JP7797784B2 - Plastic fat composition containing DHA and EPA and method for producing same - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a plastic oil composition containing DHA and EPA, and a method for producing the same.

Patent Document 1 is an application relating to a plastic oil and fat composition containing DHA and EPA. It states that "by mixing an aqueous phase containing a specific amount of a water-soluble antioxidant and a carbohydrate with an oil and fat containing a relatively high concentration of highly unsaturated fatty acids, a plastic oil and fat composition can be obtained in which deterioration of flavor over time is suppressed and which has excellent long-term storage stability."
Non-Patent Document 1 describes, as one embodiment of a method for producing margarine or the like, mixing of some raw materials after passing through a cooling scraping and kneading device.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-225381

"Margarine, Shortening, Lard" by Kimitoshi Nakazawa, p. 32, Korin Co., Ltd., July 25, 1979

The objective of the present invention is to strongly suppress the generation of off-flavors in plastic oil and fat compositions containing DHA and EPA, and to provide a method for producing plastic oil and fat compositions in which off-flavors are strongly suppressed.

The present inventors have conducted extensive research to solve the problems.
The method of Patent Document 1 was able to suppress the off-flavors derived from DHA and EPA to a certain extent. However, it was thought that it was necessary to suppress the generation of off-flavors more strongly.
Non-Patent Document 1 is a book that comprehensively describes methods for producing plastic oil and fat compositions, but does not disclose plastic oil and fat compositions containing DHA or EPA or methods for suppressing the off-flavor thereof.

Further investigations by the present inventors revealed that, in a plastic oil composition containing DHA or EPA, the generation of off-flavors derived from DHA or EPA can be effectively suppressed by mixing a water-in-oil composition in which a polyphenol-containing aqueous phase is finely dispersed in an oil phase containing DHA or EPA to particles with a diameter of 300 nm or less with the plastic oil composition, leading to the completion of the present invention.

That is, the present invention provides:
(1) A plastic oil and fat composition in which the generation of off-flavors is suppressed, in which an aqueous phase A containing polyphenols is present in an oil phase in a finely dispersed state with a particle diameter of 300 nm or less, and DHA and EPA are contained in a total amount of 0.5 to 5% by mass;
(2) A method for producing a plastic oil and fat composition containing 0.5 to 5% by mass of DHA and EPA in total, and suppressing the generation of off-flavors, by the following steps:
1. A step of preparing an aqueous phase A containing polyphenols;
2. A step of finely dispersing the aqueous phase A of 1 in an oil phase A containing DHA and/or EPA to obtain a water-in-oil composition A with a particle size of 300 nm or less;
3. A step of mixing the water-in-oil composition A into the plastic oil-and-fat composition to obtain a plastic oil-and-fat composition containing 0.5 to 5% by mass in total of DHA and EPA;
(3) A method for suppressing the generation of off-flavors in a plastic oil and fat composition containing 0.5 to 5% by mass in total of DHA and EPA, by the following steps:
1. A step of preparing an aqueous phase A containing polyphenols;
2. A step of finely dispersing the aqueous phase of 1 in an oil phase A containing DHA and/or EPA to obtain a water-in-oil composition A with a particle size of 300 nm or less;
3. A step of mixing the water-in-oil composition A into the plastic oil-and-fat composition to obtain a plastic oil-and-fat composition containing 0.5 to 5% by mass in total of DHA and EPA;
It is related to.
In the above (2) 3, the "plastic oil composition" that first appears is prepared separately, and it may be prepared separately by a common method or may be a commercially available product. The key point is that the water-in-oil composition A is mixed with what has already become a "plastic oil composition." This also applies to the above (3) 3.

According to the present invention, the generation of off-flavors in plastic oil and fat compositions containing DHA and EPA can be significantly suppressed.

In the present invention, DHA is an abbreviation for docosahexaenoic acid, and EPA is an abbreviation for eicosapentaenoic acid.
In the present invention, for example, DHA-containing fats and oils refer to fats and oils that contain DHA as one or more constituent fatty acids of triglycerides.
DHA and EPA are sometimes referred to as PUFAs (polyunsaturated fatty acids), and fats and oils containing DHA and EPA are sometimes simply referred to as PUFA oils.

