Prevention of nut milk coagulation

文档序号：1820517 发布日期：2021-11-09 浏览：25次中文

阅读说明：本技术 坚果奶的凝聚的防止 (Prevention of nut milk coagulation ) 是由藤冈裕起于 2020-02-19 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明的课题在于开发有效防止坚果奶凝聚的方法。本发明利用蛋白质脱酰胺酶处理坚果奶,从而提高其分散性,防止添加到液体饮料或液体食品等时的凝聚。(The present invention addresses the problem of developing a method for effectively preventing the coagulation of nut milk. The present invention utilizes protein deamidase to treat nut milk, thereby improving the dispersibility thereof and preventing aggregation when added to liquid beverages, liquid foods, and the like.)

1. Nut milk characterized by being obtained by performing a treatment with a protein-deamidating enzyme.

2. The nut milk of claim 1,

the raw nut is one or more nuts selected from almond, cashew, hazelnut, pecan, macadamia nut, pistachio nut, walnut, brazil nut, peanut, coconut, chestnut, sesame and pine nut.

3. Nut milk according to claim 1 or 2,

the concentration of the nut protein is 0.2% w/v-10.0% w/v.

4. A nut milk according to any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein,

the dispersibility is improved by the treatment.

5. The nut milk of claim 4,

when the protein is mixed with a weakly acidic to weakly alkaline liquid and the pH of the mixed liquid is 5 or more, protein aggregation does not occur.

6. Nut milk according to claim 5,

the pH of the liquid is 5-7.

7. Nut milk according to claim 5,

the liquid is a beverage or liquid food selected from the group consisting of coffee, coffee beverage, tea beverage, fruit juice beverage, sports drink, nutritional supplement beverage, soup, curry, cocoa, and chocolate beverage.

8. A nut milk according to any one of claims 1 to 7 wherein,

contains no emulsifier and thickening polysaccharide for preventing coagulation.

9. A nut milk according to any one of claims 1 to 8,

the protein-deamidating enzyme is an enzyme derived from a microorganism of the genus Flavobacterium.

10. The nut milk of claim 9,

the microorganism of the genus Chryseobacterium is Chryseobacterium prion.

11. A method for producing nut milk with improved dispersibility,

in the method, nut milk is treated with a protein-deamidating enzyme.

12. The manufacturing method according to claim 11, wherein the manufacturing method includes the following steps (1) and (2):

(1) preparing nut milk;

(2) treating the nut milk prepared in (1) with a protein-deamidating enzyme.

13. The manufacturing method according to claim 12,

the nut milk in the step (1) is nut milk before heating sterilization.

14. The manufacturing method according to claim 13, further comprising the step (3) of:

(3) and (4) heating treatment.

15. A beverage or liquid food containing the nut milk according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

16. The beverage or liquid food according to claim 15,

the beverage or liquid food is a beverage or liquid food having a pH of 5 or more.

17. The beverage or liquid food according to claim 15,

the beverage or liquid food is a beverage or liquid food selected from the group consisting of coffee beverage, coffee mate, tea beverage, fruit juice beverage, sports beverage, nutritional supplement beverage, soup, curry, cocoa beverage and chocolate beverage.

Technical Field

The invention relates to nut milk. More particularly, the present invention relates to a nut milk having improved dispersibility (less likely to coagulate), and uses thereof. The present application claims priority based on the japanese patent application No. 2019-029904, filed on 21/2/2019, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.

Background

Against the background of problems of allergy, increase in vegetarians, reasons for religion, and the like, soy-derived proteins, which are plant-derived proteins, have begun to be widespread as an alternative material to food and beverages using animal-derived milk protein sources, such as milk. However, soybeans also cause allergy with the spread of the soybean, and in recent years, development of a plant-derived protein material as a substitute for soybeans has been actively conducted. In fact, as a substitute for soybean, a protein derived from a grain such as pea, rice or oat, a nut protein such as almond, cashew or peanut, is being commercialized as a food or a drink, and it can be said that: in order to avoid allergy, there is a growing need and desire for diversification of protein materials derived from other plants instead of soybeans.

On the other hand, when a milk protein material is replaced with a plant-derived protein material, the type and functionality of the protein, or components constituting aroma and taste are different, and therefore, there are cases where direct replacement is not possible. For example, it is known that aggregation occurs when nut milk, such as almond milk or peanut milk, is added to an acidic beverage, such as coffee or black tea, as a substitute for milk. This coagulation does not occur normally in the case of milk, a phenomenon characteristic of nut milk.

