JP7693304B2 - Food saltiness enhancer, composition for enhancing the saltiness of food, method for enhancing the saltiness of food, edible oil and fat composition, and method for producing food - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a technology for enhancing the saltiness of food.

Salt is a seasoning that imparts a salty taste to food to enhance its deliciousness, and is also a nutrient that plays an important role in ensuring the normal functioning of the body. However, excessive salt intake is thought to lead to high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, stomach cancer, and other conditions. Therefore, efforts are being made to develop low-salt foods and seasonings that reduce the amount of salt used without compromising the saltiness. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a method for producing foods and beverages with an enhanced saltiness, in which predetermined amounts of arginine and/or a salt thereof, lactic acid and/or a salt thereof, and gluconic acid and/or a salt thereof are added to the raw materials.

JP 2013-208057 A

It is useful to impart a salty taste to food using conventional technology. However, in recent years, interest in reduced-salt foods has been growing, and there is a demand for further development of technology that does not impair the saltiness of food even when the amount of salt used is reduced.

The objective of the present invention is to provide a new material that is highly effective in enhancing the saltiness of food.

After extensive research, the inventors discovered that adding rice bran fatty acids to food enhances its salty taste, leading to the completion of the present invention.

In other words, in a first aspect, the present invention provides a salty taste enhancer for food, which is characterized by containing rice bran fatty acid as an active ingredient.

It is preferable that the above-mentioned food saltiness enhancer is used by heating it together with the ingredients of the food when cooking the food.

The above-mentioned food saltiness enhancer is preferably used in foods that are to be cooked.

In a second aspect, the present invention provides a composition for enhancing the saltiness of food, which is characterized by containing rice bran fatty acids.

The above-mentioned composition for enhancing the saltiness of food is preferably used by heating it together with the ingredients of the food when cooking the food.

The above-mentioned composition for enhancing the saltiness of food is preferably used in foods that are to be cooked.

The above-mentioned composition for enhancing the saltiness of foods preferably further contains edible oils and fats.

In addition, the above-mentioned composition for enhancing the saltiness of food preferably further contains a salty component.

In a third aspect, the present invention provides an edible oil composition comprising edible oil and rice bran fatty acid contained in the edible oil.

The edible oil composition preferably contains 0.008 parts by mass or more and 20 parts by mass or less of the rice bran fatty acid per 100 parts by mass of the edible oil.

The edible oil and fat composition is preferably used to enhance the saltiness of food.

The edible oil and fat composition is preferably used by heating it together with the ingredients of the food when cooking the food.

The above edible oil and fat composition is preferably used in foods that are cooked by heating.

In its fourth aspect, the present invention provides a method for producing a food with enhanced saltiness, which is characterized by including rice bran fatty acids in the food.

In the above-mentioned method for producing foods with enhanced saltiness, the rice bran fatty acids are preferably used in the form of an edible fat composition in which they are incorporated into edible fats and oils.

In addition, in the method for producing foods with enhanced saltiness, the rice bran fatty acid is preferably used in the form of an edible fat composition containing 0.008 parts by mass or more and 20 parts by mass or less of the rice bran fatty acid per 100 parts by mass of the edible fat.

In addition, in the method for producing foods with enhanced saltiness described above, it is preferable to use the rice bran fatty acids by heating them together with the ingredients of the food when cooking the food.

In addition, in the above-mentioned method for producing a food with an enhanced saltiness, it is preferable that the food is a cooked food.

In its fifth aspect, the present invention provides a method for enhancing the saltiness of food, which is characterized by using rice bran fatty acids.

In a sixth aspect, the present invention provides a method for producing a food product to which the above-mentioned salty taste enhancer is added.

In a seventh aspect, the present invention provides a method for producing a food product to which the above-mentioned salty taste enhancing composition is added.

In its eighth aspect, the present invention provides a method for producing a food product to which the above-mentioned edible oil and fat composition is added.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a new material that is highly effective in enhancing the saltiness of foods by utilizing rice bran fatty acids.