The present invention relates to a plastic oil composition containing DHA and/or EPA. The total amount of DHA and EPA in the plastic oil composition must be 0.5 to 5% by mass, more preferably 0.8 to 4% by mass, and even more preferably 1.2 to 3% by mass. By ensuring an appropriate total amount of DHA and EPA, it is possible to obtain a plastic oil composition in which the off-flavors derived from DHA and EPA are suppressed.

In the present invention, polyphenols are a general term for plant components that have multiple phenolic hydroxy groups (hydroxy groups bonded to aromatic rings such as benzene rings or naphthalene rings) within the molecule, and are used as water-soluble antioxidants. Specific examples include tea polyphenols, apple polyphenols, and grape polyphenols, with tea polyphenols being more preferable. In the present invention, the terms "tea extract" and "tea catechin" may be used to refer to components rich in tea polyphenols, "grape seed extract" to refer to components rich in grape polyphenols, and "apple extract" to refer to components rich in apple polyphenols, but these terms are interpreted as synonymous.

In the present invention, polyphenols are dissolved in water to form an aqueous phase. For convenience, this aqueous phase is referred to as aqueous phase A in the present invention. The amount of polyphenols in aqueous phase A is preferably 3 to 70% by mass. This amount is more preferably 10 to 50% by mass, and even more preferably 18 to 30% by mass. If the concentration of polyphenols in aqueous phase A is appropriate, it is possible to obtain a plastic oil composition containing DHA and EPA in which the off-flavors resulting from the oxidation of DHA and EPA are suppressed.

In addition to polyphenols, various water-soluble solids can be dissolved in the aqueous phase A to the extent that the effects of the present invention are not impaired. Specific examples include carbohydrates and proteins, and carbohydrates are preferred. Dissolving water-soluble solids other than polyphenols makes subsequent fine dispersion easier, and can more effectively suppress the generation of off-flavors in plastic oil and fat compositions containing DHA and EPA.
The amount of water-soluble solids in the aqueous phase A, together with the amount of polyphenols, is preferably 3 to 70% by mass, more preferably 20 to 65% by mass, and even more preferably 30 to 60% by mass. An appropriate amount of water-soluble solids in the aqueous phase A facilitates subsequent fine dispersion, and can more effectively suppress the generation of off-flavors in the water-in-oil emulsified oil and fat composition containing DHA and EPA.

The aqueous phase A is finely dispersed in the oil phase containing DHA and/or EPA to form particles with a diameter of 300 nm or less. For convenience, the oil phase containing DHA and/or EPA during the production process is referred to as oil phase A in the present invention.
In addition to the oils and fats containing DHA and/or EPA, other oils and fats and various components can be dissolved in the oil phase A within a range that does not impair the effects of the present invention. Specific examples include oil-soluble emulsifiers and oil-soluble antioxidants. In particular, the addition of an oil-soluble emulsifier is desirable for forming a stable water-in-oil composition with the aqueous phase A. For convenience, the water-in-oil composition obtained by dispersing the aqueous phase A in the oil phase A is referred to as the water-in-oil composition A in the present invention.
In the present invention, in addition to lecithin, emulsifiers with an HLB of 7 or less are defined as oil-soluble emulsifiers. Specific examples of oil-soluble emulsifiers include one or more selected from polyglycerol esters, sugar esters, sorbitan esters, and monoglycerol fatty acid esters. Polyglycerol esters, sugar esters, and distilled monoglycerides are more preferred, and polyglycerol esters are particularly preferred. Among these, polyglycerol condensed ricinoleate is most preferred. Polyglycerol condensed ricinoleate is sometimes abbreviated as PGPR. The use of an oil-soluble emulsifier can more effectively suppress the generation of off-flavors in plastic oil and fat compositions containing DHA and EPA.

The particle size of the aqueous phase A in the water-in-oil composition A is measured by the following method.
Device name: Zetasizer Nano S, manufacturer: Malvern Instruments Ten microliters of the oil or fat composition to be measured was diluted with 2 ml of hexane and measured.
(When measured one day after sample preparation, samples with a diameter exceeding 300 nm (i.e., precipitates) were deemed to have failed.)
Temperature: 20.0℃
Equilibration time: 240 seconds Cell: glass cell Measurement angle: 173°
Positioning method: Optimal position selection Automatic attenuation selection: Yes

In the present invention, the aqueous phase A must be present in the final plastic oil composition with a particle size of 300 nm or less. Therefore, the method for producing the plastic oil composition according to the present invention must be a method in which the water-in-oil composition A is finally mixed with a plastic oil composition prepared from other raw materials.
The production method will be explained in more detail below.

