阅读说明：本技术 乳酸菌的活菌数的减少抑制剂和不含乳成分的酸性饮料 (Inhibitor for reduction of viable count of lactic acid bacteria and acidic beverage containing no milk component ) 是由 尾崎悟 于 2019-03-27 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明的课题在于提供在完全不含或实质上不含乳成分的含乳酸菌的饮料中能够使乳酸菌的活菌尽可能长期地存在的制剂。本发明的乳酸菌的活菌数的减少抑制剂是用于在完全不含或实质上不含乳成分的清凉饮料等饮料中添加乳酸菌的活菌时抑制其活菌数减少的酸性添加剂,其以乳酸及其盐中的至少一者作为有效成分。(The present invention addresses the problem of providing a preparation which enables viable bacteria of lactic acid bacteria to be present for as long as possible in a lactic acid bacteria-containing beverage which contains no or substantially no milk components. The inhibitor for reducing the number of viable bacteria of a lactic acid bacterium of the present invention is an acidic additive for inhibiting the reduction of the number of viable bacteria of a lactic acid bacterium when the viable bacteria of the lactic acid bacterium are added to a beverage such as a refreshing beverage containing no or substantially no milk component, and contains at least one of lactic acid and a salt thereof as an active ingredient.)

1. An agent for inhibiting the reduction of the number of viable bacteria of lactic acid bacteria, which comprises at least one of lactic acid and a salt thereof as an active ingredient.

2. A milk ingredient-free acidic beverage comprising:

viable bacteria of lactic acid bacteria, and

at least one of lactic acid and salts thereof.

3. An acidic beverage containing no milk component according to claim 2, wherein the total concentration of lactic acid and its salt is in the range of 0.05 wt% or more and 1.0 wt% or less.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an inhibitor for reducing the number of viable bacteria in lactic acid bacteria. The present invention also relates to an acidic beverage containing an active ingredient of the inhibitor for reducing the number of viable bacteria of the lactic acid bacterium.

Background

Various health effects are brought to people by allowing people to take lactic acid bacteria in the form of live bacteria. As foods and drinks capable of taking live lactic acid bacteria, yogurt and lactic acid bacteria beverages are known. Yogurt and lactobacillus beverages contain a milk component. The milk component has protective effect on lactobacillus. Therefore, it is difficult to kill lactic acid bacteria when storing yogurt and lactic acid bacteria beverages. Therefore, in yogurt and lactic acid bacteria beverages, it is relatively easy to maintain the number of viable lactic acid bacteria required for bringing health effects for a taste period of several weeks.

However, cold drinks and the like containing no milk component have a greater degree of freedom in formulation design than yoghurts and lactic acid bacteria drinks. Therefore, by adding live bacteria of lactic acid bacteria to a refreshing beverage, it is possible to produce a beverage that is sold with a health effect of lactic acid bacteria for products that cannot be realized in yogurt and lactic acid bacteria beverages and that can satisfy a wide range of consumers, such as zero-calorie beverages and low-calorie beverages.

However, in a liquid containing substantially no milk component or the like, lactic acid bacteria are easily killed during cold storage as compared with yogurt and lactic acid bacteria beverages. Therefore, it has been difficult to maintain the survival state of lactic acid bacteria for several weeks in beverages containing substantially no milk component such as soft drinks. In addition, in general, in refreshing beverages, citric acid is used as an acidulant in many cases for the purpose of improving flavor and preventing contamination with infectious microbes. Since citric acid generally has an antibacterial effect, the addition of citric acid further promotes the killing of lactic acid bacteria in a refreshing beverage.

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

The present invention addresses the problem of providing a preparation which enables viable bacteria of lactic acid bacteria to be present for as long as possible in a lactic acid bacteria-containing beverage which contains no or substantially no milk components.