However, the inventors of the present invention have not clearly demonstrated the mechanism of protein aggregation caused when nut milk is added to an acidic liquid food and a report on measures against the mechanism (documents and the like). Although trial and error of inter-consumer countermeasures (e.g., mixing after reducing the temperature difference between nut milk and coffee, or slowly infusing coffee into nut milk, etc.) have been found, fundamental solutions have not been achieved.

On the other hand, it is known that the dispersion stability of milk proteins becomes unstable under acidic conditions around the isoelectric point, and problems such as precipitation and aggregation tend to occur in acidic milk beverages. In order to prevent aggregation of the milk protein, for example, polysaccharides such as pectin and carboxymethyl cellulose are added (see, for example, patent documents 1 and 2). Although there is a possibility that the aggregation of nut proteins can be prevented by using the above dispersion stabilizer, the use of an additive is indispensable. In addition, when a polysaccharide is used, there is a possibility that a side effect of increasing viscosity due to the addition amount may occur.

For preventing aggregation of milk proteins without adding additives, a coffee creamer obtained by performing protein deamidase treatment has been proposed (patent document 3). However, the coffee creamer is an emulsifier-containing product, and its use is limited to beverages using whiteners such as coffee and black tea.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: international publication No. 2012/176852 pamphlet

Patent document 2: japanese patent No. 3885194

Patent document 3: international publication No. 2011/108633 pamphlet

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

The so-called coagulation phenomenon peculiar to nut milk lowers the value (utility value, commodity value, etc.) of nut milk expected to be further increased in demand or spread in use in the future. Accordingly, in order to increase the value of nut milk and to facilitate its use or application, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method for effectively preventing the coagulation of nut milk, and in particular to provide nut milk which is less likely to coagulate even in the use of liquid beverages (particularly acidic liquid beverages) and liquid foods (particularly acidic liquid foods) without the addition of additives.

Means for solving the problems

In view of the above-mentioned problems, the present inventors have repeatedly studied and focused on deamidation of proteins and attempted to improve the dispersibility of nut milk by treatment with protein deamidases. Furthermore, no example of the use of protein deamidases in nut milk has been reported so far.

First, regarding the addition to coffee, which is one of typical uses of nut milk, it was investigated whether the treatment with protein deamidase is effective in preventing coagulation. Surprisingly, no protein aggregation occurs when enzymatically treated almond milk is used. Based on the above findings, detailed experiments were conducted assuming various applications, and as a result, the treatment with the protein-deamidating enzyme was very effective in improving the dispersibility of nut milk in general. In other words, a method has been found to be effective in preventing the agglomeration of nut milk, and has been successful in the production of nut milk having improved dispersibility and which is not readily agglomerated without the use of additives such as emulsifiers. In addition, the use of nut milk in various beverages and foods has brought about a number of beneficial insights. Based on the above results, the following inventions are provided. As described above, it has been proposed to use a protein-deamidating enzyme for improving the dispersibility of a coffee creamer, but a coffee creamer is generally prepared by homogenizing an emulsifier, an emulsion to which an emulsion component, a thickener, an aroma, and the like are added as necessary, with an emulsifier having excellent shearing force such as a high-pressure homogenizer and the like as a main raw material of edible oil and fat. Thus, methods effective for improving the dispersibility of coffee chaperones are poorly effective for nut milk and the possibility of their use is unpredictable, regardless.

[1] A nut milk is obtained by performing treatment with protein deamidase.

[2] The nut milk according to [1], wherein the nut as a raw material is one or more nuts selected from almond, cashew, hazelnut, pecan, macadamia nut, pistachio nut, walnut, brazil nut, peanut, coconut, chestnut, sesame and pine nut.

[3] The nut milk according to [1] or [2], wherein the nut protein concentration is from 0.2% (w/v) to 10.0% (w/v).

[4] The nut milk according to any one of [1] to [3], wherein dispersibility is improved by the treatment.

[5] The nut milk according to [4], wherein protein aggregation does not occur when the milk is mixed with a weakly acidic to weakly alkaline liquid, and wherein the pH of the mixed liquid is 5 or more.

[6] The nut milk according to [5], wherein the pH of the liquid is 5 to 7.

[7] The nut milk according to [5], wherein the liquid is a beverage or liquid food selected from coffee, coffee beverage, tea beverage, fruit juice beverage, sports beverage, nutritional supplement beverage, soup, curry, cocoa, and chocolate beverage.

[8] The nut milk according to any one of [1] to [7], which does not contain an emulsifier for preventing aggregation and a thickening polysaccharide.

[9] The nut milk according to any one of [1] to [8], wherein the protein-deamidating enzyme is an enzyme derived from a microorganism belonging to the genus Flavobacterium.

[10] The nut milk according to [9], wherein the microorganism belonging to the genus Flavobacterium is Chryseobacterium proteolyticum.

[11] A method of producing nut milk having improved dispersibility, characterized in that nut milk is treated with a protein-deamidating enzyme.

[12] The production method according to [11], which comprises the following steps (1) and (2):

(1) a step of preparing the nut milk,

(2) treating the nut milk prepared in (1) with a protein-deamidating enzyme.

[13] The production method according to [12], wherein the nut milk of the step (1) is nut milk before heat sterilization.

[14] The production method according to [13], further comprising the step (3):

(3) and (4) heating treatment.

[15] A beverage or liquid food containing the nut milk according to any one of [1] to [10 ].

[16] The beverage or liquid food according to [15], wherein the beverage or liquid food has a pH of 5 or more.

[17] The beverage or liquid food according to [15], wherein the beverage or liquid food is a beverage or liquid food selected from the group consisting of a coffee beverage, a coffee mate, a tea beverage, a fruit juice beverage, a sport beverage, a nutritional supplement beverage, a soup, curry, a cocoa beverage and a chocolate beverage.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a summary of the results of the experiment (relationship between protein concentration of nut milk and coagulation/coagulation preventing effect).

FIG. 2 is a summary of the results of the experiment (the relationship between the pH of the liquid and the coagulation/coagulation preventing effect).

Fig. 3 is a summary of the experimental results (the effect of preventing aggregation in various liquids). The results of experiment 1 (prevention of aggregation in coffee) are also described.

FIG. 4 is a summary of the results of the experiment (effect of preventing aggregation in nut milk other than almond milk).

Fig. 5 is a summary of the experimental results (relationship between the temperature of the liquid and the coagulation/coagulation preventing effect).

FIG. 6 is a summary of experimental results (examination of enzyme treatment conditions (enzyme addition amount, reaction temperature, reaction time)).

Detailed Description

1. Nut milk with improved dispersibility

In a 1 st aspect the invention relates to nut milk (also known as a nut protein containing beverage) having improved dispersibility. The nut milk of the present invention is subjected to a treatment with a protein-deamidating enzyme, and as a result, the dispersibility of the nut milk is improved. The nut milk of the present invention exhibits excellent dispersibility, and therefore, does not easily coagulate when added to beverages such as coffee and black tea, without using additives (e.g., emulsifiers, thickening polysaccharides (pectin, carboxymethyl cellulose, etc.), and salts) for improving dispersibility. By virtue of this property, it can be used for various beverages or foods.

Nut milk represented by almond milk is plant milk made from nuts, and is generally prepared by the steps of crushing, soaking/dissolving, mixing/stirring, filtering, homogenizing, sterilizing, and the like, of denucleated nuts. The method of preparing the nut milk used in the present invention is not particularly limited. Alternatively, nut milk provided by a raw material maker or sold on the market may be purchased and used in the present invention.

The nut milk of the present invention is obtained by treating the nut milk with a protein-deamidating enzyme to improve its dispersibility. For convenience of explanation, nut milk subjected to treatment with a protein-deamidating enzyme will be referred to as "untreated nut milk".

The nuts used as raw material for the untreated nut milk are not particularly limited. Examples of nuts, if the starting material is mentioned, are almond, cashew, hazelnut, pecan, macadamia, pistachio, walnut, brazil nut, peanut, coconut, chestnut, sesame and pine nut.

Untreated nut milks that incorporate more than two types of nuts (e.g., a combination of almonds and cashews or a combination of almonds and peanuts) may also be used.

The protein concentration in the untreated nut milk is not particularly limited, and untreated nut milk having a protein concentration of, for example, 0.2% (w/v) to 10.0% (w/v), preferably 0.2% (w/v) to 8.0% (w/v), and more preferably 0.2% (w/v) to 5.0% (w/v) is used. The protein concentration of the nut milk after the protein-deamidating enzyme treatment is, for example, 0.2% (w/v) to 10.0% (w/v), preferably 0.2% (w/v) to 8.0% (w/v), and more preferably 0.2% (w/v) to 5.0% (w/v).

The protein-deamidating enzyme used in the present invention has the following effects: directly acts on the amide group of the protein and is deamidated without cleaving peptide bonds or crosslinking the protein. The kind, source, etc. of the enzyme are not particularly limited as long as the enzyme exhibits the above-mentioned action. Examples of the protein-deamidating enzyme include protein-deamidating enzymes derived from the genus Chryseobacterium (Chryseobacterium), Flavobacterium (Flavobacterium), Stachybacterium (Empedobacter), Sphingobacterium (Sphingobacterium), Chryseobacterium (Aureobacterium) or Myroides (Myroides) disclosed in Japanese patent laid-open Nos. 2000-50887, 2001-218590, WO2006/075772, and the like, and commercially available protein glutaminases derived from the genus Chryseobacterium. It is preferable to use an enzyme derived from the genus Chryseobacterium (specifically, an enzyme derived from Chryseobacterium prion lyase (for example, protein glutaminase "AMANO" 500, manufactured by Amano enzyme Co., Ltd.)).

The protein-deamidating enzyme may be a substance prepared from a culture solution of a microorganism producing the protein-deamidating enzyme. The microorganism used for the production of the protein-deamidating enzyme is not particularly limited, and for example, a microorganism belonging to the genus Chryseobacterium, Flavobacterium, Empedobacter, Sphingobacterium, Aureobacterium or Myroides can be used as the microorganism producing the enzyme. Specific examples of microorganisms suitable for the production of protein-deamidating enzymes include Chryseobacterium sp (Chryseobacterium sp.) No.9670 belonging to the genus Chryseobacterium.

For example, the protein-deamidating enzyme can be obtained from a culture solution or cells of the above-mentioned microorganism. That is, if the protein is a secretory protein, it can be collected from the culture medium, and if the protein is other than the secretory protein, it can be collected from the inside of the cell body. As a method for producing a protein-deamidating enzyme from the culture solution, known protein separation and purification methods (centrifugation, UF concentration, salting out, various chromatography methods using ion exchange resins, etc.) can be used. For example, the culture medium may be centrifuged to remove bacteria, and then salting out, chromatography, and the like may be combined to obtain the target enzyme. When the enzyme is recovered from the cells, the target enzyme can be obtained by, for example, crushing the cells by pressure treatment, ultrasonic treatment or the like, and then separating and purifying the cells in the same manner as described above. Alternatively, the series of steps (cell disruption, separation, and purification) may be performed after the cell bodies are collected from the culture solution by filtration, centrifugation, or the like. The enzyme may be powdered by a drying method such as freeze drying or drying under reduced pressure, and in this case, an appropriate excipient or drying aid may be used.

In the present application, the activity of protein-deamidating enzyme is measured by the following method.

(1) To 1ml of 0.2M phosphate buffer (pH6.5) containing 30mM Z-Gln-Gly was added 0.1ml of an aqueous solution containing protein-deamidating enzyme, and after incubation at 37 ℃ for 10 minutes, 1ml of 0.4MTCA solution was added to stop the reaction. As a blank, a solution was prepared in which 1ml of 0.2M phosphate buffer (pH6.5) containing 30mM Z-Gln-Gly and 1ml of 0.4M TCA solution were added to a solution containing 0.1ml of an aqueous solution containing protein-deamidating enzyme and incubated at 37 ℃ for 10 minutes.

(2) The amount of Ammonia produced by the reaction was measured for the solution obtained in (1) using Ammonia-test Wako (Wako pure chemical industries, Ltd.). The ammonia concentration in the reaction solution was determined from a calibration curve showing the relationship between the ammonia concentration and the absorbance (630nm) prepared using an ammonia standard solution (ammonium chloride).

(3) The activity of the protein deamidase is: the amount of enzyme that produced 1. mu. mol of ammonia in 1 minute was calculated from the following numerical expression as 1 unit.

Enzyme activity (U/mL): Ammonia concentration in reaction solution (mg/L) × (1/17.03) × (amount of reaction solution/amount of enzyme solution) × (1/10) × Df

(in the formula, the amount of the reaction solution was 2.1, the amount of the enzyme solution was 0.1, and Df was the dilution ratio of the enzyme solution; 17.03 was the molecular weight of ammonia.)

