JP3518652B2 - Beverage containing stabilized milk whey protein and method for producing the same - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a stabilized milk whey protein-containing beverage which does not cause gelation, aggregation, precipitation, etc. by the action of transglutaminase and a method for producing the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Milk whey (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as whey), which is a by-product of cheese or casein production from milk or skimmed milk powder, has been used for livestock feed, etc. Remained undiscovered without finding any useful uses for it. In recent years, various technical developments have been made on the effective use of whey from the viewpoints of effective utilization of natural resources and disposal of industrial wastes related to environmental protection, and their practical application has come to be attempted.

The development of whey protein concentrates obtained by fractionating and purifying whey components by a new technique such as ultrafiltration or electrodialysis or desalting whey powders is a typical example, and emulsification of whey proteins. It has been re-evaluated from the viewpoint of its functional properties such as gelling property and gelling property, and the nutritional properties that whey originally has as a supply source of proteins, vitamins, minerals, etc. with good digestion and absorption, and is actively used as a high-quality food material. .

However, these whey and processed whey products are mainly used as a food material for frozen desserts such as ice cream, confectionery / baking products, and solid food products such as processed fish / meat products in view of their functions and nutritional characteristics. However, at present, it has not been applied to liquid foods such as whey-containing beverages containing a whey component having excellent nutritional properties.

As one of the causes of this, whey components contained in whey and processed whey, particularly whey protein, undergoes heat denaturation during heat treatment such as sterilization, and gelation does not result from microbial contamination during storage. It is conceivable that the food value as a beverage is significantly reduced by causing aggregation, precipitation, and the like.

In order to prevent this, the concentration of whey protein used should be a constant concentration (about 10%) that does not cause gelation.
In addition to being limited to the following, sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (hereinafter referred to as CMC), propylene glycol alginate (hereinafter referred to as PGA), and pectin, which are known as stabilizers for acidic beverages containing milk components such as milk protein, are used. However, a method of suppressing gelation, aggregation, precipitation and the like due to their protein stabilizing and protecting action is generally considered. In addition, a method of preliminarily hydrolyzing a whey protein as a causative substance with a proteolytic enzyme to lower the molecular weight of a peptide having relatively high thermostability to prevent gelation, aggregation, precipitation or the like can be considered. .

However, regarding CMC and PGA, in addition to the problem that the action mainly works in the acidic region and almost no action can be expected in the neutral region, since it is a synthetic compound, a beverage containing whey with a strong natural and health image There is a problem that it is often hesitated to use it. In addition, regarding pectin, there is a problem in its action range and a slight problem in stabilization of milk protein, and there is a problem that it may be unsatisfactory in terms of mouth due to increase in viscosity as the amount added is increased. . Also, in the case of partial hydrolysis of protein, it is necessary to reduce the molecular weight of this to avoid problems such as precipitation. Difficult to make.

Apart from the above method, Shin-Ya T
animoto and John E. Kinsel
(J. Agric. FoodChem., 1988, 3
6, 281-285) is a polymer mixture of β-lactoglobulin transglutaminase.
The thermal stability below ℃ is reported from the viewpoint of protein solubility. And, indeed, their experiments have shown that protein insolubilization is prevented.

[0009] However, in their report, the solubility of the protein is grasped by the change of the protein concentration in the centrifugation supernatant, but there is no description of strict observation on the precipitation, which is considered to be an important defect in the production of beverages. Moreover, no observations over time that are important for the formation of precipitates have been made, and their interests and purposes are limited to rheological aspects. In addition, their report is an experimental report in a pure system of β-lactoglobulin, which is a minor component of milk protein, and does not suggest anything about the behavior of the entire constituents of whey containing various substances. Not even done. That is, in addition to β-lactoglobulin, various proteins are included, and the thermal stability of the whey protein in a whey-containing beverage composed of a whey component containing various components other than the protein and a taste substance, and No mention is made of precipitation prevention.