The plastic oil composition of the present invention is a plastic oil composition emulsified into a water-in-oil type, and specific examples include margarine, fat spreads, and shortening. Since the plastic oil composition of the present invention contains water-in-oil composition A, strictly speaking, all of the plastic oil compositions can be said to be water-in-oil type plastic oil compositions. However, the amount of aqueous phase A in the plastic oil composition of the present invention is very small. For example, shortening, which is generally considered to have no aqueous phase, is regulated by the JAS to have a water content of 0.5% or less, but the amount of water derived from aqueous phase A is much less than this. Therefore, in the present invention, the water derived from aqueous phase A is not taken into consideration when determining the classification of the final plastic oil composition.

Next, the method for producing the plastic fat composition according to the present invention will be explained with reference to an example.
In the present invention, polyphenols are dissolved in water to prepare an aqueous phase A. As described above, in addition to polyphenols, other water-soluble solids can be dissolved in the aqueous phase A as appropriate.
In the present invention, an oil phase A containing DHA and/or EPA is prepared. As described above, in addition to the oil containing DHA and/or EPA, other oils and fats or oil-soluble components can be dissolved in the oil phase A as appropriate. Here, it is desirable to use an oil-soluble emulsifier as the other oil-soluble component. Note that when the raw materials for the oil phase A are only the oil containing DHA and/or EPA, the oil containing DHA and/or EPA is synonymous with the oil phase A.

In the present invention, water-in-oil composition A is prepared by finely dispersing aqueous phase A in oil phase A. A commonly used emulsifier can be used to prepare water-in-oil composition A. Specifically, a high-pressure homogenizer, ultrasonic emulsifier, or two-liquid collision emulsifier also known as a wet jet mill can be used. By using an appropriate emulsifier, a water-in-oil composition A can be obtained in which the particle size of aqueous phase A is 300 nm or less. Note that typical emulsification conditions when using a high-pressure homogenizer are 30 to 40 MPa and 10 to 30 passes.

The present invention is characterized in that the obtained water-in-oil composition A is mixed with a separately prepared water-in-oil plastic oil composition to obtain a plastic oil composition containing 0.5 to 5 mass % of DHA and EPA in total.
Usually, when attempting to obtain a "plastic oil and fat composition containing 0.5 to 5% by mass in total of DHA and EPA," it is efficient to prepare an aqueous phase from water and water-soluble components for all raw materials, and an oil phase from oils and fats and components soluble in oils and fats, mix them, and feed them to a plastic oil and fat composition manufacturing apparatus. However, the inventors' investigations have revealed that this manufacturing method cannot sufficiently suppress the generation of unpleasant odors resulting from the oxidation of DHA and EPA.

The exact reason for the above phenomenon is unknown, but in the present invention, the emulsification state of the oil phase A containing DHA and EPA and the aqueous phase A containing the water-soluble antioxidant during the manufacturing stage is important, and it is thought that this is destroyed when the composition passes through the plastic oil composition manufacturing equipment, resulting in poor oxidation stability. However, when ascorbic acid is used instead of polyphenols as the water-soluble antioxidant, the generation of off-flavors cannot be sufficiently suppressed even when the manufacturing method of the present invention is adopted. Therefore, it is possible that the type of antioxidant used also has a related effect, but this is not clear at this stage.

The "separately prepared plastic oil and fat composition" may be a commercially available plastic oil and fat composition such as margarine or fat spread, or may be prepared by hand. When using a commercially available plastic oil and fat composition, the water-in-oil composition A is added to the plastic oil and fat composition so that the total amount of DHA and EPA is a predetermined amount, and the mixture is mixed. The mixing referred to here refers to stirring to an extent that does not destroy the emulsification of the plastic oil and fat composition and the water-in-oil composition A, and does not cause an unpleasant feeling when eaten as a plastic oil and fat composition. More specifically, a simple method involves manually mixing the plastic oil and fat composition and the water-in-oil composition A with a spatula. While a mixer or other agitator can be used, stirring that exceeds the melting point and destroys the emulsification should be avoided. Furthermore, stirring that involves passing the mixture through a scraped-surface heat exchanger, among other plastic oil and fat composition manufacturing equipment, should also be avoided. In particular, scraped-surface heat exchangers have a strong emulsifying power, and it is naturally understood that if water-in-oil composition A is passed through a scraped-surface heat exchanger that involves cooling, the emulsion will be destroyed.
In the following, as an example of preparing a plastic fat composition by oneself, explanation will be continued using margarine as an example. Note that margarine and fat spread are classified according to the fat content, have similar properties, and are produced by the same method.

