Acidic protein food or drink and material thereof

Abstract

The problem to be solved by the invention is to provide a food or a drink containing an acidic protein which has a favorable flavor with relieved astringency characteristic to a protein dissolved under acidic conditions to thereby broaden the flavor variety of protein-containing foods or drinks. The above problem can be solved by adding a water soluble polysaccharide, a water soluble basic salt, an alkali metal salt of an organic acid, a basic monosaccharide, a basic oligosaccharide or the like to a food or a drink containing a protein dissolved under acidic conditions to thereby relieve the astringency originating in the protein dissolved under acidic conditions.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to an acidic food or drink containing protein in a dissolved state, and materials thereof. BACKGROUND ART [0002] Protein-rich foods or drinks, which have been taken by athletes for protein supplementation, are increasingly demanded in recent years because now they are also often taken by elderly people for nutritional supplement and by ordinary consumers as a substitute for a diet. Most of these protein foods or drinks are concentrated in a neutral pH range, thus the flavor thereof tends to be monotonous. Those having an acidic flavor can broaden the taste variety, but there are not so many of them because many of protein are slightly soluble under acidic conditions. [0003] Examples of known protein-containing acidic foods or drinks include fermented milk beverages and other sour milk beverages. However, these protein-containing acidic foods or drinks have “astringency” that is a peculiar smell or an unpleasant taste, thereby givi...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0023] The present invention provides a protein-containing food or drink containing protein dissolved under acidic conditions and having a favorable flavor and relieved astringency. Further, in case that the acidic food or drink is a cloudy-type fruit juice beverage, the present invention has such a secondary effect for preventing formation of dregs.

Problems solved by technology

Most of these protein foods or drinks are concentrated in a neutral pH range, thus the flavor thereof tends to be monotonous.

However, these protein-containing acidic foods or drinks have “astringency” that is a peculiar smell or an unpleasant taste, thereby giving an unpleasant feeling that is often expressed by such terms as an astringent taste, a filmy mouthfeel and graininess.

However, either of these methods is not directed to the reduction of astringency developed during eating or drinking dissolved protein.

There are acidic foods or drinks containing dissolved protein at a high concentration, while their numbers are very limited.

However these acidic protein foods or drinks were unexpectedly more astringent rather than aforementioned acid milk beverages.

Although such astringency of acidic foods or drinks containing dissolved protein can be relieved depending upon a protein concentration or a processing method, no decisive improvement measure has yet found.