In the modified milk protein-containing material (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-160957) and pickles for processed meat products (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-255426), transglutaminase is allowed to act on milk proteins. Milk protein assumes casein, which is a major component of milk protein, and does not even suggest the present invention for solving the problem peculiar to whey protein. By the way, in casein which is a major component of milk protein,
Unlike whey protein, it does not have the problems described above.

[0011]

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION Problems to be Solved by the Invention The object of the present invention is to solve the above problems in the production of whey protein-containing beverages, and to prevent whey protein from gelling, aggregating, precipitating, etc. and having excellent storage stability. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for producing a protein-containing beverage, and to provide a whey-containing beverage excellent in flavor and mouth by the method.

[0012]

Means for Solving the Problems As a result of intensive research to solve the above problems, the present inventors have found that a composition solution containing whey or a processed whey product is preliminarily reacted with transglutaminase and then heat sterilized. It was found that a whey-containing beverage excellent in storage stability, flavor, and mouth can be produced, and the present invention has been completed.

That is, the present invention provides a milk whey protein-containing beverage and a milk whey protein-containing composition liquid which contain a milk whey protein stabilized by the action of transglutaminase and a desired flavoring agent. The present invention relates to a method for producing a milk whey protein-containing beverage, which comprises reacting glutaminase, optionally adding a flavoring agent, and sterilizing by heating.

[0014]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The present invention will be described in detail below.

First, the milk whey protein-containing beverage of the present invention will be described. This beverage is characterized by containing milk whey protein stabilized by acting transglutaminase by a method described later and a desired extract, fruit juice, sweetener, acidulant, flavoring agent and the like. , Processed drinks such as coffee drinks and acid juice drinks.

Next, a method for producing such a beverage will be described. The milk whey protein-containing composition liquid on which transglutaminase should act includes milk and skim (powder).
Typical examples include milk whey containing milk whey protein, which can be obtained as a by-product when cheese, casein or the like is produced from milk or the like as a raw material. Such milk whey is a composition liquid whose components are mainly composed of lactose and protein as solid components, and in addition, a small amount of ash, fat and the like. Further, such processed products of milk whey, that is, conventional whey powder and whey concentrate, further desalted whey powder and whey concentrate protein obtained by using new food technology such as ultrafiltration and electrodialysis. , An aqueous solution (in the case of powder) or an appropriate water dilution (in the case of a concentrate). In addition, when used as a raw material for whey beverages, milk whey protein-containing composition that causes heat denaturation during heat treatment in its manufacturing process and causes gelation, aggregation, precipitation, etc., which is not caused by microbial contamination during storage of beverages There is no particular limitation as long as it is a liquid and exhibits the effects intended by the present invention.

In any case, it is preferable to use a milk whey protein-containing composition liquid having a protein content of 10% or less from the viewpoint of suppressing the interaction between protein molecules during heat sterilization.

The transglutaminase includes a calcium-independent one and a calcium-dependent one. Examples of the former include those derived from microorganisms (for example, JP-A-1-
No. 27471). Examples of the latter include those derived from guinea pig liver (Japanese Patent Publication No. 1-50
382), those derived from animal blood (Facto
r XIII) and those derived from fish (for example, Nobuo Seki, et al., "Journal of Fisheries Society," Vol. 56, No. 1, No. 12).
5 to 132 (see 1990)). In addition, those produced by the gene recombination method (Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 1-300889 and 5-199883)
(See Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-225775), etc.,
Any transglutaminase can be used and is not limited to the source and the manufacturing method.

However, from the viewpoint of functionality and economy, calcium-independent ones are preferable. For example, the above-mentioned microorganism-derived transglutaminase (see above-mentioned JP-A-1-
(Japanese Patent No. 27471) and the like satisfy all of the conditions, and are considered to be most suitable at the present moment.

[0020] Hereinafter, an actual treatment method for obtaining a desired beverage containing stabilized milk whey protein and a desired flavoring agent by allowing transglutaminase to act on the milk whey protein-containing composition liquid will be described. To describe.

