Foods and drinks having health benefits and method for adding health benefits to foods and drinks

Abstract

Problem to be solved: To provide foods and drinks having health benefits or enriched with health benefits and a method for adding strong health benefits to foods in a wide range. Solution: The present invention provides foods and drinks, having health benefits, or enriched with health benefits, comprising as an active ingredient a hydrogenated, hardly digestible dextrin obtainable by digesting pyrodextrin with an enzyme and then hydrogenating the digested dextrin. The present invention also provides a method for adding health benefits to foods and drinks or for increasing the health benefits in foods and drinks, which comprises the steps of adding at least 3 g / meal or 3 g / day, in terms of hardly digestible components, of the hydrogenated, hardly digestible dextrin to foods or drinks to foods or drinks, or replacing at least a part of the foods or drinks with the hydrogenated, hardly digestible dextrin.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a method for adding health benefits (health claims) to foods or drinks, or for increasing the health benefits by adding a hydrogenated, hardly digestible dextrin (resistant maltodextrin) obtainable by hydrogenating hardly digestible dextrin to reduce carbonyl group thereof, to foods or drinks by partially or wholly replacing food components with the hydrogenated, hardly digestible dextrin, and to the foods and drinks obtainable by this method. BACKGROUND ART [0002] Recently, as the dietary habits are being westernized and also living habits are being changed in Japan, patients suffering from diseases caused by the living habits such as diabetes, hyperlipemia, hypertension and obesity are increasing in number. For the purpose of preventing people from these diseases, the demand of various healthful foods such as Foods for Specified Health Use is increasing and, in addition, the physiological function or action of foods has latel...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0022] According to the present invention, extremely excellent healthful foods can be provided because the health benefits can be added to foods and drinks or the health benefits of them can be increased without impairing the essential properties and characteristics of the foods. Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to obtain foods and drinks containing the hardly digestible substance soluble in water which substance is capable of forming a stable white powder or colorless transparent aqueous solution having various health benefits, free from coloring foods when the substance is added to the foods, and free from browning with time.

Problems solved by technology

However, it is difficult to add an effective amount of highly viscous dietary fibers to foods because such an additive exerts an influence on the taste, texture, shape, etc. of the foods.

Thus, the foods in which the dietary fibers can be added are limited.

However, the hardly digestible dextrin is colored by the roasting at a high temperature in the course of the steps of producing it.

Although it can be decolored to some extent in a purification step, the complete decoloration is difficult and the final commercial product thereof is in the form of pale yellow powder.

Thus, when the hardly digestible dextrin is added to foods such as those the coloring of which causes a problem, e.g. water, transparent soft drinks and rice, the foods are colored to lower the commercial value of them.

For this reason, the amount of the hardly digestible dextrin is limited.

It was thus difficult to use the hardly digestible dextrin in such an amount that the physiological function thereof can be expected.

Although the hardly digestible dextrin can be added to foods having a deep color such as tea drinks, soups and miso soup without any problem immediately after the production, the foods are gradually colored brown with time to damage the stability of the appearance of these commercial products.

Another problem is that when the hardly digestible dextrin is used in combination with other sweetening agents, the foods having a neutral pH are easily browned in the course of the production thereof and, in addition, the foods are easily scorched in the course of the boiling down.

Thus, such syrup cannot be used for saccharide-free foods or foods which must have no sweetness, while it can be added to foods which contain saccharides.

However, when the hydrogenated dextrin is taken in together with other saccharides, it does not exert any influence on the digestion and absorption of these saccharides.

As for the hardly digestible starch syrup, only its non-cariogenic function was confirmed but other physiological functions thereof have not yet been elucidated.

However, the health benefit of this hydrogenated, hardly digestible dextrin has not yet been elucidated (Patent Documents 1 and 2).

Images