JP2018196357A - Low calorie chocolate composition - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a chocolate composition that has a low calorie but excellent sweetness, is reduced in heterogeneous bitterness or the like, and offers an excellent taste.SOLUTION: A chocolate composition at least contains maltitol, and stevia extract. The stevia extract is α-glycosylated stevia extract, containing a rebaudioside A derivative of 50-95 wt.% and a stevioside derivative of 5-50 wt.%.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

  The present invention relates to a low calorie chocolate composition.

  Along with the diversification of food culture, foods with high lipid content and foods containing a large amount of sugars such as sugar and isomerized sugar are favored, leading to an increase in the prevalence of obesity and diabetes worldwide. Is becoming a social problem.

  On the other hand, preference foods such as chocolate and cakes using chocolate are widely preferred as preference foods that can give mental comfort in a stress society as well as use as a snack.

  Therefore, realization of a low-calorie and tasty chocolate composition that can be ingested on a daily basis is widely desired.

  In order to realize such a low-calorie chocolate composition, for example, a production method using one or more powdered sugars selected from sugar and sugar alcohol for chocolate has been proposed (Patent Document 1).

  Moreover, the prescription which mixes and uses maltitol and oleuropein and mixes sugar is proposed (patent document 2).

JP 2004-357593 A JP 2017-018096 A

  However, in patent document 1, the usage-amount of sugar and erythritol was large, and the low calorie property was inadequate.

  Moreover, in patent document 2, although the balance of flavor is excellent, there was still room for improvement about the whole taste (heterogeneous bitterness etc.).

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a chocolate composition which is low in calories but excellent in sweetness and excellent in taste with reduced extraordinary bitterness.

That is, this invention is the following (1)-.
[1] A chocolate composition comprising at least maltitol and stevia extract.
[2] The chocolate composition according to [1], wherein the stevia extract is an α-glycosylated stevia extract.
[3] The stevia extract contains 50 to 95% by weight of the rebaudioside A derivative and 5 to 50% by weight of the stevioside derivative, [1] to [2] Chocolate composition.
[4] The chocolate composition according to any one of [1] to [3], wherein sugars are not contained.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can provide a chocolate composition that is low in calories but excellent in sweetness and excellent in taste with reduced extraordinary bitterness.

Details of the present invention will be described below.
In addition, when there is no description in particular, the description "AA-BB%" means "AA% or more-BB% or less".

  The present invention is a chocolate composition comprising at least maltitol and stevia extract.

<Stevia extract>
Stevia extract used in the present invention is extracted from the leaves of Stevia, and includes stevioside and rebaudioside A as the main components of sweetness. There is no limit. Extraction conditions may be a method for obtaining a stevia sweetening component that has been conventionally applied, and extraction can be performed with water, hot water, or a water-containing or anhydrous organic solvent such as methanol or ethanol. In particular, the extraction is preferably performed under conditions of an extraction temperature of 5 to 100 ° C. and an extraction time of 1 to 24 hours. Further, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5 1-23300, in order to effectively extract sweetening components during extraction with water or hot water, the pH is set to 10 with lime or the like. There are no particular restrictions on the use of these adjuvants, although the degree may be adjusted to the extent.

  As the stevia extract obtained by the above method, the one obtained by separating and removing the residue from the extract after the extraction is used. The method for separating the residue can be selected as appropriate from natural sedimentation separation or forced filtration, but pressure filtration is preferred when priority is given to efficiency. The extract from which the residue has been separated and removed can be used as it is, but is concentrated or dried as necessary. In addition, after diluting the concentrated solution with water or redissolving the dried product in water, impurities are removed using an adsorption method such as an ion exchange resin, or a high porous polymer (for example, Amperlite XAD-2). , Manufactured by Organo Co., Ltd.) and then eluted with a hydrophilic solvent and concentrated, or those dried are used. Stevia extract can be used even if it is approved and sold as a stevia sweetener.

  In the stevia extract (sweetener) of the present invention, rebaudioside A is preferably contained in the range of 50 to 95% by weight, more preferably 60 to 95% by weight, based on the total amount of stevia extract. More preferred is 95% by weight.