First, a food manufacturing grade transglutaminase is added to and mixed with a milk whey protein-containing composition liquid. The amount added is 0.2 to 200 units, preferably about 1 to 100 units, more preferably 5 to 50 units per 1 g of protein in the milk whey protein-containing composition liquid.
It is about a unit. When the amount added is 0.2 units or less, the aggregating property by heating does not change from that when no transglutaminase is added, and when it is 200 units or more, the effect of addition of transglutaminase becomes constant, which is not preferable from an economical point of view.

In order to allow transglutaminase to act on the milk whey protein-containing composition liquid, the composition liquid to which transglutaminase is added and mixed is maintained under conditions (reaction conditions) in which the enzymatic action of transglutaminase is expressed. As the reaction conditions for transglutaminase, the reaction temperature is about 0 to about 60 ° C., and the reaction time is about 5 minutes to about 4
It can be about 8 hours. However, it is preferable to carry out the reaction at about 20 to about 50 ° C. for about 30 minutes to about 2 hours. If the temperature is too short and the time is short, the enzyme action is not expressed, and if the temperature is too long and the transglutaminase is inactivated. Further, the pH is not particularly problematic as long as it is the whey protein-containing composition liquid prepared by the method described above, but it can be appropriately adjusted with acid or alkali if necessary.

After the completion of the reaction, a heat treatment can be carried out if necessary for inactivating the enzyme. However, if the enzyme reaction can be suppressed by adjusting the amount of the enzyme, the inactivation treatment is not particularly required. good.

The milk whey protein-containing composition liquid thus treated with transglutaminase can be adjusted to pH as it is, sterilized by heating and filled, and placed in the distribution as a beverage, but it is desired. Due to
To this, add flavors such as fruit juice, sweeteners, acidulants, and flavors,
It is also possible to adjust it to a predetermined pH, heat sterilize it, and fill it, and put it in the distribution as a beverage. Further, milk whey protein-containing composition liquid acted transglutaminase, ice cream other than processed milk beverages, dairy products such as yogurt, mayonnaise, emulsified food such as dressing, further sausage, livestock meat products such as ham, It can also be used for fish paste products such as kamaboko.

In the production of the beverage of the present invention, transglutaminase may be added to the milk whey protein composition liquid after adding a desired flavoring agent and allowed to act, but as described above, transglutaminase is added. It is preferable to add the flavoring agent after the action of the above, in order to express the enzymatic action of transglutaminase.

Regarding the pH of the beverage of the present invention, as is clear from the results of Test Example 1 described later, this range is relevant to the present invention since thermal stability is obtained at pH 3.6 or lower or pH 6.2 or higher. PH of beverages containing whey protein
It is considered a condition.

The activity unit of transglutaminase referred to in the present invention is measured and defined as follows. That is, benzyloxycarbonyl-L
-The reaction is performed using glutaminylglycine and hydroxylamine as substrates, the produced hydroxamic acid is converted into an iron complex in the presence of trichloroacetic acid, and then the absorbance at 525 nm is measured, and the amount of hydroxamic acid is determined from the calibration curve to calculate the activity. (See the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 1-27471).

[0028]

EXAMPLES The present invention will be described in more detail with reference to test examples and examples, but the technical scope of the present invention is not limited thereto.

TEST EXAMPLE 1 Transglutaminase was added to a 10% aqueous solution of the same whey protein concentrate as in Example 1 described below at various amounts shown in Table 1 below (Example 1 described below).
(The same as in 1) was added and the reaction was carried out by holding at 50 ° C. for 1 hour. After the reaction was completed, the enzyme was inactivated in boiling water for 10 minutes, the pH was adjusted to various values shown in the same table with food grade lactic acid, and then sterilized in boiling water for 10 minutes, and then left overnight under refrigerated conditions. Then, the amount of precipitation was visually observed.

