JPH0659186B2 - Appearance Microcrystalline low-calorie sweetener composition - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (a) Object of the Invention The present invention relates to a low-calorie and non-cariogenic sweetener composition having a microcrystalline appearance.

(Prior art) Non-sugar sweeteners such as aspartame, stevioside, saccharin sodium, thaumatin, glycyrrhizin, acesulfame potassium, and sodium cyclamate are sweeteners having sweetening power several hundred times that of sucrose and low calorie content. And because of its non-cariogenic nature, its use is expanding to replace sugar sweeteners, which are any health problem.

However, due to their high degree of sweetness, these non-sugar sweeteners are nearly impossible to use as a single product in ordinary households, and they are usually powdered with a bulking agent, or It is used as a product obtained by further molding it into an appropriate shape using an excipient. However, since their appearance is powdery or granular, they have a drawback that they do not fit the image of conventional sweeteners.

Further, sugar alcohols such as sorbitol, maltitol, and xylitol have good sweetness and are widely used as non-digestible (that is, low-calorie) and non-cariogenic sweeteners, and the sugar alcohol and aspartame and A sweetener composition comprising a mixture with a non-sugar sweetener such as stevioside or sodium saccharin is already known. However, these sugar alcohols have been recently assimilated by intestinal bacteria, as it has been reported in experiments with rats, dogs, and humans that they are significantly decomposed and absorbed and are calorically similar to sucrose. , Which can be digested and absorbed to become an energy source. In addition, the mixture of these sugar alcohols and non-sugar sweeteners has the drawback of having a powdery or granular drug-like appearance as described above.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) The present invention provides a sweetener composition having a beautiful microcrystalline appearance like sucrose like granulated sugar and good sweetness, and having low calorie and non-cariogenicity. It is the one we are trying to provide.

(b) Structure of the Invention (Means for Solving the Problems) The appearance microcrystalline low-calorie sweetener composition of the present invention comprises at least a non-saccharide sweetener on the surface of the microcrystalline particles of mesoerythritol. A composition coated with a sweetener component.

Methoerythritol used in the present invention has a structural formula It is a tetravalent sugar alcohol represented by and has a molecular weight of 12
2. White crystals with a boiling point of 119 ° C. The appearance is similar to granulated sugar of sucrose, it is well soluble in water, and it is non-digestible, non-cariogenic, and non-brown denaturing. This mesotherythritol (hereinafter, may be simply referred to as "erythritol") is contained in natural algae, mushrooms and the like, and is also contained in small amounts in sake, wine, soy sauce and the like. According to the panel test results, the sweetness intensity and sweetness are slightly weaker than sucrose and slightly stronger than glucose, which is equivalent to about 75 to 80% of the sweetness of sucrose, and the sweetness of sucrose is Although close, the aftertaste is less sweet than sucrose.

In the present invention, the surface of such microcrystalline particles of erythritol is covered with a sweetener component containing at least a non-saccharide sweetener as described above, but the sweetener component for coating is only a non-saccharide sweetener. Or a mixture of a non-sugar sweetener and a sugar sweetener.

Examples of the non-sugar sweetener in the present invention include aspartame, stevioside, saccharin sodium, thaumatin, glycyrrhizin, and asfam potassium. Further, as the sugar sweetener that can be used in combination with the non-saccharide sweetener, there are various sugars, but the particularly preferable sugar sweetener is a highly moisturizing sugar, for example, a reduced linear oligosaccharide, a branched oligosaccharide alcohol, sorbitol, Coupling sugar, isomerized sugar, maltitol and the like.

The microcrystalline particles of metherythritol in the present invention have no particular limitation on the particle size, but usually 0.1 to 0.1
A particle size of about 1.0 mm is preferable.

There are various methods for coating the surface of the microcrystalline particles of erythritol in the present invention. For example, a method of spray coating an aqueous solution or dispersion of a non-sugar sweetener (these are collectively referred to as "aqueous liquid") or a mixed aqueous liquid of a non-sugar sweetener and saccharides on the surface of erythritol microcrystalline particles. Further, there is a method of kneading the sweetener aqueous solution or the kneaded product of the non-sugar flavorant and the sugar as described above with the erythritol microcrystalline particles in a kneader.

