JP7708569B2 - Food and drink and its manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to food and beverage products and their manufacturing methods.

In recent years, with the rise in health consciousness, processed foods and beverages such as bread, baked goods, and noodles are being produced using grain husks such as wheat bran, which are rich in nutrients such as dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals, as well as functional ingredients and have a good flavor. Although such grain husks can give the consumer a good grain-like flavor, they can also produce a bitter taste unique to the husks, so technology to reduce the bitterness is desired.

Patent Document 1 discloses a deodorant whose active ingredient is a palatinose thermal decomposition product obtained by heating palatinose. The same document also discloses that this deodorant can be added to food and beverages.

Patent Document 2 discloses a taste modifier whose active ingredient is a heated product obtained by heating palatinose from 140°C to 200°C. The same document also discloses that this taste modifier can be contained in food and beverages.

Patent Document 3 discloses a method for masking an unpleasant taste by adding processed sugars, processed plants, and cyclodextrin to a food product containing phytic acid.

JP 2001-521 A JP 2004-2241 A JP2019-135959A

However, the technologies in Patent Documents 1 to 3 all leave room for further improvement in terms of obtaining foods and beverages that can both emphasize the good flavor specific to grains and reduce the bitterness.

Therefore, the objective of the present invention is to provide a food or drink that has a less bitter taste and can emphasize the good flavor specific to grains, and a method for producing the same.

The present invention provides a food or drink that contains the outer husk of a grass family grain and heat-treated palatinose.

The present invention also provides a method for producing food and beverages using the outer husks of a cereal grain of the family Gramineae and the heat-treated palatinose as raw materials.

The present invention provides foods and beverages that are less bitter and emphasize the pleasant flavor unique to grains.

The present invention will be described below based on its preferred embodiments. In the following description, when it is stated that "X to Y[Z]" (X and Y are arbitrary numbers and [Z] is an arbitrary unit), it means "X[Z] or more and Y[Z] or less" unless otherwise specified.

The food and drink of the present invention includes the husk of a Gramineae grain. Gramineae grains include, for example, wheat, barley, oats (oats), rye, and other wheat, rice, corn, sorghum, barnyard millet, foxtail millet, and millet. Generally, the above-mentioned Gramineae grains have a caryopsis (grain), which is broadly divided into an endosperm, an outer skin (outer skin and seed coat), and a germ (embryo). The outer skin-derived fraction obtained by crushing such grains and removing the endosperm and germ constitutes the Gramineae grain husk of the present invention.

Among the above-mentioned Gramineae grains, barley and wheat are preferred, wheat and wheat are more preferred, and wheat is even more preferred, from the viewpoints of ease of handling during processing of food and beverages, expression of a good grain-like flavor, and health promotion.

Taking wheat, which is a suitable form of a cereal grain, as an example, the fraction derived from the husk obtained by crushing wheat kernels and removing the endosperm and germ is wheat bran, which is a suitable form of a cereal husk. Wheat bran is useful from the standpoint of ease of handling during processing of food and beverages, expression of a good cereal-like flavor, and health promotion. Furthermore, when mixed with cereal flours other than wheat bran, which will be described later, the flavor and texture of the resulting food and beverages are further improved.

In this specification, wheat bran includes both wheat bran products that use the fraction derived from the outer skin as is, and wheat bran processed products in which the fraction has been further subjected to grinding, classification, heat treatment, etc.

The husks of the grass family grains are preferably subjected to heat treatment such as dry heat treatment and moist heat treatment, and more preferably moist heat treatment. By subjecting them to such heat treatment, the processability during the production of food and beverage products is further improved. In addition, the resulting food and beverage products have a pronounced, favorable grain-like flavor and a more favorable texture.

The content of the Gramineae grain husk in the food or drink, calculated as a dry mass, is preferably 1.5 to 65% by mass, more preferably 5 to 65% by mass, and even more preferably 8 to 63% by mass, relative to the dry mass of the food or drink. By providing such a content of Gramineae grain husk, it is possible to obtain a food or drink that allows efficient intake of dietary fiber derived from bran and minerals such as magnesium and iron.
In this specification, the dry mass is the mass based on the Analysis Manual of the 2015 Edition (7th Revised Edition) of the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan, and refers to the mass obtained by subtracting the water content measured by the method described in the manual from the total mass of the object to be measured.

The food and drink of the present invention includes a heat-treated palatinose product. The heat-treated palatinose product is obtained by heat-treating palatinose, a reducing disaccharide, together with water, preferably at 140°C or higher and 200°C or lower. In other words, the heat-treated palatinose product is a product that has already been heat-treated and is used as a raw material for the food and drink. Therefore, palatinose that is made by using unheated palatinose as a raw material in the manufacturing process of the food and drink and then heat-treated in the manufacturing process is excluded from the heat-treated palatinose product of the present invention. The heat-treated palatinose product described above can also be a commercially available product (e.g., manufactured by Lotte Co., Ltd. or Mitsubishi Corporation Foodtech Co., Ltd.).

The content of the heat-treated palatinose in the food or drink, calculated as a dry mass, is preferably 0.02 to 12% by mass, more preferably 0.03 to 11.5% by mass, relative to the dry mass of the food or drink.
It is possible to obtain food and drink products that reduce the bitterness peculiar to the grain husk and further emphasize the flavor peculiar to the grain. Furthermore, when bakery foods described later are produced as food and drink products, the flexibility at the time of consumption is improved.