Moreover, it is preferable that stevioside is contained in the range of 5-50 weight% with respect to the stevia extract whole quantity, 5-40 weight% is further more preferable, and 5-30 weight% is more preferable.
(Note that rebaudioside A + stevioside + other steviaside extract component = 100 wt%) When rebaudioside A and stevioside are in the above ranges, the effects of the present invention can be obtained more effectively. .

  Furthermore, it is preferable that the stevia extract is sugar-modified, such as those obtained by transferring sugar using α-glucosyl glycosyltransferase using α-glucosylated saccharide compound as a sugar donor, and An α-glucosylated stevia extract produced by adjusting the number of added sugars with amylase or the like can be used. Specific production methods are described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 5-222498 and Japanese Examined Publication No.577-18779. The α-glucosylated stevia extract produced by the enzymatic reaction can be used either as an unpurified product that does not remove a sugar donor such as dextrin, or a product obtained by purifying it with a resin or the like. Also, those that are approved and sold as stevia sweeteners can be used.

Such an α-glucosylated stevia extract has a sweetening component to which 1 to 15 to 20 α-glucosyl groups are added, and the average α-glucosyl addition number is 5-2.
No. 2498 and monthly food chemical January 1995 p. 36, the following equation (1) is obtained.

  The rebaudioside A derivative (rebaudioside A and its modified product) contained in such an α-glucosylated stevia extract is preferably contained in the range of 50 to 95% by weight, and 50 to 90%. % By weight is more preferable, and 60 to 90% by weight is more preferable.

  Further, the stevioside derivative (stevioside and its modified product) is preferably contained in the range of 5 to 50% by weight, more preferably 5 to 30% by weight, and even more preferably 5 to 20% by weight. (Note that rebaudioside A derivative + stevioside derivative + derivative of other stevia extract components = 100% by weight)

  The stevia extract of the present invention can be used as a mixed sweetener mixed with sucralose. Such sucralose is 4,1 ′, 6′-trichloro-4,1 ′, 6′-trideoxygalactosucrose or 1 ′, 6′-dichloro-1 ′, 6′-dideoxy-β-D-fract. Non-metabolic non-caloric sweetness, known as furanosyl-4-chloro-4-deoxy-α-D-galactopyranoside, which has a sweetness similar to sugar and has a sweetness about 600 times that of sugar It is a fee.

  When sucralose is mixed with the stevia extract of the present invention, the mixture with the α-glucosylated stevia extract is good, and the ratio of α-glucosylated stevia extract: sucralose is preferably 10:90 to 80:20, 30: A ratio of 70 to 70:30 is more preferable.

  Such stevia extract and / or α-glucosylated stevia extract is preferably included in the chocolate composition in the range of 0.005 to 5 wt%, more preferably 0.01 to 1 wt%, More preferably, the content is 0.01 to 0.5% by weight.

<Chocolate composition>
(Maltitol)
The chocolate composition of the present invention contains maltitol and stevia extract as essential components.

  Maltitol is one of the sugar alcohols and is reduced maltose produced by hydrogenating maltose (maltose) to cause a chemical reaction.

  Such maltitol is preferably contained in the chocolate composition in an amount of 5 to 60% by weight, more preferably 10 to 60% by weight, and further preferably 20 to 50% by weight.

  When the content of maltitol and stevia extract is in the above range, the effect of the present invention can be improved.

(Cacao-derived raw material)
The chocolate composition of this invention mix | blends the raw material derived from cacao. The cocoa-derived materials include cocoa nibs, cocoa mass, cocoa butter, cocoa cake and cocoa powder, but mainly cocoa mass and cocoa butter are used in the chocolate composition.

  Cacao nibs are obtained by removing shell parts from cacao beans, and cacao mass is obtained by subjecting cacao nibs to mechanical processing.

  Cocoa cake or cocoa powder is obtained after degreasing treatment or the like on cacao nibs or cacao mass. When cocoa cake is powdered, cocoa powder is obtained.

