JP7575877B2 - Food and Drink - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to foods and beverages with reduced bitterness.

Foods and beverages containing functional ingredients are being developed every day. However, there is a problem with functional ingredients that have a strong astringent or bitter taste: they cannot be contained in large amounts in foods and beverages.

To address these issues, techniques have been developed to suppress the astringent and bitter tastes of foods and beverages by adding masking substances.
For example, Patent Documents 1 and 2 listed below disclose methods for suppressing the astringency and bitterness of tea extracts using a milk protein solution as an active ingredient.

However, as described in Patent Document 3, it is known that when methionine and vitamin B2 are mixed together in a liquid preparation, the unpleasant odor inherent to methionine becomes stronger.

JP 2000-32913 A Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-346649 JP 2006-111566 A

As a result of intensive research by the inventors, it was found that foods and beverages containing a combination of vitamin B2 and one or more bitter components selected from limonin, naringin, and catechins have a synergistically stronger bitterness than foods and beverages containing the bitter components alone.
It was also found that the bitterness of foods and beverages containing a combination of vitamin B2 and one or more bitter components selected from limonin, naringin, and catechins can be efficiently suppressed by adding a specific active ingredient.

In other words, the objective of the present invention is to provide foods and beverages with reduced bitterness due to a combination of specific ingredients.

In view of the above circumstances, the present invention provides
A food or drink containing vitamin B2 and one or more bitter components selected from limonin, naringin, and catechins,
The food or drink further comprises one or more selected from polyglycerin fatty acid esters, glycerin fatty acid esters, sucrose fatty acid esters, sorbitan fatty acid esters, and propylene glycol fatty acid esters.

In addition, in a preferred embodiment of the food or beverage of the present invention, the concentration of vitamin B2 is 7.7 ppm or more, and the concentration of bitter components is 0.1 ppm or more.

In addition, in a preferred embodiment of the food or drink of the present invention,
As the bitter component,
It is characterized by containing 0.1 ppm to 5 ppm of limonin, 6 ppm to 300 ppm of naringin, or 0.5 ppm to 100 ppm of catechins.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the concentration of one or more of the polyglycerin fatty acid esters, glycerin fatty acid esters, sucrose fatty acid esters, sorbitan fatty acid esters, and propylene glycol fatty acid esters is 10 ppm or more.

The present invention also provides a food or drink containing vitamin B2 and one or more bitter components selected from limonin, naringin, and catechins,
The present invention is also a method for suppressing the bitterness of foods and beverages, characterized by applying one or more selected from polyglycerin fatty acid esters, glycerin fatty acid esters, sucrose fatty acid esters, sorbitan fatty acid esters, and propylene glycol fatty acid esters.

The present invention also provides a method for producing a semiconductor device comprising the steps of:
For food and drink containing vitamin B2 and one or more bitter components selected from limonin, naringin, and catechins,
The present invention is also a method for producing a food or drink with reduced bitterness, characterized by using one or more selected from polyglycerol fatty acid esters, glycerol fatty acid esters, sucrose fatty acid esters, sorbitan fatty acid esters, and propylene glycol fatty acid esters.

The present invention provides foods and beverages with reduced bitterness due to the combination of specific ingredients.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention to aid in understanding the present invention. Note that the following embodiment is an example of the present invention, and can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the claims.

In addition, in this specification, with regard to the content (concentration) of each ingredient, "whole food or drink" means the entire edible portion contained in the container, and does not include the container, unless otherwise specified.

The present invention relates to a food or drink containing vitamin B2 and one or more bitter components selected from limonin, naringin, and catechins (hereinafter also referred to simply as bitter components).
The food and beverage of the present invention further contains one or more active ingredients selected from polyglycerin fatty acid esters, glycerin fatty acid esters, sucrose fatty acid esters, sorbitan fatty acid esters, and propylene glycol fatty acid esters (hereinafter referred to simply as active ingredients).