Below, a detailed explanation will be given of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, taking as an example the case where wheat is used as the grass family grain and wheat bran is used as the grass family grain husk. In the following explanation, unless otherwise specified, the content of a component in wheat bran refers to the amount in a non-dried state, i.e., when the wheat bran contains 3 to 15% moisture by mass. This moisture content can be measured based on the above manual.

Wheat is broadly divided into two types, red wheat and white wheat, according to the color observed when the grain is visually observed. Red wheat is wheat that contains a red pigment in the outer skin, and when the wheat grain is visually observed, it is observed as red, reddish brown, or brown. On the other hand, white wheat is wheat that does not contain a red pigment in the outer skin, and when the wheat grain is visually observed, it is observed as white or pale yellow. The wheat bran in the present invention may be derived from red wheat, may be derived from white wheat, or may be a mixture of these.
Among these, it is preferable to use white wheat as the raw material for wheat bran. By using white wheat, the processing suitability of food and drink can be improved, and the obtained processed products have a good flavor and a smooth texture due to a reduction in unpleasant tastes such as bitterness and astringency derived from wheat bran, which is the wheat outer skin, and also have an excellent appearance.

Specific examples of white wheat that can be used in the present invention include, for ordinary wheat, Australian Standard White (ASW, produced in Australia), Prime Hard (PH, produced in Australia), Soft White (SW, produced in the United States), Western White (WW, produced in the United States), and durum wheat (produced in various countries around the world). These white wheats can be appropriately selected, for example, based on genetic characteristics.

When wheat bran is used to produce food and drink products, from the viewpoint of imparting a smooth and good texture to the resulting food and drink products, the wheat bran preferably has an average particle size of 10 to 750 μm, more preferably 20 to 500 μm, even more preferably 25 to 250 μm, and even more preferably 25 to 100 μm. In the present invention, the average particle size refers to the volume cumulative particle size D50 at 50% cumulative volume when measured in a dry state using a laser diffraction scattering type particle size distribution measuring device (for example, the "Microtrack Particle Size Distribution Measuring Device 9200FRA" manufactured by Nikkiso Co., Ltd.).

Below, one embodiment of a method for producing food and beverage products is described. This production method uses the husks of a grass family grain and heat-treated palatinose as raw materials to produce food and beverage products, and typically includes a step of obtaining a mixture of the grass family grain husks and the heat-treated palatinose. In the following explanation, a suitable method for producing food and beverage products is described using, as an example, wheat as the grass family grain and wheat bran as the grass family grain husks.

First, the wheat kernels used as the raw material are pulverized, and the endosperm and germ are separated to obtain wheat bran, which is the outer husk of the grain. The wheat kernels used for pulverization may be conditioned by adding water to the kernels, or may be pulverized without adding water and conditioning. There are no particular limitations on the method for extracting the wheat bran fraction from the pulverized grains. For example, a method can be used in which the pulverized grains are separated into a wheat bran fraction and other components by a known classification method such as sieving, and the wheat bran fraction can be extracted.

The grains can be ground by a grinding method commonly used in the present technical field, such as roll grinding, impact grinding, airflow grinding, etc. The grains can be ground only once, or multiple times by the same or different grinding methods. For example, roll grinding and impact grinding can be combined and performed in this order, or roll grinding can be performed multiple times in multiple stages. The grinder used for impact grinding is not particularly limited as long as it grinds by mechanical impact between an impact plate and a rotating rotor. From the viewpoint of simultaneously improving the grain grinding efficiency and the bran separation efficiency, it is preferable to adopt roll grinding.

The wheat bran fraction thus obtained may be used as it is as wheat bran without heat treatment as an ingredient in food and beverages, or the processed product obtained after heat treatment may be used as wheat bran as an ingredient in food and beverages.

The wheat bran obtained by the above-mentioned method is preferably heat-treated. By undergoing a heat treatment process, the activity of various enzymes such as amylase and protease can be reduced or inactivated, which is particularly advantageous in that it can further improve the processability and texture of foods and beverages.

When dry heat treatment is used as the heat treatment, the wheat bran is preferably heated to a temperature of 80 to 200°C, more preferably 90 to 150°C, and the treatment is preferably performed for 1 to 120 minutes, more preferably 3 to 50 minutes. Dry heat treatment can be performed by introducing the wheat bran into an apparatus having a configuration similar to that of the heat treatment stirring apparatus described in JP 2004-9022 A, for example, and heating the bran to the above temperature and time. This heat treatment stirring apparatus is equipped with a cylindrical container that contains the material to be treated, a hollow rotating shaft provided inside the container, a hollow pipe screw formed in communication with the shaft, and a steam supply source that supplies steam into the rotating shaft and the pipe screw, and is configured to transmit heat generated by supplying steam into the rotating shaft and the pipe screw to the material to be treated via the rotating shaft and the pipe screw, thereby performing dry heat treatment.

