JP7513979B2 - Manufacturing method for processed togedokoro products - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a method for producing a processed diosgenin product containing high concentrations of diosgenin.

Dioscorea esculenta is an edible yam native to Southeast Asia. In Japan, it is mainly cultivated in Okinawa and is also called Kuga potato. In recent years, research into the physiological activities of Dioscorea esculenta has been progressing, and it has been reported that it has, for example, anti-fatigue and endurance-enhancing effects (Patent Document 1).

Diosgenin and its glycosides are contained in Diosgenin, which are suggested to be active ingredients involved in physiological activities such as the anti-fatigue effect. For this reason, a method for processing Diosgenin aimed at increasing the content of diosgenin or its glycosides has been proposed. For example, it has been reported that the content of diosgenin and its glycosides increases when Diosgenin powder is dispersed in water, culture liquid of various koji molds is added, and the mixture is cultured at 40°C for three days (Patent Document 2). However, this method requires the separate preparation of a culture liquid of the koji mold, and the koji mold culture takes a long time, making it difficult to say that it is suitable for practical production.

International Publication No. 2008/123417 JP 2011-37822 A

The objective of the present invention is to provide a method for processing Dioscorea gracilis that can increase the diosgenin content easily and quickly.

As a result of intensive research aimed at solving the above problems, the inventors discovered that the diosgenin content can be significantly increased by pressurizing and heating Dioscorea nigricans in an aqueous solution of an organic acid, and thus completed the present invention.

That is, the present invention is a method for producing a processed staghorn fern product, which is characterized by pressurizing and heating the staghorn fern in an organic acid aqueous solution.

The method of the present invention can increase the diosgenin content through simple and short-term processing, and can efficiently produce processed diosgenin products with a high content of the physiologically active ingredient diosgenin at low cost.

The method for processing the staghorn fern of the present invention involves pressurizing and heating the staghorn fern in an aqueous solution of an organic acid.

The raw material Dioscorea esculenta (Kuga potato) used in the present invention is not particularly limited in terms of the part that can be used, and for example, the rhizome, roots, stems, leaves, etc. can be used, but it is preferable to use the rhizome from the viewpoint of increasing the diosgenin content, etc.

As the raw material, the harvested staghorn fern can be used as is, or processed products such as crushed or pulverized products that have been crushed or pulverized in the usual manner can be used, and further dried products such as dried crushed or pulverized products can be used. From the viewpoint of improving the diosgenin content, it is preferable to use dried pulverized products. There is no particular limit to the size of the dried pulverized product, but for example, a particle size of about 0.1 to 1 mm is preferable from the viewpoint of production efficiency. There is also no limit to the moisture content, but for example, about 7 to 10 mass% (hereinafter simply indicated as "%) is preferable. The dried pulverized product of staghorn fern can be prepared, for example, by slicing the rhizome of staghorn fern to a thickness of about 3 mm, drying it with hot air at 70 to 80°C for about 5 hours to adjust the moisture content to about 8%, and pulverizing the dried chips to a particle size of about 0.5 mm in a coarse grinder.

The dioscorea is pressurized and heated. From the viewpoint of improving the dioscorea content, the temperature is preferably 100 to 140°C, more preferably 110 to 130°C. The pressure is preferably 50 to 400 kPa, more preferably 100 to 300 kPa. The pressurized and heated treatment is carried out in the presence of water, for example, with the dioscorea dispersed or immersed in water. For example, the pressurized and heated treatment can be carried out in a sealed container such as an autoclave by heating the water or injecting steam into the container, adjusting the temperature and pressure to the above range. Saturated steam or superheated steam can be used as the steam, and although the steam does not have to come into direct contact with the dioscorea, it is preferable that the steam comes into direct contact with the dioscorea. The treatment time for the pressurized and heated treatment can be set appropriately depending on the amount of dioscorea to be treated, for example, 0.3 to 1 hour is preferable, and 0.4 to 0.6 hours is more preferable.

