JP7640943B2 - Dairy flavor enhancer and method for producing same - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a dairy flavor enhancer and a method for producing the same, and more specifically to a dairy flavor enhancer and a method for producing the same, which can provide sufficient dairy flavor and richness even when only a small amount of dairy components are present in a food product by using the dairy flavor enhancer.

Traditionally, fresh cream, butter, milk fat, etc. derived from milk have a natural, desirable milk flavor and rich taste, and are widely used in confectionery, such as butter cream and whipped cream, in frozen desserts, such as ice cream, and in coffee cream and other dairy beverages. However, fresh cream, butter, etc. are expensive and have an unstable flavor, and there are many problems that restrict their use.

On the other hand, in order to enhance the milky flavor and richness of foods, flavorings, milk concentrates, enzymatic hydrolysates and other taste enhancers are generally used, but these ingredients are far from natural flavors, are artificial and lack depth of flavor, and are not necessarily preferable. Recently, food flavor improvers made from milk fat globule membrane components (Patent Document 1) and methods of blending lipoproteins (Patent Document 2) have also been proposed, but both of these methods are expensive due to the complex and cumbersome process.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 7-236451 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 8-170

In view of the above circumstances, the present invention aims to provide a dairy flavor enhancer that can provide sufficient dairy flavor and richness even when only a small amount of dairy-tasting components are present in a food product.

As a result of intensive research into achieving the above-mentioned object, the inventors discovered that by containing 20% by weight to 50% by weight of milk solids, 10% by weight to 40% by weight of sugars, and 5% by weight to 50% by weight of edible fats and oils, it is possible to obtain a sufficient milk flavor and rich taste even if the content of milk-tasting components in a food product is small, and have completed the present invention.
Furthermore, in order to achieve the above object, the present inventors have discovered a method for producing a milk flavor enhancer, which is characterized by mixing 20% by weight to 50% by weight of milk solids, 10% by weight to 40% by weight of monosaccharides and/or disaccharides, and 5% by weight to 50% by weight of edible fats and oils, and then kneading the mixture at a heated state of 50°C to 80°C for 1 hour to 5 hours.

That is, the present invention provides
(1) A milk flavor enhancer comprising 20% by weight to 50% by weight of milk solids, 10% by weight to 40% by weight of sugars, and 5% by weight to 50% by weight of edible fats and oils;
(2) A method for producing a milk flavor enhancer, comprising mixing 20% by weight to 50% by weight of milk solids, 10% by weight to 40% by weight of sugars, and 5% by weight to 50% by weight of edible oils and fats, and then kneading the mixture at a temperature of 50° C. to 80° C. for 1 hour to 5 hours.
(3) The milk flavor enhancer according to (1), wherein the saccharide contains monosaccharides and/or disaccharides, and the content of the monosaccharides and/or disaccharides is 10% by weight to 40% by weight.
(4) A food product containing the milk flavor enhancer of (1) or (3).
(5) The milk flavor enhancer according to (1) or (3), which is for use in frozen desserts.
(6) A frozen dessert containing 0.1% by weight to 10% by weight of the milk flavor enhancer according to (5).
(7) A method for producing a frozen dessert, comprising adding the milk flavor enhancer according to (5) before a freezing step.
(8) A method for producing a frozen dessert, comprising adding the milk flavor enhancer obtained by the method for producing the frozen dessert according to (2) before a freezing step.
(9) A method for enhancing the milk flavor of a frozen dessert, comprising comprising the step of: (5) containing the milk flavor enhancer in an amount of 0.1% by weight to 10% by weight;
It is.
In other words, the present invention provides:
(1) A method for producing a milk flavor enhancer, comprising mixing 20% by weight to 50% by weight of milk solids, 10% by weight to 40% by weight of monosaccharides and/or disaccharides, and 5% by weight to 50% by weight of edible fats and oils, and then kneading the mixture at a temperature of 50° C. to 80° C. for 1 hour to 5 hours;
(2) A method for producing a food product, comprising incorporating the milk flavor enhancer produced by the method according to (1).
(3) A method for producing a frozen dessert, comprising incorporating a milk flavor enhancer produced by the method according to (1).
(4) A method for producing a frozen dessert, comprising adding 0.1% by weight to 10% by weight of a milk flavor enhancer produced by the method according to (1).
(5) A method for producing a frozen dessert, comprising adding a milk flavor enhancer produced by the method according to (1) before a freezing step.
(6) A method for enhancing the milk flavor of a frozen dessert, comprising:
It is.