Here, the active ingredient is preferably one or more selected from polyglycerin fatty acid esters, glycerin fatty acid esters, and sucrose fatty acid esters.
By further adding one or more active ingredients selected from polyglycerin fatty acid ester, glycerin fatty acid ester, and sucrose fatty acid ester to a food or drink containing vitamin B2 and a bitter component, it is possible to suppress the strong bitterness caused by the combination of vitamin B2 and the bitter component.

The HLB of the active ingredient is preferably 1 or more, more preferably 4 or more, even more preferably 5 or more, and particularly preferably 7 or more.
By using an active ingredient with an HLB value equal to or higher than the lower limit, the strong bitterness caused by the combination of vitamin B2 and bitter ingredients can be suppressed.

The HLB of the active ingredient is preferably 18 or less, more preferably 16 or less, even more preferably 12 or less, and particularly preferably 9 or less.
By using an active ingredient with an HLB value below the upper limit, the strong bitterness caused by the combination of vitamin B2 and bitter ingredients can be suppressed.

The content of the active ingredient in the entire food or drink is preferably 10 ppm or more, more preferably 50 ppm or more, more preferably 100 ppm or more, and even more preferably 1000 ppm or more.
By setting the content of the active ingredient to be equal to or higher than the lower limit, it is possible to suppress the strong bitterness caused by the combination of vitamin B2 and bitter components.

The content of the active ingredient in the entire food or drink is preferably 10,000 ppm or less, more preferably 3,000 ppm or less, more preferably 1,000 ppm or less, even more preferably 500 ppm or less, particularly preferably 100 ppm or less, and of these, preferably 60 ppm or less.
Even if the content of the active ingredient is equal to or less than the upper limit, the strong bitterness caused by the combination of vitamin B2 and bitter ingredients can be suppressed.

Below, we explain more preferred forms when the active ingredient is a polyglycerol fatty acid ester.

The polyglycerol fatty acid ester in the present invention preferably has an HLB of 1 or more, more preferably 4 or more, further preferably 5 or more, and particularly preferably 7 or more.
The HLB of the polyglycerol fatty acid ester is preferably 18 or less, more preferably 16 or less, further preferably 12 or less, and particularly preferably 9 or less.

The fatty acid in the polyglycerol fatty acid ester may be either a saturated fatty acid or an unsaturated fatty acid, and may be either a straight chain or a branched chain.
The fatty acid preferably has 8 to 22 carbon chains, more preferably 10 to 20 carbon chains, and even more preferably 12 to 18 carbon chains.

Further, examples of components of polyglycerol fatty acid esters include esters of glycerin with one or more fatty acids selected from the group consisting of caprylic acid, capric acid, lauric acid, myristic acid, palmitic acid, palmitoleic acid, stearic acid, oleic acid, arachidic acid, and behenic acid.
In addition, it is preferable that the polyglycerol fatty acid ester contains, as a constituent element, an ester of glycerol and one or more fatty acids selected from the group consisting of oleic acid, lauric acid, and stearic acid.

The degree of polymerization of glycerin in the polyglycerol fatty acid ester is not particularly limited, and may be 1 to 10, 2 to 10, 4 to 10, or 6 to 10.

Examples of the polyglycerol fatty acid esters used in the present invention include polyglycerol stearate S-28D and polyglycerol oleate O-15D (HLB 13).

The content of the polyglycerol fatty acid ester in the entire food or drink is preferably 10 ppm or more, more preferably 50 ppm or more, more preferably 100 ppm or more, and even more preferably 1000 ppm or more.
By setting the content of polyglycerol fatty acid ester to the lower limit or more, it is possible to suppress the strong bitterness caused by the combination of vitamin B2 and bitter components.

