JP7561691B2 - Food composition containing peanut skin - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a food composition containing peanut skins.

In recent years, the health and physiological functions of the thin skin that covers peanuts have been attracting attention. Furthermore, the development of functional foods that utilize this thin skin is also underway.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a food composition that contains processed peanut seed coats, and at least one selected from the group consisting of glucosamine or a salt thereof, and chondroitin sulfate, and that exhibits anti-aging effects, skin-beautifying effects, anti-inflammatory effects, and anti-allergic effects based on its excellent hyaluronidase inhibitory activity.

JP 2009-240285 A

However, further research and development is required into the function (effectiveness as a functional food) of food compositions containing peanut skins, and there is also room for improvement in terms of ease of ingestion (ease of eating). Furthermore, the specific functions of food compositions that contain not only peanut skins but also peanut flesh, that is, the specific functions of food compositions that are processed using both peanut skins and flesh, are unknown.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above problems, and aims to provide a peanut skin-containing food composition that contains peanuts and skins, can be used as a functional food, and is easy to ingest.

In order to solve the above problems, the present inventors conducted extensive research and discovered that by creating a peanut skin-containing food composition that contains peanut kernel powder and peanut skin powder and has a higher peanut skin content than when peanut seeds (nuts and skin) are ingested as is, the food composition can be used as a functional food for improving bowel movements, dieting, etc., and can be easily ingested, thereby completing the present invention.

That is, the present invention is characterized by a peanut skin-containing food composition that contains peanut fruit powder and peanut skin powder, and the content of the peanut skin powder is 5 parts by mass or more and 13 parts by mass or less per 100 parts by mass of the above-mentioned peanut fruit powder.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a peanut skin-containing food composition that contains peanut kernels and skins, can be used as a functional food, and is easy to ingest.

An example of a method for producing a peanut skin-containing food composition according to the present invention is shown in the form of a process diagram.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention.

The present invention relates to a peanut skin-containing food composition which contains peanut fruit powder and peanut skin powder, and the content of the peanut skin powder is 5 parts by mass or more and 13 parts by mass or less per 100 parts by mass of the peanut fruit powder. Hereinafter, this may be referred to as the "peanut skin-containing food composition according to the present invention."
The composition, production method, etc. of the peanut skin-containing food composition according to the present invention will be described in detail below.

The peanut skin-containing food composition according to the present invention contains both powder of peanut kernels (embryos) and powder of peanut skins (seed coats).
Peanuts (Arachis hypogaea) are plants belonging to the genus Arachis, the family Fabaceae, and the order Fabaceae. The peanuts are contained in hard pods and covered with a thin skin, and are widely used as food. On the other hand, the skin covering the peanuts is sometimes used as food together with the peanuts (i.e., as peanuts with the skin), but is usually separated and removed from the edible peanuts.

In the present invention, any known peanut fruit and peanut skins can be used, and there are no limitations on the variety, etc., but it is preferable to use the fruit and peanut skins of Chiba P114 (Q Nattsu), which was developed by Chiba Prefecture and registered as a variety in 2018, because the effects described below are more likely to be exhibited in this way. However, the fruit and peanut skins of varieties such as Chiba Hantate, Nakate Toyo, Go no Ka, and Oomasari may also be used, and two or more of these may be mixed and used. In addition, the peanut fruit and peanut skins used may be of different varieties.

In the peanut skin-containing food composition according to the present invention, both the peanuts and the skins are powdered before use in order to fully exert their functions and to facilitate ingestion. The peanut powder used in the peanut skin-containing food composition according to the present invention may have a particle size capable of maintaining the properties of the powder, and is not particularly limited, but is preferably a powder that passes through a sieve with a mesh size of 0.6 mm at 40% by mass or more, more preferably 45% by mass or more, even more preferably 50% by mass or more, and even more preferably 55% by mass or more. If the particle size of the peanuts is reduced too much by grinding or crushing, there is a possibility that the properties of the powder will not be maintained because too much oil will be released, so it is necessary to use a particle size that allows the properties of the powder to be maintained. For example, it is preferable that the proportion passing through a sieve with a mesh size of 0.6 mm is less than 80% by mass, more preferably less than 70% by mass, and even more preferably less than 65% by mass.