In the pressurized heat treatment, the water in which the staghorn fern is dispersed or soaked is preferably an organic acid aqueous solution from the viewpoint of improving the diosgenin content. Examples of organic acids include citric acid, acetic acid, fumaric acid, tartaric acid, gluconic acid, succinic acid, malic acid, and lactic acid, and one or more of these can be used. Among these, from the viewpoint of improving the diosgenin content, citric acid, acetic acid, lactic acid, gluconic acid, and malic acid are preferred, and citric acid is particularly preferred. There are no particular restrictions on the concentration of the organic acid in the organic acid aqueous solution, but it is preferably 1.0 to 3.0%, and more preferably 1.5 to 2.5%. The pH of the organic acid aqueous solution is preferably 1.5 to 3, and more preferably 2 to 2.5.

After the pressurized heat treatment, the solids are separated and collected by solid-liquid separation to obtain the dioscorea processed product of the present invention. As the solid-liquid separation treatment, known methods such as filtration, centrifugation, pressing, and evaporation can be used. The collected solids may be further washed, dried, or crushed as necessary. The diosgenin content can be further increased by washing with water. Examples of the washing treatment include immersing the dioscorea after solid-liquid separation in 10 to 30 times its volume of water or exposing it to running water. The moisture content after drying is preferably 5 to 7%, and more preferably 5.5 to 6.5%.

The diosgenin-rich processed product of the present invention obtained in the above manner has a high diosgenin content, for example, preferably 500 mg or more, more preferably 800 mg or more, and even more preferably 1200 mg or more per 100 g of dry weight.

The shape of the processed togekoro product of the present invention is not particularly limited, and may be in various forms such as chips, flakes, granules, powder, etc., but powder is preferred because it can be used for a wide range of food ingredients. The size of the powder is not particularly limited, but for example, an average particle size of 60 to 1500 μm is preferred, and 60 to 500 μm is more preferred. In this specification, the average particle size refers to a value measured by a microscope.

The food and drink of the present invention can be prepared by blending the above-mentioned processed product of Togedokoro with known food materials and/or food additives and following a conventional method. Conventional processed products of Togedokoro increase in viscosity when in contact with water, making them difficult to chew and swallow due to the absorption of saliva when eaten, and there are physical limitations in terms of their application to water-containing processed foods such as beverages and jellies. However, the processed product of the present invention has a good texture because the increase in viscosity is suppressed, making it possible to use it in a variety of foods and drinks. There are no particular limitations on its form, and it can be, for example, liquid, tablet, capsule, paste, granule, gel, etc. Examples of foods and beverages include various supplements, starch-based foods such as bread, biscuits, pancakes, noodles, and tablet candy, confectioneries such as gum, candy, Japanese sweets, jelly, and gummy candy, meat foods such as ham and sausage, fish foods such as chikuwa and kamaboko, seafood foods, fermented foods such as tofu and natto, seasonings such as dressings, soy sauce, jam, and furikake, beverages such as tea, juice, soft drinks, and alcoholic beverages, etc. They can also be used as pet supplements.

The amount of processed togedoro in the food and beverage of the present invention is not particularly limited and is set appropriately depending on the type of food and beverage, etc.

The present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited to these examples.

Example 1
Manufacturing of processed togedo products (1):
The rhizome of the staghorn fern was sliced to a thickness of about 3 mm and dried to a moisture content of about 8%. The dried chips were coarsely crushed to a grinding diameter of about 0.5 mm in a coarse crusher to obtain a dried staghorn fern. 10 g of the dried staghorn fern was mixed with 190 mL of 0.1 M aqueous citric acid solution and dispersed. The aqueous dispersion of the staghorn fern was placed in an autoclave vessel and subjected to a pressurized heat treatment with saturated steam (about 200 kPa) at 121 ° C for 30 minutes. After the pressurized heat treatment, the aqueous dispersion of the staghorn fern was separated by a centrifuge and the solids were collected. The collected solids were dried at 50 ° C for 4 hours and crushed in a blender to obtain a dried staghorn fern powder (moisture content 5.9%).