Furthermore, when the active ingredient is a polyglycerol fatty acid ester, the content of the polyglycerol fatty acid ester in the entire food or beverage is 1000 ppm or less, more preferably 500 ppm or less, even more preferably 300 ppm or less, particularly preferably 100 ppm or less, and of these, preferably 50 ppm or less.
Even if the content of polyglycerol fatty acid ester is below the upper limit, the strong bitterness caused by the combination of vitamin B2 and bitter components can be suppressed.

Below, we explain more preferred forms when the active ingredient is a glycerin fatty acid ester.

The glycerin fatty acid ester in the present invention preferably has an HLB of 1 or more, more preferably 4 or more, further preferably 5 or more, and particularly preferably 7 or more.
The HLB of the polyglycerol fatty acid ester is preferably 18 or less, more preferably 16 or less, further preferably 12 or less, and particularly preferably 9 or less.

The fatty acid in the glycerin fatty acid ester may be either a saturated fatty acid or an unsaturated fatty acid, and may be either a straight chain or a branched chain.
The fatty acid preferably has 8 to 22 carbon chains, more preferably 10 to 20 carbon chains, and even more preferably 12 to 18 carbon chains.

Examples of such glycerin fatty acid esters include esters of glycerin with one or more fatty acids selected from the group consisting of caprylic acid, capric acid, lauric acid, myristic acid, palmitic acid, palmitoleic acid, stearic acid, oleic acid, arachidic acid, and behenic acid.
The glycerin fatty acid ester is preferably an ester of glycerin with one or more fatty acids selected from the group consisting of lauric acid and oleic acid.

The degree of esterification of the glycerin fatty acid ester is not particularly limited, and it may be any of glycerin mono-fatty acid ester, glycerin di-fatty acid ester, and glycerin tri-fatty acid ester.

Specific examples of glycerin fatty acid esters having an HLB of 8 or more include diglycerin monooleate (HLB 8), pentaglycerin monooleate (HLB 13), and decaglycerin monolaurate (HLB 15.5).
The HLB values in the table vary somewhat depending on the type of commercially available product, but these glycerin fatty acid esters generally have an HLB of 8 or higher.

When the active ingredient is a glycerol fatty acid ester, the content of the glycerol fatty acid ester in the entire food or drink is preferably 10 ppm or more, more preferably 50 ppm or more, more preferably 100 ppm or more, and even more preferably 1000 ppm or more.
By setting the content of glycerin fatty acid ester to the lower limit or more, it is possible to suppress the strong bitterness caused by the combination of vitamin B2 and bitter components.

Furthermore, when the active ingredient is a glycerol fatty acid ester, the content of the glycerol fatty acid ester in the entire food or beverage is 1000 ppm or less, more preferably 500 ppm or less, even more preferably 300 ppm or less, particularly preferably 100 ppm or less, and of these, preferably 50 ppm or less.
Even if the content of glycerin fatty acid ester is below the upper limit, the strong bitterness caused by the combination of vitamin B2 and bitter components can be suppressed.

Below, we explain more preferred forms when the active ingredient is a sucrose fatty acid ester.

The sucrose fatty acid ester in the present invention preferably has an HLB of 1 or more, more preferably 4 or more, further preferably 5 or more, and particularly preferably 7 or more.
The HLB of the polyglycerol fatty acid ester is preferably 18 or less, more preferably 16 or less, further preferably 12 or less, and particularly preferably 9 or less.

The fatty acid in the sucrose fatty acid ester may be either a saturated fatty acid or an unsaturated fatty acid, and may be either a straight chain or a branched chain.
The number of carbon chains of the fatty acid is preferably 8 to 22, more preferably 10 to 20, further preferably 12 to 18, particularly preferably 14 to 18, and most preferably 16.

Examples of such sucrose fatty acid esters include esters of sucrose with one or more fatty acids selected from the group consisting of caprylic acid, capric acid, lauric acid, myristic acid, palmitic acid, palmitoleic acid, stearic acid, oleic acid, arachidic acid, and behenic acid.
The sucrose fatty acid ester is preferably an ester of sucrose with one or more fatty acids selected from the group consisting of oleic acid, stearic acid and palmitic acid, and more preferably sucrose stearate.

