JP7844466B2 - Spice flavor enhancers and methods for enhancing the spice flavor of food. - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to enhancers and methods for enhancing the flavor of spices contained in food.

Spices such as pepper, wasabi, chili peppers, and sansho pepper are known to add a stimulating and distinctive flavor to food, stimulating appetite. However, spices are generally expensive, making it difficult to incorporate them generously into food. Therefore, enhancing the flavor of spices was a pressing need.

Patent Document 1 describes a flavor enhancer for spicy foods containing a linear fatty acid or a linear fatty acid-containing substance as an active ingredient, selected from the group consisting of (i) at least one linear fatty acid of C8 to C18, (ii) a hydrolyzed oil containing at least one linear fatty acid, and (iii) an oil-containing food lipase-treated product containing at least one linear fatty acid. It is disclosed that this flavor enhancer can significantly enhance the spiciness of wasabi, mustard, and other spices.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 62-100258

However, while Patent Document 1 describes how at least one C8-C18 linear fatty acid and a hydrolyzed oil containing said linear fatty acid enhance the spiciness of wasabi and mustard and prolong the spiciness, it does not mention anything about enhancing the flavor of spices.

Furthermore, while Patent Document 1 discloses that the flavor enhancer provides spiciness enhancement and sustained spiciness not only to wasabi and mustard, but also to pepper, Japanese pepper, and ginger, it does not suggest that it enhances the flavor of pepper, Japanese pepper, and ginger.

Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a spice flavor enhancer that enhances the flavor of spices such as pepper, Japanese pepper, and ginger, and a method for enhancing the spice flavor of food.

The spice flavor enhancer and method for enhancing the spice flavor of food according to the present invention have the following characteristics: (1) to (5).
[1]
The spice flavor enhancer of the present invention comprises at least one active ingredient selected from the group consisting of a fatty acid mixture containing a total of 50% by mass or more of oleic acid and linoleic acid, and a product of the fatty acid mixture after hydrolysis.
[2]
The spice flavor enhancer of the present invention has a total content of oleic acid and linoleic acid of 65% by mass or more.
[3]
The spice flavor enhancer of the present invention further comprises edible oils and fats.
[4]
The spice flavor enhancer of the present invention is one or more edible oils selected from soybean oil, rapeseed oil, corn oil, and olive oil.
[5]
The present invention provides a method for enhancing the spice flavor of food, characterized by adding the spice flavor enhancers described in [1] to [4] to the food.
[6]
The present invention provides a method for enhancing the spice flavor of food products, characterized by adding 0.01 g to 80 g of the spice flavor enhancer per 1 g of spice.

The spice flavor enhancer of the present invention makes it possible to enhance the flavor of spices such as pepper, Japanese pepper, and ginger.

The present invention provides a method for enhancing the spice flavor of food products, which makes it possible to enhance the flavor of spices such as pepper, Japanese pepper, and ginger.

Specific embodiments of the spice flavor enhancer and method for enhancing the spice flavor of food according to the present invention are described below.

1. Spice Flavor Enhancer The spice flavor enhancer of the present invention comprises at least one active ingredient selected from the group consisting of a fatty acid mixture containing a total of 50% by mass or more of oleic acid and linoleic acid, and a product of the said fatty acid mixture that has been heated by hydration.

1-1. Fatty Acid Mixture The fatty acid mixture contains multiple types of fatty acids, and the total content of oleic acid and linoleic acid in the total fatty acid composition is 50% by mass or more, preferably 55% by mass or more, more preferably 60% by mass or more, and particularly preferably 65% by mass or more. The upper limit of the total content is not particularly limited, but for example, it is 95% by mass or less, preferably 90% by mass or less, and more preferably 88% by mass or less.

The oleic acid content in the fatty acid mixture is preferably 10% by mass or more and 80% by mass or less, more preferably 10% by mass or more and 60% by mass or less, even more preferably 15% by mass or more and 60% by mass or less, and particularly preferably 15% by mass or more and 40% by mass or less.

The linoleic acid content in the fatty acid mixture is preferably 4% by mass or more and 65% by mass or less, more preferably 16% by mass or more and 65% by mass or less, even more preferably 16% by mass or more and 60% by mass or less, and particularly preferably 30% by mass or more and 60% by mass or less.

The fatty acid mixture may also contain fatty acids other than oleic acid and linoleic acid, such as palmitic acid, stearic acid, linolenic acid, arachidonic acid, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). It is preferable that it contains at least one of linolenic acid and arachidonic acid, and more preferably linolenic acid.