When the heat treatment is performed as a moist heat treatment, the wheat bran is allowed to remain in a closed container into which steam is introduced so that the product temperature is preferably 80 to 110°C, more preferably 85 to 95°C, for 1 to 60 seconds, more preferably 3 to 30 seconds. The moist heat treatment can be performed, for example, by introducing the wheat bran to be treated and saturated steam into a powder/granule heating device described in Japanese Patent No. 2784505 so that the temperature and time are as described above. This powder/granule heating device is equipped with a cylindrical pressure vessel having an inlet for saturated steam and containing the product to be treated, and a stirring means having a plurality of rod-shaped blades on a rotating shaft with dimensions close to the inner diameter of the cylinder so that the powder/granule introduced from an inlet at one end of the vessel is stirred and transported toward an outlet at the other end of the vessel. In particular, by performing moist heat treatment, the processability is further improved, and the flavor and texture of the resulting food and drink are further improved.

From the viewpoint of efficiently obtaining fine wheat bran, the wheat bran may be further pulverized to obtain a finely pulverized product, or the wheat bran that has been subjected to the heat treatment may be pulverized to obtain a finely pulverized product. This pulverization process may be carried out, for example, by impact pulverization. The pulverization process may be carried out so that the proportion of the fraction with an average particle size of less than 200 μm relative to the total mass of the wheat bran is about 50 to 100 mass%, or may be carried out so that it is 70 to 100 mass%.

Through the above-mentioned process, wheat bran suitable as a raw material for the production of food and beverage products can be obtained. In particular, wheat kernels are pulverized to obtain a wheat bran fraction, and the fraction is then heat-treated to obtain wheat bran having various physical properties suitable as a raw material for food and beverage products. In addition, it is also suitable to finely pulverize the wheat bran or further classify it. The wheat bran obtained in this way is typically in a powder form.

Separately, a heat-treated palatinose product is prepared as a raw material. The heat-treated palatinose product can be obtained, for example, by heating a dispersion of unheated palatinose and water, preferably in a mass ratio of 4:1 to 5:1, at 140 to 200°C for 20 to 60 minutes under normal pressure. Alternatively, a commercially available product may be used. The heat-treated palatinose product used as a raw material is typically a powder.

Then, the wheat bran and the heat-treated palatinose are used as raw materials to produce food and beverage products. If necessary, flour or other raw materials other than the wheat bran and the heat-treated palatinose may be further used. Details of the flour and other raw materials will be described later.

Food and beverage products can be produced by, for example, mixing the wheat bran and heat-treated palatinose, and other raw materials as needed, and processing them, such as heating, as needed. The order in which the raw materials are mixed is not particularly limited, and they may be mixed simultaneously, or added and mixed in any order. The mixing method is not particularly limited as long as it is a method that can uniformly mix the raw materials to be mixed, and known mixing devices commonly used in this technical field can be used. In this way, a mixture for consumption is obtained that contains wheat bran and heat-treated palatinose, and, as needed, grain flour and other raw materials.

The mixture for consumption containing wheat bran and heat-treated palatinose can be used as a food or drink as it is.
Alternatively, from the viewpoint of highlighting the good flavor derived from the grain, it is also preferable to further mix flour other than wheat bran into the mixture. In particular, by using flour derived from the same grain as the grain husk used as the raw material, the fragrant flavor characteristic of the husk and the aroma and flavor characteristic of the endosperm and germ of the flour are combined, which is more preferable in that the good flavor characteristic of the grain can be further enhanced. Specifically, since wheat is a member of the Triticum genus of the Poaceae family, it is more preferable to use wheat-derived flour such as wheat flour in addition to wheat bran in order to enhance the sweet aroma and good flavor characteristic of the wheat endosperm derived from the wheat flour, combined with the fragrant flavor characteristic of wheat derived from the wheat bran. The amount of flour mixed in the entire mixture is preferably 5 to 98% by mass, more preferably 7 to 80% by mass, and even more preferably 10 to 70% by mass, calculated on a dry mass basis.

Furthermore, depending on the desired food or drink, the mixture containing wheat bran and heat-treated palatinose may further contain other ingredients in addition to cereal flour other than wheat bran.
Other raw materials include, for example, proteins such as gluten, starches such as unprocessed starch and processed starch (acetylated starch, etherified starch, acetate starch, crosslinked starch, oxidized starch, etc.), sugars such as sugar and oligosaccharides, fats and oils such as shortening, butter and margarine, fermentation bacteria such as yeast, yeast and lactic acid bacteria, salt, skim milk powder, thickeners, emulsifiers, pH adjusters, brine, spices and leavening agents. The mixture thus obtained is a so-called mix containing wheat bran and palatinose heat-treated product, and is preferably used as a raw material for powder. The content of each raw material in this mix can be appropriately adjusted according to the intended food or drink.

The amount of wheat bran mixed in the total mixture is preferably 1.5 to 65% by mass, more preferably 5 to 65% by mass, and even more preferably 8 to 63% by mass, calculated on a dry mass basis. By mixing the gracilis husk in such an amount, it is possible to obtain a food or drink that allows efficient intake of dietary fiber and minerals such as magnesium and iron.

The amount of heat-treated palatinose mixed into the total mixture is preferably 0.02 to 12% by mass, more preferably 0.03 to 11.5% by mass, calculated as the dry mass. By mixing the heat-treated palatinose in such an amount, the bitterness unique to the grain husk can be reduced and the unique flavor of the grain can be emphasized. In addition to the above two effects, in bakery foods, it is also possible to further improve flexibility.