The rice bran fatty acid used in the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it is a fatty acid derived from rice bran. For example, fatty acids obtained as a by-product of oil refining during the process of producing rice oil from rice bran can be used. That is, a general oil refining process includes a process of refining oil by degumming and deacidifying crude oil obtained from oil raw materials by squeezing and solvent extraction, etc., and the degummed oil waste (dregs) and soda oil waste (dregs) generated at this time are relatively rich in fatty acids. Therefore, a material enriched in fatty acids can be obtained from these by-products by processing such as distillation. The purity of the fatty acids in such materials is not limited, but it is preferable to use those containing 60% or more by weight of fatty acids, more preferably those containing 70% or more by weight and less than 100% by weight, more preferably those containing 80% or more by weight and less than 100% by weight, and even more preferably those containing 90% or more by weight and less than 100% by weight. In addition, it is preferable that the fatty acid composition is palmitic acid at 16% by mass or more and 29% by mass or less, stearic acid at 0.6% by mass or more and 2.4% by mass or less, oleic acid at 36% by mass or more and 49% by mass or less, linoleic acid at 26% by mass or more and 39% by mass or less, and linolenic acid at 0.6% by mass or more and 1.9% by mass or less. In addition, it is preferable that the fatty acid composition is palmitic acid at 18% by mass or more and 27% by mass or less, stearic acid at 0.8% by mass or more and 2.2% by mass or less, oleic acid at 38% by mass or more, More preferably, the fatty acid composition is palmitic acid at 20% by mass or more and 25% by mass or less, stearic acid at 1.0% by mass or more and 2.0% by mass or less, oleic acid at 40% by mass or more and 45% by mass or less, linoleic acid at 30% by mass or more and 35% by mass or less, and linolenic acid at 1.0% by mass or more and 1.5% by mass or less.

Alternatively, commercially available rice bran fatty acids such as "Acid 100S" (product name, manufactured by Boso Oil Co., Ltd.) may be used.

As shown in the examples below, rice bran fatty acids have the effect of enhancing the saltiness of food. Therefore, in the present invention, they are used as an active ingredient in a food saltiness enhancer.

In any non-limiting embodiment of the present invention, the salty taste enhancer may be in the form of an oil and fat composition. Specifically, for example, edible oils and fats, excipients, adjuvants, emulsifiers, pH adjusters, etc. may be mixed as necessary to form an oil and fat composition in any form, such as liquid, powder, or paste, by a known method. That is, for example, by a formulation technique generally known to those skilled in the art, it may be prepared into liquid oils and fats, margarine, fat spreads, shortening, powdered oils and fats, etc., mainly composed of oil and fat components, or it may be prepared into a solution, powder, gel, granules, etc., containing a small amount of oil and fat components, and these forms may be adopted arbitrarily. In addition, for example, when powdering, an adjuvant such as corn syrup can be used, and further, an emulsifier may be added to prepare an emulsion raw material, which may then be powdered. Examples of powdering methods include spray drying and freeze drying.

Examples of edible oils and fats include vegetable oils and fats such as rapeseed oil (including high oleic acid types), soybean oil, palm oil, palm kernel oil, corn oil, olive oil, sesame oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, cottonseed oil, rice oil, peanut oil, coconut oil, and cocoa butter, animal oils and fats such as beef tallow, lard, chicken fat, and milk fat, and medium-chain fatty acid triglycerides. In addition, examples include fractionated oils of these (mid-melting point part of palm oil, soft fractionated oil of palm oil, hard fractionated oil of palm oil, etc.), transesterified oil, hydrogenated oil, and other processed oils and fats. Edible oils and fats may be used alone or in a mixture of two or more types.

The food saltiness enhancer provided by the present invention may contain an auxiliary agent that is normally added to food products, as appropriate, within a range that does not impair the functionality of the desired saltiness enhancement. Examples of auxiliary agents include antioxidants, antifoaming agents, emulsifiers, fragrances, flavoring agents, colorants, and physiologically active substances. Specific examples include ascorbic acid fatty acid esters, lignans, coenzyme Q, γ-oryzanol, tocopherol, and silicones.

The content of rice bran fatty acid is not particularly limited, but is preferably 0.001% by mass or more and 100% by mass or less, more preferably 0.005% by mass or more and 100% by mass or less, even more preferably 0.01% by mass or more and 100% by mass or less, and even more preferably 0.1% by mass or more and 100% by mass or less. The material that provides the rice bran fatty acid may itself constitute the salty taste enhancer.