  Cocoa butter is an oil and fat contained in cocoa nibs obtained by the degreasing treatment. Usually, the majority of cacao nibs and cacao mass are composed of fats and oils (cocoa butter), and the fat content of cocoa cake and cocoa powder depends on the degree of degreasing from cacao mass and can be arbitrarily controlled. Therefore, there are cocoa-derived raw materials having various fat contents from high to low lipid contents depending on the application. For example, a high fat and oil containing type having an oil content of about 20 to 30% by mass, a low fat and oil containing type having an oil content of about 8 to 15% by mass, and a degreasing type having an oil content of less than 8% by mass. The main raw materials of the chocolate composition are these cacao-derived raw materials, and in particular, cacao nibs and cacao mass are important raw materials that impart a flavor peculiar to chocolate to the blended composition. Therefore, the present invention does not inhibit the blending of the cacao-derived raw material. However, since many cacao-derived raw materials have a very high fat content, when trying to obtain low calorie chocolate, it is necessary to reduce the blending amount of the cacao-derived raw materials.

  When reducing cocoa-derived raw materials, it is effective to first reduce cocoa butter with a high fat content. When the cocoa butter is reduced and the fat content in the chocolate composition becomes low, the chocolate feeling is lost. Therefore, it is preferable to mix vegetable oils and fats other than those derived from cacao instead of the reduced cocoa butter. In this case, in order to realize a reduction in calories, it is necessary to make the blending amount of the vegetable oil to be blended smaller than the amount of cocoa butter. Vegetable oils and fats derived from sources other than cacao are not particularly limited. For example, soybean oil, rapeseed oil, rice oil, palm oil, palm kernel oil, palm oil, safflower oil, corn oil, cottonseed oil, sesame oil, peanut oil, olive oil, sunflower oil, macadamia nut oil, almond oil, etc. Usually, it is preferable to mix a plurality of vegetable oils and fats. In the low-calorie chocolate composition of the present invention used in the present application, the lipid content relative to the entire composition is 30% by mass or less. Preferably it is 28 mass%, Most preferably, it is 26 mass% or less. Vegetable oil and fats other than those derived from cacao need to have such an amount that the lipid content in the composition remains within the above range. On the other hand, if the lipid content is extremely low, the calorie of the composition itself can be greatly reduced. However, since the chocolate feeling is lost, the amount of lipid contained in the composition is at least 20% by mass, preferably 23% by mass or more. Most preferably, 24% by mass or more is necessary. The fat content here refers to the measurement method indicated in “Analytical Methods for Nutritional Components, etc. in Nutrition Labeling Standards (Notice of the Newly-Developed Food and Health Measures Office, April 26, 1999)”. The amount of lipid in the composition obtained by use is meant.

  In order to further reduce the calories of the low calorie chocolate composition of the present application, it is necessary to reduce cacao nibs, cacao mass and cocoa butter contained in the composition. If cacao nibs and cacao mass are reduced, the chocolate-specific flavor is likely to be greatly impaired. Therefore, it is preferable to add cocoa cake or cocoa powder according to the reduced amount in order to improve the flavor. In addition, when the amount of cocoa mass and cocoa butter was reduced, the fat content in the chocolate composition was too low, and the fat feeling when eating was poor and the texture was different from chocolate. It is preferable to mix vegetable oils and fats other than cacao origin according to the amount of oils and fats. The compounding quantity of cocoa powder is 10-35 mass% normally, Preferably it is 15-30 mass%, More preferably, it is 15-25 mass%. In addition, the total amount of cocoa powder and vegetable oil is 15 to 60% by mass, preferably 25 to 55% by mass, more preferably 35 to 50% by mass, and most preferably 40 to 45% by mass. If the cacao-derived fats and oils are reduced, the taste may be different from the original image of chocolate, but even in this case, the maltitol and stevia extract of the present invention will restore the chocolate-like flavor. it can.