Examples of sucrose fatty acid esters used in the present invention include sugar ester S-1670 (HLB approximately 16) and sugar ester S-570 (HLB approximately 5).

When the active ingredient is a sucrose fatty acid ester, the content of the sucrose fatty acid ester in the entire food or drink is preferably 10 ppm or more, more preferably 50 ppm or more, more preferably 100 ppm or more, and even more preferably 1000 ppm or more.
By setting the content of sucrose fatty acid ester to the lower limit or more, it is possible to suppress the strong bitterness caused by the combination of vitamin B2 and bitter components.

Furthermore, when the active ingredient is a sucrose fatty acid ester, the content of the sucrose fatty acid ester in the entire food or beverage is 1000 ppm or less, more preferably 500 ppm or less, even more preferably 300 ppm or less, particularly preferably 100 ppm or less, and of these, preferably 50 ppm or less.
Even if the content of sucrose fatty acid ester is below the upper limit, the strong bitterness caused by the combination of vitamin B2 and bitter components can be suppressed.

Below, we explain more preferred forms when the active ingredient is a sorbitan fatty acid ester.

The sorbitan fatty acid ester in the present invention preferably has an HLB of 1 or more, more preferably 4 or more, further preferably 5 or more, and particularly preferably 7 or more.
The HLB of the polyglycerol fatty acid ester is preferably 18 or less, more preferably 16 or less, further preferably 12 or less, and particularly preferably 9 or less.

The fatty acid in the sorbitan fatty acid ester may be either a saturated fatty acid or an unsaturated fatty acid, and may be either a straight chain or a branched chain.
The fatty acid preferably has 8 to 22 carbon chains, more preferably 10 to 20 carbon chains, and even more preferably 12 to 18 carbon chains.

Examples of such sorbitan fatty acid esters include esters of sorbitan with one or more fatty acids selected from the group consisting of caprylic acid, capric acid, lauric acid, myristic acid, palmitic acid, palmitoleic acid, stearic acid, oleic acid, arachidic acid, and behenic acid.
The sorbitan fatty acid ester is preferably an ester of glycerin with one or more fatty acids selected from the group consisting of stearic acid, lauric acid and oleic acid.

The degree of esterification of the sorbitan fatty acid ester is not particularly limited, and it may be any of sorbitan mono-fatty acid ester, sorbitan di-fatty acid ester, and sorbitan tri-fatty acid ester.

Specific examples of sorbitan fatty acid esters with an HLB of 8 or more include disorbitan monooleate, pentasorbitan monooleate, and decasorbitan monolaurate.

When the active ingredient is a sorbitan fatty acid ester, the content of the sorbitan fatty acid ester in the entire food or drink is preferably 10 ppm or more, more preferably 50 ppm or more, more preferably 100 ppm or more, and even more preferably 1000 ppm or more.
By setting the content of sorbitan fatty acid ester to the lower limit or more, it is possible to suppress the strong bitterness caused by the combination of vitamin B2 and bitter components.

Furthermore, when the active ingredient is a sorbitan fatty acid ester, the content of the sorbitan fatty acid ester in the entire food or beverage is 1000 ppm or less, more preferably 500 ppm or less, even more preferably 300 ppm or less, particularly preferably 100 ppm or less, and of these, preferably 50 ppm or less.
Even if the content of sorbitan fatty acid ester is below the upper limit, the strong bitterness caused by the combination of vitamin B2 and bitter components can be suppressed.

Below, we explain more preferred forms when the active ingredient is propylene glycol fatty acid ester.

The propylene glycol fatty acid ester in the present invention preferably has an HLB of 1 or more, more preferably 4 or more, further preferably 5 or more, and particularly preferably 7 or more.
The HLB of the polyglycerol fatty acid ester is preferably 18 or less, more preferably 16 or less, further preferably 12 or less, and particularly preferably 9 or less.

