(12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2006/0159818 A1 Kunieda (43) Pub
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US 2006O15981 8A1 (19) United States (12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2006/0159818 A1 Kunieda (43) Pub. Date: Jul. 20, 2006 (54) FLAVOR ENHANCER, FOOD OR Publication Classification BEVERAGE CONTAINING THE FLAVOR ENHANCER, AND METHOD OF FLAVOR (51) Int. Cl. ENHANCEMENT A2.3L. I./22 (2006.01) (52) U.S. Cl. .............................................................. 426/534 (75) Inventor: Satomi Kunieda, Kanagawa (JP) (57) ABSTRACT A flavor enhancer which comprises a vanillyl alcohol deriva tive represented by the general formula (1): Correspondence Address: DARBY & DARBY P.C. P. O. BOX 5257 (1) NEW YORK, NY 10150-5257 (US) OH OCH (73) Assignee: Takasago International Corporation, Tokyo (JP) (21) Appl. No.: 10/564,437 HC OR (22) PCT Filed: Jul. 9, 2004 (86). PCT No.: PCT/UP04/09823 (wherein R represents an alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms) and/or a formed product of the vanillyl alcohol (30) Foreign Application Priority Data derivative; a method of flavor enhancement for foods or beverages which comprises using the flavor enhancer, and a Jul. 10, 2003 (JP)...................................... 2003-272757 food or beverage containing the flavor enhancer. Patent Application Publication Jul. 20, 2006 Sheet 1 of 2 US 2006/0159818A1 FIG. 1 RESULTS OF EVALUATION OF NUTRTION SUPPLEMENT BEVERAGE SWEETNESS 0.5. BODY SOURNESS FLAVOR EMISSION BITTERNESS ---0--- WITHOUTVBE -- WITHVBE FIG. 2 RESULTS OF EVALUATION OF POTATO CHIPS (PEPPERTYPE) SWEETNESS 1 02 BODY R SATINESS BITTERNESS SOURNESS ---0--- WITHOUTVBE -- WITHVBE Patent Application Publication Jul. 20, 2006 Sheet 2 of 2 US 2006/0159818A1 FIG. 3 RESULTS OF EVALUATION OF RETORT CURRY SWEETNESS SALTNESS BITTERNESS SOURNESS ---0- - - WITHOUTVBE -- WITHVBE US 2006/O 1598.18 A1 Jul. 20, 2006 FLAVOR ENHANCER, FOOD OR BEVERAGE and dimethyl trisulfide (see Patent Document 3 below). CONTAINING THE FLAVOR ENHANCER, AND However, these flavor-enhancing materials known in the art METHOD OF FLAVOR ENHANCEMENT have their own characteristic tastes and flavors, often caus ing destruction of the balance in the taste and flavor of a food FIELD OF THE INVENTION or beverage, depending on the kind of the food or beverage. 0001. The present invention relates to a flavor enhancer Thus, it has been difficult to add such a material to a wide giving a body to a food or beverage or enhancing a body of range of foods and beverages independently of its kind, a food or beverage, a food or beverage containing the flavor without destructing the balance in taste and flavor inherent enhancer, and a method of enhancing the flavor of a food or to the product. beverage by using the flavor enhancer. 0004 On the other hand, vanillyl alcohol derivatives taste extremely pungent and there are known that they give a BACKGROUND ART warm sensation when rubbed on the skin (see Patent Docu ment 4 below). Also known are the facts that addition of a 0002 The taste of foods is felt in a complicatedly inter vanillyl alcohol derivative to toothpaste formulation is effec twining manner with five basic tastes, Sweetness, Sourness, tive in enhancing the cool and refreshing feeling caused by saltiness, bitterness and umami, as well as pungency, astrin menthol (see Patent Document 5 below). Further, it is also gency, metallic taste, body, width, thickness, and others. known that inclusion of the vanillyl alcohol derivative in a Concerning the aforementioned five basic tastes, there exist cyclodextrin or branched cyclodextrin alleviates the bitter Substances that induce each taste. As everybody knows, for ness and unfavorable tastes Such acridness of the Vanillyl example, Sweetness is triggered by monosaccharides and alcohol derivative itself, and it is also effective in improving disaccharides such as glucose, fructose, Sucrose, and mal the intensity and long-lasting property of the cool sensation tose, Sucrose derivatives such as coupling Sugar, Sugar or cool and refreshing feeling effect when used together with alcohols such as reducing Sugar maltose, glycosides Such as a cool and refreshing feeling agent or a cooling sensation Stevioside, amino acid-based SweetenerS Such as Aspartame, agent (see Patent Document 6 below). Thus, there has been synthetic chemicals such as saccharin, and the like; sourness known that the vanillyl alcohol derivatives and the inclusion is triggered by organic acids such as acetic acid and citric compounds thereof give bitterness to a food or beverage or acid, and the like; saltiness is triggered by salts such as give a warm or cool feeling effect to various products when Sodium chloride, and the like; bitterness is triggered by added, but there is no report indicating that the vanillyl alkaloids such as caffeine, terpenoids such as limonoid, alcohol derivatives and the inclusion compounds thereof are glycosides such as maringin, inorganic salts such as magne effective in giving a body to a food