(Other additives)
The low-calorie chocolate composition of the present invention has one or two kinds selected from the group consisting of indigestible dextrin, water-soluble wheat protein, salacinol, aminolevulinic acid and salts thereof, which have an effect of alleviating an increase in blood sugar level. The above can be mix | blended. Indigestible dextrin is a dietary fiber component obtained by subjecting corn starch to a treatment such as enzymatic degradation with α-amylase or glucoamylase. Water-soluble wheat protein is a soluble protein having an isoelectric point of 7.3 derived from wheat. Salacinol is a compound of C9H18O9S2, molecular weight 334, CAS number 2000399-47-9. Aminolevulinic acid is a compound of C5H9NO3, molecular weight 131, CAS number 106-60-5. Of these, indigestible dextrin is particularly preferred.

  In the chocolate composition of the present invention, a known food material can be blended so long as the lipid content in the composition after blending does not exceed 30% and does not impair the effects of the present invention. As such products, artificial sweeteners such as aster palm and sucralose, dried vegetables, dried fruits, tree nuts, extracts of plants other than stevia, aglycones, and the like can also be blended.

  Next, examples that satisfy the requirements of the present invention will be described. However, the present invention is not limited to the contents of the examples.

<Examples 1-3, Comparative Example 1> Fresh chocolate
In a 300 ml stainless steel bowl, 50 ml of fresh cream (trade name: Meiji Hokkaido Tokachi Milk, manufacturer: Meiji Co., Ltd.) and the sweetening ingredients listed in Table 1 below were mixed until uniform. Then, with hot water adjusted to be in the range of about 50 to 60 ° C., a hot water bath was performed while stirring well until small bubbles began to appear in the fresh cream, thereby preparing a fresh cream composition.

  Subsequently, 100 g of chocolate (product name: Deer Chocolate bitter, maltitol content 35 to 41.6% by weight, sugar content 0% by weight, vendor: Tadabe Ashiya Shoten) is finely chopped with a knife and then a fresh cream composition In addition, the hot water adjusted to be in the range of about 50 to 60 ° C. was dissolved while stirring only with hot water.

  Then, it moved to the 300 ml volume stainless steel pad which covered the wrap, and left still overnight in the refrigerator, and the raw chocolates 1-4 of the Example and the comparative example were obtained.

  About the raw chocolates 1 to 4 obtained in Examples 1 to 3 and Comparative Example 1, 5 trained professional panelists made the evaluation based on the following evaluation criteria based on the chocolate 4, and the average is shown in Table 2. Described.

<Sweet quality>
A: Sweetness is felt stronger than chocolate 4.
○: Sweeter than chocolate 4.
(Triangle | delta): It is sweetness comparable as chocolate 4.
X: Sweetness is considerably weaker than chocolate 4.

<Massive / disgusting masking>
A: From the chocolate 4, almost no taste or taste is felt.
◯: There are less miscellaneous tastes and unpleasant tastes than chocolate 4.
(Triangle | delta): The chocolate 4 and the same taste and taste are comparable.
X: From chocolate 4, a taste and taste are felt.

* 1 The calorific value was estimated as 435 kcal of chocolate and 222.5 kcal of fresh cream in Table 1, and calculated according to Table 3.

In addition, the chocolate richness of chocolates 1 to 4 was evaluated according to the following evaluation criteria in the same manner as described above, and the average is shown in Table 4.

<Dense feeling>
A: The mellowness is stronger than the chocolate 4 and the richness of the chocolate is excellent.
○: There is the same degree of mellowness as chocolate 4 and the rich feeling of chocolate is felt.
(Triangle | delta): It is inferior to chocolate 4, and it is inferior to mellowness, and the rich feeling of chocolate is inferior.
X: Poor mellowness and greatly inferior to the rich feeling of chocolate.

Claims (4)

  A chocolate composition comprising at least maltitol and stevia extract.   The chocolate composition of claim 1, wherein the stevia extract is an α-glycosylated stevia extract.   The said stevia extract contains 50 to 95 weight% of rebaudioside A derivatives, and 5 to 50 weight% of stevioside derivatives, The chocolate composition in any one of Claims 1-2 characterized by the above-mentioned.   Sugars are not contained, The chocolate composition in any one of Claims 1-3 characterized by the above-mentioned.