CN112841575A

CN112841575A - Soft edible areca and preparation method thereof

Info

Publication number: CN112841575A
Application number: CN202110170450.5A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 李伟; 黄华学; 贺进军; 黄�俊
Original assignee: Hunan Huacheng Biotech Inc
Current assignee: Hunan Huacheng Biotech Inc
Priority date: 2021-02-08
Filing date: 2021-02-08
Publication date: 2021-05-28

Abstract

The invention relates to a soft edible areca, wherein the mass content of areca alkaloid is lower than 0.01 wt%; the caffeine accounts for 0.01-0.2 wt% of the total weight of the coffee beverage; the taurine accounts for 0.01-0.3 wt% of the total weight of the composition. The transporting material betel nut for the soft edible betel nut is obtained by soaking the betel nut in the alkali liquor containing the surfactant, so that alkaloids including the arecoline are basically removed, the carcinogenic risk and addiction of the common edible betel nut are avoided, the soft edible betel nut is green and healthy, and the commercial value is high.

Description

Soft edible areca and preparation method thereof

Technical Field

The invention relates to the field of edible betel nuts, in particular to a soft edible betel nut and a preparation method thereof.

Background

Betel nut, also known as Areca nut, bingmen, olive, young, Areca nut jade, is a mature fruit of betel nut (Areca catechu L.) of the class monocotyledonous plants, order of newborn, family palmaceae, genus Areca, genus evergreen arbor. Betel nuts are native to malaysia and widely cultivated in tropical regions of asia. The planting of Chinese areca is mainly distributed in tropical areas such as Yunnan, Hainan and Taiwan.

Betel nut is an important Chinese medicinal material. Traditionally, betel nut has the efficacy of killing parasites, breaking food retention, descending qi, activating stagnancy, activating water and resolving dampness, and has been used for treating parasitic infections such as tapeworm, hookworm, roundworm, fasciola, fasciolopsis and the like. According to the record of medical science, the main functions of betel nut are as follows: it is indicated for severe diarrhea and dysentery, pain in the heart and abdomen, constipation and constipation, dyspnea with phlegm and dyspnea. Treat malaria, preliminary abdominal distension, take it as powder and induce diuresis. Apply sore, promote granulation and alleviate pain. Burn is grey, manifested as white sore in the mouth, removing wind, eliminating pathogenic qi, activating joints, inducing resuscitation, tonifying five strains and seven impairments, invigorating spleen, regulating middle warmer, relieving restlessness, and breaking mass.

Betel nut contains many natural active ingredients. The researches show that the main active ingredients in the areca-nut include polyphenol, tannin, polysaccharide, fatty acid, crude fiber, alkaloid, anthocyanin, procyanidine, areca-nut red pigment, saponin, amino acid, trace elements and the like. Wherein, various alkaloids in the areca are specific active ingredients of the areca, and the content is about 0.3 to 0.6 percent. The areca-nut alkaloids are mainly arecoline, secondly arecaidine, and in addition demethylarecoline, demethylarecaidine, isodemethylarecaidine, arecanolide and homoarecaine, which are present in combination with tannic acid. The medical community considers that oral ulcer, gingival degeneration and submucosal fibrosis can be caused by frequent chewing of areca nuts, and further oral canceration is caused, medical research finds that the risk of oral canceration is increased by 8.4-9.9 times by chewing of the areca nuts, and arecoline in the areca nuts has potential carcinogenicity. Experiments in the United states and Japan have been conducted with extracts of Areca catechu, which have been found to cause murine carcinogenesis. Areca catechu has been found in the medical community to be significantly associated with pharyngeal cancer, laryngeal cancer, esophageal cancer, etc. World health organization international agency for research on cancer carcinogens list class 1 carcinogens. However, at present, the national standard of edible betel nuts is not issued by the country, and the content of the betel nut alkaloid is limited; the local standard of edible areca in Taiwan of Hunan province does not have the related quality index of arecoline.

In addition, arecoline in areca is also a substance with addiction to areca, can stimulate nerves of a chewer to generate excitement and can also enhance the tolerance of the nerves, namely, the chewer is less and less sensitive to the substance, so that the addiction is laid, and long-term use of the areca can lead the eater to have stronger dependence type, which is the same as the reason of a smoker.

Therefore, the development of edible areca nuts containing no arecoline or low arecoline content is an effective solution for reducing the potential safety hazard caused by long-term consumption of areca nuts at present.

Disclosure of Invention

Aiming at solving the problem that the areca-nut food prepared in the prior art contains arecoline, and has potential safety and health hazards after long-term use; meanwhile, aiming at the defects of the existing marinating process, the invention aims to provide edible areca nuts with low alkaloid or no alkaloid, wherein the edible areca nuts contain no or very little areca nut alkaloid, but also have the effects of refreshing, restoring consciousness, exciting nerves, relieving fatigue, pleasantly body and mind and the like, and are free from addiction.

The softening of the soft edible betel nut and the common edible betel nut is not the same concept, and the common softened betel nut adopts a physical and chemical means to soften betel nut fiber and improve the mouthfeel; the term "soft" as used herein means that the betel nut is not harmful or addictive to the consumer compared to the conventional betel nut.

The invention provides a soft edible areca, wherein the mass content of areca alkaloid is lower than 0.01 wt%; the caffeine accounts for 0.01-0.2 wt% of the total weight of the coffee beverage; the taurine accounts for 0.01-0.3 wt% of the total weight of the composition.

Furthermore, in the edible betel nut, the content of the betel nut alkaloid is lower than 0.005 wt%; the caffeine accounts for 0.05-0.12 wt% of the total weight of the beverage; the taurine accounts for 0.1-0.2 wt% of the total weight of the composition.

In the present invention, the caffeine is derived from natural extracts such as tea extracts (green tea extract, black tea extract), coffee bean extract, cacao extract, guarana extract; the taurine is extracted from natural animals and plants, biologically fermented or organically synthesized.

The invention also provides the soft edible areca and a preparation method thereof, and the preparation method comprises the following steps:

(1) taking areca nuts without alkaloid or low alkaloid as raw materials, and cleaning;

(2) fermenting, baking, perfuming the surface, cutting fruit and removing kernel;

(3) pointing and condensing bittern;

(4) packaging to obtain the finished product.

In the step (1), the areca nuts without alkaloid or low alkaloid are obtained by a physical/chemical method, and the content of the arecoline in the treated areca nuts is below 0.01 wt%, preferably below 0.005 wt%.

Preferably, the preparation method of the betel nut without alkaloid or low alkaloid refers to the prior patent application CN202110140884.0 of the applicant, specifically, the betel nut raw material is obtained by soaking in an alkaline solution containing a surfactant, and the betel nut serving as the raw material is fresh betel nut, dry betel nut (olive or smoked fruit) or sliced betel nut.

The alkali liquor is aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide, calcium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate and potassium bicarbonate, and the pH of the alkali liquor is 11-13. When the alkali is sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide, the concentration of the alkali liquor is 0.1-0.3 wt%, and when the alkali is sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate or potassium bicarbonate, the mass concentration of the alkali liquor is 4-10 wt%. The volume consumption of the alkali liquor is 3-10 times (L/kg) of the weight of the areca nut raw material.

The concentration of the surfactant in the alkali liquor is 0.1-0.5g/L, preferably 0.15-0.2 g/L.

The surfactant is food-grade surfactant, including but not limited to lecithin, soybean phospholipid, glycerol monostearate, glycerol distearate, sucrose fatty acid ester, calcium stearoyl lactylate, polyglycerol fatty ester, and sucrose glycerol fatty acid ester. Preferably phosphorus ester surfactants (lecithin, soybean lecithin) and fatty acid surfactants (glycerol monostearate, glycerol distearate, sucrose fatty acid ester, calcium stearoyl lactylate, polyglycerol fatty ester and sucrose glycerol fatty acid ester) according to the mass ratio of 3-5: 1; more preferably, the soybean lecithin and the glycerol distearate are compounded according to the mass ratio of 3-5: 1.

The areca-nut without alkaloid or with low alkaloid used in the invention is obtained by the preparation method comprising the following steps:

(S1) selecting fruits: selecting fresh or dry betel nut fruits as raw materials;

(S2) soaking in alkali liquor: soaking the areca nuts in the step (1) in alkaline liquor containing a surfactant;

(S3) cleaning: taking out the areca nuts in the step (2) from the alkali liquor, washing the areca nuts to be neutral, and drying the areca nuts;

(S4) extracting: extracting the areca nuts drained in the step (3) by using a mixed solvent, filtering to remove the solvent, then distilling the residual solvent in the areca nuts by using water vapor, and drying to obtain the alkaloid-free/low-alkaloid areca nuts.

In the step (S2), the soaking time is 24 to 48 hours.

In the step (S4), the mixed solvent is a mixed solvent of one or more solvents of 6# solvent oil, 120# solvent oil, petroleum ether, diethyl ether, cyclohexane, n-hexane or heptane and ethyl acetate; the dosage of the mixed solvent is 5-20 times (L/kg), preferably 10-16 times (L/kg) of the weight of the areca nut raw material. Further, the volume ratio of at least one of No. 6 solvent oil, No. 120 solvent oil, petroleum ether, diethyl ether, cyclohexane, n-hexane and heptane to ethyl acetate is 5-15: 1, preferably 7 to 9: 1.

in the step (2), the fermentation, the baking, the skin perfuming, the fruit cutting and the kernel removing are conventional processes in the preparation process of the betel nut food, and the used fermentation liquid and the fragrance sealing liquid are common liquid medicines which are not specifically explained and can be obtained by commercially available materials and preparation. For example, in the specific embodiment of the present invention, the fermentation solution is water, food-grade sodium carbonate and food-grade sodium bicarbonate in a mass ratio of 100: 40: 55.

Marinating is a key process in the process of processing areca nuts. The Arecae semen bittern is slurry obtained by heating and reacting sweet substances such as calcium hydroxide and maltose, and is added with sweetener and perfume to improve Arecae semen taste. The areca contains tannin, so the inner surface of areca is strongly acidic, therefore, lime is added into the traditional areca brine to neutralize the acidity, and simultaneously sweetener such as maltose and flavoring agent are added to correct the taste. After lime brine is poured into the inner surface of the semi-finished betel nut product, alkaline substances in the brine permeate into the inner fiber layer through the inner surface of the betel nut, so that the acidity of the betel nut is reduced.

Preferably, in the step (3), the brine used for the bittern spotting contains the tea extract and taurine in addition to the ingredients such as common drinking water, slaked lime, sweetening agent and the like.

Preferably, the brine used for brine pointing comprises the following raw materials in percentage by mass: 10-20 wt% of food-grade calcium hydroxide, 20-60 wt% of maltose, 5-10 wt% of tea extract, 1-2 wt% of taurine and the balance of drinking water.

In a preferred technical scheme of the invention, other auxiliary materials can be added into the brine formula according to requirements, and the components and the dosage of the auxiliary materials are known in the art, such as 1-3 wt% of emulsifier, 1-3 wt% of water-retaining agent, 0.5-2 wt% of gel, 0.1-5 wt% of sweetener and 0.1-2 wt% of essence.

The emulsifier, water retention agent, gelling agent, sweetener are well known in the art and are not particularly limited. For example, the emulsifier is typically a fatty acid or stearoyl lactylate such as sucrose fatty acid ester, glycerol monostearate, calcium stearoyl lactylate, sodium stearoyl lactylate; the water-retaining agent is at least one of lactitol and polydextrose; the gel is sodium alginate, carrageenan and xanthan gum; the sweetener comprises a natural sweetener, such as at least one of mogroside V, 11-O-mogroside V, mogroside VI, siamenoside I, mogroside IV, mogroside III, stevioside, rebaudioside a, rebaudioside B, rebaudioside C, rebaudioside D, rebaudioside E, rebaudioside F, dulcoside a, rubusoside, steviolbioside, glycyrrhizin, maltose, Thaumatin (Thaumatin), monellin, mabinlin, curculin, betadine (Pentadin), and Brazzein; or a synthetic sweetener such as at least one of sucralose, aspartame, alitame, sodium saccharin, neotame, acesulfame k, cyclamate, and neohesperidin dihydrochalcone; the essence comprises natural plant essences such as menthol, orange oil and lemon oil.

Taurine is an amino acid essential to humans and animals. Taurine can strengthen physique, eliminate fatigue, raise daily work efficiency, prevent diseases, etc. The lack of taurine in the body of children can cause dysplasia, vision damage, increased susceptibility to epilepsy and even cardiomyopathy and other diseases; the lack of taurine in adults also endangers their health. Taurine has no side effect on human body because taurine is synthesized by human body itself, but the amount of taurine synthesized is small and is changed according to the amount of taurine contained in food eaten by human body every day. In the case of lacking taurine, the human body needs to be supplemented with additional taurine, because the lack of taurine in the human body can have great adverse effects on human brain, eyes, nerves and the like.

Taurine is widely used as an excellent food additive in developed countries such as europe, the united states and japan. In countries such as the United states and the Japan, the taurine accounting for 99 percent of the total dosage is used as a food additive. For example: in order to ensure the healthy growth of infants in countries such as America and Japan, the content of taurine in infant dairy products is clearly specified and is not less than 0.16mg/100mL, especially, Japan has mandatory requirements, taurine must be added into children food, otherwise, the children food is not allowed to be sold on the market; taurine is also added to beverages, complex monosodium glutamate, soy products, dairy products, and nutraceuticals in japan. Until 1990, taurine was not allowed to be added as a nutritional food additive to dairy products, beverages and complex condiments and its use limit was clearly required. Research shows that the nutritive value of the milk powder can approach to that of breast milk by adding a proper amount of taurine into the milk and the milk powder. Taurine can also be used as a high-quality additive for foods and beverages for pilots, astronauts, athletes, etc., to enhance physical fitness and relieve fatigue. In the future, taurine is expected to be mainly used as a food nutrition additive, and the application of the taurine in the aspect of food additives is expected to be more extensive.

The tea extract is an active component extracted from tea leaves, and mainly comprises tea polyphenol (catechin), alkaloid (mainly caffeine), aromatic oil, minerals, pigments, polysaccharides, proteins, amino acids (theanine), vitamins and the like. The research finds that the tea polyphenol has the capability of eliminating active oxygen free radicals, lipid free radicals and aromatic hydrocarbon free radicals, and various polyphenol components have synergistic action. Due to the existence of a large amount of tea polyphenol, the tea extract has the following biological activity: antioxidant, mutation resisting, antibacterial, blood pressure lowering, blood lipid reducing, blood sugar lowering, dental caries preventing, immunity improving, diuresis promoting, antiinflammatory, physiological regulating, etc. Caffeine is an important active ingredient in tea extracts. Caffeine, a xanthine alkaloid compound, is a central nervous stimulant that temporarily drives drowsiness and restores energy, and is used clinically to treat neurasthenia and coma resuscitation. Coffee, tea, soft drinks and energy drinks with caffeine content are well marketed and therefore caffeine is also the most commonly used psychotropic drug in the world.

The beneficial effects of caffeine include: prevent the brain from receiving adenylate, thereby keeping the brain awake, helping to concentrate attention and reduce fatigue; the dementia can be prevented by taking appropriate amount of caffeine regularly; the muscle vitality and durability are enhanced, the physical strength and the perseverance are enhanced, and the training time and the training effect are greatly improved; promoting metabolism; the efficacy of antioxidant phenolic substances can be doubled; preventing skin cancer, breast cancer and diabetes.

However, excessive caffeine intake is undesirable, and adverse side effects such as gastrointestinal discomfort, mental confusion, anxiety, depression, anxiety, restlessness, increased blood pressure, and increased epinephrine levels may occur in other patients. According to the European food safety scientific research, the daily safe caffeine intake of an adult is 400mg, and the amount of each intake cannot exceed 200 mg.

According to the invention, in the brine process, the tea extract and the taurine in a proper proportion are creatively compounded and then added into the conventional brine formula, so that the defects of the decline of the functions of refreshing, restoring consciousness, relieving fatigue and resisting fatigue after the alkaloid of the betel nut is removed can be overcome, the mouthfeel of the betel nut can be improved to a certain extent, and the trend of the taste decline caused by the removal of the alkaloid is reduced.

The method has the following beneficial effects:

(1) the method provides a novel soft edible areca, which does not contain alkaloid or has low alkaloid content, so that the method does not cause carcinogenic hidden trouble caused by the alkaloid of the areca and does not cause addiction, and the areca can be eaten at ease.

(2) Although no alkaloid (or low alkaloid) exists in the soft edible betel nut, a certain amount of tea extract and taurine are added in the brine for compounding, the effects of refreshing brain, exciting nerves, relieving fatigue, pleasuring body and mind and the like are achieved, addiction is avoided, the prepared soft edible betel nut has good taste and flavor, the market acceptance degree is good, and the unique taste and flavor of the betel nut cannot be lost due to the deficiency of betel nut alkaloid.

Detailed Description

The present invention will be further described with reference to the following examples.

In the examples of the present invention, "%" represents mass%, and "parts" represent parts by mass, if specifically indicated.

The raw material of the areca nut without alkaloid or low alkaloid used in the embodiment of the invention is from Hunan China Cheng biological resources GmbH; the green tea extract used in the embodiment of the invention is from Hunan China Cheng biological resource GmbH, the content of tea polyphenol is 42.5%, and the content of caffeine is 4.1%; taurine is purchased from Zhengzhou spring and autumn chemical Co., Ltd., and has a purity of more than 99.6%.

Other adjuvants used in the examples of the present invention, unless otherwise specified, are commercially available in a conventional manner.

The HPLC sample is prepared by pulverizing edible Arecae semen, ultrasonic extracting with 50 weight times of methanol, centrifuging, collecting supernatant, and testing. HPLC Agilent100 HPLC, mobile phase methanol: water 6: 4.

Preparation example 1

(1) Selecting fruits: selecting 50kg of dry areca nuts without rot, disease spots and insect pests as raw materials, slicing and removing kernels;

(2) soaking in alkali liquor: soaking betel nuts in 300L of alkali liquor, wherein the alkali liquor is a sodium carbonate aqueous solution with the mass percentage concentration of 6%, and the alkali liquor contains 50g of lecithin for 24 hours;

(3) cleaning: taking out the areca from the alkali liquor, rinsing the areca to be neutral by using pure water, and draining or drying the areca;

(4) mixed solvent extraction: and (3) extracting the areca nuts with water drained in the step (3) twice by refluxing with a mixed solvent (6# solvent oil: ethyl acetate: 9: 1, V/V). The dosage of the mixed solvent for the first reflux extraction is 800L, and the reflux extraction time is 4 hours; the dosage of the mixed solvent for the second reflux extraction is 600L, and the reflux extraction time is 3 hours. After the reflux extraction is finished, filtering to remove the solvent, distilling the residual solvent in the betel nut by using water vapor, and drying to obtain the low-alkaloid betel nut.

Preparation example 2

The other conditions were the same as in preparation example 1 except that lecithin was replaced with soybean lecithin of the same quality in step (2).

Preparation example 3

The other conditions were the same as in preparation example 1 except that in step (2), 37.5g of soybean lecithin and 12.5g of glyceryl distearate were contained in 300L of an alkali solution.

Preparation example 4

Preparation example 5

The other conditions were the same as in preparation example 1 except that in step (2), 41.5g of lecithin and 8.5g of glycerol distearate were contained in 300L of a basic solution.

Example 1

(1) Taking the areca-nut without alkaloid obtained in the preparation example 1 as a raw material, and cleaning;

(2) adding cleaned Arecae semen into a fermentation tank, fermenting at 35 deg.C under 0.4MPa for 48 hr to obtain fermented product; baking at 45 deg.C for 1 hr, adding into a sealed jar, and sealing at 35 deg.C for 10 hr; slicing the betel nut with a slicer, and removing the core;

(3) the formula of the brine comprises 13 wt% of food-grade calcium hydroxide, 42 wt% of maltose, 6.2 wt% of green tea extract, 1.6 wt% of taurine, 1.3 wt% of sucrose fatty acid ester, 0.8 wt% of calcium stearoyl lactylate, 1.4 wt% of lactitol, 2.1 wt% of sodium alginate, 0.05 wt% of aspartame, 2.5 wt% of sucrose, 1.6 wt% of menthol and the balance of drinking water, and after the brine is prepared, the areca nuts sliced and denucleated in the step (2) are marinated and condensed;

(4) packaging to obtain soft edible Arecae semen product.

The content of total alkaloids in the soft edible areca finished product obtained in the embodiment is 0.0049% by detection of a High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) external standard method; the content of caffeine is 0.08%; the taurine content is 0.15%.

Example 2

The other steps and conditions were the same as in example 1 except that the starting material used in step (1) was areca catechu obtained in preparation example 2.

The content of total alkaloids in the soft edible areca finished product obtained in the embodiment is 0.0069% detected by a High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) external standard method; the content of caffeine is 0.07%; the taurine content is 0.15%.

Example 3

The other steps and conditions were the same as in example 1 except that the starting material used in step (1) was areca catechu obtained in preparation example 3.

The total alkaloids are not detected in the soft edible areca finished product obtained in the embodiment by a High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) external standard method; the content of caffeine is 0.08%; the taurine content is 0.16%.

Example 4

The other steps and conditions were the same as in example 1 except that the starting material used in step (1) was areca catechu obtained in preparation example 4.

The content of total alkaloids in the soft edible areca finished product obtained in the embodiment is 0.0018% detected by a High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) external standard method; the content of caffeine is 0.09%; the taurine content is 0.16%.

Example 5

The other steps and conditions were the same as in example 1 except that the starting material used in step (1) was areca catechu obtained in preparation example 5.

The content of total alkaloids in the soft edible areca finished product obtained in the embodiment is 0.0014% detected by a High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) external standard method; the content of caffeine is 0.09%; the taurine content is 0.15%.

Example 6

The other steps and conditions were the same as in example 1 except that in the brine formulation in step (2), green tea extract was 5 wt% and taurine was 2 wt%. The total alkaloids are not detected in the soft edible areca finished product obtained in the embodiment by a High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) external standard method; the content of caffeine is 0.05%; the taurine content was 0.19%.

Example 7

The other steps and conditions were the same as in example 1 except that in the brine formulation in step (2), 10 wt% of green tea extract and 1 wt% of taurine were used. The total alkaloids are not detected in the soft edible areca finished product obtained in the embodiment by a High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) external standard method; the content of caffeine is 0.12%; the taurine content was 0.11%.

Example 8

The other steps and conditions were the same as in example 1 except that in the brine formulation in step (2), green tea extract was 7.5 wt% and taurine was 1.4 wt%. The total alkaloids are not detected in the soft edible areca finished product obtained in the embodiment by a High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) external standard method; the content of caffeine is 0.10%; the taurine content is 0.15%.

Comparative example 1

The other steps and conditions were the same as in example 1 except that in the step (3) of marinating, the green tea extract was not added. Through detection by a High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) external standard method, no total alkaloids are detected in the soft edible areca finished product obtained in the embodiment; the taurine content is 0.16%.

Comparative example 2

The other steps and conditions were the same as in example 1 except that taurine was not added in the step (3) of dehalogenation. The total alkaloids are not detected in the soft edible areca finished product obtained in the embodiment by the detection of a High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) external standard method; the content of caffeine is 0.08%.