Such fatty acid mixtures can be obtained by hydrolyzing edible oils and fats. Examples of edible oils and fats include vegetable oils such as soybean oil, rapeseed oil (including high-oleic acid type), corn oil, olive oil, palm olein, grapeseed oil, sesame oil, rice oil, perilla oil, and linseed oil. In the present invention, it is preferable to use one or more types selected from the group consisting of soybean oil, rapeseed oil, corn oil, and olive oil as the edible oil and fat, more preferably one or more types selected from the group consisting of soybean oil, rapeseed oil (excluding high-oleic acid type), and corn oil, even more preferably one or two types selected from soybean oil and rapeseed oil (excluding high-oleic acid type), and particularly preferably soybean oil. The edible oil and fat may be a single type or a mixture of two or more types. The rising melting point of the edible oil and fat is preferably 10°C or lower, and more preferably 0°C or lower. By setting such a rising melting point, the hydrolysis treatment can be carried out efficiently. The rising melting point can be measured in accordance with the standard oil and fat analysis test method (3.2.2.2-2013) established by the Japan Oil Chemists' Society.

The hydrolysis of edible oils and fats is not particularly limited as long as it is a method of breaking down edible oils and fats into a mixture of fatty acids and glycerol, and can be carried out by appropriately employing known techniques. Examples include the Twitchell method, catalytic decomposition at medium pressure (1 MPa to 4 MPa), decomposition at continuous high pressure (5 MPa to 6 MPa), and methods using hydrolytic enzymes. More specifically, hydrolysis comprises (1) the step of adding water to the edible oil and fat, and (2) the step of heating.

In the fatty acid mixture of the present invention, it is preferable to employ a method using a hydrolytic enzyme that utilizes lipase. The hydrolytic enzyme may be one type alone or two or more types in combination. The lipase is not particularly limited, but for example, it can be derived from microorganisms, animals, or plants, and it is preferable that it is derived from yeast.
When lipase is used as the hydrolytic enzyme, the hydrolysis temperature should be any temperature at which the lipase does not become inactive, preferably 20°C to 60°C, more preferably 25°C to 55°C, and even more preferably 30°C to 50°C. The decomposition time should preferably be 0.1 hours to 84 hours, more preferably 0.1 hours to 48 hours, even more preferably 0.2 hours to 48 hours, and particularly preferably 0.3 hours to 30 hours. The amount of hydrolytic enzyme added to the edible oil is preferably 0.1% by mass to 40% by mass. After hydrolysis, it is preferable to recover the fatty acid mixture by centrifugation, and it is even more preferable to wash the recovered fatty acid mixture with water and centrifuge it again.

The rate of fatty acid decomposition in the hydrolysis is not limited to 100%, but is preferably 60% to 100%, more preferably 85% to 100%, even more preferably 88% to 100%, and particularly preferably 90% to 100%.

The acid value of the fatty acid mixture is preferably between 150 and 220, and more preferably between 170 and 210. The acid value can be measured in accordance with the standard oil and fat analysis test method (2.3.1-2013 Acid Value) established by the Japan Oil Chemists' Society.

The fatty acid mixture content in the spice flavor enhancer of the present invention is preferably 0.1% by mass or more and 100% by mass or less, more preferably 0.1% by mass or more and 80% by mass or less, and even more preferably 0.5% by mass or more and 50% by mass or less.

1-2. Hydrolyzed product of the fatty acid mixture The hydrolyzed product of the fatty acid mixture (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as the "hydrolyzed product") is
The product contains multiple types of fatty acids, and the total content of oleic acid and linoleic acid in the total fatty acid composition is 50% by mass or more, preferably 55% by mass or more, more preferably 60% by mass or more, and particularly preferably 65% by mass or more. The upper limit of the total content is not particularly limited, but for example, it is 99% by mass or less, preferably 95% by mass or less, and more preferably 90% by mass or less.

The oleic acid content in the hydrolyzed product is preferably 10% by mass or more and 80% by mass or less, more preferably 10% by mass or more and 60% by mass or less, even more preferably 15% by mass or more and 60% by mass or less, and particularly preferably 15% by mass or more and 50% by mass or less.