Furthermore, the peanut skin powder used in the peanut skin-containing food composition according to the present invention may have a particle size that allows it to maintain the properties of a powder, and is not particularly limited, but is preferably a powder that passes through a sieve with a mesh size of 0.6 mm at 45% by mass or more, more preferably 50% by mass or more, even more preferably 55% by mass or more, even more preferably 60% by mass or more, and even more preferably 65% by mass or more. Since peanut skins release almost no oil when crushed or crushed, it is possible to further reduce the particle size (for example, a powder that passes through a sieve with a mesh size of 0.6 mm at 70% by mass or more, even 80% by mass or more, even 90% by mass or more, and even 95% by mass or more).

Such peanut powder and peanut skin powder can be obtained, for example, by separating the peanuts from the skin and grinding or pulverizing the peanuts or peanut skin using a grinder or the like (blade grinder, stone mill grinder, shear grinder, crusher, fiber mixer, etc.) to produce a powder.

In particular, in the peanut skin-containing food composition according to the present invention, the components contained in the peanut skin are more efficiently absorbed, and the flavor and texture are improved, making it easier to ingest. Therefore, it is more preferable to adjust the mass percentage (mass%) of the peanut skin powder used that passes through a sieve with a mesh size of 0.6 mm to be higher than the mass percentage (mass%) of the peanut fruit powder used that passes through a sieve with a mesh size of 0.6 mm, in other words, to make the peanut skin powder a powder with more fine particles than the peanut fruit powder. The peanut skin-containing food composition according to the present invention can be produced by separating the peanut fruit and the skin, powdering them separately, and mixing them, and thus the particle size of such powder can be easily adjusted.

In the peanut skin-containing food composition of the present invention, in order to fully exert the synergistic effect (functionality and ease of ingestion) between the peanut powder and the peanut skin powder, the content of the peanut skin powder is set to 5 parts by mass or more, preferably 6 parts by mass or more, more preferably 7 parts by mass or more, even more preferably 7.5 parts by mass or more, even more preferably 9 parts by mass or more, even more preferably 10 parts by mass or more, and even more preferably 11 parts by mass or more per 100 parts by mass of the peanut powder.

As mentioned above, peanut skins are usually separated and removed when eating peanuts, and sometimes the skins are eaten together with the peanuts, but even in these cases, the weight ratio of one peanut skin (about 0.02 g) to one peanut (about 0.8 g) is only ingested, that is, about 2.5 parts by weight of peanut skins to 100 parts by weight of peanuts. The peanut skins are also called astringent skins, and are difficult to eat in themselves in terms of flavor and texture. On the other hand, the peanut skin-containing food composition of the present invention is a food composition in which both the peanut flesh and the skin are powdered, and the peanut flesh powder and the peanut skin powder are mixed together so that the mass ratio of the skin is clearly higher than when peanut seeds (peanuts covered with the skin) are ingested as is. This allows the intake of more of the components contained in the peanut skin in addition to the components contained in the peanut flesh, and the health and physiological functions are fully exerted due to the synergistic effect of the functions of the components contained in the peanut flesh, such as polyphenols, and the components contained in the peanut flesh, such as vitamins, amino acids, and unsaturated fatty acids, and the well-balanced blend amounts and properties of these make it very easy to ingest in terms of flavor, texture, etc., even though it contains a large amount of peanut skin.