The results are shown in the same table, and it is considered that the thermal stability is improved at a pH of 3.6 or less (up to the acidity acceptable to the beverage) or at a pH of 6.2 or higher (up to the alkalinity acceptable to the beverage). . In particular, the improvement of the thermal stability of the whey protein in a slightly acidic state of pH 6.2 or higher is difficult to achieve in the past and is one of the features of the present invention.

[0031]

[Table 1]

In the above table, regarding the occurrence of precipitation, − indicates no occurrence of precipitation, ± indicates generation of a trace amount, and + indicates occurrence of precipitation. The enzyme addition amount is the addition amount of the transglutaminase used in terms of activity unit per 1 g of whey protein.

(Example 1) Whey protein content 35
% Whey Protein Concentrate (DOMO Netherlands)
900 g of hot water was dissolved in 5,000 g of hot water, and the amount of the species shown in Table 2 below was applied to the microorganism belonging to the genus Streptoverticillium (Streptoverticillium m).
obaraense IFO 13819) -derived transglutaminase (manufactured by Ajinomoto Co., Inc., specific activity 1 unit / mg) was added and mixed, and then stored at 50 ° C. for 30 minutes to carry out an enzymatic reaction. Then, 250 g of sugar and 10 g of coffee extract were added to and mixed with this, and then warm water was added to bring the total amount to 10,000 g. Then, after homogenizing at 150 Kg / cm ² with a homogenizer, heat sterilization was performed with a plate heat exchanger at 130 ° C. for 3 seconds.

The whey protein-containing coffee beverage thus obtained was filled in a glass container for storage and used as a beverage for storage test. Immediately after filling and after storage at 10 ° C. for 7 days, the samples were evaluated for their flavor and precipitate generation state by a sensory method. A milk powder-containing coffee beverage produced by the same method except that skim milk powder was used in place of the whey protein concentrate and no transglutaminase was used was used as a comparative product.

The results are summarized in Table 2 below. As is clear from the results in the table, the one to which transglutaminase was added was compared with the one to which no transglutaminase was added immediately after filling and 10%.
Precipitation of the sample after storage at 7 ° C for 7 days was significantly small. In addition, this precipitation state was almost the same as that of the comparative product produced using skimmed milk powder, and the flavor was comparable to that of the comparative product. Therefore, according to the present invention, it becomes possible to obtain a whey protein-containing beverage which is excellent in flavor and storage stability.

[0036]

[Table 2]

In the above table, pH is the pH of the product at the end of filling, the evaluation of precipitation generation is the same as in Table 1, the enzyme addition amount is the same as in Table 1, and the flavor is the same. Is the evaluation result for each sample after storage by a sensory test panel consisting of 10 skilled sensory inspectors, where 0 indicates good and -1 indicates slightly poor.

[0038]

EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, it is possible to produce a whey protein-containing beverage excellent in storage stability and flavor and mouth, without using a stabilizer for thickening polysaccharides as a food additive. It has become possible to provide a wide variety of whey protein-containing liquid foods as healthy and natural foods that contain nutritionally excellent whey components such as proteins, vitamins and minerals having good properties. This is considered to be due to the ability of the transglutaminase to cross-link and polymerize ε- (γ-Glu) Lys between glutamine and lysine within the protein molecule or within the molecule to make the protein network structure of the milk whey protein dense.

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (56) References Tokukaihei 7-505287 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) A23C 20/00-21/02 A23L 2 / 00-2/68 A23J 3/08 A23J 3/34

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A milk whey protein stabilized by the action of transglutaminase and a flavoring agent as desired
And a whey protein-containing beverage having a pH of 6.2 or more or 3.6 or less . 2. A milk whey protein-containing composition liquid is allowed to react with transglutaminase, and then a flavoring agent is added if desired, and if necessary, the pH is 6.2 or more or 3.6 or more.
A method for producing a milk whey protein-containing beverage, which comprises adjusting to the following and sterilizing by heating.