Means for solving the problems

An inhibitor for reducing the number of viable bacteria of a lactic acid bacterium according to an aspect of the present invention is an acidic additive for inhibiting the reduction in the number of viable bacteria of a lactic acid bacterium when the viable bacteria are added to a beverage such as a refreshing beverage containing no or substantially no milk component, and contains at least one of lactic acid and a salt thereof as an active ingredient. The reduction inhibitor of the viable cell count of the lactic acid bacterium may be composed of only at least one of lactic acid and a salt thereof, or may contain a component other than at least one of lactic acid and a salt thereof. The above-mentioned "containing no milk component at all" means, for example, that the content concentration of the milk component in the beverage is less than 0.1% by mass, and "containing no milk component substantially" means, for example, that the content concentration of the milk component in the beverage is less than 1% by mass.

The present inventors have conducted intensive studies and, as a result, have found that: in a beverage containing lactic acid bacteria that contains no or substantially no milk component, lactic acid and a salt of lactic acid have an effect of suppressing a decrease in the number of viable bacteria of lactic acid bacteria. Specifically, it was found that: when "a lactic acid bacterium-containing/non-dairy component-containing soft drink containing citric acid and its sodium salt as a sour agent" and "a lactic acid bacterium-containing/non-dairy component-containing soft drink containing lactic acid and its sodium salt as a sour agent" were prepared and the change with time of the number of live bacteria of lactic acid bacteria in both the lactic acid bacterium-containing/non-dairy component-containing soft drinks was examined, the rate of decrease in the number of live bacteria of the latter lactic acid bacteria was alleviated compared with the former. That is, the inhibitor for reducing the number of viable bacteria of lactic acid bacteria may be referred to as an "agent for mitigating the rate of reduction in the number of viable bacteria of lactic acid bacteria". Therefore, the above-mentioned inhibitor for reducing the number of viable bacteria of lactic acid bacteria has an effect of inhibiting the reduction in the number of viable bacteria of lactic acid bacteria. Therefore, the inhibitor for reducing the number of viable bacteria of lactic acid bacteria can allow the viable bacteria of lactic acid bacteria to exist for as long as possible in a beverage containing lactic acid bacteria that contains no or substantially no milk components.

In addition, lactic acid is of course an acid. Therefore, the inhibitor for reducing the number of viable bacteria of lactic acid bacteria not only has the above-mentioned effects, but also contributes to the improvement of flavor and the prevention of contamination with other bacteria.

The invention described above may be embodied as: "a method of using at least one of lactic acid and a salt thereof as an inhibitor for reducing the number of viable bacteria of a lactic acid bacterium in a lactic acid bacterium-containing beverage that does not contain or substantially contains no milk component", "a method of adding at least one of lactic acid and a salt thereof to a lactic acid bacterium-containing beverage that does not contain or substantially contains no milk component to inhibit reduction in the number of viable bacteria of a lactic acid bacterium", "a method of adding at least one of lactic acid and a salt thereof to a lactic acid bacterium-containing beverage that does not contain or substantially contains no milk component to moderate the rate of reduction in the number of viable bacteria of a lactic acid bacterium. From another viewpoint, the following may be expressed: "use of at least one of lactic acid and a salt thereof for producing a preparation for suppressing a decrease in the viable count of lactic acid bacteria in a lactic acid bacteria-containing beverage that contains no or substantially no dairy component" and "use of at least one of lactic acid and a salt thereof for producing a preparation for mitigating the rate of decrease in the viable count of lactic acid bacteria in a lactic acid bacteria-containing beverage that contains no or substantially no dairy component".

The acidic beverage containing no milk component according to another aspect of the present invention contains live lactic acid bacteria and at least one of lactic acid and salts thereof. Here, the "acidic beverage containing no milk component" means an acidic beverage containing no or substantially no milk component. The acidic beverage containing no milk component is preferably a beverage packed in a container. The reason is that the beverage packed in the container easily exerts its effect.

As described above, lactic acid and its salts have an effect of inhibiting the decrease in the number of viable bacteria of lactic acid bacteria. Therefore, the reduction in the number of viable lactic acid bacteria can be suppressed in the acidic beverage containing no milk component. Therefore, the acidic beverage containing no milk component can enjoy the efficacy of live bacteria derived from lactic acid bacteria for a longer period of time than the conventional "acidic beverage containing no milk component but containing lactic acid bacteria".