Comparison Example 1
Manufacturing of processed togedo products (2):
The rhizome of the staghorn fern was sliced to a thickness of about 3 mm and dried to a moisture content of about 8% to obtain dried chips. The dried chips were coarsely crushed to a grinding diameter of about 0.5 mm in a coarse crusher to obtain dried staghorn fern. 10 g of dried staghorn fern was mixed with 190 mL of 0.1 M aqueous citric acid solution, dispersed, and then heated at 100 ° C. for 30 minutes in an open system. After the heat treatment, the aqueous dispersion of the staghorn fern was separated by suction filtration to recover the solids. The recovered solids were dried at 50 ° C. for 4 hours and crushed in a blender to obtain dried staghorn fern powder (moisture content 5.9%).

Test Example 1
Diosgenin Content Analysis:
The diosgenin content per 100 mg of dry weight of the dried powder of Dioscorea gracilis obtained in Example 1 and Comparative Example 1 was measured by the following analytical method. The results are shown in Table 1. The diosgenin content of the raw material Dioscorea gracilis dried chips was also measured in the same manner. The results are also shown in Table 1.
(Diosgenin Analysis Method)
0.2 g of the dried product was weighed out and placed in a 50 ml tube, to which 10 ml of Milli-Q water and 20 ml of methanol were added. After heating and extracting at 80°C for 1 hour in a heat block, the mixture was allowed to cool to room temperature and centrifuged for 5 minutes, and the supernatant was separated. Methanol was added to the residue and heating and extracting was performed again. This extraction procedure was repeated three times, and the supernatant was added. The extract was made up to 50 ml. 10 ml of 6N-HCl was added to 20 ml of the extract, and hydrolysis reaction was performed at 90°C for 0.5 hours in a heat block. After allowing to cool to room temperature, it was neutralized with 6N-NaOH.
An equal amount of ethyl acetate was added to the mixture, and liquid-liquid partition extraction was performed three times to separate the ethyl acetate layer. The extract was concentrated to dryness using a rotary evaporator. 2 ml of methanol was added to the concentrated extract to dissolve it, and the filtrate was filtered through a 0.45 μm filter and subjected to HPLC analysis.

As shown in Table 1, the dried powder of Example 1 had a diosgenin content about 4 times higher than the raw material dried chips, and about 1.4 times higher than the heat-treated Comparative Example 1. The dried powder obtained in Example 1 has almost no viscosity compared to the processed product of Comparative Example 1, and can be used in more foods and beverages than Comparative Example 1.

Example 2
Manufacturing of processed togedo products (3):
The rhizome of the staghorn fern was sliced to a thickness of about 3 mm and dried to a moisture content of about 8% to obtain dried chips. The dried chips were coarsely crushed to a grinding diameter of about 0.5 mm in a coarse crusher to obtain dried staghorn fern. 1 kg of dried staghorn fern was mixed with 19 L of 0.1 M aqueous citric acid solution and dispersed. The water dispersion of the staghorn fern was placed in an autoclave vessel and subjected to a pressurized heat treatment with saturated steam (about 200 kPa) at 121 ° C for 30 minutes. After the pressurized heat treatment, the solids were separated by a cooking bleaching machine and collected. The collected solids were washed twice with 19 L of water, dried at 50 ° C for 4 hours, and crushed in a blender to obtain dried staghorn fern powder (moisture content 5.9%). The diosgenin content was measured in the same manner as in Example 2, and was found to be 1324 mg/100 g.

Example 3
Granular supplement manufacturing:
In an extrusion granulator, 4.45 kg of the dried powder of Acanthus gracilis obtained by the method of Example 2 was mixed with 4.4 kg of water, and extrusion granulated using a 1.0 mm mesh. The mixture was dried to obtain a granular supplement.

