Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
1~339398
Specification
Title of the invention
Food processing assistant having taste-improving ef-
fect
Background of the invention
(Field of Art)
This invention relates to a taste-improving agent for
foods which is obtained by subjecting vegetable humus to
activation treatment.
Vegetable humus referred to herein is botanical fer-
mented product which was accumulated and deposited for a
long period of time in water of bottom of sea or lake in
recent years or in the past.
(Prior Art)
The inventor of the present application filed in
Japan a patent application for an invention relating to
adsorbing, deodorizing and sterilizing composition ob-
tained by oxidizing vegetable humus with air and drying
the product. This application was published (as Japanese
patent publication Sho 62-1362) and registered (as a
patent No. 1393474).
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Various kinds of application fields of this
composition are now being developed. Their forms are
diverse for example, they are powder, aqueous extracted
liquid granules, etc. depending upon the application
field.
This invention relates to the application field
of aqueous extract from the above-mentioned forms.
Hereinafter, this aqueous extract will be referred to as
Hyumaselurabin (or simply Elurabin)
(Trademark J1588035).
The inventor of this application advanced his
research work with an object of producing composition
having further powerful sterilizing power, deodorizing
and gas adsorbing properties in the air treatment of
vegetable humus and filed an application for an
invention entitled "a method for activating vegetable
humus"; Japanese unexamined patent publication No. 559-
34260 published on February 24, 1984 (Japanese examined
patent publication No. 562-37003 published August 10,
1987).
The gist of this invention can be summarized as
follows.
The activation of vegetable humus is a
collective expression of reinforcement of deodorizing
action, gas adsorbing property, and bacteriostatic
action, etc. By inferring that in the activation of
vegetable humus, the action of microorganisms,
particularly, the action of aerobic microorganisms plays
ycc/kb 2
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a significant role together with oxidation action of
oxygen in air, the inventor of this invention has found
that as condition for treatment, contact with air at a
temperature and a humidity at which microorganism
reaction is carried out smoothly by way of microorganism
should be carried out as sufficient as possible, and it
is an important point of activation. Thus, the
application was examined and published on August 10,
1987 with regard to "a method for activating vegetable
humus" (Japanese patent publication No. Sho 62-37003)
which defines the condition for activating vegetable
humus and registered as patent No. 1,431,877 on March
24, 1988. This is the meaning of the phrase "grinding
vegetable humus and contacting sufficiently with air to
effect activation" which is referred to in the scope of
claim for patent of the present invention.
By way of the above-mentioned treatment,
activated vegetable humus greatly improves its own gas
adsorbing property, deodorizing power and bacteriostatic
action, but at the same time, unexpectable effectiveness
have been discovered one after another.
During the course of development of application
fields for Hyumaselurabin, the inventor of the present
application found that it had a property which improves
water raising of cut flowers and superior effectiveness
for keeping flowers alive, and he filed an application
for preserving agent for cut flowers, Japanese patent
publication No. 559-39801 published on March 5, 1984.
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Later, while the inventor of this application paid
attention to the physiologically active effectiveness of
Hyumaselurabin, he found that it has superior
effectiveness of a foliar spraying agent and filed
Japanese application Hl-153605 published on June 5,
1989. Each of the above-mentioned applications relates
to the application in which unique physiologically
active effectiveness of Hyumaselurabin are effectively
utilized.
Utility of Hyumaselurabin started at first from
deodorizing agent and even now it is used for
deodorizing purpose in a large amount.
By chance, the inventor of the present
application tried to boil rice after adding a small
amount of Hyumaselurabin with a thought that he may
remove a bad smell of old rice at the time of cooking of
old rice. As a result, as expected, it was possible to
boil rice having no bad smell of old rice. It was
unexpectable, and
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r~
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astonishing enough, and thus he noticed the effectiveness
of Hyumaselurabin for improving taste of rice. Then in-
vestigating for various kinds of foods superior taste im-
proving effect was confirmed and he completed the present
invention.
(Summary of the Invention)
1) Food taste improving assistant obtained by grinding
vegetable humus containing 50 - 80 % by weight of water,
contacting the ground powder sufficiently with air to ac-
tivate it, extracting the activated powder with water,
followed by filtration.
2) Food taste improving assistant defined in the above-
mentioned item 1) in which filtration is carried out in
two steps consisting of a first step industrial filtration
and a second step membrane filtration which does not allow
materials greater than 0.5 micron to pass.
(Description of the Preferred Embodiments)
Hyumaselurabin is an extracted liquid obtained by im-
mersing activated vegetable humus in hot water, followed
by stirring and filtering and shows usually a pH = 3 or
less and a Brix degree of 0.4 or less.
Since those obtained by filtering through a membrane
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of pore diameter of 0.5 micron are freed from not only
molds, yeast but also from almost all bacteria, they are
suitable to food processing and useful for drinking.