The linoleic acid content in the hydrolyzed product is preferably 4% by mass or more and 70% by mass or less, more preferably 16% by mass or more and 70% by mass or less, even more preferably 16% by mass or more and 65% by mass or less, and particularly preferably 30% by mass or more and 65% by mass or less.

The fatty acid mixture may also contain fatty acids other than oleic acid and linoleic acid, such as palmitic acid, stearic acid, linolenic acid, arachidonic acid, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). It is preferable that it contains at least one of linolenic acid and arachidonic acid, and more preferably linolenic acid.

The hydrated and heated product can be obtained by the following manufacturing method, which includes (1) the step of adding water to a fatty acid mixture, and (2) the step of heating.

(1) Step of adding water to the fatty acid mixture The amount of water added is preferably 1 mg or more per gram of fatty acid mixture, more preferably 10 mg or more, even more preferably 100 mg or more, and particularly preferably 200 mg or more. There is no particular upper limit to the amount of water added.

(2) Heating process The heating process does not particularly limit the heating method, but from the viewpoint of production on an industrial scale, it is preferable to place the product in a suitable container such as a tank and then appropriately use heating means such as electric heating, direct flame burner, microwave, steam, or hot air heating provided in the container. The conditions for the heating process should be such that the content of oleic acid and linoleic acid falls within the range described above, and can be set as appropriate, but it is preferable that the heating temperature is 40°C to 300°C and the heating time is 0.1 hours to 10 hours, and it is more preferable that the heating temperature is 50°C to 250°C and the heating time is 0.1 hours to 2 hours.
Furthermore, the heating process is preferably carried out while applying a reduced pressure. The reduced pressure can be performed by appropriately selecting a known pump, for example, a reciprocating pump, a water-sealed pump, an oil rotary pump, a mechanical booster, a turbo molecular pump, a steam injector, an oil ejector, an oil diffusion pump, a mercury diffusion pump, a cryopump, or a sputter ion pump. The reduced pressure conditions are not particularly limited, but are preferably 0.1 Pa or more and 15,000 Pa or less, more preferably 10 Pa or more and 12,000 Pa or less, and even more preferably 500 Pa or more and 10,000 Pa or less.

The content of the hydrolyzed and heated product in the spice flavor enhancer of the present invention is preferably 0.1% by mass or more and 100% by mass or less, more preferably 0.1% by mass or more and 80% by mass or less, and even more preferably 0.5% by mass or more and 50% by mass or less.

1-3. Other Components In addition to the fatty acid mixture described above and the hydrolyzed and heated product of the fatty acid mixture, the spice flavor enhancer of the present invention may contain other components, to the extent that they do not impair the function of the present invention. Examples of other components include edible oils and fats, antioxidants, defoaming agents, emulsifiers, flavorings, and colorings.

The edible oils and fats are not particularly limited, but examples include vegetable oils such as soybean oil, rapeseed oil, palm oil, palm kernel oil, corn oil, sunflower oil, olive oil, cottonseed oil, safflower oil, linseed oil, sesame oil, rice oil, peanut oil, and coconut oil; animal oils such as lard, beef tallow, chicken tallow, and milk fat; medium-chain triglycerides; and processed oils and fats obtained by fractionation, hydrogenation, transesterification, etc. These edible oils and fats may be used individually or in combination of two or more. It is preferable that the edible oils and fats are contained in the spice flavor enhancer at a concentration of 50% by mass or more and 99.9% by mass or less.
The amounts of antioxidants, defoamers, emulsifiers, flavorings, colorants, etc., can be appropriately selected and adopted within the range typically found in edible oil and fat compositions.

According to the spice flavor enhancer of the present invention, it is possible to enhance the flavor of spices such as pepper, Japanese pepper, and ginger.

2. Method for enhancing the spice flavor of food The method for enhancing the spice flavor of food according to the present invention is to enhance the spice flavor of food by adding a spice flavor enhancer to food containing spices such as pepper, Japanese pepper, and ginger.

The explanation regarding the spice flavor enhancer is omitted as it is the same as that described in "1. Spice Flavor Enhancer".

The amount of spice flavor enhancer added is preferably 0.01 g to 80 g, more preferably 0.01 g to 60 g, and even more preferably 0.1 g to 55 g, of at least one selected from the fatty acid mixture and the hydrolyzed and heated fatty acid mixture, per 1 g of spice.

