by a food containing ascorbic acid.

Next, the present invention will be described in detail. The present invention is directed to foods having an initial pH of less than 2.7, an acid amount (in terms of citric acid) of 2.2% by weight or more, and containing ascorbic acid. Examples of the acid component include citric acid, tartaric acid, malic acid, fumaric acid, acetic acid, gluconic acid,
Examples thereof include succinic acid, oxalic acid, and lactic acid, which may be derived from raw materials such as fruit juice and vegetables, or may be those to which the acid component itself is added as it is.

In the present invention, the amount of ascorbic acid or a salt thereof may be set arbitrarily. For example, in the case of a vitamin C (ascorbic acid) -enriched beverage, it is usually used as ascorbic acid in the total weight of the food. ,
Set to 0.3% by weight or more.

[0010] In the present invention, the pH of such ascorbic acid-containing food is set to 2.7 to 4.0. pH is 2.
If it is less than 7, ascorbic acid becomes more unstable,
It is easy to be decomposed. Conversely, when the pH exceeds 4.0,
Although ascorbic acid is stable, heat sterilization conditions must be high or long in consideration of prevention of microbial contamination and long-term storage stability. As a result, ascorbic acid is decomposed by heating, resulting in browning. In addition, it is not possible to obtain a flavor that makes use of the sourness and refreshing feeling unique to foods containing ascorbic acids.

In the present invention, as a method for adjusting the pH, for example, a method in which an appropriate amount of a pH adjuster such as sodium hydrogen carbonate is added to a prepared product or a raw material mixture in a manufacturing process, and the mixture is adjusted. Is mentioned.

For example, in the case of beverages, juices, sugars, acidulants, coloring agents, and flavors are mixed and dissolved in water together with ascorbic acid or a salt thereof according to the purpose to form a preparation, and a pH adjuster is added thereto. To adjust the pH of the preparation to 2.
Adjust so as to be 7 to 4.0. Next, the preparation liquid thus obtained is subjected to a sterilization treatment at 90 ° C. for about 1 minute and at a low temperature for a short time, filled in a container, and sealed to obtain a product.

In the present invention, sterilization can be performed at a low temperature in a short time. Preferably, the low temperature is within a range of less than 100 ° C., and the short time is within a range of less than 30 minutes, and the temperature and time satisfy the following expression (1). For example,
It is preferable to perform a sterilization treatment at 65 ° C. for 10 minutes or at 85 ° C. for 1 minute.

[0014]

(Equation 1) (Where T represents the sterilization temperature (° C.) and F represents the sterilization time (minutes).)

Therefore, by eliminating the need for high-temperature sterilization during the production process, ascorbic acid can be contained in food in a stable state without being decomposed by excessive heating, and ascorbic acids can be contained. It is possible to obtain a good flavor in which the sourness and refreshing sensation of the contained food are sufficiently exhibited.

[0016]

As described above, the initial pH of the present invention is 2.
In a food containing ascorbic acid having an acid content of less than 7 and an acid content (in terms of citric acid) of 2.2% by weight or more, the pH is adjusted to 2.
By adjusting the value between 7 and 4.0, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of browning, which is a factor of quality deterioration, without impairing the original flavor of the food even during long-term storage.

Next, the present invention will be specifically described with reference to examples. (Examples 1-2) Lemon juice, citric acid, ascorbic acid or sodium ascorbate were mixed at the ratios shown in Table 1 to prepare a soft drink having an initial pH and an acid amount shown in Table 1, To this was added the amount of sodium hydrogen carbonate shown in Table 1 to adjust the pH. The prepared liquid thus obtained was subjected to a low-temperature, short-time sterilization treatment at 90 ° C. for 1 minute, filled in a container, and sealed to obtain a product.

Comparative Examples 1 and 2 In Comparative Example 1, the pH was not adjusted after mixing the raw materials. Comparative Example 2 has a pH of 4.
2 and a sterilization treatment at 85 ° C. for 30 minutes was performed. Otherwise, a product was obtained in the same manner as in the example.

Immediately after production, and after storage at 40 ° C. for 10 days, the resulting products were subjected to sensory evaluation of flavor and degree of browning by 20 specialized panelists. At this time, the preparations immediately before each sterilization were used as control products. The results are shown in Table 1.

[0020]

[Table 1]

From the above results, although the ascorbic acid-containing foods of the examples all contained about 1% by weight of ascorbic acids, browning was suppressed even after passage of time. On the other hand, the ascorbic acid-containing foods of Comparative Examples all showed browning and impaired appearance. In particular, in Comparative Example 2, since it was necessary to perform heat sterilization for a long time, a clear browning was observed immediately after the production, and the flavor was inferior.

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A food containing ascorbic acid or a salt thereof having an initial pH of less than 2.7 and an acid content (in terms of citric acid) of 2.2% by weight or more, has a pH of 2.7 to 4.0. An ascorbic acid-containing food characterized by being adjusted to: