JPH0458304B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

The present invention relates to food compositions, and in particular improves the palatability of food compositions containing branched chain amino acids,
The purpose is to facilitate their ingestion and to promote the nutritional and physiological effects expected from branched chain amino acids. In recent years, as knowledge about the nutritional and physiological effects of amino acids has increased, many attempts have been made to utilize them to maintain and improve health and prevent and treat diseases. Considering the fact that amino acids are constituents of protein, which is an important nutrient, it is most natural to provide them as food or as an accompaniment to food. It can be said that it is. However, branched chain amino acids have a bitter taste, and when made into a drink, branched chain amino acids dissolve, posing a major obstacle to intake. As a result of various studies to solve this problem, the present inventors found that L-isoleucine, L-leucine and L-valine are 2.0-0.6:1:0.4-0.8.
The solid food composition contains 2 to 30% by weight of branched chain amino acids, which are blended in a weight ratio of Furthermore, the present invention was completed by providing a fixed food composition containing a sweet substance. In addition, the solid food composition of the present invention is effective in removing bitterness, making it possible to eat it without any discomfort, and furthermore, since it is organized by protein, it has the advantage of being easy to eat. The branched chain amino acids used in the present invention include isoleucine, leucine, and valine, but one or more of these may be selected and used depending on the product form and purpose of use. . Furthermore, depending on the purpose of use, amino acids other than those mentioned above may be used in combination. In particular, the ratio of isoleucine:leucine:valine is
When prepared to have a ratio of 2.0 to 0.6:1:0.4 to 0.8,
It is highly effective in improving muscle movement function. This ratio was determined by examining the average abundance ratio of these amino acids in muscle and the metabolic rate in muscle. These amino acids are quickly absorbed, transferred to the bloodstream, and transported to each organ in the body.
It is also supplied to and used by muscles. The proportion of branched chain amino acids in the solid substance must be 2% by weight or more, preferably 5% by weight or more, and if it is less than 2% by weight, the effect of containing the branched chain amino acids will not be apparent. zu, furthermore
If it exceeds 30% by weight, the flavor and bitterness characteristic of branched chain amino acids will become stronger. It is also possible to mix and add branched-chain amino acids with other amino acids or their derivatives, and to add them until the proportion of branched-chain amino acids in free amino acids is 40% by weight or more, preferably 70% by weight or more. can. A food composition having such a ratio exhibits an excellent effect on maintaining and enhancing muscle motor function. Furthermore, it contains at least protein to form a solid food composition. The protein may be of any kind, including vegetable proteins such as soybean protein and wheat gluten, and animal proteins such as egg powder and casein. It also falls within the scope of the present invention to use proteins that have been completely or partially hydrolyzed by treatment with acids or enzymes. The amount of protein added depends on the type and content of the branched chain amino acids, the form of the food composition, etc., but if the amount is added 3 to 30 times the weight of the branched chain amino acids, the protein will effectively cover the branched chain amino acids. It also effectively masks the bitter taste of branched chain amino acids when eaten. In addition to the above, the product according to the present invention may contain carbohydrates, fats and oils, minerals, vitamins, etc. as general nutritional ingredients, taking into account the nutritional balance depending on the mode of use. As carbohydrates, starch or starch-based raw materials such as rice flour, wheat flour, wheat starch, corn starch, sweet potato starch, and potato starch, or processed products or partially decomposed products thereof are used. It is desirable to add fats and oils not only as an energy source but also as a source of essential fatty acids. Even if the content is lowered to control energy supply, it is preferable to contain at least 3%. Food oils such as soybean oil, corn oil, rapeseed oil, cottonseed oil, sunflower oil, palm oil, and olive oil;
Animal fats and oils such as beef tallow, lard, milk fat, and fish fat can be used, and these fats and oils may be processed by transesterification, hydrogenation, or the like. Minerals include sodium, potassium,
Inorganic excipients consisting of salts such as calcium, magnesium, and iron are used. As vitamins, fat-soluble (A, D, E,
F, K, etc.) and water-soluble (B ₁ , B ₂ , B ₆ , B ₁₂ ,
C, niacin, etc.) can be used. Furthermore, gum arabic,
Xanthan gum, guar gum, etc. can be used. In order to improve the palatability of the product, seasonings, flavoring agents, and coloring agents can be added as appropriate. If only branched chain amino acids and proteins are used, the balance of taste is not necessarily favorable, so by combining proteins and sweet substances, other amino acids are added, masking bitterness, and organizing the composition. be able to. Sweet substances include sugars, sugar alcohols, α-L-asparatyl-L-
Phenylalanine methyl ester and the like can be used. As the sugar, specifically, glucose, fructose, xylose, ribose, sucrose, maltose, lactose, etc. can be used, and as long as it has a sweet taste, it can also be used in combination with other materials. In particular, when α-L-asparatyl-L-phenylalanine methyl ester or sugar alcohol is used, the bitter taste of branched chain amino acids is masked, resulting in an excellent aftertaste. The product form of the food composition according to the present invention is as follows:
Can be used as powder, solid molded products, etc., such as jelly, tablet confectionery, etc.
The present invention is not limited to a wide variety of foods, such as candy, chocolate, crackers, cakes, and bread. In order to create such products, it is also possible to use other food raw materials, nutritional components, flavoring agents, excipients, emulsifiers, preservatives, and other food additives depending on the purpose. It is. These can be made into a gel-like jelly,
It can be processed by various methods such as tablets, granules, capsules, compression molding into rods, plates, etc.
The branched chain amino acids should be kept from dissolving as much as possible when eaten. That is, branched chain amino acids have a strong bitter taste, and if the product is in the form of a solution, suspension, or paste, the branched chain amino acids will dissolve and have a strong bitter taste when eaten, so it is not desirable. do not have. When athletes and the like temporarily consume large amounts of branched chain amino acids, palatability can be improved by coating branched chain amino acid powder with protein, preferably protein and saccharide, and forming it into tablets, granules, capsules, etc. Ru. Even if the food is coated, it is best to eat it before the protein or sugar dissolves. If branched chain amino acids alone have a strong bitter taste, it is not possible to add more than a certain amount, but if protein is included, the protein will be digested and the amount of branched chain amino acids that is substantially above the upper limit will be added, which is preferable. Unlike other general amino acids, which are mainly metabolized in the liver, branched chain amino acids are metabolized in the muscles and serve as an energy source for the muscles. Furthermore, it controls the decomposition of muscle protein, which tends to occur under stress, and promotes its synthesis, so that by eating the solid food composition of the present invention, muscle motor function is maintained and enhanced. Example 1 A tablet confectionery was experimentally produced according to a conventional method using the formulation shown in Table 1.
Each compounded product was mixed uniformly in a mortar, pulverized, and 2 g each was charged into a manual tablet press (manufactured by JASCO Co., Ltd.). pressure 100
The tablets were compressed for 10 seconds at Kg/cm ² to obtain tablets with a diameter of 20 mm and a thickness of 5 mm. The evaluation was carried out by a panel of five people, and sample-A
It was difficult to eat because of the strong bitterness and sourness characteristic of amino acids, but the bitterness of samples B and C became weaker as the sugar concentration increased, and samples C and D could be eaten without resistance.