According to the present invention, even if a food has a low content of milky components and is poor in milk flavor, by using the milk flavor enhancer of the present invention, it has the effect of providing a food with enhanced milky taste and rich taste.
The milk flavor enhancer of the present invention can obtain a more preferable milk flavor enhancing effect by performing a kneading treatment under a heated state of 30°C to 80°C.

The milk flavor enhancer of the present invention contains 20% to 50% by weight of milk solids, 10% to 40% by weight of sugars, and 5% to 50% by weight of edible oils and fats.

In this specification, the milk solids-containing component refers to the portion of a dairy product other than water. Examples of the milk solids-containing component used in the present invention include skim milk powder, whole milk powder, whey powder, buttermilk powder, etc.
In this specification, the content of milk solids is calculated as the total amount of the milk solids-containing components excluding water.
The content of milk solids in the dairy flavor enhancer of the present invention is preferably 20% by weight to 40% by weight, more preferably 25% by weight to 40% by weight.

Examples of the sugars used in the present invention include monosaccharides such as glucose and fructose, disaccharides such as sugar, lactose and maltose, polysaccharides such as oligosaccharides and dextrin, and sugar alcohols such as erythritol, xylitol and maltitol.
In the present invention, it is preferable to use disaccharides such as sugar, lactose, maltose, etc., and monosaccharides such as glucose, fructose, etc. In order to adjust the sweetness, other sugars may be used in combination.

The edible fats and oils used in the present invention may be vegetable fats and oils such as soybean oil, rapeseed oil, palm oil, palm kernel oil, coconut oil, corn oil, sunflower oil, cottonseed oil, cacao butter, rice oil, etc., and may also be those which have been subjected to treatments such as hardening, fractionation, wintering, interesterification, etc. Furthermore, these fats and oils may be used alone or in combination.
The edible oil or fat is preferably 10% to 50% by weight, more preferably 20% to 50% by weight.

In addition to the above ingredients, sweeteners other than sugars (e.g., oligosaccharides, sugar alcohols, non-sugar natural sweeteners, synthetic sweeteners, etc.), emulsifiers, antioxidants, flavorings, preservatives, quality stabilizers, etc. may be appropriately blended within the scope that does not impair the effects of the present invention. Examples of emulsifiers that can be used include polyglycerol fatty acid esters, sucrose fatty acid esters, sorbitan fatty acid esters, organic acid monoglycerol fatty acid esters, polysorbates, polyglycerol condensed ricinoleic acid esters, lecithin, etc. Two or more of these may be used in combination.

In terms of the milk flavor enhancing effect, it is preferable to produce the milk flavor enhancer of the present invention by mixing milk solids, sugars, and edible oils and fats, and then kneading the mixture at a temperature of 30°C to 80°C. A more preferable production method is to mix lactose, sugars, and edible oils and fats, roll the mixture, and then perform a conching process at 30°C to 80°C. If the temperature exceeds 80°C, the milk flavor enhancing effect may decrease.

The dairy flavor enhancer of the present invention can enhance the dairy flavor by using it in foods containing 0.01% by weight or more, preferably 0.1% by weight or more, and more preferably 1% by weight or more of milk fat-containing components such as fresh cream, butter, whole milk powder, milk fat, etc., and can be advantageously used, for example, in confectionery such as butter cream or whipped cream, in frozen desserts such as ice cream, in cheese, in coffee cream and other dairy drinks, and in the manufacture of bread, confectionery, soup, side dishes, etc. that require a milky taste or rich taste, or in fats and oils such as margarine and shortening used as raw materials for these foods. More preferably, it is used in confectionery or frozen desserts, and even more preferably, it is used in frozen desserts.

The dairy flavor enhancer of the present invention is usually added at 0.1% by weight or more to the food, although this varies depending on the food to which it is used and the concentration of the dairy flavor enhancer. In addition, the dairy flavor enhancer of the present invention is more effective when used in combination with conventional dairy flavors.

The type of frozen desserts in which the milk flavor enhancer of the present invention can be used is not particularly limited as long as it is a type of confectionery eaten at freezing temperatures, but typical examples include ice cream, ice milk, and lacto ice cream as stipulated in the "Ministry Ordinance on the Ingredient Standards, etc. of Milk and Dairy Products," also known as the "Milk, etc. Ministerial Ordinance," and frozen desserts as stipulated in the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare Notification "Standards and Criteria for Foods, Additives, etc.".