Furthermore, the amount of spice flavor enhancer added is preferably 0.1% by mass or more and 50% by mass or less in the food, more preferably 0.1% by mass or more and 40% by mass or less, even more preferably 0.3% by mass or more and 30% by mass or less, even more preferably 0.3% by mass or more and 20% by mass or less, and particularly preferably 0.3% by mass or more and 10% by mass or less.

This method for enhancing the spiciness of food according to the present invention makes it possible to enhance the flavor of spices such as pepper, Japanese pepper, and ginger.

Examples of the present invention are described below.

The materials used in this embodiment are listed below.
[Spice Flavor Enhancer]
Fatty acid mixture: Fatty acid TFA-130, manufactured by Tsukuno Group Co., Ltd., a fatty acid obtained by hydrolyzing soybean oil using lipase.
Hydrated and heated fatty acid mixture: In-house preparation, obtained by adding 63.65 kg of fatty acid TFA-1306.37 kg of water, followed by heating at a vacuum of 2700 Pa and a heating temperature of 140°C for 0.75 hours.
Rapeseed oil: AJINOMOTO Smooth Canola Oil, manufactured by J-Oil Mills Co., Ltd. [Fried rice]
Rice: Sato's Rice, manufactured by Sato Foods Co., Ltd. Pepper: Coarsely ground pepper, manufactured by S&B Foods Co., Ltd. Weipa: manufactured by Ariake Japan Co., Ltd. [Mapo Tofu, Ginger Soup]
Tofu: Shokutaku Kinu, manufactured by Sagamiya Foods Co., Ltd. Soy sauce: Hojun Koikuchi Shoyu, manufactured by Kikkoman Corporation Sesame oil: Junsei Gomayu, manufactured by J-Oil Mills Co., Ltd. Sweet bean paste: manufactured by Yuuki Foods Co., Ltd. Doubanjiang: Sichuan Doubanjiang, manufactured by Yuuki Foods Co., Ltd. Chicken stock: manufactured by Ajinomoto Co., Inc. Corn starch: Tamasaburo Corn Starch, manufactured by Kawamitsu Bussan Co., Ltd. Sansho pepper: Sansho powder, manufactured by S&B Foods Co., Ltd. Sichuan pepper: manufactured by S&B Foods Co., Ltd.

<Method for preparing spice flavor enhancers>
Prepared oil 1 or 2 as a spice flavor enhancer was obtained using the following formulation.
Prepared oil 1: A mixture of 1% by mass of fatty acid mixture and 99% by mass of rapeseed oil. Prepared oil 2: A mixture of 1% by mass of the hydrolyzed fatty acid mixture and 99% by mass of rapeseed oil.

<Fatty acid composition of the fatty acid mixture and the hydrated and heated product>
Table 1 shows the results of measuring the fatty acid composition of the fatty acid mixture used in this example and the product obtained by heating the fatty acid mixture with water. The fatty acid composition can be measured in accordance with the standard method for analyzing oils and fats (2.4.1.4-2013) established by the Japan Oil Chemists' Society.

As shown in Table 1, the total content of oleic acid and linoleic acid in the total fatty acid composition of the fatty acid mixture and the hydrolyzed fatty acid mixture used in this example was 77.6% by mass and 86.6% by mass, respectively.

<Example 1>
Fried rice was prepared using the formulations listed in Table 2, and its effect on enhancing pepper flavor was evaluated. The results are shown in Table 2.

[How to prepare fried rice]
The fried rice was prepared using the following procedure.
(1) Heat one pack of rice in a 500W microwave for 2 minutes, then mix in beaten egg, salt, pepper, and Weipa.
(2) The stainless steel frying pan was heated until the central surface temperature reached 200°C.
(3) Add the cooking oil prepared according to the proportions in Table 2 to a frying pan, mix well, and heat for 30 seconds.
(4) Put (1) into a frying pan and stir-fry for 2 minutes and 20 seconds to make fried rice.

[Evaluation Method]
The prepared fried rice was tasted by five trained professional panelists, who then scored it using the following evaluation criteria. The average of the five panelists' evaluations was calculated, and the results are shown in Table 2.
(Evaluation metrics)
1: Pepper flavor is weaker compared to control example 1-1. 2: Pepper flavor is the same as control example 1-1. 3: Pepper flavor is slightly stronger than control example 1-1. 4: Pepper flavor is much stronger than control example 1-1. 5: Pepper flavor is the same as double the amount of pepper (control example 1-3).