[Table] Example 2 A jelly-like food was prepared according to a conventional method using the formulation shown in Table 2.

【table】

[Table] Sensory evaluation by a panel of 10 people (10-point method) and jelly strength measurement using a rheometer (manufactured by Fudo Kogyo Co., Ltd.) were carried out for the four types of samples. The results are shown in Table 3. When the content was low, the bitterness of the amino acids was intense and it was difficult to eat, but Sample B was easy to eat with no significant difference compared to Sample A.

[Table] Example 3 The locomotor activity of rats was measured using the bulk powder prepared by crushing the tablet confections (samples B and D) produced in Example 1. The rats used were male SD-type rats.
He is 6 weeks old (around 165g in weight). One week before starting the main experiment, the animals were preliminarily reared to get used to the experimental environment.
The rats were divided into two groups of five rats each. Sample B was given to the first group, and sample D was given to the second group. The rat was placed in a rotating cage (with a circumference of 1
One animal per cage was housed in a cage equipped with m). The cage is placed in an animal breeding room with a room temperature of 23±1
℃, humidity maintained at 55 ± 10%, and 12 hours of lighting, 12
It was placed in the dark for a period of time. Feed was provided using the paired feed method, and water was provided ad libitum. After a period of time for the rats to get used to the experimental food (5 days after the start of feeding the experimental food), the number of rotations of the rotating cage was measured every day, and based on this, the locomotor activity of each rat was calculated as the distance traveled per day (meters). ). The data obtained by continuing the above experiment for 10 days were compared to the average daily voluntary mileage of the rats in the second group, that is, the group that did not take branched chain amino acids; It was calculated as the ratio of the rats' average daily distance traveled. The results were measured every day and are shown in Table 4.

[Table] As can be seen from the above, the calculated ratio value exceeded 1 throughout the experiment period, that is, the intake of branched chain amino acids was recognized to be effective in promoting spontaneous movement in rats.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A solid food composition having the following and. The solid food composition contains 2 to 30 weight of branched chain acid amino acids in which L-isoleucine, L-leucine and L-valine are blended in a weight ratio of 2.0 to 0.6:1:0.4 to 0.8. Contains a sweet substance that contains 3 to 30 times the amount of protein by weight compared to branched chain amino acids. 2. The composition according to claim 1, wherein the solid food composition is a gelled product.