EP-4740742-A1 - CACAO-CONTAINING FOOD AND DRINK AND CACAO ASTRINGENT TASTE INHIBITOR

Abstract

An object is to provide a cocoa-containing food or beverage in which unpleasant tastes such as astringent or harsh tastes derived from a cocoa ingredient are inhibited. Another object is to provide a cocoa astringent taste inhibitor that can inhibit an unpleasant taste such as astringent or harsh tastes derived from a cocoa ingredient. A cocoa-containing food or beverage containing a hydrolyzed protein degradation product and having a proportion of nonfat cocoa solid in solid content of 16 mass% or more.

Inventors

• IKENAGA, Naoya
• TAKEDA, MARIKO

Assignees

• Fuji Oil Co., Ltd.

Dates

Publication Date

20260513

Application Date

20240620

Claims (14)

1. A cocoa-containing food or beverage comprising a hydrolyzed protein degradation product and having a proportion of nonfat cocoa solid in solid content of 16 mass% or more.
2. The cocoa-containing food or beverage according to claim 1, wherein a free amino acid content in a solid content of the hydrolyzed protein degradation product is 2 mass% or more.
3. The cocoa-containing food or beverage according to claim 1 or 2, having a polyphenol content of from 1300 mg/100 g to 6000 mg/100 g.
4. The cocoa-containing food or beverage according to claim 3, wherein the cocoa-containing food or beverage is chocolate.
5. A cocoa astringent taste inhibitor, comprising a hydrolyzed protein degradation product as an active ingredient.
6. The cocoa-containing food or beverage according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the hydrolyzed protein degradation product is derived from a vegetable.
7. The cocoa-containing food or beverage according to claim 3, wherein the hydrolyzed protein degradation product is derived from a vegetable.
8. The cocoa-containing food or beverage according to claim 4, wherein the hydrolyzed protein degradation product is derived from a vegetable.
9. The cocoa-containing food or beverage according to claim 6, wherein the hydrolyzed protein degradation product is derived from beans or small grains.
10. The cocoa-containing food or beverage according to claim 7, wherein the hydrolyzed protein degradation product is derived from beans or small grains.
11. The cocoa-containing food or beverage according to claim 8, wherein the hydrolyzed protein degradation product is derived from beans or small grains.
12. A method for producing a cocoa-containing food or beverage having a proportion of nonfat cocoa solid in solid content of 16 mass% or more, the method comprising blending a hydrolyzed protein degradation product.
13. A method for producing chocolate having a proportion of nonfat cocoa solid in solid content of 16 mass% or more, the method comprising blending a hydrolyzed protein degradation product in any one of the following steps (A) to (D): (A) mixing a powder raw material including cocoa powder and saccharide with a part of cocoa mass and/or oil and/or fat in blending; (B) refining dough obtained by mixing the powder raw material with a part of the cocoa mass and/or oil and/or fat; (C) kneading or mixing the refined dough with the remaining cocoa mass and/or oil and/or fat to prepare a chocolate dough; and (D) cooling and solidifying the chocolate dough by controlling a temperature of the chocolate dough.
14. A method for inhibiting an astringent taste derived from cacao, the method comprising blending a hydrolyzed protein degradation product into a cocoa-containing food or beverage.

Description

Technical Field Related Art This application claims the benefit of priority of JP 2023-109693 filed with the Japan Patent Office on July 4, 2023. The priority application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The present invention relates to a cocoa-containing food or beverage and a cocoa astringent taste inhibitor. Background Art Cocoa-containing foods and beverages such as chocolate are widely consumed worldwide due to their favorable flavor. In many cases, common chocolate is produced from raw materials such as sugar, cocoa butter, and powdered milk in addition to cocoa mass. Chocolate, which is mainly consumed as a luxury grocery item, has been increasingly demanded for active intake of cacao-derived dietary fiber, polyphenols, and the like, driven by recent increases in health consciousness. To meet consumers' demand for active intake, so-called high-cocoa chocolate is sold, which contains a large amount of cocoa ingredients and a reduced amount of sugar and powdered milk. However, polyphenols, one of the cacao-derived health-promoting components, may have a flavor that is astringent, harsh, or the like. Therefore, high-cocoa chocolate containing a large amount of cocoa ingredients has a flavor problem, making it difficult to enjoy as a luxury grocery item. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a method of masking the astringent taste of high-cocoa chocolate by adding vegetable-derived essential oils and aroma compounds. Patent Document 2 describes an unpleasant taste inhibitor, obtained by dispersing water-phase particles containing polyphenol materials in an oil phase. Citation List Patent Document Patent Document 1: JP 2018-148805 APatent Document 2: JP 2020-014447 A Summary of Invention Technical Problem An object of the present invention is to provide a cocoa-containing food or beverage in which unpleasant tastes such as astringent or harsh tastes derived from a cocoa ingredient are inhibited. Another object of the present invention is to provide a cocoa astringent taste inhibitor capable of inhibiting unpleasant tastes such as astringent or harsh tastes derived from a cocoa ingredient. Solution to Problem The inventors have studied a novel cocoa-containing food or beverage that inhibits the astringent or harsh taste derived from a cocoa ingredient and can be enjoyed as a luxury grocery item. Patent Document 1 describes a masking effect of essential oil, but does not suggest proteins or protein degradation products. Patent Document 2 also does not suggest any proteins or protein degradation products, and further, polyphenols as active ingredients for inhibiting unpleasant tastes must be present in a water phase, and the production process becomes complicated to disperse water-phase particles in an oil phase, potentially requiring advanced production of the preparation. The present inventors conducted intensive studies to solve the above problems. As a result, the present inventors have found that unpleasant tastes such as astringent and harsh tastes derived from cacao can be inhibited by adding a specific protein degradation product to a cocoa-containing food or beverage, and thus have completed the present invention. That is, the present invention encompasses the following inventions. (1) A cocoa-containing food or beverage containing a hydrolyzed protein degradation product and having a proportion of nonfat cocoa solid in solid content of 16 mass% or more.(2) The cocoa-containing food or beverage according to (1), wherein a free amino acid content in a solid content of the hydrolyzed protein degradation product is 2 mass% or more.(3) The cocoa-containing food or beverage according to (1) or (2), having a polyphenol content of from 1300 mg/100 g to 6000 mg/100 g.(4) The cocoa-containing food or beverage according to (3), wherein the cocoa-containing food or beverage is chocolate.(5) A cocoa astringent taste inhibitor, containing a hydrolyzed protein degradation product as an active ingredient.(6) The cocoa-containing food or beverage according to (1) or (2), wherein the hydrolyzed protein degradation product is derived from a vegetable.(7) The cocoa-containing food or beverage according to (3), wherein the hydrolyzed protein degradation product is derived from a vegetable.(8) The cocoa-containing food or beverage according to (4), wherein the hydrolyzed protein degradation product is derived from a vegetable.(9) The cocoa-containing food or beverage according to (6), wherein the hydrolyzed protein degradation product is derived from beans or small grains.(10) The cocoa-containing food or beverage according to (7), wherein the hydrolyzed protein degradation product is derived from beans or small grains.(11) The cocoa-containing food or beverage according to (8), wherein the hydrolyzed protein degradation product is derived from beans or small grains.(12) A method for producing a cocoa-containing food or beverage having a proportion of nonfat cocoa solid in solid content of 16 mas