The fatty acid in the propylene glycol fatty acid ester may be either a saturated fatty acid or an unsaturated fatty acid, and may be either a straight chain or a branched chain.
The fatty acid preferably has 8 to 22 carbon chains, more preferably 10 to 20 carbon chains, and even more preferably 12 to 18 carbon chains.

Examples of such propylene glycol fatty acid esters include esters of propylene glycol with one or more fatty acids selected from the group consisting of caprylic acid, capric acid, lauric acid, myristic acid, palmitic acid, palmitoleic acid, stearic acid, oleic acid, arachidic acid, and behenic acid.
The propylene glycol fatty acid ester is preferably an ester of glycerin with one or more fatty acids selected from the group consisting of stearic acid, palmitic acid, lauric acid and oleic acid.

The degree of esterification of the propylene glycol fatty acid ester is not particularly limited, and it may be any of propylene glycol mono-fatty acid ester, propylene glycol di-fatty acid ester, and propylene glycol tri-fatty acid ester.

Specific examples of propylene glycol fatty acid esters with an HLB of 8 or more include dipropylene glycol monooleate, pentapropylene glycol monooleate, and decapropylene glycol monolaurate.

When the active ingredient is a propylene glycol fatty acid ester, the content of the propylene glycol fatty acid ester in the entire food or drink is preferably 10 ppm or more, more preferably 50 ppm or more, more preferably 100 ppm or more, and even more preferably 1000 ppm or more.
By setting the content of propylene glycol fatty acid ester to the lower limit or more, it is possible to suppress the strong bitterness caused by the combination of vitamin B2 and bitter components.

In addition, when the active ingredient is a propylene glycol fatty acid ester, the content of sorbitan propylene glycol fatty acid ester in the entire food or beverage is 1000 ppm or less, more preferably 500 ppm or less, even more preferably 300 ppm or less, particularly preferably 100 ppm or less, and of these, preferably 50 ppm or less.
Even if the content of propylene glycol fatty acid ester is below the upper limit, the strong bitterness caused by the combination of vitamin B2 and bitter components can be suppressed.

The following describes the preferred forms of vitamin B2, bitter components, and food and beverage products contained in the food and beverage products of the present invention.

(1) Vitamin B2
In the present invention, vitamin B2 is one or more selected from riboflavin, riboflavin butyrate, and riboflavin 5'-phosphate.

The vitamin B2 content in the food or drink of the present invention is preferably 3 ppm or more, more preferably 5 ppm or more, more preferably 7 ppm or more, and even more preferably 7.7 ppm or more, of the entire food or drink.
In foods and beverages having a vitamin B2 content equal to or higher than the lower limit, the bitterness caused by the combination with the specific bitter components described below becomes noticeable.
Therefore, the effects of the active ingredient of the present invention are more pronounced.

The vitamin B2 content in the food or beverage is preferably 20 ppm or less, more preferably 15 ppm or less, and even more preferably 10 ppm or less, of the entire food or beverage.

(2) Bitter Component The food or drink of the present invention contains, as bitter components, one or more selected from limonin, naringin, and catechins.

Here, catechins refer to flavonoid compounds having a basic structure of flavan-3-ol.
Examples of catechins include catechin (C), gallocatechin (GC), catechin gallate (CG), gallocatechin gallate (GCG), epicatechin (EC), epigallocatechin (EGC), epicatechin gallate (ECG), and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG).

The catechins contained in the food and drink of the present invention are preferably catechins.
Moreover, the catechin is preferably a non-polymer catechin.
The active ingredient used in the present invention is particularly useful for suppressing bitterness by the combination of non-polymer catechins and vitamin B2.

The content of bitter components in the food or drink is preferably 0.1 ppm or more, more preferably 1 ppm or more, and even more preferably 3 ppm or more, of the entire food or drink.
Foods and beverages having a bitter component content equal to or higher than the lower limit have a noticeable bitterness due to the combination with vitamin B2.
Therefore, the effects of the active ingredient of the present invention are more pronounced.

The bitter component content of the entire food or beverage is preferably 150 ppm or less, more preferably 100 ppm or less.

Here, when the bitter component is limonin, its content in the entire food or drink is preferably 0.1 ppm or more, more preferably 1 ppm or more, and even more preferably 3 ppm or more.
Foods and beverages with a limonin content above the lower limit exhibit a noticeable bitter taste due to the combination with vitamin B2.
Therefore, the effects of the active ingredient of the present invention are more pronounced.

In addition, when the bitter component is limonin, its content in the entire food or beverage is preferably 10 ppm or less, more preferably 5 ppm or less, and particularly preferably 2 ppm or less.

Furthermore, when the bitter component is naringin, its content in the entire food or beverage is preferably 6 ppm or more, more preferably 30 ppm or more, even more preferably 70 ppm or more, and particularly preferably 100 ppm or more.
Foods and beverages with a naringin content above the lower limit will have a noticeable bitter taste due to the combination with vitamin B2.
Therefore, the effects of the active ingredient of the present invention are more pronounced.

In addition, when the bitter component is naringin, its content in the entire food or beverage is preferably 150 ppm or less, more preferably 130 ppm or less, and even more preferably 120 ppm or less.

Furthermore, when the bitter component is a catechin, its content in the entire food or beverage is preferably 0.5 ppm or more, more preferably 1 ppm or more, even more preferably 3 ppm or more, more preferably 30 ppm or more, even more preferably 70 ppm or more, and particularly preferably 100 ppm or more.
Foods and beverages containing catechins at or above the lower limit have a pronounced bitter taste due to the combination with vitamin B2.
Therefore, the effects of the active ingredient of the present invention are more pronounced.

In addition, when the bitter component is a catechin, its content in the entire food or beverage is preferably 150 ppm or less, more preferably 120 ppm or less, and even more preferably 100 ppm or less.

When the bitter component contains polymeric catechins, the content can be calculated as the converted mass of the catechins as monomers based on the degree of polymerization.

In addition, in a preferred embodiment of the food or drink of the present invention,
As the bitter component,
It is characterized by containing 0.1 ppm to 5 ppm of limonin, 6 ppm to 300 ppm of naringin, or 0.5 ppm to 100 ppm of catechins.

Here, the bitter component may be derived from fruit juice or vegetable juice.
Preferred examples of fruit juices and vegetable juices include those made from grapefruit, orange, peach, grape, apple, apricot, strawberry, tomato, carrot, celery, broccoli, fig, kiwi, and banana.

When the bitter component is derived from fruit juice or vegetable juice, the content of the bitter component in the entire food or drink can be calculated using the converted mass based on the content ratio of the bitter component in the fruit juice or vegetable juice.

(3) Form of Food and Drink The food and drink of the present invention may be in the form of beverages such as fruit juice-containing jelly beverages and fruit beverages (including concentrated concentrates and powders for preparation of these beverages); frozen desserts such as ice cream, ice sherbet, and shaved ice; sweets such as candy, chewing gum, candy, fruit juice-containing gummies, gum, chocolate, tablet sweets, snacks, biscuits, jam, cream, and baked sweets; enteral nutritional foods; functional foods, etc. In particular, the form of the food and drink of the present invention is preferably a jelly beverage or a beverage.

The food and drink of the present invention may also contain any other ingredients that are typically used in food and drink, provided that the effects of the present invention are not impaired. Examples of such optional ingredients include food and drink additives, monosaccharides, oligosaccharides, amino acids, organic amines, pH adjusters, vitamins, antioxidants, antioxidant aids, etc.

It is also preferable to mix the ingredients so that the pH of the resulting food or beverage is 3.0 to 4.6, more preferably 3.0 to 4.0. By making the pH of the resulting food or beverage 4.6 or less, the growth of microorganisms can be suppressed, which is preferable from the standpoint of food and beverage hygiene. In addition, it is also preferable to make the pH 3.0 or higher, which can suppress the sourness of the food or beverage.

Here, the lower limit of the Brix value of the food or drink of the present invention is preferably 5 or more, more preferably 6 or more, and even more preferably 10 or more.
Food and drink having a Brix value equal to or higher than the lower limit can suppress the bitterness caused by the combination of vitamin B2 and a specific bitter component.

In addition, from the viewpoint of flavor, the upper limit of the Brix value of the food or beverage of the present invention is preferably 45 or less, more preferably 40 or less, and even more preferably 30 or less.

Methods for calculating the Brix value of food and beverages include, for example, measuring the Brix value using a saccharometer, calculating the Brix value using a refractometer, and determining the Brix value by comparing the sugar concentration in the food and beverage with a Brix value calibration curve.

The Brix value of food and beverages can also be adjusted by adjusting the carbohydrate content in the food and beverages.

The present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited to the following examples as long as the gist of the invention is not exceeded.

Test Example 1 Synergistic Bitterness Caused by Combination of Vitamin B and Specific Bitter Components Samples were prepared by adding each of the ingredients shown in Tables 1 and 2 below to water.

For each sample, a sensory evaluation of bitterness was performed by three evaluators (Panels A to C in the table below) who are experts in food and beverages. The sensory evaluation was performed using the visual analog scale (VAS) evaluation method.
For the VAS, a 200 mm scale bar was used, with the left end defined as 0 (the lowest point, no bitterness felt) and the right end defined as 200 (the highest point, the strongest bitterness felt).
In defining 0 (the lowest score, no bitterness felt), the evaluators tasted a sample (control) that contained neither bitter components nor vitamin B, and determined its bitterness to be 0.

In addition, to evaluate the synergistic effect of bitterness due to the combination of vitamin B and a specific bitter component, test system α (a sample containing only the specific bitter component), test system β (a sample containing only vitamin B), and test system γ (a sample containing the specific bitter component and vitamin B) were prepared.
The bitterness intensity of each of the test systems α, β, and γ was evaluated. The evaluation values were then applied to the following calculation formula to evaluate the bitterness enhancement degree.

Calculation formula: Test system γ/(Test system α+Test system β)

If the result of the above calculation formula exceeds 1, it can be evaluated that "the bitterness has been synergistically enhanced by combining vitamin B2 with a specific bitter component."

(2) Results and Observations As shown in Tables 1 and 2, it was found that samples containing a combination of vitamin B2 and a specific bitter component selected from limonin, naringin, and catechins had a synergistically stronger bitterness.

Test Example 2 Addition of Active Ingredients (1) Test Contents and Evaluation Items Samples (Comparative Examples and Examples) were prepared by adding each of the ingredients shown in Table 3 below to water.
The produced samples were subjected to evaluation according to the same evaluation method and criteria as in Test Example 1.

(2) Results and Discussion From the results in Table 3, it was found that the addition of polyglycerol fatty acid ester (the active ingredient of the present invention) can reduce the bitterness of foods and beverages containing a combination of vitamin B2 and a specific bitter component selected from limonin, naringin, and catechins.

[Test Example 3] Effect of type of active ingredient Next, other active ingredients were examined.

Samples (comparative examples and examples) were prepared by adding each of the ingredients shown in Table 4 below to water.
The produced samples were evaluated according to the same evaluation method and criteria as in Test Example 1.

(2) Results and Discussion From the results in Table 4, it was found that the addition of sucrose fatty acid esters and diglycerol fatty acid esters (active ingredients of the present invention) can reduce the bitterness of foods and beverages containing a combination of vitamin B2 and a specific bitter component selected from limonin, naringin, and catechins.

[Production Example 1]
A jelly drink having the composition shown in Table 5 was produced by a conventional method.