The mass ratio (A1/A2) of the content A1 of the heat-treated palatinose product in terms of dry mass to the content A2 of wheat bran, which is the cereal outer skin, in terms of dry mass, is preferably 0.0005 to 0.5, more preferably 0.001 to 0.5, and even more preferably 0.001 to 0.4. By mixing the two at such a mixing ratio, it is possible to reduce unpleasant flavors such as bitterness and rough taste derived from grains without impairing the good flavor and texture derived from grains, and since the unpleasant flavor derived from the heat-treated palatinose product is unlikely to be expressed, the obtained food and drink effectively expresses the good flavor and texture derived from grains.

The mixture containing wheat bran and heat-treated palatinose can be further heat-treated to produce a processed food as a food or drink. In detail, wheat bran and heat-treated palatinose are mixed with one or more preparation liquids, preferably cereal flour such as wheat flour, water, milk, soy milk, whole eggs, egg whites, egg yolks, fresh cream, kansui, etc., simultaneously or in any order to obtain a clay-like dough (so-called dough) or a paste-like dough (so-called batter) as a mixture. The dough is then shaped to have the desired shape of the processed food, and the dough is dried, cooled or fermented as necessary, and then subjected to a heat treatment such as baking, steaming, frying or boiling to produce the processed food. The obtained processed food may be stored at room temperature, refrigerated or frozen, or eaten as is.

When using a wheat bran-containing mix to manufacture processed foods, the amount of preparation liquid added to the mix is preferably about 25 to 200 parts by mass per 100 parts by mass of the mix when water is used as the preparation liquid and about 50 to 500 parts by mass per 100 parts by mass of the mix when the dough is being prepared and when the dough is being prepared is a batter.

Food and drink products may be in the form of solid, semi-solid, or liquid. Specific examples of food include bakery foods, noodles, jelly-like foods, various snacks, chocolate, gum, candy, tablets, capsules, sauces eaten with other ingredients or dishes, soups intended to be eaten on their own, dairy products, frozen foods, instant foods, retort foods, various processed foods such as supplements, as well as seasonings and their ingredients.

Bakery foods are foods obtained by heat-treating the outer husks of grass cereals and palatinose, and also by using wheat flour and other cereal flour as ingredients, to which yeast, leavening agents (e.g. baking powder), water, eggs, milk and other preparation liquids, salt, sugar, fats and oils and other auxiliary ingredients are added as necessary to obtain fermented or non-fermented dough, which is then subjected to heat treatment such as baking, steaming, frying or boiling.
Examples of bakery foods include breads such as white bread, cooked bread, steamed bread, etc.; cakes such as sponge cake, pancakes, hotcakes, etc.; baked goods such as waffles, choux, biscuits, cookies, etc.; fried goods such as donuts, etc. Bakery foods containing the heat-treated product of Gramineae cereal husks and palatinose have excellent appearance, good flavor with little bitterness or harshness, a soft and good texture, and are expected to promote health.

When producing bakery foods as processed foods, which are a form of food and beverage, the mixed amount of wheat bran, calculated as dry mass, is more preferably 5 to 65% by mass, and even more preferably 8 to 63% by mass, of the dry mass of the desired processed food. In addition, the mixed amount of the palatinose heat-treated product, calculated as dry mass, is more preferably 0.03 to 11.5% by mass, of the dry mass of the desired processed food. By mixing wheat bran and the palatinose heat-treated product in the above amounts, respectively, the bitterness derived from the grain husk is reduced, and the inherent sweet aroma and fragrant flavor of grains such as wheat can be well expressed, resulting in a highly flexible bakery food.

The noodles refer to foods obtained by forming a dough containing the outer husks of a cereal grain of the family Gramineae and heat-treated palatinose, and also containing cereal flour such as wheat flour as ingredients, adding a preparation liquid such as water to these and kneading them, or by drying the resulting product (dried noodles), and further by cooking the same with heat (for example, boiling). Methods for forming the dough can include roll-making including processes such as rolling, compounding and cutting, extrusion, or a combination of these.
Specific examples of noodles include soba, Chinese noodles, tsukemen, yakisoba, somen, hiyamugi, udon, pasta, and noodle skins.
The noodles containing the heat-treated cereal husks and palatinose have a good flavor with less bitterness and harshness, and are expected to promote health.

When producing noodles as a processed food, which is a form of food and drink, the mixed amount of wheat bran, calculated as a dry mass, is more preferably 5 to 65% by mass, and even more preferably 8 to 63% by mass, of the dry mass of the desired processed food. In addition, the mixed amount of the palatinose heat-treated product, calculated as a dry mass, is more preferably 0.03 to 11.5% by mass, of the dry mass of the desired processed food. By mixing the wheat bran and the palatinose heat-treated product in the above amounts, respectively, the bitterness derived from the grain husk is reduced, and noodles that express the inherent sweet aroma of grains such as wheat can be obtained.

Retort foods are foods obtained by subjecting an edible mixture sealed in a container to a retort process (pressure-heat sterilization process). Examples of edible mixtures packaged in containers include sauces and soups. The retort process can be carried out under normal heating conditions used in this technical field.