In addition, in the peanut skin-containing food composition according to the present invention, in order to maintain a balance of flavor and texture and ease of ingestion, the content of peanut skin powder is set to 13 parts by mass or less, preferably 12.5 parts by mass or less, more preferably 11 parts by mass or less, even more preferably 10 parts by mass or less, even more preferably 9 parts by mass or less, and even more preferably 8.5 parts by mass or less, per 100 parts by mass of peanut powder. In this way, the peanut skin-containing food composition according to the present invention is a mixture of peanut powder and peanut skin powder in a mass ratio within a specified range, so that not only does it fully exert its functions, but also the balance between the flavor of the peanuts and the flavor of the skin is highly maintained, resulting in very good taste, texture, etc.

The peanut skin-containing food composition according to the present invention preferably further contains a specified amount of ginger powder. This is because it is easy to take and can exert a sweating effect in addition to the laxative effect and diet effect described below.

This ginger powder is obtained by grinding or pulverizing dried ginger (e.g., dried ginger with a moisture content of 10% by mass or less) using a grinder or the like to produce a powder. The particle size is not limited as long as the powder properties can be maintained, but it is preferable that the powder pass through a sieve with 0.6 mm mesh size of preferably 45% by mass or more, more preferably 50% by mass or more, even more preferably 55% by mass or more, and even more preferably 60% by mass or more.

In the peanut skin-containing food composition according to the present invention, in order to fully exert the effects of the ginger powder together with the effects of the peanut powder and the peanut skin powder (their synergistic effect), the ginger powder is preferably contained in an amount of 1 part by mass or more, more preferably 1.5 parts by mass or more, and even more preferably 1.8 parts by mass or more, per 100 parts by mass of peanut powder. The upper limit is preferably 3 parts by mass or less, more preferably 2.5 parts by mass or less, and even more preferably 2.2 parts by mass or less, per 100 parts by mass of peanut powder.

Furthermore, in the peanut skin-containing food composition according to the present invention, the ginger powder is preferably contained in an amount of 0.1 parts by mass or more per 1 part by mass of peanut skin powder, more preferably 0.12 parts by mass or more, and even more preferably 0.15 parts by mass or more, within the above-mentioned range of content relative to the peanut powder. The upper limit is preferably 1 part by mass or less of the ginger powder per 1 part by mass of peanut skin powder, more preferably 0.5 parts by mass or less, and even more preferably 0.3 parts by mass or less. In particular, the peanut skin-containing food composition according to the present invention is preferably configured to contain a larger amount of peanut skin powder than ginger powder in terms of mass ratio, since the effects (synergistic effect) of the peanut powder and the peanut skin powder, and the effect of the ginger powder, are more likely to be exhibited.

In addition to the peanut skin-containing food composition of the present invention, known food ingredients can be used in addition to the above-mentioned peanut powder, peanut skin powder, and ginger powder, as long as they do not affect the effects of the present invention. Examples of food ingredients that can be used include sugars (glucose, fructose, sucrose, maltose, oligosaccharides, etc.), salts (sodium chloride, potassium chloride, etc.), organic acids (citric acid, malic acid, lactic acid, succinic acid, tartaric acid, etc.) or salts thereof, dietary fiber, seasonings (amino acids, nucleic acids, etc.), antioxidants, etc. However, the peanut skin-containing food composition of the present invention is preferably configured to contain a total of 85% by mass or more, further 90% by mass or more, and further 95% by mass or more of the above-mentioned peanut powder and peanut skin powder, and may be composed of the above-mentioned peanut powder, peanut skin powder, and ginger powder, or may be composed of the above-mentioned peanut powder and peanut skin powder. With such a configuration, both of the effects of the present invention (functionality and ease of ingestion) are more easily exhibited.