Ice cream, ice milk, lacto ice cream and other ice creams usually contain a fat source, non-fat milk solids, sugar, an emulsifier and water as their main ingredients.
A representative example of the frozen dessert of the present invention is ice cream, the ingredients of which include milk fat, non-fat milk solids, sweeteners, stabilizers, emulsifiers, flavors, colorants, water, and the like.

The dairy flavor enhancer of the present invention can enhance the milky taste and rich flavor even in lacto ice cream, which has a low milk content and tends to have a weak dairy flavor.

As an example of a method for producing frozen desserts, first the ingredients are mixed and dissolved, then homogenized, sterilized, and cooled to produce a mixed liquid of ingredients called a mix. This mixed liquid is usually subjected to a storage process called aging before being used. Frozen desserts can be either frozen at a factory and distributed and sold as a final frozen dessert product, or distributed in the form of a mixed liquid and frozen at stores before being sold as a final frozen dessert product. (Hereinafter, the mixed liquid will be referred to as "frozen dessert mix.")
As an example of a method for producing a frozen dessert using the milk flavor enhancer of the present invention, the frozen dessert can be produced by adding the milk flavor enhancer of the present invention to the above-mentioned frozen dessert mix, mixing the mixture, and then freezing the mixture.

The present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to examples. In the examples, percentages and parts are all by weight.

(Preparation of dairy flavor enhancer)
The raw materials were mixed according to the composition in Table 1 and mixed in a mixer for 10 minutes to prepare a dough-like dough.
The obtained dough was subjected to a conching machine under the temperature and time conditions shown in Table 1 to produce a milk flavor enhancer.
As the edible oil and fat, a mixture of 70 parts of palm mid-melting point oil and 30 parts of coconut oil was used.

The milk flavor enhancer of the present invention was obtained by conching the milk containing a milk solid content in the range of 20% to 50%, at a conching temperature in the range of 50°C to 80°C, and for a conching time of 1 hour or more.
In Comparative Example 1, the conching time was less than 1 hour.
In Comparative Example 2, the milk solids content was less than 20%.

(Method of making frozen dessert)
The prepared milk flavor enhancer was heated to about 50℃ and dissolved, and 6g of each milk flavor enhancer was added to 200g of frozen dessert mix, and the mixture was frozen in a tabletop ice cream maker (Delonghi Co., Ltd.) to obtain a frozen dessert. The freezing time and overrun were standardized for the frozen desserts.
Soft Mix Vanilla 100 manufactured by Fuji Oil Co., Ltd. was used as the frozen dessert mix.

The resulting frozen dessert was filled into a container, allowed to harden at -20 to -30°C, and then evaluated using the following evaluation methods. The results are summarized in Table 2.

(Flavor evaluation method)
The prepared frozen desserts were taken out of the freezer, brought to room temperature, and tasted and evaluated in comparison with a blank containing no milk flavor enhancer according to the following evaluation criteria.
5 points: Rich and has a strong milky flavor.
4 points: Rich and milky flavor.
3 points: Slightly rich, with a milky flavor.
2 points: Slightly weak body and weak milk flavor.
1 point: Weak body and weak milk flavor.
(A rating of 3 or above is considered a pass.)

(Discussion)
The frozen desserts using the milk flavor enhancer of the examples were evaluated as passing.
The milk flavor enhancer of the comparative example did not have the effect of enhancing the milk flavor.

The present invention provides a dairy flavor enhancer that can provide sufficient dairy flavor and richness even when only a small amount of dairy components are present in a food product.

Claims (5)

The method for producing a food containing a milk flavor enhancer comprises mixing 20% by weight to 50% by weight of milk solids, 10% by weight to 40% by weight of monosaccharides and/or disaccharides , and 5% by weight to 50% by weight of vegetable oil and fat, and then kneading the mixture at a heated state of 50°C to 80°C for 1 hour to 5 hours. 2. A method for producing the food product according to claim 1 , wherein the food product contains the dairy flavor enhancer in an amount of 0.1% by weight to 10% by weight. 2. The method for producing the food product according to claim 1 , wherein the food product is a frozen dessert. A method for producing a food product which is the frozen dessert according to claim 3 , comprising adding the milk flavor enhancer in an amount of 0.1% by weight to 10% by weight. The method for enhancing the milk flavor of a frozen dessert is characterized in that the dessert contains 0.1% to 10% by weight of a mixture produced by mixing 20% to 50% by weight of milk solids, 10% to 40% by weight of monosaccharides and/or disaccharides, and 5% to 50% by weight of vegetable oil and fat, and then kneading the mixture for 1 to 5 hours at a heated state of 50°C to 80°C.