When an evaluator specializing in food and beverages drank the jelly drink of Production Example 1 above, he did not detect any bitterness due to the combination of vitamin B2 and one or more bitter components selected from limonin, naringin, and catechins.

This invention can be applied to food and beverages.

Claims (8)

A food or drink containing vitamin B2 and one or more bitter components selected from limonin and naringin,
The concentration of vitamin B2 is 7.7 ppm or more and 20 ppm or less ,
When the composition contains limonin, the concentration of the limonin is 0.1 to 5 ppm, and the composition further contains a polyglycerol fatty acid ester.
When naringin is contained, the concentration of the naringin is 6 ppm to 300 ppm, and further contains one or more selected from polyglycerin fatty acid esters, glycerin fatty acid esters, sucrose fatty acid esters, sorbitan fatty acid esters, and propylene glycol fatty acid esters ;
The food or drink is characterized in that the concentration of one or more selected from the group consisting of polyglycerol fatty acid esters, glycerol fatty acid esters, sucrose fatty acid esters, sorbitan fatty acid esters, and propylene glycol fatty acid esters is 10 ppm or more. The food or beverage according to claim 1 , wherein the glycerin fatty acid ester is an ester of glycerin and one or more fatty acids selected from the group consisting of lauric acid and oleic acid. The food or beverage according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the one or more selected from polyglycerin fatty acid esters, glycerin fatty acid esters, sucrose fatty acid esters, sorbitan fatty acid esters, and propylene glycol fatty acid esters are one or more selected from polyglycerin fatty acid esters, sucrose fatty acid esters, sorbitan fatty acid esters, and propylene glycol fatty acid esters. The food or drink according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the one or more selected from the group consisting of polyglycerin fatty acid esters, glycerin fatty acid esters, sucrose fatty acid esters, sorbitan fatty acid esters, and propylene glycol fatty acid esters are one or more selected from the group consisting of polyglycerin fatty acid esters, sorbitan fatty acid esters, and propylene glycol fatty acid esters. For foods and beverages containing vitamin B2 at 7.7 ppm to 20 ppm , and one or more bitter components selected from limonin at 0.1 ppm to 5 ppm and naringin at 6 ppm to 300 ppm ,
When the limonin is contained, the polyglycerol fatty acid ester is applied at a concentration of 10 ppm or more;
When the food or beverage contains naringin, the method for suppressing the bitterness of the food or beverage is characterized by applying one or more selected from polyglycerin fatty acid esters, glycerin fatty acid esters, sucrose fatty acid esters, sorbitan fatty acid esters, and propylene glycol fatty acid esters at a concentration of 10 ppm or more. The method for suppressing bitterness in food and beverages according to claim 5, characterized in that the one or more selected from polyglycerin fatty acid esters, glycerin fatty acid esters, sucrose fatty acid esters, sorbitan fatty acid esters, and propylene glycol fatty acid esters are one or more selected from polyglycerin fatty acid esters, sorbitan fatty acid esters, and propylene glycol fatty acid esters. For foods and beverages containing vitamin B2 at 7.7 ppm to 20 ppm , and one or more bitter components selected from limonin at 0.1 ppm to 5 ppm and naringin at 6 ppm to 300 ppm ,
When the limonin is contained, the polyglycerol fatty acid ester is applied at a concentration of 10 ppm or more;
This method for producing a food or beverage with reduced bitterness is characterized in that when naringin is contained, one or more selected from polyglycerin fatty acid esters, glycerin fatty acid esters, sucrose fatty acid esters, sorbitan fatty acid esters, and propylene glycol fatty acid esters are applied at a concentration of 10 ppm or more. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that the one or more selected from the group consisting of polyglycerin fatty acid esters, glycerin fatty acid esters, sucrose fatty acid esters, sorbitan fatty acid esters, and propylene glycol fatty acid esters are one or more selected from the group consisting of polyglycerin fatty acid esters, sorbitan fatty acid esters, and propylene glycol fatty acid esters .