The peanut skin-containing food composition according to the present invention is preferably a powdered food composition. The powdered food composition is preferably one that passes through a sieve with a mesh size of 0.6 mm at 40% by mass or more, more preferably 45% by mass or more, even more preferably 50% by mass or more, and even more preferably 55% by mass or more. This makes it easy for the elderly to take the food composition by mixing it with other foods, and also makes it easier to absorb the components (amino acids, polyphenols, etc.) contained in the peanut flesh and skin. It is also easy to fill containers such as small bags. In addition, when the peanut skin-containing food composition according to the present invention is a powdered food composition, if the particle size is too large, it may be difficult to take in terms of texture when added to soup, miso soup, etc. and ingested. The upper limit is not limited as long as the food composition maintains its powder properties, but for example, the proportion passing through a sieve with a mesh size of 0.6 mm may be less than 85% by mass, less than 80% by mass, less than 75% by mass, less than 70% by mass, or less than 65% by mass. When the peanut skin-containing food composition according to the present invention is such a powdered food composition, it is more preferable that the mass proportion (mass%) of the peanut skin powder contained therein that passes through a sieve with a mesh size of 0.6 mm is higher than the mass proportion (mass%) of the peanut kernel powder contained therein that passes through a sieve with a mesh size of 0.6 mm.

Thus, the peanut skin-containing food composition according to the present invention is preferably a powdered food composition, but forms other than powder are not completely excluded. For example, it may be a molded food composition in which raw materials containing peanut powder, peanut skin powder, and ginger powder are molded (by pressure molding, etc.) into a block or plate shape.

The peanut skin-containing food composition according to the present invention allows the intake of more skin than when peanut seeds (nuts and skin) are taken as is, and the well-balanced blend of peanut powder and skin powder creates a synergistic effect that not only makes it easy to take in terms of flavor and texture, but also fully exhibits effects such as improving bowel movements, dieting, moisturizing the skin, and preventing eye aging. In other words, the food composition can be suitably used as a food composition containing peanut powder and peanut skin powder as active ingredients for one or more uses selected from the group consisting of improving bowel movements, dieting, moisturizing the skin, and preventing eye aging. In particular, the peanut skin-containing food composition according to the present invention is very suitable as a food composition for improving bowel movements or dieting. It can also be used as a food composition for purposes such as promoting vitality and improving reproductive ability, and when it contains the above-mentioned ginger powder, it can also be used as a food composition for sweating. Furthermore, based on our experience as peanut skins, there are no safety issues with regard to food compositions containing this powder.

In addition, the peanut skin-containing food composition according to the present invention is preferably a food composition in which 0.1 to 0.15 g/kg of peanut powder and 0.005 to 0.016 g/kg of peanut skin powder are administered once a day to a human (based on a human body weight of 50 to 60 kg) since the above-mentioned effects can be more easily exhibited. Furthermore, it may be a food composition in which 0.002 to 0.003 g/kg of ginger powder are administered once a day to a human. These are more preferably food compositions that are administered continuously (daily) for preferably 3 months or more, more preferably 4 months or more, and even more preferably 5 months or more.
Although not limited thereto, it is preferable to set the dose of the peanut skin-containing food composition according to the present invention at 5 to 10 g per serving per day, as this is likely to fall within the above range.

The peanut skin-containing food composition according to the present invention is also characterized by the fact that it provides the above-mentioned effects at low cost. Specifically, it has been said that the continuous ingestion of about 30 peanuts (about 24 g) per day can lead to a long life, but the peanut skin-containing food composition according to the present invention can provide the above-mentioned effects with the continuous ingestion of about 5 to 10 g per day (about 6 to 12 peanuts and about 12 to 58 peanut skins), and because the peanut skins are usually removed as mentioned above, the cost can be about 1/2.5 to 1/5 lower than the cost of continuously consuming about 30 peanuts per day.

The peanut skin-containing food composition of the present invention is not particularly limited, and may be produced according to conventional food manufacturing methods, so long as it includes the steps of separating peanuts from the skins, powdering peanuts, powdering peanut skins, and mixing (remixing) the peanut skin powder in an amount of 5 to 13 parts by mass per 100 parts by mass of peanut powder. It is more preferable to adjust each step so that the resulting peanut skin-containing food composition is a powdered food composition. It is possible to mix a predetermined amount of peanuts and peanut skins before powdering, but it is preferable to powder each of them before mixing, as in the above step.