In the production of margarine, water-soluble raw materials are mixed to prepare an aqueous phase. Needless to say, this aqueous phase is different from the aqueous phase A. For ease of understanding, this aqueous phase will be referred to as aqueous phase B. Furthermore, fats and oil-soluble raw materials are mixed to prepare an oil phase. For ease of understanding, this oil phase will be referred to as oil phase B.
Next, the aqueous phase B is added to the stirred oil phase B, and stirring is continued to form a semi-emulsion B. The semi-emulsion B is then fed to a scraped-surface heat exchanger. Examples of the scraped-surface heat exchanger include a combinator and a perfector.

In the production of a plastic fat composition, after passing through a scraped surface heat exchanger, the composition may be passed through a pin machine without a cooling function. However, in the present invention, the water-in-oil composition A can be added before or after passing through the pin machine, as long as it has passed through the scraped surface heat exchanger.
In the production method of the present invention, the plastic oil and fat composition to be mixed with the water-in-oil composition A refers, more specifically, to the state after passing through a scraped surface heat exchanger accompanied by cooling.

After the addition of the water-in-oil composition A, stirring is required to make the mixture uniform. Adding the water-in-oil composition A before passing through the pin machine is preferable because stirring is only required once.
In the present invention, a water-in-oil composition A is mixed with a water-in-oil plastic fat composition. Since both emulsion types are water-in-oil, it is expected that the oil phase, which is the continuous phase, will be integrated to some extent. However, it is estimated that the water phase A in the water-in-oil composition A will maintain its initial average particle size even after being mixed with the plastic fat composition, which is thought to be the reason for the effects of the present invention.
Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to examples.

Study 1 Preparation of water-in-oil composition A A composition was prepared according to the formulation in Table 1-1. The preparation method was in accordance with "Preparation method for water-in-oil composition A sample."

Table 1-1
・The tea polyphenol used was Pharma Foods'"Oishii Catechin PF-TP80." This product contains tea polyphenols as its main component.
・We used Sunbright's "GRAPE SEED EXTRACT" for grape polyphenols. This product contains grape-derived polyphenols as its main ingredient.
・The apple polyphenol used was "Applephenon SH" manufactured by Asahi Food & Health. This product contains apple polyphenol as its main ingredient.
- The emulsifier used was Sakamoto Pharmaceutical Industry's polyglycerin condensed ricinoleate "SY Glystar CRS-75."
- For the soybean oil, we used Fuji Oil's "Soybean White Oil."
-For TBHQ, we used "Amalfi Extend-OX TBHQ" made by Food Safe TECHNOLOGY.
- The PUFA oil used was an oil containing a total of 49.8% by mass of DHA and EPA.
In formulations containing an aqueous phase, the particle size of the aqueous phase in the water-in-oil emulsions was all 300 nm or less.

Preparation method 1 of water-in-oil composition sample A According to the formulation, raw materials classified as aqueous phase and oil phase were mixed and dissolved, respectively, to prepare an aqueous phase and an oil phase.
2. The water phase was mixed into the oil phase while stirring to form a semi-emulsion.
3. The mixture was passed through a high-pressure homogenizer at 30 to 40 MPa for 10 to 30 passes to obtain water-in-oil composition A.
For samples in which the formulation did not contain an aqueous phase, the description of the aqueous phase portion of the above procedure was ignored.

Study 2: Preparation and evaluation of plastic fat composition samples According to Table 2-1, a plastic fat composition sample was prepared by mixing a commercially available fat spread with a water-in-oil composition A sample. The preparation method was in accordance with "○ Preparation method for plastic fat composition samples."
The obtained plastic oil composition samples were evaluated according to the "Evaluation method for plastic oil composition samples." The results are shown in Table 2-2.