The container used to seal and package the edible mixture is not particularly limited as long as it is in a sealable form, and may be a bag or molded body made of plastic, glass, metal, or a combination of these, and more specifically, may be a plastic container, a bottle, a can, a pouch container, etc.

Compared to bakery foods and noodles that are heat-treated under open conditions, retort foods that contain grain husks such as wheat bran are more likely to retain unpleasant tastes and odors, such as the bitterness derived from the grain husks, and are more likely to affect the quality of the food due to the appearance of unpleasant flavors derived from the grain husks. In this regard, according to the present invention, by adding a heat-treated palatinose product to a retort food, the resulting retort food effectively reduces unpleasant flavors, such as the bitterness derived from the grain husks, effectively expresses good flavors derived from other ingredients, and is expected to promote health.

When producing a retort food as a processed food, which is a form of food and drink, the mixed amount of wheat bran, calculated as a dry mass, is more preferably 5 to 65% by mass, and even more preferably 8 to 63% by mass, of the dry mass of the desired processed food. In addition, the mixed amount of the palatinose heat-treated product, calculated as a dry mass, is more preferably 0.03 to 11.5% by mass, of the dry mass of the desired processed food. By mixing the wheat bran and the palatinose heat-treated product in the above amounts, the perception of astringency by the consumer is significantly reduced, even if the astringency derived from the grain husk is unintentionally trapped inside the packaging container, and a retort food with excellent flavor derived from the other ingredients can be obtained.

The mixture containing wheat bran and heat-treated palatinose can also be used to produce a processed beverage as a food or drink. In detail, the drinking mixture containing wheat bran and heat-treated palatinose can be added simultaneously or in any order to a drinking liquid such as water, milk, soy milk, fruit juice, vegetable juice, tea, or coffee, and dispersed or dissolved to produce a processed beverage. The resulting processed beverage can be stored at room temperature, refrigerated or frozen, heat-treated, or consumed as is.

Specific examples of the above-mentioned food and beverage forms include processed beverages such as tea drinks, coffee drinks, milk drinks, fruit juice drinks, carbonated drinks, alcoholic drinks, and soft drinks.

As described above, foods and beverages containing wheat bran or other grass flour husks and heat-treated palatinose can emphasize the good flavors such as sweet aroma and savory taste derived from grains while reducing unpleasant tastes and flavors such as bitterness derived from the flour husks. Furthermore, by further containing grain flour such as wheat flour in addition to wheat bran or other grass flour husks and heat-treated palatinose, it is possible to further emphasize the good flavors such as sweet aroma and savory taste derived from grains, and to obtain foods and beverages, preferably processed foods, with good texture and flavor. Furthermore, according to a preferred embodiment in which wheat bran is used as the grass flour husks, the processing suitability, appearance, flavor and texture are improved, and the health-promoting effects of ingesting dietary fiber and minerals such as magnesium and iron can be efficiently exerted.

The present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited to the following examples. In the following tables, unless otherwise specified, "per dry mass" refers to the mass ratio, calculated as the dry mass of the raw materials used, to the dry mass of the target food or beverage.

[Example 1 and Comparative Examples 1 to 4: Presence or Absence of Heat-Treated Palatinose]
In Example 1 and Comparative Examples 1 to 4, the influence of the presence or absence of heat-treated palatinose on the flavor and texture of food was evaluated.

Grass cereal husks were obtained in the following manner.
As the cereal grain, white wheat ASW was used, which was carefully selected and pulverized in a roll mill, and the pulverized product was classified using a sieve with an opening of 200 μm, and the wheat bran fraction was collected as the residue on the sieve. Next, the collected wheat bran fraction was impact-pulverized using a turbo mill (manufactured by Tokyo Flour Mills Co., Ltd.), and then the pulverized product was subjected to moist heat treatment at a product temperature of 90 ° C. for 5 seconds while introducing saturated steam using a powder and grain heating device described in Patent No. 2784505. Next, the pulverized product after the moist heat treatment was finely pulverized using an impact type fine pulverizer (ACM Pulverizer, manufactured by Hosokawa Micron Co., Ltd.), and then classified using a sieve with an opening of 150 μm, and the fraction with a particle size of less than 150 μm that passed through the sieve was collected to obtain powdered wheat bran as the cereal husk of the cereal grain (average particle size about 90 μm, moisture content 10% by mass). Hereinafter, the Gramineae cereal husk obtained by this method is also referred to as "moist heat-treated white wheat bran."

In addition, the following flavor-changing compounds were added so that the content of the compounds was 0.27% by mass, calculated as the dry mass, based on the dry mass of the pancakes.
Example 1: Heat-treated palatinose (heated palatinose, Lotte Co., Ltd.)
Comparative Example 1: Not contained Comparative Example 2: Palatinose (unheated) (Palatinose, Mitsui Sugar Co., Ltd.)
Comparative Example 3: Cyclodextrin (TB-50, Nihon Shokuhin Kako Co., Ltd.)
Comparative Example 4: Advantame (Sweet Up V-30, San-Ei Gen F.F.I. Co., Ltd.)