For example, the peanut skin-containing food composition of the present invention can be produced by the process shown in Figure 1. Specifically, first, the peanut flesh and the skin are separated, and each is separately ground and powdered. The resulting powders are then mixed again to a predetermined mass ratio, stirred, and homogenized. If ginger powder is to be added, it is also mixed in this process. Furthermore, a predetermined amount of this mixture (powdered food composition) is measured, filled into a container such as a sachet or pouch, and sealed, thereby easily producing the peanut skin-containing food composition of the present invention.

The peanut skin-containing food composition of the present invention may be packed in a container such as a paper container or a metal container, as well as in flexible containers such as the small bags and pouches described above. Packing the food in such flexible containers not only makes it easier to suppress deterioration of flavor over time, but also increases convenience in distribution and sales. In particular, a sealed flexible container (such as a small bag) made of aluminum-deposited plastic film is more preferable from the standpoint of maintaining flavor.

The above describes an embodiment of the peanut skin-containing food composition according to the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment and also includes various modifications, improvements, etc. as long as the object of the present invention is achieved.
Furthermore, the above-described embodiments can be combined as appropriate without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

The following describes examples of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to the following examples, and as mentioned above, various modifications are possible within the technical concept of the present invention.

Example 1
A peanut skin-containing food composition was prepared using the ingredients shown in Table 1 below.

Specifically, seeds were first removed from the pods of peanuts (variety: Chiba P114 (Q Nattsu)) grown in Yachimata, Chiba Prefecture, and separated into the flesh (embryo) and the skin (seed coat). The flesh and skin were then powdered using a fiber mixer (MX-X501N, manufactured by Panasonic). In this powdering process, the peanut flesh was powdered to pass through a sieve with a mesh size of 0.6 mm at 50% by mass or more, and the skin of the peanut was passed through the fiber mixer twice and then finished with a sieve with a mesh size of 0.6 mm to pass through the sieve entirely. In other words, the mass ratio of the powder of the skin of the peanuts passing through the sieve with a mesh size of 0.6 mm was adjusted to be higher than the mass ratio of the powder of the peanut flesh passing through the sieve with a mesh size of 0.6 mm. In addition, ginger powder (50% or more by mass passing through a sieve with 0.6 mm openings) made by powdering dried ginger produced in Kochi Prefecture was also prepared separately.

These were then mixed in the mass ratios shown in Table 1 below, and the mixed powder was divided into small bags made of aluminum-coated plastic film and sealed to prepare peanut skin-containing food compositions (samples 1 to 3). One serving (7 g) of sample 1 contains the equivalent of about 7.6 peanuts and about 37.8 peanut skins (12.4 parts by mass of peanut skin powder per 100 parts by mass of peanut powder), one serving (7 g) of sample 2 contains the equivalent of about 7.8 peanuts and about 31.5 peanut skins (10.1 parts by mass of peanut skin powder per 100 parts by mass of peanut powder), and one serving (7 g) of sample 3 contains the equivalent of about 8 peanuts and about 25.2 peanut skins (7.9 parts by mass of peanut skin powder per 100 parts by mass of peanut powder).

Example 2
The three types of peanut skin-containing food compositions prepared in Example 1 were used to confirm the effects of long-term intake.

Specifically, 76 male and female subjects, mostly in their 50s to 70s, were divided into three groups: Group 1 (G1) took Sample 1, the peanut skin-containing food composition; Group 2 (G2) took Sample 2, the peanut skin-containing food composition; and Group 3 (G3) took Sample 3, the peanut skin-containing food composition. Each subject was asked to take 7g of each sample once a day, by adding it to miso soup or other soup, and the following items were surveyed three months (after three months of continued intake) and five months (after five months of continued intake) after the start of intake.