Evaluation method for plastic oil composition samples Each sample was stored in a refrigerator for 2 days after preparation, and then stored at 20°C, and subjected to a sensory evaluation over time. The sensory evaluation was conducted by a panel of three people based on the following criteria:
5 points: No strange odor.
4 points: A very slight odor is detected, but it is within the acceptable range.
3 points: A slight, but unacceptable odor is detected.
2 points: A distinct strange odor is detected.
1 point: A strong odor is detected.
A score of 4 or above on the 240th day was considered a pass.

Table 2-1 Formulation of plastic fat composition
- The commercially available fat spread used was "Neo Soft" manufactured by Snow Brand Co., Ltd.

Preparation method 1 of plastic fat composition samples Each water-in-oil composition A sample was added to a commercially available fat spread according to the formulation.
2. Using a spoon, gently stir to homogenize.
3 The mixture was placed in an 80 ml plastic container, the lid was closed, and the container was subjected to a storage test.

Table 2-2 Results

Discussion: Comparative Example 2-1 used TBHQ, a powerful antioxidant that is not approved in Japan. The flavor was good up to 60 days, but a distinct off-flavor was detected by 240 days, and the product was rejected.
Comparative Example 2-2 used vitamin C, which is commonly used as an antioxidant, but even after 7 days, a distinct unpleasant odor was detected and the product was rejected.
In Examples 2-1, 2-2, and 2-3, polyphenols were used as antioxidants, but all of them had a good flavor on the 240th day and passed the test.
Comparative Example 2-3 did not use any antioxidant, but a distinct nasty odor was detected on the 240th day and was therefore unacceptable.

When all raw materials were used, an aqueous phase was prepared from water and water-soluble substances, and an oil phase was prepared from oils and fats and substances soluble in oils and fats, and these were mixed and then passed through a scraped-surface heat exchanger (combinator) to prepare a plastic oil composition, the effect of suppressing the off-flavors resulting from the oxidation of DHA and EPA was weak, and the sensory evaluation was unsuccessful. Furthermore, since the particle diameter of the aqueous phase in the plastic oil composition prepared using a combinator was approximately 1 μm (= 1000 nm), the particle diameter of the above aqueous phase was considered to be at least 300 nm or greater.

From the above, it was confirmed that when preparing a plastic oil composition containing 0.5 to 5% by mass of DHA and EPA in total and suppressing the generation of off-flavors, a manufacturing method is required in which a water-in-oil composition A is prepared in which an aqueous phase A containing polyphenols is finely dispersed in an oil phase A containing DHA and/or EPA to particles with a diameter of 300 nm or less, and then this water-in-oil composition A is mixed with the plastic oil composition.

Study 3 Preparation of water-in-oil composition A sample 2
Compositions were prepared according to the formulations in Table 3-1. The preparation method was in accordance with "Preparation method 2 for water-in-oil composition A sample."

Table 3-1
- The catechin preparation used was "Sunphenon 90S," a tea extract manufactured by Taiyo Chemical.
- The emulsifier used was Sakamoto Pharmaceutical Industry's polyglycerin condensed ricinoleate "SY Glystar CRS-75."
- The PUFA oil used was an oil containing a total of 49.8% by mass of DHA and EPA.
The average particle size of D+1 was 72 nm for the composition according to Study 3-1 and 133 nm for the composition according to Study 3-2. No precipitation occurred in either case.

Preparation method 2 of water-in-oil composition A sample
1. According to the formulation, the raw materials classified as the water phase and oil phase were mixed and dissolved to prepare the water phase and oil phase, respectively.
2. The water phase was mixed into the oil phase while stirring to form a semi-emulsion.
3. The mixture was passed through a high-pressure homogenizer at 30 to 40 MPa for 10 to 30 passes to obtain water-in-oil composition A.

Study 4: Preparation and evaluation of plastic oil composition samples Plastic oil composition samples were prepared according to the formulations in Table 4-1. The preparation method was in accordance with "○ Preparation method 2 for plastic oil composition samples."
The obtained plastic oil and fat composition samples were evaluated according to "Evaluation method 2 for plastic oil and fat composition samples." The results are shown in Table 4-2.

Table 4-1 Formulation of plastic fat composition
The interesterified oil used was a mixture of interesterified oil with a melting point of 46°C and interesterified oil with a melting point of 33°C. The melting point was measured in accordance with the melting point (slope melting point) measurement method in the "Standard Methods for Analysis of Fats, Oils and Related Materials (1996 edition)" established by the Japan Oil Chemists' Society.
The emulsifier used was Emulgy P-100, a glycerin fatty acid ester manufactured by Riken Vitamin.
The composition is expressed as the total of the raw materials being 100% by mass, with the additives added on top of that.

Method 2 for preparing a plastic oil composition sample
"Preparation method for comparative examples 4-1 and 4-2"
1. According to the formula, refined salt and skim milk powder were added to water and dissolved to make the aqueous phase (aqueous phase B).
2. According to the formulation, rapeseed oil was mixed with interesterified oil melted at 60°C, and each water-in-oil composition A sample, PUFA oil and additives were further added to form an oil phase (oil phase B).
3. While stirring the oil phase B from 2, the water phase B from 1 was added, and further stirring was continued to form a substantially water-in-oil emulsion.
The approximate water-in-oil emulsion of 4.3 was fed to a scraped surface heat exchanger (combinator) to obtain a water-in-oil emulsion.
The combinator had two cooling towers, and the approximately water-in-oil emulsion at 40°C ± 5°C was cooled to 10°C ± 3°C at the outlet of the first cooling tower and to 10°C ± 3°C at the outlet of the second cooling tower to obtain a plastic oil composition sample.
5. 30 g was placed in an 80 ml plastic container and stored in a refrigerator for 2 days.
"Post-addition: Preparation methods of Example 4-1, Comparative Examples 4-3, 4-4, and 4-5"
1. According to the formula, refined salt and skim milk powder were added to water and dissolved to make the aqueous phase (aqueous phase B).
2. Rapeseed oil was mixed with interesterified oil melted at 60°C, and additives were further added to prepare an oil phase (oil phase B).
3. While stirring the oil phase B from 2, the water phase B from 1 was added, and further stirring was continued to form a substantially water-in-oil emulsion.
The approximately water-in-oil emulsion of 4.3 was fed to a scraping-type heat exchanger (combinator) to obtain a plastic oil composition. (The conditions for the combinator were the same as those in "Preparation methods of Comparative Examples 4-1 and 4-2.")
The "water-in-oil composition A sample" or "PUFA oil" was added to the plastic oil composition of 5.4, and the mixture was stirred by hand to homogenize, thereby obtaining a plastic oil composition sample. In Comparative Example 4-4, nothing was added, and only the stirring operation was performed.
6. 30 g was placed in an 80 ml plastic container and stored in a refrigerator for 2 days.

Evaluation method 2 for plastic oil composition samples
Each sample was stored in a refrigerator for 2 days after preparation, and then stored at 10°C, and subjected to sensory evaluation over time.
The sensory evaluation was carried out by a panel of three people who are regularly involved in the development of water-in-oil type plastic fat compositions, and was conducted according to the following criteria.
5 points: No strange odor.
4 points: A very slight odor is detected, but it is within the acceptable range.
3 points: A slight, but unacceptable odor is detected.
2 points: A distinct strange odor is detected.
1 point: A strong odor is detected.
A score of 4 or higher on the 63rd day evaluation was considered to be a pass.

Table 4-2 Results

Discussion: In Example 4-1, polyphenols were used as antioxidants, and a composition containing PUFA oil was added to a plastic oil composition afterward. This successfully suppressed the occurrence of off-flavors derived from highly unsaturated fatty acids.
Comparative Example 4-1 was scored as 3 points on the 63rd day, and the off-flavor was suppressed more effectively than Comparative Examples 4-2 and 4-3, which used ascorbic acid as an antioxidant.
In other words, the use of polyphenols as antioxidants was found to have a certain effect. Based on the production method, it was estimated that the particle size of aqueous phase A was greater than 300 nm.
In Comparative Example 4-3, ascorbic acid was used as the antioxidant and a composition containing PUFA oil was added later to a plastic oil and fat composition, but the generation of off-flavors derived from highly unsaturated fatty acids could not be suppressed. In other words, the generation of off-flavors derived from highly unsaturated fatty acids could not be suppressed simply by adding a composition containing PUFA oil later to a plastic oil and fat composition.