Next, the following steps (1) to (3) were carried out to produce pancakes as food and beverages (processed foods).
(1) The powdered raw materials below were mixed and sifted using a tea strainer or similar.
(2) In a bowl, the liquid ingredients containing the following ingredients and the powder ingredients were mixed by hand 120 times for 60 seconds, and the mixture was left to stand for 10 minutes at room temperature and normal pressure to obtain a paste-like dough.
(3) The batter was poured thinly onto a copper plate at 180°C, and each side of the batter was baked for 3 minutes to obtain pancakes.

The powder raw materials and liquid raw materials were used in the following parts by mass (non-dry mass). The mixing ratio of the flavor-changing compounds was as described above.
<Powder raw materials>
Moisture-treated white wheat bran 12.5
Wheat flour (weak flour) 26.87
Sugar 9
Salt 0.15
Leavening agent 0.58
pH adjuster 0.9
<Liquid raw materials>
Egg 12.5
Milk 37.5

[Evaluation upon eating]
The pancakes of Example 1 and Comparative Examples 1 to 4 were eaten by 10 expert panelists, who evaluated the bitterness, flavor (savory aroma and sweet aroma), and texture (softness) according to the following criteria, with Comparative Example 1 as the control example (each rated at 3 points). A higher arithmetic mean score indicates a more excellent effect. The arithmetic mean scores are shown in Table 1 below.

<Criteria for evaluating bitterness>
5 points: The bitterness from the grain husks is weaker than in the control example, and it is very good.
4 points: The bitterness derived from the grain husk is slightly weaker than in the control example, and the product is good.
3 points: The bitterness is equivalent to that of the control example and is not problematic.
2 points: The bitterness derived from the grain husks was slightly stronger than in the control example, and the product was poor quality.
1 point: The bitterness from the grain husks was stronger than in the control example, and the product was very poor.

<Flavor evaluation criteria>
5 points: The grain (wheat) flavor is stronger than in the control example, and the taste is very good.
4 points: The grain (wheat) flavor is slightly stronger than in the control example, and the taste is good.
3 points: Equivalent to the control example, with no problem with flavor.
2 points: The grain (wheat) flavor is slightly weaker than in the control example, and the flavor is poor.
1 point: The grain (wheat) flavor is weaker than in the control example, and the flavor is very poor.

<Flexibility evaluation criteria>
5 points: Feels more flexible than the control and has a very good texture.
4 points: Feels softer than the control and has a good texture.
3 points: The texture is equivalent to that of the control example and there is no problem with the texture.
2 points: Slightly harder than the control, with a poor texture.
1 point: Harder than the control, with a very poor texture.

[Examples 2 to 5 and Comparative Example 5: Bakery Food (1)]
Instead of the moist heat-treated white wheat bran, the following grass cereal husks were used:
As the cereal grain, red wheat 1CW was used, which was selected and pulverized in a roll mill, and the pulverized material was classified using a sieve with an opening of 200 μm, and the wheat bran fraction was collected as the residue on the sieve. This was heated for 25 minutes to a product temperature of 120° C. using a device with a configuration similar to that of the heat treatment stirring device described in JP-A-2004-9022, and dry heat treatment was performed to obtain powdered wheat bran (average particle size 250 μm, moisture content 10% by mass). Hereinafter, the cereal grain husk obtained by this method is also referred to as "dry heat treated red wheat bran".

The target pancake was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1, except that the dry-heat-treated red wheat bran and the palatinose-heat-treated product were prepared in the ratios shown in Table 2 below. The powder raw materials and liquid raw materials were used in the following parts by mass (non-dry mass). In addition, the palatinose-heat-treated product was blended so that the mass ratio of the palatinose-heat-treated product converted to a dry mass relative to the dry mass of the pancake was the value shown in Table 2. Note that since the amount of wheat bran blended in this example was constant, the content of wheat bran relatively decreased as the content of the palatinose-heat-treated product increased.
<Powder raw materials>
Dry heat treated red wheat bran 12.5
Wheat flour (weak flour) 26.87
Sugar 9
Salt 0.15
Leavening agent 0.58
pH adjuster 0.9
<Liquid raw materials>
Egg 12.5
Milk 37.5

The pancakes of Examples 2 to 5 were evaluated for bitterness, flavor (roasted and sweet aroma derived from wheat), and texture (softness) in the same manner as described above in [Evaluation at the time of eating], with Comparative Example 5, which did not contain heat-treated palatinose, as the control (each rated 3 points). The results are shown in Table 2 below.

[Examples 6 to 10: Bakery foods (2)]
The desired pancakes were obtained in the same manner as in Example 1, except that moist heat-treated white wheat bran was used instead of dry heat-treated red wheat bran, and the moist heat-treated white wheat bran and the heat-treated palatinose were prepared in the ratio shown in Table 3 below. The powder raw materials and liquid raw materials were used in the same mass ratio as in Example 2.
The pancakes of Examples 6 to 10 were evaluated for bitterness, flavor (savory and sweet aroma derived from wheat), and texture (softness) in the same manner as described above in [Evaluation at time of eating], with the pancakes of Comparative Example 1, which did not contain the heat-treated palatinose, as a control (3 points for each evaluation). The results are shown in Table 3 below. Table 3 shows the results of Comparative Example 1 again.