Application example 1 taste testing

110 male subjects with eating habits of betel nuts are selected, 10 subjects are taken as 1 group, the betel nuts are eaten according to the examples, the proportion and the commercial finished products, 10 subjects in each group are scored according to the taste and the chewiness, and the score is further scored after eating for one month (3 times a day and one time). Each test item was rated 5 full, indicating the most satisfactory consumer, and rated 1 minimum. The comparison example is that a certain brand of edible betel nut is directly purchased in the market. The specific scoring criteria are shown in table 1 below:

TABLE 1

Scoring	Taste of the product
		5 points of	Has good taste
4 is divided into	Has good taste
		3 points of	Has a general taste
2 is divided into	Has poor taste
		1 minute (1)	Has poor taste

After one month of betel nut administration to each group of subjects, the subjects were scored according to the above criteria and averaged, and the results are shown in table 2 below:

TABLE 2

As can be seen from the data in Table 2, the soft betel nuts used in the embodiment of the invention are treated to contain almost no arecoline, so that the carcinogenic risk and addiction caused by the arecoline are greatly avoided or reduced, and the stomach and the oral cavity of the subject are obviously relieved after the subject eats the soft betel nuts for one month. We have found that although the initial eating score of the soft betel nut of the present invention is not high in terms of taste and flavor for the first time in the case of long-term betel nut consumption, most of the subjects slowly received the soft betel nut with alkaloid removed after one month of consumption, and the taste and flavor score was increased. The soft betel nut provided by the invention is fully demonstrated, so that the taste and flavor of the betel nut are not obviously changed when the addiction to betel nut use can be greatly reduced, and the betel nut can be accepted by people with long-term eating habits of the betel nut. By comparing the examples with the comparative examples, the green tea extract and taurine in the brine formulation, if one of them is missing, have little effect on the initial mouthfeel, but the taste of the mouthfeel is not enhanced significantly after the test subject eats for one month. The results show that the synergistic cooperation effect of the taurine and the green tea extract plays an important role in adapting to new soft betel nuts for long-term betel nut eaters, and the absence of any one of the taurine and the green tea extract can not effectively enable the long-term betel nut eaters to change the habit of eating the betel nuts without alkaloid/with low alkaloid, thereby affecting the market acceptance degree.

Application example 2 Refreshment test

The test subjects were adult men aged 30-35 years old, and in order to avoid the data of dependent subjects from influencing the results, the subjects had no betel nut eating habit before. Subjects were self-assessed for drowsiness and wakefulness using a wakefulness scale. The classification is carried out on 5 grades from 1 to 5, wherein 1 represents the lowest degree, and represents that the people are cachectic and do not concentrate on the mind; 5 indicates that the degree is highest, the patient is clear-headed, can concentrate attention and is not sleepy; 60 subjects were randomized into 6 groups of 10. The control group eats a certain brand of edible betel nut directly purchased in the market. Sleepiness/wakefulness measurements were taken 5 days before the experiment, and the mean value was compared to the post-experiment control. The test method comprises the steps of eating the areca nuts three times a day, one betel nut each time, testing after half an hour after the areca nuts are eaten, continuously performing the test for 10 days, wherein during the whole test period, the work and rest time and the work intensity of a subject each day have no obvious change, and meanwhile, the areca nuts are not eaten and used (including essential oil, spray, chewing gum with the function of refreshing, perfume, shampoo and the like) any substance with the function of refreshing, or food, medicine, beverage and the like.

The results of the arousal test are shown in table 3 below:

TABLE 3

Indicates that the degree of wakefulness of the subjects was significantly different after and before the experiment (P <0.05)

The tests show that the soft edible areca and the commercial areca purchased conventionally in the market have obvious effects of reminding a subject of consciousness and restoring consciousness, and the method adopts the raw materials without arecoline or low arecoline, but has obvious effects of refreshing the mind and restoring consciousness due to the addition of caffeine and taurine, can avoid carcinogenic risks and addiction to a human body caused by the arecoline, is a green and healthy novel soft edible areca and has great commercial value.