As shown in Table 2, the fried rice prepared in Examples 1-1 to 1-6 using stir-frying oil containing the spice flavor enhancer of the present invention all exhibited enhanced pepper flavor compared to Control Example 1-1.
In particular, the fried rice in Examples 1-5 had a stronger peppery flavor than the fried rice in Control Example 1-3, which had 1.5 times the amount of pepper added to the formulation of Control Example 1-1.

As shown in Examples 1-1 to 1-3, when a spice flavor enhancer containing a fatty acid mixture was used, the pepper flavor enhancement effect was obtained by adding 5 g to 50 g of prepared oil 1 per 1 g of pepper.
Furthermore, as shown in Examples 1-4 to 1-6, when a spice flavor enhancer containing a hydrolyzed fatty acid mixture was used, the pepper flavor enhancement effect was obtained by adding 5 g to 50 g of prepared oil 2 per 1 g of pepper.

As shown in Examples 1-1 to 1-6, adding 0.4% to 4.1% by mass of the spice flavor enhancer of the present invention to fried rice resulted in an enhanced pepper flavor. The fried rice in Examples 1-1 to 1-6 was free of off-flavors, had a prominent pepper flavor, and was delicious.

<Example 2>
Mapo tofu was prepared using the formulations described in Tables 3 and 4, and the effect of enhancing the flavors of Japanese pepper and Sichuan pepper was evaluated. The results are shown in Tables 3 and 4.

[How to prepare Mapo Tofu]
Mapo tofu was prepared using the following procedure.
(When heating (stir-frying))
(1) Put the sauce ingredients into a bowl and mix them together.
(2) Set aside 200g of tofu cut into 1.5cm cubes.
(3) Once the stainless steel frying pan has been heated to a temperature of 200°C in the center, add the cooking oil and sauce and heat for 30 seconds while stirring well.
(4) Add the tofu and simmer for 1.5 minutes while stirring gently to make mapo tofu.
(Post-attached)
For the post-coating preparation method, the mapo tofu was prepared using the same procedure as in (heating (stir-frying)), except that preparation oil 1 or 2 was added during step (4) of the (heating (stir-frying)) procedure described above.
(Pre-packaged meal + stir-fry)
The preparation method for the retort pouch + stir-fry was the same as for the (heating (stir-frying)) procedure, except that during step (1) of the (heating (stir-frying)) procedure above, the sauce ingredients were placed in a polyethylene retort pouch instead of a bowl and mixed, and then retort-processed at 121°C for 20 minutes.

[Evaluation Method]
The prepared mapo tofu was tasted by five trained professional panelists, who then scored it according to the following evaluation criteria. The average score was calculated from the five panelists' evaluations, and the results are shown in Tables 3 and 4.
(Evaluation indicator (Japanese pepper))
1: The sansho pepper flavor is weaker compared to control example 2-4. 2: The sansho pepper flavor is the same as control example 2-4. 3: The sansho pepper flavor is slightly stronger than control example 2-4. 4: The sansho pepper flavor is much stronger than control example 2-4. 5: The sansho pepper flavor is the same as twice the amount of sansho pepper (control example 2-6) (evaluation index (sansho pepper)).
1: The Sichuan pepper flavor is weaker compared to control example 2-1. 2: The Sichuan pepper flavor is the same as control example 2-1. 3: The Sichuan pepper flavor is slightly stronger than control example 2-1. 4: The Sichuan pepper flavor is much stronger than control example 2-1. 5: The Sichuan pepper flavor is the same as double the amount of Sichuan pepper (control example 2-3).

As shown in Table 3, the mapo tofu of Examples 2-1 to 2-6, prepared with the spice flavor enhancer of the present invention, all exhibited enhanced Sichuan pepper flavor compared to control example 2-1, regardless of the preparation method. Examples 2-5 and 2-6 showed a particularly excellent enhancement of Sichuan pepper flavor in mapo tofu prepared using the retort + stir-fry method.

As shown in Examples 2-1, 2-3, and 2-5, when a spice flavor enhancer containing a fatty acid mixture was used, an enhancement of Sichuan pepper flavor was obtained by adding 10 g of prepared oil 1 to 1 g of Sichuan pepper.
Furthermore, as shown in Examples 2-2, 2-4, and 2-6, when a spice flavor enhancer containing a hydrolyzed fatty acid mixture was used, an enhancement of Sichuan pepper flavor was observed by adding 10 g of prepared oil 2 to 1 g of Sichuan pepper.