Study 5 Preparation of water-in-oil composition A sample 3
A water-in-oil composition A was prepared according to the formulation in Table 5-1. The preparation method was in accordance with "Preparation method 2 for water-in-oil composition A sample."

Table 5-1
- The catechin preparation used was "Sunphenon 90S," a tea extract manufactured by Taiyo Chemical.
- The emulsifier used was Sakamoto Pharmaceutical Industry's polyglycerin condensed ricinoleate "SY Glystar CRS-75."
The PUFA oil used was an oil containing a total of 50% by mass of DHA and EPA.

Study 6: Preparation and evaluation of plastic fat composition samples Plastic fat composition samples were prepared according to the formulations in Table 6-1. The preparation method was in accordance with "○ Preparation method 3 for plastic fat composition samples."
The obtained plastic oil composition samples were evaluated according to "Evaluation method 3 for plastic oil composition samples." The results are shown in Table 6-2.

Table 6-1

- The commercially available spread used was Megmilk Snow Brand's Neosoft "Oishisa Shikkiri Half."
- The PUFA oil used was an oil containing a total of 42% by mass of DHA and EPA.
For the PUFA oil + TBHQ, an oil containing a total of 42% by mass of DHA and EPA to which 200 ppm of TBHQ was added was used.

Method 3 for preparing a plastic oil composition sample
1. A commercially available spread stored in a refrigerator was left to stand in an environment of 20°C for 15 minutes.
2. According to the formulation, each water-in-oil composition A, PUFA oil, and PUFA oil + TBHQ were added and mixed by hand until uniform.
30 g of the mixture was filled into a 2.80 ml plastic container and allowed to solidify in a refrigerator for 2 days.
3. The product was stored at 20°C and subjected to sensory evaluation over time.

Evaluation method 3 for plastic oil composition samples
Each sample was stored in a refrigerator for 2 days after preparation, and then stored at 20°C, and a sensory evaluation was performed on the 160th day.
The sensory evaluation was carried out by a panel of three people who are regularly involved in the development of water-in-oil type plastic fat compositions, and was conducted according to the following criteria.
5 points: No strange odor.
4 points: A very slight odor is detected, but it is within the acceptable range.
3 points: A slight, but unacceptable odor is detected.
2 points: A distinct strange odor is detected.
1 point: A strong odor is detected.
A score of 4 or above on the 160th day was considered a pass.

Table 6-2 Results

As shown in the discussion and results, when the aqueous phase A containing polyphenols was present in the oil phase in a finely dispersed state with a particle size of 300 nm or less, an improvement in the flavor of a plastic oil composition containing 0.5 to 5% by mass in total of DHA and EPA was observed.

Claims (2)

A method for producing a plastic oil and fat composition , which is any one of margarine, fat spread, and shortening, containing 0.5 to 5% by mass in total of DHA and EPA and is inhibited from generating off-flavors, by the following steps.
1. A step of preparing an aqueous phase A containing polyphenols.
2. A step of finely dispersing the aqueous phase A of 1 in an oil phase A containing DHA and/or EPA to obtain a water-in-oil composition A with a particle size of 300 nm or less.
3. A step of mixing the water-in-oil composition A with the plastic oil-and-fat composition to obtain a plastic oil-and-fat composition containing 0.5 to 5% by mass in total of DHA and EPA, in which the water-in-oil composition A is added to the plastic oil-and-fat composition, and the mixing is carried out to an extent that does not destroy the emulsified state of the plastic oil-and-fat composition and the water-in-oil composition A. A method for suppressing the generation of off-flavors in a plastic oil and fat composition, such as margarine, fat spread, or shortening, containing 0.5 to 5% by mass in total of DHA and EPA, by the following steps:
1. A step of preparing an aqueous phase A containing polyphenols.
2. A step of finely dispersing the aqueous phase of 1 in an oil phase A containing DHA and/or EPA to form a water-in-oil composition A with a particle size of 300 nm or less.
3. A step of mixing the water-in-oil composition A with the plastic oil-and-fat composition to obtain a plastic oil-and-fat composition containing 0.5 to 5% by mass in total of DHA and EPA, in which the water-in-oil composition A is added to the plastic oil-and-fat composition, and the mixing is carried out to an extent that does not destroy the emulsified state of the plastic oil-and-fat composition and the water-in-oil composition A.