Those which are diluted with city water (tap water) to 50
- 100 times provides feeling of a spring water issuing
from rocks when one drinks it after slightly cooling. Ac-
cordingly, it is preferable as mineral water.
It is well known that if tap water or spring water
issuing from rocks is left to stand after being put in a
vessel, it begins to rot within a few days. In contrast,
such a mineral water with Hyumaselurabin does not rot even
when it is left to stand for several months. This is a
notable characteristics which is entirely different from
general drinking water. Further, an original liquor of
Hyumaselurabin is colorless and transparent, but when it
is left to stand at a bright space for several months, it
often happens that white dregs precipitate out though they
are in a slightest amount, and white color gradually turns
to pale brown color. It seems to be mainly aluminum
and/or iron hydroxide. When an original liquor of
Hyumaselurabin is heated at first 70 - 80~C, forming of
dregs is promoted, but if formed dregs are removed by a
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membrane filter, the filtered liquor does not produce
dregs any more-even when left to stand for a long time and
maintains colorless transpare'ncy. Such dregs do not show
influence upon point of hygiene and flavor but may give
influence upon value as a commodity. Thus it is recom-
mended to be removed. In case of brewing of refined sake,
for the purpose of removal of dregs, it has been
heretofore carried out to cause to form dregs by allowing
sake to ferment in a tank for a long time. This is an
operation having the same meaning. However, in the case
of Hyumaselurabin, it is possible to promote the forming
of dregs by heating at 70 - 80~C, contrary to the case of
refined sake, treatment can be completed by a treatment
within a short period of time.
For the taste improvement of boiled rice effected by
Hyumaselurabin, parallel with sensuous testing by eight
panellors, degree of ~-starch and texture of cooked rice
were measured and compared with those of Koshihikari and
Sasanishiki. It is a fixed theory that good taste of
cooked rice depends on ~-starch, and texture is an objec-
tive evaluation data which represent feeling of teeth and
tongue of cooked rice.
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According to the result of sensuous testing, lustre,
brightness, feeling of eating, taste, all of these were
clearly improved by the addition of Hyumaselurabin.
The measurement of degree of ~-starch was carried out
according to a method disclosed in "Handbook Food
Analysis" (edited by Kenpakusha). By the addition of
Hyumaselurabin it has been found that degree of ~-starch
can be promoted.
According to the measurement of Texturometer, it has
been revealed that addition of Hyumaselurabin improves
texture greatly (to the same extent of Koshihikari and
Sasanishiki) and the texture of low quality rice was im-
proved to the extent of good quality rice.
Thus, it can be said that subjective practical
evaluation has been guaranteed by objective evaluation of
texture.
It is not clear from what taste improving effect of
Hyumaselurabin is derived, but Hyumaselurabin contains a
proper amount of minerals such as sodium, potassium, cal-
cium, magnesium, aluminum, iron, or the like and the ex-
istence of various kinds of amino acid as well as various
kinds of vitamins were confirmed therein. Further, it is
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inferred that various kinds of components which are not
confirmed, but probably derived from microorganism, are
included. The taste-improving effect of Hyumaselurabin
seems to be the collective effect of such various kinds of
components.
Successively to the taste-improvement test of cooked
rice, the effectiveness of Hyumaselurabin to various other
kinds of Japanese and foreign foodstuffs were inves-
tigated, and preferable effect more than expected has been
obtained in all case. Namely, in case of fried foods, ad-
hered state of coating was good and fried foods product
having surface of nice color and lustre from which oil was
removed was obtained. In case of vinegar-containing-dish
or dish dressed with salad dressing, taste of vinegar be-
came rounded. In case of cooked food, soaking of taste
was good providing boiled product having round taste.
Baked eggs and hamburger, etc. had moisture-holding
property and dampish taste was persistent. As for
vegetables seasoned in rice bran paste, odor of rice bran
paste and saltish taste disappeared resulting good colored
and lustrous goods. As for Japanese and foreign cakes, in
case of steamed bean jam bun, action of wheat gluten was
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suppressed providing product of smooth skin, and of fine
grained, lustrous dampish feeling. Skin and bean-jam were
fit to each other nicely and finished product were agree-
able to tongue and teeth.
As for baked cakes, adaptations of raw materials were
good, and finished products of fine delicate and moist
skin could be produced. Rice cake and quality rice flour
products, rice cake stuffed with bean paste, dumpling,
Turkish delight, etc. were rich in moisture retaining
property and elastic property products having no sticki-
ness, no tendency of hardening or crack forming were ob-
tained. Further, separation of bean jam from honey was
few. Oozing tendency of sugar was slow, so it gave dam-
pish feeling. Sweet taste was round and elegant finishing
was provided. As for sponge cakes, product having wet
feeling, soft and elastic product giving nice color and
lustre was produced. Creampuff formed dampish skin and
this state lasted for several days. Adaptness to cream
was extremely nice. In addition, for bean-jam pancake,
rice cake wrapped in an cherry blossom leaf, rice cake
wrapped in an oak leaf, a bean-jam bun containing
chestnut, doughnut, rice dumpling, rice steamed together
1 0
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with red beans, similar results were obtained.