On the other hand, in another non-limiting aspect of the present invention, the rice bran fatty acid may be contained in edible oils and fats. That is, an edible oil and fat composition is provided that contains edible oils and fats and the rice bran fatty acid contained in the edible oil and fats. This makes it easy to adjust the concentration of the rice bran fatty acid using the edible oil and fats as a dispersion medium. In addition, when the rice bran fatty acid is added to food, it is easy to blend it with the ingredients and components of the food.

As with the salty taste enhancers described above, examples of edible fats and oils include vegetable fats and oils such as rapeseed oil (including high oleic acid types), soybean oil, palm oil, palm kernel oil, corn oil, olive oil, sesame oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, cottonseed oil, rice oil, peanut oil, coconut oil, and cocoa butter, animal fats and oils such as beef tallow, lard, chicken fat, and milk fat, and medium-chain fatty acid triglycerides. In addition, examples include fractionated oils of these (mid-melting point part of palm oil, soft fractionated oil of palm oil, hard fractionated oil of palm oil, etc.), transesterified oils, hydrogenated oils, and other processed fats and oils. The edible fats and oils may be used alone or in a mixture of two or more types.

The content of edible oil and fat and rice bran fatty acid in the edible oil composition is not particularly limited, but it is preferable that the rice bran fatty acid is well dispersed in the edible oil. It is preferable that the edible oil and fat is contained in an amount of 70% by mass to 99.999% by mass, more preferably 75% by mass to 99.99% by mass, even more preferably 80% by mass to 99.97% by mass, and even more preferably 85% by mass to 99.92% by mass. It is also preferable that the rice bran fatty acid is contained in an amount of 0.001% by mass to 30% by mass, more preferably 0.005% by mass to 25% by mass, even more preferably 0.01% by mass to 20% by mass, and even more preferably 0.1% by mass to 15% by mass. In addition, the rice bran fatty acid is preferably contained in an amount of 0.008 parts by mass to 20 parts by mass to 100 parts by mass of edible fats and oils, more preferably 0.03 parts by mass to 18 parts by mass, even more preferably 0.08 parts by mass to 16 parts by mass, and even more preferably 0.08 parts by mass to 14 parts by mass. Note that, in some cases, the rice bran fatty acid may be in a solid form at room temperature, and therefore may be mixed with the edible fats and oils in a fully melted state by heating or the like.

The edible fat and oil composition provided by the present invention may contain, as appropriate, auxiliary agents that are usually added to food, as long as the desired functionality of saltiness enhancement is not impaired, similar to the saltiness enhancer described above. Examples of auxiliary agents include antioxidants, antifoaming agents, emulsifiers, fragrances, flavoring agents, colorants, and biologically active substances. Specific examples include ascorbic acid fatty acid esters, lignans, coenzyme Q, γ-oryzanol, tocopherol, and silicones.

To further explain the use form of the salty taste enhancer or edible oil and fat composition described above, in the present invention, the rice bran fatty acid contained in the agent or composition may be added to food. This enhances the salty taste of the food. The amount of rice bran fatty acid added to food may be appropriately determined depending on the type of food to which the present invention is applied, but typically, for example, the amount of rice bran fatty acid in the form of food to which the present invention is applied is preferably 0.0005% by mass or more and 1.2% by mass or less, more preferably 0.001% by mass or more and 1% by mass or less, even more preferably 0.003% by mass or more and 0.6% by mass or less, and even more preferably 0.005% by mass or more and 0.3% by mass or less.

The foods to which the present invention is applicable are not particularly limited, but typically include, for example, stir-fried dishes, baked dishes, steamed dishes, boiled dishes, stewed dishes, or seasonings used therein, and in particular, stir-fried dishes are preferred. Specific examples include pasta dishes, fried rice, stir-fried vegetables, grilled meat, grilled fish, steamed vegetables, Chinese steamed buns, shumai, meatballs, ham, sausages, rice balls, seasoned rice, soups, roux, cheese, snacks, Japanese sweets, bread, etc.

When applying the present invention to food, there are no particular limitations on the manner of use. For example, the saltiness of the resulting food can be enhanced by adding, mixing, dissolving, dispersing, emulsifying, injecting, etc., to food ingredients or intermediates in the manufacturing process at any time. In addition to adding to ingredients or intermediates in the manufacturing process, the saltiness may also be imparted to the food by sprinkling or applying after cooking, processing, or manufacturing the food.