The erythritol microcrystalline particles coated with the sweetener component by such a method can then be dried by a method such as vacuum drying or ventilation drying, if necessary. The drying temperature is preferably in the range of 50 to 110 ° C.

The appearance microcrystalline low-calorie sweetener composition of the present invention does not necessarily require that the coating layer of the coated sweetener component is completely dried. In particular,
When the sweetening ingredient for coating is a mixture of a non-sugar sweetener and the above-mentioned saccharide having a strong moisturizing property, there is no problem even if a certain amount of water remains in the coating layer. Such a sweetener composition containing a slight amount of water in the coating layer coated with the sweetener component containing a highly moisturizing saccharide may be solidified even when it is packed in a bag and stored in a warehouse or the like by stacking it high. In some cases, the inclusion of a small amount of water may effectively prevent the fine crystal particles of erythritol from being powdered due to vibration or shock during transportation of the product composition.

The composition ratio (weight ratio) of erythritol and the non-sugar sweetener in the composition of the present invention varies somewhat depending on the type of the specific sugar sweetener. The preferred ratio is usually 0.001 for stevioside to 1 erythritol.
~ 0.007, Glycyrrhizin 0.001-0.00
4, aspartame is in the range of 0.001 to 0.018, and sodium saccharin is in the range of 0.0004 to 0.001. Particularly, in the case of stevioside or aspartame, the ratio of stevioside to erythritol is 0.0
01-0.004, aspartame 0.002-0.
At 008, a sweetness most similar to sucrose is obtained.

The sweetener composition of the present invention has a granulated sugar-like microcrystalline appearance of sucrose, and can easily have a degree of sweetness and a sweetness similar to that of sucrose, and has a low calorie content and a low calorie content. It is erosive.

(Example) An example is given below and further detailed.

Example 1 Microcrystalline particles of erythritol (particle size 0.1 to 1.0 mm)
An aqueous solution in which 1.4 g of stevioside was dispersed and dissolved in 35 g of water was added to 670 g, and kneaded well in a kneader. Then, the kneaded product was completely dried by ventilation drying at 80 ° C.

The resulting product sweetener composition had a beautiful microcrystalline appearance similar to that of sucrose granulated sugar, and was low in calories and non-cariogenic. In addition, the sweetness was as shown in Table 1 as a result of sensory evaluation by 15 panelists, and was significantly superior to that of stevioside alone.

Example 2 2.2 kg of aspartame was thoroughly kneaded with 10.8 kg of a reduced linear oligosaccharide solution (the oligosaccharide concentration was about 70% by weight), and then erythritol microcrystalline particles (particle size: 0.
540 kg (1 to 0.5 mm) was added and kneaded well with a kneader.

The resulting sweetener composition consisting of erythritol microcrystalline particles coated with a mixed sweetener component of aspartame and reduced linear oligosaccharides has a low-calorie appearance with a beautiful microcrystalline appearance similar to that of sucrose granulated sugar. And a non-cariogenic sweetener.

This sweetener composition has a width of 150 mm, a height of 196 mm and a thickness of 6
A polyethylene bag of 0 μm was filled with 500 g and the opening was sealed. A polyethylene bag containing the sweetener composition was further placed in a three-layer kraft bag containing ordinary sucrose, and a sewing machine was hung on the opening.

For comparison, 500 g of erythritol microcrystalline particles (particle size 0.1 to 0.5 mm) was put in a polyethylene bag and sealed in the same manner, and then put in a three-layer kraft bag and hung with a sewing machine. did.

Arrange the bags containing these two kinds of sweeteners on the pallet of the warehouse, put an iron plate of 150 mm × 200 mm × 3 mm on each bag, put a weight of 10 kg on each, and at room temperature for 1 month I left it. When the sweeteners were taken out from both bags one month later, the erythritol-only one was solidified as a whole, whereas the sweetener composition of Example 2 was not solidified at all.

(c) Effects of the Invention The sweetener composition of the present invention has a beautiful microcrystalline appearance similar to that of sucrose granulated sugar, has a good sweetness, and is low in calories and non-cariogenic. Therefore, this sweetener composition is excellent as a sweetener for tabletop use from the viewpoints of both health and appearance.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A low-calorie sweetener composition having an external appearance, which is obtained by coating the surface of microcrystalline particles of mesoerythritol with a sweetener component containing at least a non-saccharide sweetener.