As shown in Examples 2-1 to 2-6, adding 0.4% by mass of the spice flavor enhancer of the present invention to mapo tofu resulted in an enhanced Sichuan pepper flavor. The mapo tofu in Examples 2-1 to 2-6 had a prominent Sichuan pepper flavor and was delicious.

Furthermore, as shown in Table 4, the mapo tofu prepared in Examples 2-7 and 2-8, which were prepared by adding the spice flavor enhancer of the present invention, both exhibited enhanced Sichuan pepper flavor compared to control example 2-4.

As shown in Example 2-7, when a spice flavor enhancer containing a fatty acid mixture was used, the effect of enhancing the sansho flavor was obtained by adding 10 g of prepared oil 1 to 1 g of sansho material.
Furthermore, as shown in Example 2-8, when a spice flavor enhancer containing a hydrolyzed fatty acid mixture was used, an enhancement of the sansho pepper flavor was observed by adding 10 g of prepared oil 2 to 1 g of sansho pepper.

As shown in Examples 2-7 and 2-8, adding 0.4% by mass of the spice flavor enhancer of the present invention to mapo tofu resulted in an enhanced Sichuan pepper flavor. The mapo tofu in Examples 2-7 and 2-8 had a prominent Sichuan pepper flavor and was delicious.

<Example 3>
Ginger soup was prepared using the formulations listed in Table 5, and its effect on enhancing ginger flavor was evaluated. The results are shown in Table 5.

[How to prepare ginger soup]
The ginger soup was prepared using the following procedure.
(1) Cut off the base of the enoki mushrooms, cut them in half, and separate the strands.
(2) Add cooking oil to a pan heated to 150°C, add enoki mushrooms and grated ginger, and stir-fry for 1 minute.
(3) Add water and chicken stock to a pot and boil for 3 minutes to obtain ginger soup.

[Evaluation Method]
The prepared ginger soup was consumed by five trained professional panelists, who then scored it according to the following evaluation criteria. The average score was calculated from the five panelists' evaluations, and the results are shown in Table 5.
(Evaluation metrics)
1: The ginger flavor is weaker compared to control example 3-1. 2: The ginger flavor is the same as control example 3-1. 3: The ginger flavor is slightly stronger than control example 3-1. 4: The ginger flavor is much stronger than control example 3-1. 5: The ginger flavor is the same as double the amount of ginger (control example 3-3).

As shown in Table 5, the ginger soups of Examples 3-1 and 3-2, prepared with stir-frying oil containing the spice flavor enhancer of the present invention, both exhibited enhanced ginger flavor compared to control example 3-1.

As shown in Example 3-1, when a spice flavor enhancer containing a fatty acid mixture was used, an enhancement of ginger flavor was obtained by adding 0.5 g of prepared oil 1 to 1 g of grated ginger.
Furthermore, as shown in Example 3-2, when a spice flavor enhancer containing a hydrolyzed fatty acid mixture was used, an enhancement of ginger flavor was observed by adding 0.5 g of prepared oil 2 to 1 g of grated ginger.

As shown in Examples 3-1 and 3-2, adding 1.4% by mass of the spice flavor enhancer of the present invention to ginger soup resulted in an enhanced ginger flavor. The ginger soups of Examples 3-1 and 3-2 had a prominent ginger flavor and were delicious.

Furthermore, when upper and lower limits are indicated for a numerical range in this specification, the upper and lower limits may be combined as appropriate, and the resulting numerical range is also disclosed.

The spice flavor enhancer and method for enhancing the spice flavor of food according to the present invention are not limited to the embodiments and examples described above, and various modifications are possible as long as they do not impair the features and effects of the invention.

Claims (6)

A spice flavor enhancer comprising at least one selected from the group consisting of a fatty acid mixture containing 50% by mass or more of oleic acid and linoleic acid, and a hydrated and heated product of the fatty acid mixture, as an active ingredient. The spice flavor enhancer according to claim 1, wherein the total amount of oleic acid and linoleic acid is 65% by mass or more. A spice flavor enhancer according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising edible oils and fats. The spice flavor enhancer according to claim 3, wherein the edible oil is one or more selected from soybean oil, rapeseed oil, corn oil, and olive oil. A method for enhancing the spice flavor of food, comprising adding the spice flavor enhancer described in claim 1 to the food. The method according to claim 5, wherein 0.01 g to 80 g of the spice flavor enhancer is added per 1 g of spice.