Example 4
Tablet supplement manufacturing:
The dried powder of the edible spores obtained by the method of Example 2 was granulated in a fluidized bed granulator and then dried for 20 minutes. At this time, collagen peptide, sodium alginate, HPC, etc. can be used as a binder. The obtained granules were tableted in a hydraulic press to obtain a tablet supplement.

Example 5
Soft drink production:
Sugar was added to water and stirred while heating to dissolve, producing a sugar solution. To this was added the dried powder of Togedokoro obtained by the method of Example 2 and Shikwasa juice, and stirred to produce a syrup. Distilled water was further added to this syrup to produce a soft drink.

Example 6
Gummy candy production:
The syrup obtained by the method of Example 5 was boiled down, an aqueous gelatin solution was added, and the mixture was poured into a mold and allowed to harden to give a gummy candy.

Example 7
Making the jelly:
Water was added to the agar and the mixture was heated to dissolve, to which the syrup obtained by the method of Example 5 was added and the mixture was allowed to cool at room temperature until cooled, and then cooled in a refrigerator to make a jelly.

Example 8
Biscuit production:
Sugar, milk, and vanilla oil were added to butter and mixed, then soft flour, cornstarch, and the dried powder of Acanthus gracilis obtained by the method of Example 2 were added and cooled in a refrigerator for about 30 minutes. This was then rolled out and molded to a thickness of about 3 mm, and baked in an oven at 180°C for 25 minutes to make biscuits.

Example 9
Bread production:
Strong flour, sugar, skim milk, dry yeast, and salt were mixed together, and the dried powder of the edible staghorn fern obtained by the method of Example 2, water at 40°C, and butter were added and mixed further. This was fermented at room temperature for about 60 minutes, then molded and fermented at room temperature for another 40 minutes. It was baked in an oven preheated to 190°C for 15 minutes to make bread.

Example 10
Furikake production:
Soy sauce, mirin, sake and sugar were poured into a pot, and the dried powder of Togekoro obtained by the method of Example 2, bonito flakes and sesame seeds were added, and the mixture was heated until the liquid evaporated to make furikake.

Example 11
Candy production:
The syrup obtained by the method of Example 5 was boiled down, molded, and allowed to cool at room temperature to give candies.

Example 12
Noodle production:
The powder of the togedokoro obtained by the method of Example 2 and water were added to the weak flour, strong flour, bicarbonate of soybean paste, and salt, mixed, rolled out with a rolling pin until smooth, and coated with potato starch. The mixture was passed through a pasta machine to make noodles.

Example 13
Pet Supplements:
The dried powder of Togekoro obtained by the method of Example 2 was placed in a pot, heated with dried bonito flakes, mirin, and sugar until the liquid evaporated to make a pet supplement.

The present invention makes it possible to obtain a diosgenin-rich processed product with various physiological activities, such as anti-fatigue and endurance-enhancing effects. Therefore, the present invention is useful as a material for functional foods and beverages for anti-fatigue and endurance-enhancing purposes.

Claims (4)

A process of subjecting the dried and crushed staghorn fern to a pressurized heat treatment in an aqueous citric acid solution at a temperature of 100 to 140°C and a pressure of 50 to 400 kPa for 0.3 to 1 hour , separating the solid matter by solid-liquid separation, and drying the solid matter.
A method for producing a processed togedoro product comprising the method. 2. The method for producing a processed product of Togedoko according to claim 1 , wherein the dried and crushed Togedoko is a dried and crushed product of Togedoko rhizomes. The method for producing a processed togedoco according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the moisture content of the dried and crushed togedoco is 7 to 10% by mass . A process of subjecting the dried and crushed staghorn fern to a pressurized heat treatment in an aqueous citric acid solution at a temperature of 100 to 140°C and a pressure of 50 to 400 kPa for 0.3 to 1 hour , separating the solid matter by solid-liquid separation, and drying the solid matter.
A method for increasing the diosgenin content in processed diosgenin products containing