In any non-limiting embodiment of the present invention, the salty taste enhancer or edible composition provided by the present invention is preferably used by heating the food ingredients when cooking the food. This makes the effect of enhancing the salty taste by the rice bran fatty acids more pronounced. For example, the salty taste enhancer or edible composition provided by the present invention may be used as a basting oil or added to a basting oil when frying ingredients such as vegetables such as garlic, cabbage, onion, and carrots, eggs, cooked rice, meat, and pasta in a frying pan. Alternatively, it may be added to rice when cooking rice in a rice cooker. Alternatively, it may be added to soup or the like and heated. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned examples of use, and may be added to the food for which the salty taste is to be enhanced, as appropriate, so as to obtain the desired effect of enhancing the salty taste.

In any non-limiting embodiment of the present invention, whether the saltiness of a food product to which the present invention is applied has been enhanced can be objectively evaluated by subjecting a food product prepared with and without the addition of the rice bran fatty acid to a sensory evaluation test, preferably a sensory evaluation test by multiple panelists selected so as not to be biased in terms of taste relative to the general population.

On the other hand, in another non-limiting aspect of the present invention, the rice bran fatty acid may be provided in the form of a composition for enhancing the saltiness of food containing the rice bran fatty acid. In this case, edible fats and oils and various auxiliary agents that are usually added to food may be appropriately blended, as described for the saltiness enhancer or edible fat and oil composition. In addition, the rice bran fatty acid may be added, mixed, dissolved, dispersed, emulsified, injected, etc. at any time to food raw materials or intermediate products in the manufacturing process to enhance the saltiness of the resulting food, and the effect of enhancing the saltiness of the rice bran fatty acid is more pronounced by using the rice bran fatty acid in a manner that is preferably heated together with the ingredients of the food when cooking the food, as described for the saltiness enhancer or edible fat and oil composition. However, by containing salty ingredients such as salt, salty seasonings, potassium chloride, etc., such a composition can be suitably used as a seasoning with enhanced saltiness for the purpose of imparting a salty taste to food.

In this case, the salty component contained together with the rice bran fatty acid may be, for example, table salt, salty seasoning, potassium chloride, etc., but is not limited to these. From the viewpoint of imparting a salty taste or other taste to the food, it may further contain sweet substances such as sugar, honey, maple syrup, erythritol, trehalose, aspartame, etc., and umami substances such as glutamic acid, inosinic acid, etc.

The content of rice bran fatty acid in the composition for enhancing the saltiness of food is the same as that described for the salty taste enhancer or edible oil and fat composition, as described above. However, when a salty taste component is contained in the composition for enhancing the saltiness of food and used for the purpose of imparting a salty taste to food, for example, when the salty taste component contained in the composition for enhancing the saltiness is table salt, the amount of rice bran fatty acid per 1 part by mass of the table salt is preferably 0.0006 parts by mass to 2.0 parts by mass, more preferably 0.0040 parts by mass to 1.6 parts by mass, even more preferably 0.004 parts by mass to 1.0 parts by mass, and even more preferably 0.008 parts by mass to 0.6 parts by mass.

The scope of foods and other products to which the present invention can be applied is not limited to those for human consumption, but can also be applied to animal feed and animal feed, etc.

The present invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to examples, but these examples are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention in any way.

The materials and cooking utensils used in this test example are as follows:

(Oils and fats)
・ Rapeseed oil: "AJINOMOTO smooth canola oil" (product name), manufactured by J-Oil Mills Co., Ltd. ・ Soybean oil: "AJINOMOTO rich and flavorful soybean oil" (product name), manufactured by J-Oil Mills Co., Ltd. ・ Rice oil: "AJINOMOTO healthy rice oil" (product name), manufactured by J-Oil Mills Co., Ltd. ・ Olive oil: "FILIPPO BERIO (registered trademark) extra virgin olive oil" (product name), manufactured by J-Oil Mills Co., Ltd. ・ Rice bran fatty acid: "Acid 100S" (product name), manufactured by BOSO Oil Co., Ltd.

The rice bran fatty acids used were distillates obtained by vacuum distillation of soda cane, a by-product of rice oil refining, and their fatty acid composition is shown in Table 1.