Claims

1. A soft edible Arecae semen contains Arecae semen alkaloid less than 0.01 wt%; the caffeine accounts for 0.01-0.2 wt% of the total weight of the coffee beverage; the taurine accounts for 0.01-0.3 wt% of the total weight of the composition.

2. The edible, supple areca nut of claim 1, wherein the areca alkaloid content is less than 0.005 wt%; the caffeine accounts for 0.05-0.12 wt% of the total weight of the beverage; the taurine accounts for 0.1-0.2 wt% of the total weight of the composition.

3. The method for preparing the soft edible betel nut as claimed in claim 1 or 2, comprising the steps of:

(3) pointing and condensing bittern;

(4) packaging to obtain the finished product.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein in step (1), the alkaloid-free or low-alkaloid betel nut is obtained by physically/chemically treating betel nut, and the treated betel nut contains arecoline in an amount of less than 0.01 wt%, preferably less than 0.005 wt%.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the alkaloid-free or low-alkaloid betel nut is prepared by soaking betel nut in an alkaline solution containing a surfactant.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the alkaline solution is an aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide, calcium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, potassium bicarbonate, and the pH of the alkaline solution is 11-13. When the alkali is sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide, the concentration of the alkali liquor is 0.1-0.3 wt%, and when the alkali is sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate or potassium bicarbonate, the mass concentration of the alkali liquor is 4-10 wt%. The volume consumption of the alkali liquor is 3-10 times (L/kg) of the weight of the areca nut raw material; the concentration of the surfactant in the alkali liquor is 0.1-0.5g/L, preferably 0.15-0.2 g/L.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the surfactant is a food grade surfactant including but not limited to lecithin, soy lecithin, glyceryl monostearate, glyceryl distearate, sucrose fatty acid ester, calcium stearoyl lactylate, polyglyceryl fatty esters, sucrose glycerin fatty acid ester. Preferably phosphorus ester surfactants (lecithin, soybean lecithin) and fatty acid surfactants (glycerol monostearate, glycerol distearate, sucrose fatty acid ester, calcium stearoyl stearate, polyglycerol fatty ester and sucrose glycerol fatty acid ester) according to the mass ratio of 3-5: 1; more preferably, the soybean lecithin and the glycerol distearate are compounded according to the mass ratio of 3-5: 1.

8. The method of any one of claims 5-7, wherein the alkaloid-free or low-alkaloid areca catechu is obtained by a method comprising the steps of:

9. The preparation method according to claim 3, wherein in the step (3), the brine used for the brine nodding comprises the following raw materials in mass content: 10-20 wt% of food-grade calcium hydroxide, 20-60 wt% of maltose, 5-10 wt% of tea extract, 1-2 wt% of taurine and the balance of drinking water.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the brine formulation further comprises 1-3 wt% of an emulsifier, 1-3 wt% of a water retaining agent, 0.5-2 wt% of a gelling agent, 0.1-5 wt% of a sweetener, and 0.1-2 wt% of a flavor;

preferably, the emulsifier is typically a fatty acid or stearoyl lactylate, such as sucrose fatty acid ester, glycerol monostearate, calcium stearoyl lactylate, sodium stearoyl lactylate; the water-retaining agent is at least one of lactitol and polydextrose; the gelling agent is sodium alginate, carrageenan and xanthan gum; the sweetener comprises a natural sweetener, such as at least one of mogroside V, 11-O-mogroside V, mogroside VI, siamenoside I, mogroside IV, mogroside III, stevioside, rebaudioside a, rebaudioside B, rebaudioside C, rebaudioside D, rebaudioside E, rebaudioside F, dulcoside a, rubusoside, steviolbioside, glycyrrhizin, maltose, Thaumatin (Thaumatin), monellin, mabinlin, curculin, betadine (Pentadin), and Brazzein; or a synthetic sweetener such as at least one of sucralose, aspartame, alitame, sodium saccharin, neotame, acesulfame k, cyclamate, and neohesperidin dihydrochalcone; the essence comprises at least one of menthol, orange oil and lemon oil.