JPH05982B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

The present invention relates to a method for improving the taste of sweeteners containing glycyrrhizic acid or its salts. The purpose is to present glycyrrhizic acid or its salts, or a licorice extract containing them, by adding cyclodextrin together with an organic acid salt such as sodium citrate, sodium malate, sodium tartrate, or sodium acetate. The objective is to economically obtain high-quality sweetness by eliminating defects such as bitterness and sarcasm. Glycyrrhizin is a component found in the rhizomes of Glycyrrhiza Glabra var Glandnifera, a perennial plant belonging to the leguminous family, or congeners. Licorice has been used in Chinese medicine since ancient times, and is said to have detoxifying and anti-inflammatory effects. In addition, glycyrrhizin, the main component of licorice,
Although it is about 200 times sweeter than sugar, glycyrrhizin is used in various fields as a safe natural sweetener because artificial sweeteners such as cyclamate and sodium saccharin have safety issues. However, licorice contains many bitter substances other than glycyrrhizin, which are extracted at the same time as glycyrrhizin. It is no exaggeration to say that if it is purified to remove these substances, the cost will increase significantly and it can hardly be used as a sweetener for foods. Furthermore, a method is known in which the taste is improved by adding organic acid salts such as sodium citrate, stevioside, etc. to glycyrrhizin. However, although the effect of masking the aftertaste of glycyrrhizin is observed, the effect of masking the bitter taste is not observed. In view of the above-mentioned circumstances, the present inventors have conducted intensive studies on a method for removing the bitter taste of licorice extracts, and have discovered the fact that bitter substances can be masked by adding cyclodextrin in combination with organic acid salts, and the present invention has been made. completed. The organic acid salts mentioned here are sodium citrate,
Sodium malate, sodium tartrate, sodium acetate, etc. may be added in an amount of 0.3 to 100 parts by weight, preferably 1 to 4 parts by weight, per 1 part by weight of glycyrrhizic acid or its type. Also, the cyclodextrin mentioned here is 6 to 12
It is a non-reducing maltooligosaccharide in which five glucose molecules are connected in a ring through α-1,4 glucosidic bonds.
It is obtained by allowing cyclodextrin-producing enzyme obtained from certain microorganisms of the genus Bacillus to act on starch. There are three types of cyclodextrins: glucose has 6 α-, 7 β-, and 8 γ-
Contains cyclodextrin. The market mainly consists of β-cyclodextrin powder, α, β, and γ.
A starch syrup-like mixture with a cyclodextrin content of 20% is often used. In the present invention, any substance containing β-cyclodextrin that has been shown to have an effect on β-cyclodextrin may be used. The amount of cyclodextrin added to glycyrrhizin or its salts is 0.5 parts by weight of glycyrrhizin or its salts.
~100 parts by weight is sufficient. The optimal amount of addition cannot be determined because it varies depending on the amount of impurities in the licorice extract, but when using a licorice extract with a purity of 80 to 98% of glycyrrhizin or salts, the amount of glycyrrhizin or salts It is sufficient to add 1 to 4 parts by weight per 1 part by weight in terms of 100% purity. When using a licorice extract in which glycyrrhizin or its salts have a purity of 50 to 80%, it is desirable to add 10 to 20 parts by weight per 1 part by weight of glycyrrhizin or its salts in terms of 100% purity. Next, the present invention will be further explained with reference to Examples. Example 1 Licorice extract (glycyrrhizic acid content 89.6%)
A 0.5% aqueous solution was combined with sodium citrate, sodium malate, sodium tartrate, and α, β, γ-cyclodextrin, and the degree of improvement in the bitterness and unpleasant taste of licorice extract was compared through a sensory test. The results are shown in Table 1. Evaluation criteria: AA: Bitterness and sarcasm are almost completely masked. A: Slightly bitter taste, but good. B: Somewhat effective. C...No effect.

[Table] The α, β, γ-cyclodextrin used was from Nihon Shokuhin Kako Co., Ltd. (Purity of 98.5% or more) Particularly excellent effects were observed when an organic acid salt and β-cyclodextrin were used in combination. Example 2 An investigation was conducted using a 1.0% aqueous solution of licorice extract (90.2% as monoammonium glycyrrhizinate salt). The results are shown in Table 2. The evaluation criteria are the same as in Example-1.

【table】

[Table] Example 3 Licorice extract (glycyrrhizic acid content 55.0%)
The study was conducted using a 0.3% aqueous solution system. The results are shown in Table 3. The evaluation criteria are the same as in Example-1.

[Table] Even if a medium-purity licorice extract with many impurities is used, the improvement effect is remarkable if an organic acid salt and β-cyclodextrin are used in combination, but the amount of cyclodextrin added relative to the glycyrrhizin content must be large. be. Example 4 A comparison was made between a commonly commercially available glycyrrhizin preparation and the product of the present invention. The results are shown in Table 4.

【table】

[Table] Sensory tests were conducted on the above seven types of samples using 5, 7.5, and 10% solutions.
3, 4, 5, 6, and 7) were better with less bitterness and sarcasm.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In sweeteners containing glycyrrhizic acid or its salts as a taste component, 1 part by weight of glycyrrhizic acid or its salts to 1 part of citrate, malate, tartrate, acetate, or other organic acid salt. 1. A method for improving the taste of glycyrrhizic acid or its salts, which comprises adding 0.3 to 100 parts by weight of one or more species and 0.5 to 100 parts by weight of cyclodextrin.