[Examples 11 to 13 and Comparative Example 6: Bakery Food (3)]
The following steps (1) to (5) were carried out to produce bread as a food or beverage (processed food).
(1) The ingredients were mixed in the following ratio and mixed in a mixer at 100 rpm for 4 minutes, at 200 rpm for 8 minutes, and at 280 rpm for 1 minute in that order to obtain a clay-like dough as an edible mixture.
(2) The obtained dough was fermented for 1 hour at 1 atmosphere, 27°C, and 75% RH.
(3) After fermentation, the dough was divided into portions of a predetermined volume and allowed to stand at 27° C. for 25 minutes.
(4) The dough from (3) was molded into a predetermined shape and fermented for 50 minutes at 1 atmosphere, 38° C., and 85% RH.
(5) The dough from (4) was baked at 217°C for 31 minutes.

The raw materials were used in the following parts by weight (non-dry weight). In addition, the palatinose heat-treated product was blended so that the mass ratio of the palatinose heat-treated product to the dry weight of the bread was the value shown in Table 4. In this example, the amount of wheat bran blended was constant, so that the content of wheat bran relatively decreased with an increase in the content of the palatinose heat-treated product.
<Raw materials>
Moisture-treated white wheat bran 20
Wheat flour (strong flour) 80
Gluten 3
Bread quality improver 0.1
East 3
Salt 2
Sugar 8
Skim milk powder 2
Oil and fat 10
water 74

The bitterness and flavor (roasted and sweet aroma derived from wheat) of the breads of Examples 11 to 13 were evaluated in the same manner as described above in [Evaluation at the time of eating], with Comparative Example 6, which did not contain heat-treated palatinose, as the control (each rated at 3 points). The results are shown in Table 4 below.

[Examples 14 to 15 and Comparative Example 7: Noodles (1)]
Chinese noodles were produced as a food or beverage (processed food) by carrying out the following steps (1) to (3).
(1) The ingredients were mixed in the ratio shown below and kneaded in a noodle mixer at 90 rpm for 5 minutes and then at 60 rpm for 5 minutes to obtain noodle dough.
(2) The dough from (1) was combined and rolled in a conventional manner to form a noodle sheet having a thickness of about 1.5 mm, which was then cut to a thickness of 1.5 mm using a No. 20 square cutting blade to obtain raw noodles.
(3) The raw noodles of (2) were boiled in hot water at about 100°C for 90 seconds.

The raw materials were used in the following parts by mass (non-dry mass). In addition, the palatinose heat-treated product was blended so that the mass ratio of the palatinose heat-treated product to the dry mass of the Chinese noodles, calculated as the dry mass, was the value shown in Table 5. In this example, the amount of wheat bran blended was constant, so that the content of wheat bran relatively decreased with an increase in the content of the palatinose heat-treated product.
<Raw materials>
Moisture-treated white wheat bran 40
Wheat flour (semi-strong flour) 52
Gluten 8
Powdered kansui 1.5
1 Table salt
water 48

The Chinese noodles of Examples 14 and 15 were evaluated for bitterness and flavor (wheat-derived savory aroma and sweet aroma) in the same manner as described above in [Evaluation at time of eating], with Comparative Example 7, which did not contain heat-treated palatinose, as the control (each rated at 3 points). The results are shown in Table 5 below.

[Examples 16 to 20 and Comparative Example 8: Noodles (2)]
Buckwheat was produced as a food or drink (processed food) by carrying out the following steps (1) to (4).
(1) The ingredients were mixed in the following proportions and kneaded for 5 minutes at 32 rpm in a mixer to obtain a clay-like dough as an edible mixture.
(2) The obtained dough was rolled using a noodle roll to form a noodle band having a thickness of 3.0 mm. After compounding was performed twice, the dough was rolled in five stages by changing the roll gap in the order of 3.0 mm, 2.1 mm, 1.5 mm, 1.0 mm, and 0.7 mm so that the rolling ratio was 70%.
(3) The dough from (2) was cut with a 20mm square cutting blade to a thickness of 1.3 mm to obtain raw noodles.
(4) The raw noodles of (3) were boiled in hot water at about 100°C for 5 minutes.

The raw materials were used in the following parts by mass (non-dry mass). In addition, the palatinose heat-treated product was blended so that the mass ratio of the palatinose heat-treated product to the dry mass of buckwheat was the value shown in Table 6. In this example, the amount of wheat bran blended was constant, so that the content of wheat bran relatively decreased with an increase in the content of the palatinose heat-treated product.
<Raw materials>
Moisture-treated white wheat bran 25
Wheat flour (strong flour) 40
Buckwheat flour 30
Gluten 5
5% by weight salt solution 33

The bitterness and flavor (roasted and sweet aroma derived from wheat) of the soba noodles of Examples 16 to 20 were evaluated in the same manner as described above in [Evaluation at the time of eating], with Comparative Example 8, which did not contain heat-treated palatinose, as the control (each rated at 3 points). The results are shown in Table 6 below.

[Examples 21 to 24 and Comparative Example 9: Noodles (3)]
In accordance with the method described in Production Example 1 of WO 2018/021448, the following steps (1) to (3) were carried out to produce pasta as a food or drink (processed food).
(1) The ingredients were mixed in the following proportions and kneaded for 5 minutes at 80 rpm using a mixer to obtain a clay-like dough as an edible composition.
(2) The obtained dough was extruded under reduced pressure of -600 mmHg and a pressure of 120 kgf/ ^cm2 to obtain raw noodles with a thickness of 1.8 mm.
(3) The raw noodles of (2) were boiled in hot water at about 100°C for 5 minutes and then cooled in water.