<Increased vitality>
1: No change 2: Feeling better 3: Feeling much better <Improved bowel movements>
1: No change 2: A little better (a little better)
3: Good (much improved)
<Diet effect>
1: No change 2: Somewhat effective 3: Very effective <Skin moisturizing effect>
1: No change 2: A little better (somewhat effective)
3: Satisfied (very effective)
<Prevention of eye aging>
1: No change 2: A little better (somewhat effective)
3: Very good (very effective)
<Improvement of reproductive function>
1: No change 2: Improved 3: Much improved <Sweating effect>
1: No change 2: Effective 3: Very effective (very effective)

The results are shown in Table 2 below. These results indicate that for all of Samples 1 to 3, long-term continuous ingestion exhibits effects such as bowel movement improvement effects, weight loss effects, skin moisturizing effects, and eye aging prevention effects. In particular, a comparison of the results after three months of continuous ingestion with the results after five months of continuous ingestion showed that the proportion of subjects who felt the weight loss effect was higher in Groups 1 and 2, which consumed samples with a higher content of peanut skins, after long-term ingestion. In addition, the proportion of subjects who felt the bowel movement improvement effect was higher in all groups after long-term ingestion.
Furthermore, it was shown that the inclusion of ginger powder also exerts a sweating effect. It was also shown that all of these samples can be easily ingested without any strange feeling when added to miso soup or other soups, which means that they are very easy to ingest even for elderly people in terms of flavor, texture, etc. In particular, sample 3 was very excellent in terms of flavor, texture, and functionality, and it was revealed that the blend balance and properties of the peanut powder and peanut skin powder were very good.

The present embodiment encompasses the following technical ideas.
(1) A peanut skin-containing food composition comprising peanut fruit powder and peanut skin powder, the content of the peanut skin powder being 5 parts by mass or more and 13 parts by mass or less per 100 parts by mass of the peanut fruit powder.
(2) A peanut skin-containing food composition as described in (1), in which the peanut fruit powder is a powder of Chiba P114 fruit and the peanut skin powder is a powder of Chiba P114 skin.
(3) A peanut skin-containing food composition described in (1) or (2), in which the mass proportion of the peanut skin powder passing through a sieve with a mesh size of 0.6 mm is higher than the mass proportion of the peanut flesh powder passing through a sieve with a mesh size of 0.6 mm.
(4) A peanut skin-containing food composition according to any one of (1) to (3), further comprising ginger powder in an amount of 1 to 3 parts by mass per 100 parts by mass of the peanut fruit powder.
(5) The peanut skin-containing food composition according to any one of (1) to (4), which is a powdered food composition in which 40% by mass or more of the peanut skin-containing food composition passes through a sieve with an opening of 0.6 mm.
(6) The peanut skin-containing food composition according to any one of (1) to (5), which is a food composition having the peanut fruit powder and the peanut skin powder as active ingredients and having one or more uses selected from the group consisting of improving bowel movements, dieting, moisturizing the skin, and preventing eye aging.

Claims (5)

It contains peanut powder and peanut skin powder,
The content of the peanut skin powder is 7 parts by mass or more and 13 parts by mass or less per 100 parts by mass of the peanut fruit powder ,
A food composition for improving bowel movements, comprising the peanut powder and the peanut skin powder as active ingredients.
A food composition containing peanut skins. The peanut skin-containing food composition according to claim 1, wherein the peanut kernel powder is Chiba P114 kernel powder, and the peanut skin powder is Chiba P114 skin powder. The peanut skin-containing food composition according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the mass proportion of the peanut skin powder passing through a sieve with a mesh size of 0.6 mm is higher than the mass proportion of the peanut kernel powder passing through a sieve with a mesh size of 0.6 mm. The peanut skin-containing food composition according to any one of claims 1 to 3 further contains ginger powder in an amount of 1 part by mass to 3 parts by mass per 100 parts by mass of the peanut powder. The peanut skin-containing food composition according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the peanut skin-containing food composition is a powdered food composition in which 40% by mass or more passes through a sieve with an opening of 0.6 mm.

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