or beverage. sium sulfate, and the like; and umami is triggered by amino acid- or nucleic acid-based umami Substances Such as 0005 Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application glutamic acid and inosinic acid. When a food or beverage Laid-Open No. (JP-A) 59-154944 tastes well balanced and without significant problem but yet 0006 Patent Document 2: JP-A 2000-139397 Somewhat unsatisfactory, an ingredient that enhances one of the five basic tastes above is often added thereto, but it 0007 Patent Document 3: JP-A 2003-79336 results in the problem of excessive enhancement of only one 0008 Patent Document 4: Japanese Patent Application taste or reinforcement of entire taste. To solve the problem, Publication No. (JP-B) 61-9293 various flavor enhancers and methods of improving the flavor, that enhance or improve the taste of various foods, 0009 Patent Document 5: JP-B 61-55889 beverages, and seasonings have so far been developed. 0010 Patent Document 6: JP-A 2002-3430 0003 For example, known methods of giving a body to 0011. The present invention has been made in view of the a food or beverage or enhancing a body of a food or current circumstances above, and an object of the invention beverage include addition of an animal- or vegetable-protein is to provide a flavor enhancer and a method of enhancing hydrolysate such as enzyme hydrolysate of a non-collage flavor, giving a body to a food or beverage or enhancing a nanimal- or vegetable-protein (see Patent Document 1 body of a food or beverage without impairing the taste below) and addition of a yeast Suspension, yeast extract, balance, taste, and flavor inherent to the food or beverage. animal meat extract, seafood extract, or the like. The “body' The “body' in the present invention also includes a sensa of a food or beverage is, for example, a sense of a favorable tion of harmonizing "mildness”, “width, and “depth, thick impression of taste and a flavor spreading in the entire mouth ness, and richness” and satisfying them at the same time. when it is taken. The “body' (also called amplitude or Another object of the present invention is to provide a food mouthfulness) is an important factor in gustatory evaluation or beverage containing the flavor enhancer. of foods and beverages, and always included in overall evaluation of the taste of foods and beverages. The methods DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION of giving a body to a food or beverage or enhancing a body 0012. After intensive studies to solve the problems thereof other than the methods above include, for example, above, the present inventors have found that it is possible to a method of using a flavor improver containing a flavoring give a food or beverage a body, width, Smoothness, depth, ingredient selected from trimethylamine, 1-methoxy-2-pro and thickness, or enhance those of the food or beverage panol, n-butyl alcohol. 1-ethoxy-2-propanol, and the like without damaging the taste, taste balance, flavor, and flavor (see Patent Document 2 below); and a method of using a balance inherent to the food or beverage by adding a vanillyl flavoring material containing (a) Sotolone and/or 5-ethyl-3- alcohol derivative or a formed product of the vanillyl hydroxy-4-methyl-2(5H)-furanone, and (b) one or more alcohol derivative to the food or beverage, continued further compounds selected from the group consisting of dimethyl studies based on the finding, and completed the present sulfide, methanethiol, hydrogen sulfide, dimethyl disulfide, invention. US 2006/O 1598.18 A1 Jul. 20, 2006 0013. Accordingly, the present invention relates to a 0022. Further, the present invention relates to a method of flavor enhancer containing a vanillyl alcohol derivative enhancing the flavor of a food or beverage by adding any represented by General Formula 1: one of the flavor enhancers to the food or beverage. (1) OH BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 0023 FIG. 1 is a graph showing the results obtained by OCH sensory test of the nutrition Supplement beverage with vanillyl-n-butyl ether (VBE) obtained in Example 6 and the nutrition supplement beverage (without VBE) obtained in Comparative Example 4. HC YOR 0024 FIG. 2 is a graph showing the results obtained by sensory test of the potato chips obtained in Example 7 (with (wherein, R represents an alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon VBE) and the potato chips (without VBE) obtained in atoms), and/or a formed product of the vanillyl alcohol Comparative Example 5. derivative. 0025 FIG. 3 is a graph showing the results obtained by 0014 Further, the present invention relates to the flavor sensory test of the curry obtained in Example 8 (with VBE) enhancer above, wherein R in General Formula 1 is a n-butyl and the curry (without VBE) obtained in Comparative group. Example 6. 0015. In addition, the present invention relates to a flavor DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE enhancer comprising: INVENTION 0016 (A) a vanillyl alcohol derivative represented by General Formula 1: 0026.