The raw materials were used in the following parts by mass (non-dry mass). In addition, the palatinose heat-treated product was blended so that the mass ratio of the palatinose heat-treated product to the dry mass of the pasta, calculated as the dry mass, was the value shown in Table 7. In this example, the amount of wheat bran blended was kept constant, so that the content of wheat bran relatively decreased with an increase in the content of the palatinose heat-treated product.
<Raw materials>
Moisture-treated white wheat bran 70
Wheat flour (durum semolina) 125
Tapioca starch acetate 20
Gluten 8
Water 73.6

The bitterness and flavor (roasty and sweet aroma derived from wheat) of the pastas of Examples 21 to 24 were evaluated in the same manner as described above in [Evaluation at the time of eating], with Comparative Example 9, which did not contain heat-treated palatinose, as the control (each rated at 3 points). The results are shown in Table 7 below.

[Examples 25 to 31 and Comparative Example 10: Retort Foods]
The following steps (1) to (7) were carried out to produce a retort food (soup) as a food or drink (processed food).
(1) Wet heat treatment White wheat bran was dispersed in advance in twice the amount of water, and the heat-treated palatinose was added to this dispersion to prepare a first dispersion.
(2) Separately from (1) above, phytic acid was dissolved in advance in twice the amount of water to prepare a second solution.
(3) The first dispersion and tomato paste were placed in a pan and mixed.
(4) Next, the second solution and the remaining ingredients were placed in a pot and mixed to obtain an edible liquid as an edible composition.
(5) The edible liquid of (4) was heated to a product temperature of 80°C.
(6) The edible liquid of (5) was filled into a pouch container.
(7) The edible liquid packed in the pouch of (6) above was subjected to a retort treatment (123° C., 22 minutes).

The raw materials were used in the following parts by weight (non-dry weight). In addition, the palatinose heat-treated product was added so that the mass ratio of the palatinose heat-treated product to the dry weight of the soup was the value shown in Table 8. In this example, the amount of wheat bran added was constant, so that the content of wheat bran relatively decreased with an increase in the content of the palatinose heat-treated product.
<Raw materials>
Heat-moisture treated white wheat bran 8.5
Tomato paste 7
Seasonings and spices 2.1 (total)
Milk 10
Water 72.4

The bitterness of the soups of Examples 25 to 31 was evaluated in the same manner as described above for [Evaluation at the time of eating], with Comparative Example 10, which did not contain heat-treated palatinose, as the control (each rated 3 points). The results are shown in Table 8 below.

As shown in Tables 1 to 8, it can be seen that the bitterness of all foods and beverages containing wheat bran as the outer husk of a cereal grain and heat-treated palatinose is reduced. In particular, processed foods containing wheat flour, such as bakery foods and noodles, have a reduced bitterness derived from the bran, but the fragrant and sweet aroma derived from the wheat is not inhibited and is fully emphasized, making them foods that stimulate the appetite of the eater. It can also be seen that retort foods containing wheat bran are of high quality, with the bitterness reduced and the bitterness not easily perceived inside the food.

Claims (10)

A food or drink using as raw materials a cereal husk of the Gramineae family and a heat-treated product of isomaltulose ,
The food or drink contains 1.5 to 65% by mass of the grain husk in terms of dry mass, and 0.02 to 12% by mass of the isomaltulose heat-treated product in terms of dry mass,
A food or beverage in which the ratio of the content of the isomaltulose heat-treated product, calculated on a dry mass basis, to the content of the grain husk, calculated on a dry mass basis, is 0.001 or more and 0.4 or less. The food or drink according to claim 1, wherein the grain husk is wheat bran. The food or drink according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the grain husk has been heat-treated. The food or beverage according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the isomaltulose heat-treated product is obtained by heat-treating isomaltulose together with water at 140°C or higher and 200°C or lower. A method for producing a food or beverage using a cereal husk and a heat-treated product of isomaltulose as raw materials,
The method for producing a food or beverage comprises, in terms of dry mass, 1.5 to 65% by mass of the grain husks and 0.02 to 12% by mass of the isomaltulose heat-treated product, and the grain husks and the isomaltulose heat-treated product are used so that the mass ratio of the isomaltulose heat-treated product to the grain husks in the food or beverage is 0.001 to 0.4 in terms of dry mass. The method according to claim 5 , wherein wheat bran is used as the grain husk. 7. The method according to claim 5 or 6 , wherein the cereal husks are heat-treated. The method according to any one of claims 5 to 7 , wherein the mass ratio of the isomaltulose heat-treated product to the cereal husk is 0.0005 to 0.5 in terms of dry mass. The mixture obtained by further mixing wheat flour as a raw material is heat-treated,
The method according to any one of claims 5 to 8 , wherein the food or drink obtained is one or more processed foods selected from the group consisting of bakery foods, noodles, and retort foods. The method according to any one of claims 5 to 9, wherein the isomaltulose heat-treated product is obtained by heat-treating isomaltulose together with water at 140°C or higher and 200°C or lower.