In the above-described acidic beverage containing no milk component according to another embodiment, the total concentration of lactic acid and its salt is preferably in the range of 0.05 wt% to 1.0 wt%, and more preferably in the range of 0.05 wt% to 0.5 wt%. Here, in the case of containing lactic acid but not containing lactate, the concentration of lactic acid is, of course, preferably in the range of 0.05 wt% or more and 1.0 wt% or less, more preferably in the range of 0.05 wt% or more and 0.5 wt% or less, in the case of containing lactate but not containing lactic acid, the concentration of lactate is, of course, preferably in the range of 0.05 wt% or more and 1.0 wt% or less, more preferably in the range of 0.05 wt% or more and 0.5 wt% or less.

Detailed Description

The present invention will be described in detail below by illustrating embodiments of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to the various embodiments described below.

Inhibitors of the reduction of the viable count of lactic acid bacteria-

The inhibitor for reducing the number of viable bacteria of a lactic acid bacterium according to the embodiment of the present invention is an additive for inhibiting the reduction in the number of viable bacteria of a lactic acid bacterium when the viable bacteria of the lactic acid bacterium are added to a refreshing beverage or the like containing no or substantially no milk component, and contains at least one of lactic acid and a salt thereof as an active ingredient. Examples of the salt of lactic acid include sodium salts.

Preferably: the use, efficacy, function, type of active ingredient, method of use, and the like of the reduction inhibitor of viable cell count of lactic acid bacteria according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described. The term "label" as used herein includes all labels used to make the above description known to the consumer. The label may be any label as long as it can be conceived and analogized to the above-described label content, and any label object/medium may be included in the label, regardless of the purpose of the label, the content of the label, and the label. Examples thereof include: marking the above description on the package/container of the article; recording the description in an advertisement/price list or a transaction document related to the product, and displaying or releasing the description; or provide information having these as contents by an electromagnetic method (internet, etc.).

When the product in which the inhibitor for reducing the number of viable bacteria of lactic acid bacteria according to the embodiment of the present invention is packaged is, for example, a beverage additive, the beverage additive is preferably labeled with, for example, "inhibition of reduction in the number of viable bacteria of lactic acid bacteria in a beverage containing lactic acid bacteria that contains no or substantially no milk component"/"alleviation of the rate of reduction in the number of viable bacteria of lactic acid bacteria in a beverage containing lactic acid bacteria that contains no or substantially no milk component", or the like.

Note that the terms used for the above-described labeling are not limited to the above-described examples, and may be terms synonymous with those described above. As such a statement, for example, the following various statements may be permitted to the demander: "to suppress the decrease in the number of viable bacteria of lactic acid bacteria in a lactic acid bacteria-containing beverage containing no or substantially no milk component", "to alleviate the decrease in the number of viable bacteria of lactic acid bacteria in a lactic acid bacteria-containing beverage containing no or substantially no milk component", "to contribute to the suppression of the decrease in the number of viable bacteria of lactic acid bacteria in a lactic acid bacteria-containing beverage containing no or substantially no milk component", or "to alleviate the decrease in the number of viable bacteria of lactic acid bacteria in a lactic acid bacteria-containing beverage containing no or substantially no milk component", and the like.

Acidic beverages without milk ingredients

In another embodiment of the present invention, an acidic beverage containing no milk component contains water and at least one of live bacteria of lactic acid bacteria, lactic acid and salts thereof. These components and compositions are described in detail below.

(1) Composition (I)

(1-1) live bacterium of lactic acid bacterium

The live bacteria of the lactic acid bacteria are live lactic acid bacteria. In the embodiment of the present invention, the lactic acid bacterium is not particularly limited, and may be any lactic acid bacterium. Examples of the lactic acid bacteria include lactic acid bacteria of the genus Lactobacillus, lactic acid bacteria of the genus Carnobacterium, lactic acid bacteria of the genus Streptococcus, lactic acid bacteria of the genus Lactococcus, lactic acid bacteria of the genus Enterococcus, lactic acid bacteria of the genus Pediococcus, lactic acid bacteria of the genus Tetragenococcus, lactic acid bacteria of the genus Leuconostoc, lactic acid bacteria of the genus Bifidobacterium, and the like.