As for the amount of Hyumaselurabin used in these ap-
plications, about 0.5 to 0.6 % by weight (weight % of
Hyumaselurabin original liquid relative to a raw material
such as rice, wheat, etc.) is st~n~rd, but depending on
material, even 0.2 % is allowable and if necessary it is
possible to increase up to 0.8 to 1.0 %.
Example
At the time of cooking of standard price rice, taste
improving effectiveness was estimated by sensuous ex~m;n~-
tion, ratio of~ -conversion measurement, and texture
measurement.
(1) Raw material and equipment
St~n~rd price rice: *class 3: 80 % or more
*class 4 and class 5: 20 % or less
(*Rice grade designation defined by Kanagawa prefecture)
Hyumaselurabin pH = 3.42
Rice-cooking vessel: Electronic rice cooking vessel
(Trademark National)
micro computer controlled
direct heating cooker (SP-K10M)
1.0 litre cooking capacity
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(2) Cooking condition
rice 450 g/batch
amount of water: 550 g of water to 450 g of rice
(before washing)
washing method: after rough washing 3 times, draining off
completely
water: city water
Hyumaselurabin: 2.7g (0.6 % by weight/450 g rice)
(3) Sensual examination
Sensual ~X~m; n~tion was carried out immediately after
cooking. Appearance characteristic properties, fragrance
characteristic properties, were principal points of ex-
amination. Partly, feeling of eating such as agreeability
to the palate and teeth were also ex~m;ned.
panelors: 8 persons (2 women and 6 men). Result is shown
in Table 1.
12
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~able 1. Result of sensual ex~m;~tion
immediately after cooking
bad common good
skin no addition 3 5 0
(lustre,glass) Hyumaselurabin 0.6% 1 3 4
shape no addition 0 5 3
(collapse) Hyumaselurabin 0.6~ 0 4 4
taste no addition 0 8 0
Hyumaselurabin 0.6% 0 5 3
agreeability no addition 3 5 0
to palate Hyumaselurabin 0 5 3
to teeth
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4. ~-conversion ratio
For measuring extent of ~-conversion (pastifying),
~-conversion degree is used. But this time, checking of
~-conversion of starch in rice itself by way of enzyme and
heat is not an object, but since checking of difference
between a case of Hyumaselurabin addition a~d another case
of no addition is an object, a testing method (Foodstuff
analysis handbook edited by Kenpakusha) for measuring
~-conversion degree was modified and hydrochloric acid ad-
dition operation which deactivates enzyme, was adopted.
~-conversion degree was compared by titration amount of the
proportion consumed in the reaction of iodine, by sodium
thiosulfate solution. Accordingly, terms " ~-conversion
ratio" herein was used for convenience' sake. It is not
technical term.
Testing method
Three 100 ml Erlenmeyer flasks fitted with stopper
were prepared for testing. One of them used for blank
test. In other two, sample (about 2.5 g + 0.5 g) ground in
mortars was taken up, 50 ml of water was added and shaking
was conducted at room temperature (22~C) and 2 ml of 1N
hydrochloric acid was added immediately. To this, 25 ml
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of N/10 iodine solution was added. Then, by using a stop-
watch, for keeping equal interval, alignots of 18 ml of
N/10 sodium hydroxide solution were added. After sealing
tightly and shaking, the flask was allowed to stand ex-
actly 15 minutes. In the same order, and at the same in-
terval, each 2 ml of 10 % sulfuric acid was quickly added
upon opening the stopper. These solutions were titrated
with N/10 sodium thiosulfate solution and differences from
blank test were compared and ~-conversion ratio was calcu-
lated. As a reference, a case of addition of 1.2 % by
weight of Hyumaselurabin was added and result are shown in
Figure 1. Each of these are ~-conversion ratio of sample
immediately after rice cooking.
(5) Texture
By using a texturometer (made by Zenken GTX-2-1N
type) measured values were proted in texture evaluation
charts developed by Zenken.
In chart, A area shows evaluation of texture supe-
rior, B area shows somewhat superior, C area shows
slightly inferior, D area shows inferior and E area most
inferior.
Koshihikari, Sasanishiki are in A rank. New rice
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(class 5) were found to be in C rank. Old rice and very
old rice are in D rank. By the addition of
Hyumaselurabin, those of D rank turned to C~v A rank.
Brief explanation of the drawing
Figure 1 is a chart in which ~-conversion ratios were
compared with each cases of no-addition of Hyumaselurabin,
0.6 % by weight addition and 1.2 % by weight addition.