(ingredients)
・Dried pasta: "Ma-Ma chuck-tied spaghetti 1.6 mm" (product name), manufactured by Nissin Foods Co., Ltd. ・Rice: "Sato no Gohan" (product name), manufactured by Sato Foods Co., Ltd. ・Chinese soup base: "Somi Shantung" (product name), manufactured by Somi Foods Co., Ltd.

(heating cooker)
・IH heater: "KZ-PH33" (product name), manufactured by Panasonic Corporation ・Rice cooker: "Pressure IH rice cooker NP-NT10" (product name), manufactured by Zojirushi Corporation

<Test Example 1>
A pasta dish (peperoncino) was prepared using the ingredients shown in Table 2 and following the steps (a) to (e) below. The rice bran fatty acid used was solid at room temperature, and was heated to 60° C., and then a predetermined amount was added to rapeseed oil or olive oil, and stirred to dissolve, to prepare the first or second oil composition having the composition shown in Table 2.

(a) The first oil and fat composition described in Table 2 was prepared and added to a frying pan.
(b) Garlic was added to the frying pan (a) and fried for 10 minutes at temperature intensity 3 (100-120°C) using an induction heater, and then naturally cooled to room temperature.
(c) The second oil and fat composition described in Table 2 was prepared, and this was added to the frying pan (b) along with salt and mixed.
(d) Dried pasta was boiled in water for 7 minutes and then drained.
(e) The pasta boiled in (d) was added to the frying pan in (c) and mixed to obtain the pasta dishes of Preparation Examples 1-1 to 1-7.

The resulting pasta dishes were subjected to a sensory evaluation of saltiness by comparing the results with a case in which rapeseed oil was used as the first oil composition and olive oil was used as the second oil composition, and neither rice oil nor rice bran fatty acid was added. The evaluation was performed by two expert panels using the following scoring criteria, and the average of the sensory evaluation scores of all the panelists was calculated. The results are shown in Table 3.
+6: Much stronger than the control +5: Much stronger than the control +4: Stronger than the control +3: Relatively stronger than the control +2: Slightly stronger than the control +1: Slightly stronger than the control 0: Equivalent to the control -1: Slightly weaker than the control -2: Weaker than the control -3: Much weaker than the control

As a result, as seen from the results of Preparation Examples 1-3 to 1-7, by adding rice bran fatty acid at a ratio of 0.00058% by mass to 0.058% by mass to the total mass of the cooked peperoncino, the saltiness of the cooked peperoncino was enhanced compared to Preparation Example 1-1 (control) where no rice bran fatty acid was added. On the other hand, in Preparation Example 1-2, the saltiness enhancement effect was limited, even though rice bran fatty acid was added in the same amount as in Preparation Example 1-3. This is thought to be because in Preparation Examples 1-3 to 1-7, rice bran fatty acid was added to the second oil composition and was not used for such stir-frying, whereas in Preparation Example 1-2, rice bran fatty acid was added to the first oil composition and was not used for such stir-frying. Note that in Preparation Examples 1-1 and 1-2, rice oil was included in the first oil composition and was used for stir-frying with garlic, but no saltiness enhancement effect was obtained. This shows that the product of stir-frying rice oil with garlic does not have the effect of enhancing saltiness.

<Test Example 2>
The pasta dishes (peperoncino) of Preparation Examples 2-1 to 2-5 were prepared using the ingredients shown in Table 4, and otherwise in the same manner as in Test Example 1. Note that Preparation Example 2-1 used the same ingredients and cooking method as Preparation Example 1-1 of Test Example 1.

The resulting pasta dishes were subjected to a sensory evaluation of saltiness in the same manner as in Test Example 1, except that rapeseed oil was used as the first oil composition and olive oil was used as the second oil composition, and the saltiness was compared with that when neither rice oil nor rice bran fatty acid was added. The results are shown in Table 5.

As a result, as can be seen from the results of Preparation Examples 2-2 to 2-4, by adding rice bran fatty acids at a ratio of 3, 5, or 10% by mass to the oil and fat composition used for stir-frying with garlic and adding rice bran fatty acids at a ratio of 0.18% by mass to 0.58% by mass to the total mass of the cooked peperoncino, the saltiness of the cooked peperoncino was enhanced compared to Preparation Example 2-1 where no rice bran fatty acids were added. Also, as can be seen from the results of Preparation Example 2-5, when rice bran fatty acids were used in preparing an oil and fat composition using soybean oil as the base oil instead of rapeseed oil, the saltiness was also enhanced.