Examples of Lactobacillus of the genus Lactobacillus include Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus, Lactobacillus gasseri, Lactobacillus plantarum (Lactobacillus plantarum), and the like. Examples of the lactic acid bacteria belonging to the genus Streptococcus include Streptococcus thermophilus (Streptococcus thermophilus). Examples of lactic acid bacteria belonging to the genus Lactococcus include Lactococcus lactis (Lactococcus lactis).

(1-2) lactic acid and its salt

The acidic beverage containing no milk component may contain only lactic acid, only salts of lactic acid bacteria, or both lactic acid and salts thereof. Examples of the salt of lactic acid include sodium salts.

(1-3) Water

The water is a common water that can be used for beverages.

(1-4) other Components

The acidic beverage containing no milk component according to another embodiment of the present invention may contain components other than the above-described components within a range not to impair the gist of the present invention. Examples of the components other than the above-mentioned components include components contained in a usual beverage such as lipids, vitamins, minerals, organic bases, fruit juices, seasonings (flavors), functional components, and food additives. Examples of the lipid include animal fats and oils such as lard, fish oil, and the like, and fractionated oils thereof, hydrogenated oils, and transesterified oils thereof; vegetable oils and fats such as palm oil, safflower oil, corn oil, rapeseed oil, coconut oil, fractionated oil thereof, hydrogenated oil, and transesterified oil thereof. Examples of the vitamins include vitamin a, carotenes, vitamin B group, vitamin C, vitamin D group, vitamin E, vitamin K group, vitamin P, vitamin Q, vitamin B3, nicotinic acid, pantothenic acid, biotin, inositol, choline, and folic acid, and examples of the minerals include calcium, potassium, magnesium, sodium, copper, iron, manganese, zinc, and selenium. Examples of the functional component include oligosaccharides, glucosamine, collagen, ceramide, royal jelly (royal jelly), and polyphenols. Examples of the dietary supplement include an emulsifier, a stabilizer, a thickener, a sweetener, a preservative, an antioxidant, a colorant, and a flavor. These components may be used in combination of 2 or more. The above-mentioned components may be any of natural products, processed products of natural products, and synthetic products.

(2) Composition of

It is preferable to add a large amount of lactic acid bacteria having a high health effect as long as the function as a beverage is not lost, but it is preferable to add lactic acid bacteria having a high health effect to such an extent that the sourness of an acidic beverage containing no milk component is not excessively increased in relation to the amount of at least one of lactic acid and its salt.

The amount of at least one of lactic acid and a salt thereof is preferably added so that the sourness of the acidic beverage containing no milk component is not excessively increased, that is, so that the pH of the acidic beverage containing no milk component is 3.0 to 6.0. The amount of lactic acid and its salt added is preferably in the range of 0.05 wt% to 1.0 wt% in total. The amount of lactic acid added is preferably in the range of 0.10 wt% to 0.40 wt%. The amount of the salt of lactic acid added is preferably in the range of 0.01 wt% to 0.30 wt%.

The number of viable lactic acid bacteria in the acidic beverage containing lactic acid but no milk component is preferably 2 times or more, more preferably 4 times or more, and even more preferably 7 times or more the number of viable lactic acid bacteria in the acidic beverage containing citric acid but no milk component when 6 days have elapsed after the start of storage. The number of viable lactic acid bacteria in the acidic beverage containing lactic acid but not containing a milk component is preferably 1.1 times or more, more preferably 1.4 times or more, further preferably 2 times or more, further preferably 4 times or more, further preferably 20 times or more, and particularly preferably 30 times or more, the number of viable lactic acid bacteria in the acidic beverage containing citric acid but not containing a milk component when 5 days have elapsed after the start of storage.

The survival rate of lactic acid bacteria in an acidic beverage containing lactic acid but not containing a milk component is preferably 5% or more, more preferably 10% or more, and even more preferably 30% or more, after 6 days have elapsed since the start of storage. The survival rate of lactic acid bacteria in an acidic beverage containing lactic acid but no milk component is preferably 10% or more, and more preferably 20% or more, after 5 days from the start of storage.