<Test Example 3>
Fried rice was prepared using the ingredients shown in Table 6 and following the steps (a) to (e) below. The rice bran fatty acid used was solid at room temperature, and was heated to 60°C, and then added in a predetermined amount to rapeseed oil and stirred to dissolve, to prepare an oil and fat composition having the composition shown in Table 6.

(a) The oil and fat composition shown in Table 6 was prepared and placed in a frying pan, and heated at temperature intensity 5 using an IH heater until the oil and fat composition reached 200°C.
(b) After 10 seconds, beaten egg and cooked rice that had been heated in a 600 W microwave for 2 minutes were added, in that order, to the frying pan in (a).
(c) Heat with mixing for 60 seconds.
(d) Add green onions to the frying pan (c) and stir fry for 30 seconds.
(e) In the frying pan (d), salt, pepper, and Chinese soup base were added and fried for 80 seconds to obtain the fried rice of Preparation Example 3-1 to Preparation Example 3-2. Then, the ingredients were mixed to obtain the pasta dishes of Preparation Example 1-1 to Preparation Example 1-7.

The fried rice thus obtained was subjected to a sensory evaluation of saltiness in comparison with a fried rice in which rapeseed oil was used as the oil and fat composition and neither soybean oil nor rice bran fatty acid was added. The evaluation was performed by two expert panelists according to the following scoring criteria, and the average of the sensory evaluation scores of all the panelists was calculated. The results are shown in Table 7.
+6: Much stronger than the control +5: Much stronger than the control +4: Stronger than the control +3: Relatively stronger than the control +2: Slightly stronger than the control +1: Slightly stronger than the control 0: Equivalent to the control -1: Slightly weaker than the control -2: Weaker than the control -3: Much weaker than the control

As a result, as can be seen from the results of Preparation Example 3-2, by adding rice bran fatty acids at a ratio of 0.054 mass% to the total mass of cooked fried rice, the salty taste of the cooked fried rice was enhanced compared to Preparation Example 3-1, where no rice bran fatty acids were added.

[Preparation Example 1]
The raw materials shown in Table 8 were mixed and spray-dried to obtain a powdered oil containing rice bran fatty acids.

40 g of the resulting powdered oil was mixed with 5 g of salt to prepare a composition for enhancing saltiness containing salty components.

Claims (11)

This edible oil and fat composition comprises edible oil and fat containing rice bran fatty acid, and is used for enhancing the saltiness of food by heating the edible oil and fat composition together with ingredients of the food during cooking . The edible fat and oil composition according to claim 1, comprising 0.008 parts by mass or more and 20 parts by mass or less of the rice bran fatty acid per 100 parts by mass of the edible fat and oil. The edible oil and fat composition according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a salty component. The edible fat and oil composition according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , which is used in foods cooked by heating. The method for producing food with enhanced saltiness comprises preparing rice bran fatty acid in the form of an edible oil and fat composition containing the rice bran fatty acid, heating the composition together with ingredients of the food during cooking, and incorporating the composition into the food. The method for producing a food with enhanced saltiness according to claim 5 , wherein the rice bran fatty acid is used in the form of an edible fat composition containing 0.008 parts by mass or more and 20 parts by mass or less of the rice bran fatty acid per 100 parts by mass of edible fat. 7. The method for producing a food with an enhanced saltiness according to claim 5 or 6 , wherein the edible oil and fat composition further contains a salty component. The method for producing a food with an enhanced saltiness according to any one of claims 5 to 7 , wherein the food is a cooked food. This method for enhancing the saltiness of food comprises preparing an edible oil and fat composition containing rice bran fatty acid, heating the composition together with ingredients of the food during cooking, and incorporating the composition into the food . The method for enhancing the saltiness of food according to claim 9 , wherein the rice bran fatty acid is used in the form of an edible fat composition containing 0.008 parts by mass or more and 20 parts by mass or less of the rice bran fatty acid per 100 parts by mass of edible fat. 11. The method for enhancing the saltiness of food according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the food is a cooked food .