The conditions for the treatment with the protein-deamidating enzyme are not particularly limited as long as the treatment is effective for improving the dispersibility of nut milk, and the reaction temperature, the reaction time, and the amount of enzyme added (enzyme concentration) may be adjusted to set optimum reaction conditions.

The reaction temperature is not limited to the above examples, and may be set, for example, in the range of 2 to 70 ℃, preferably in the range of 5 to 60 ℃, and more preferably in the range of 15 to 50 ℃. Similarly, the reaction time may be set, for example, within a range from 10 minutes to 7 days, preferably within a range from 30 minutes to 3 days, and more preferably within a range from 1 hour to 1 day. The amount of the enzyme to be added may be set, for example, within a range from 0.01(U/g protein) to 500(U/g protein), preferably within a range from 0.02(U/g protein) to 50(U/g protein), and more preferably within a range from 0.2(U/g protein) to 5(U/g protein). As used herein, "U/g protein" is the number of units of nut protein (g) per substrate. Furthermore, as noted above, the protein concentration in the untreated nut milk is not particularly limited, and untreated nut milk having a protein concentration of, for example, 0.2% (w/v) to 10.0% (w/v), preferably 0.2% (w/v) to 8.0% (w/v), and more preferably 0.2% (w/v) to 5.0% (w/v) is subjected to treatment with a protein-deamidating enzyme.

When the treatment conditions using the protein-deamidating enzyme are set, the following indexes (a) to (c) can be used.

(a) When the reaction temperature is lowered, the reaction time is prolonged or the amount of enzyme to be added (or both) is increased.

(b) In the case of shortening the reaction time, the reaction temperature is increased (not more than 70 ℃ C., preferably 60 ℃ C. or less) or the amount of enzyme added is increased (or both).

(c) When the amount of enzyme added is reduced, the reaction temperature is increased (not more than 70 ℃ C., preferably 60 ℃ C. or less) or the reaction time is increased (or both).

More specific indicators for setting the processing conditions are shown below.

When the reaction temperature is 5 ℃ or more and less than 15 ℃, the reaction time is set to a time exceeding 8 hours (preferably 24 times or more), or the amount of enzyme added is set to 0.2(U/g protein) or more (preferably 1(U/g protein) or more).

In the case where the reaction temperature is 15 ℃ or more and less than 25 ℃, the reaction time is set to a time exceeding 7 hours, or the amount of the enzyme added is set to an amount exceeding 0.2(U/g protein) (preferably 1(U/g protein) or more).

When the reaction temperature is 25 ℃ or more and less than 40 ℃, the reaction time is set to a time exceeding 5 hours (preferably 7 times or more), or the amount of enzyme added is set to 0.2(U/g protein) or more (preferably 1(U/g protein) or more).

In the case where the reaction temperature is 40 ℃ or more and less than 50 ℃, the reaction time is preferably 3 hours or more, or the amount of enzyme added is preferably 0.2(U/g protein) or more.

When the reaction temperature is 50 ℃ or less (herein, the temperature is not more than 70 ℃ C., preferably 60 ℃ C. or less), the reaction time is preferably 3 hours, or the amount of enzyme added is preferably 0.2(U/g protein) or more.

As described above, the nut milk of the present invention has excellent dispersibility and is less likely to cause protein aggregation. Typically, protein aggregation does not occur when a liquid having weak acidity (pH 3. ltoreq. pH < 6) to weak alkalinity (pH 8. ltoreq. pH < 11) is mixed (added) (wherein the pH of the mixed liquid is 5 or more). The pH of the mixed liquid in which protein aggregation does not occur is, for example, 5 to 10, preferably 5 to 9, and more preferably 5 to 7. The liquid (beverage or liquid food) to be mixed with the nut milk of the present invention is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include coffee, coffee beverage, tea (including substances obtained by reducing an extract such as black tea, green tea, and oolong tea, substances obtained by reducing an extract after processing an extract (e.g., concentration or freeze drying)), tea beverage (flavored tea, milky tea, tea beverage with fruit juice added thereto, and the like), fruit juice beverage, sports drink, nutritional supplement beverage (protein beverage, nutritional supplement beverage, and the like), soup (clear soup-type soup, stew-based food, chowder, red dish soup, vegetable soup (e.g., tomato soup, corn soup, thick soup, pumpkin soup), flavored soup), curry, cocoa, and chocolate beverage.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the characteristics of excellent dispersibility and less tendency to cause protein aggregation are utilized, and the present invention does not contain emulsifiers (glycerin fatty acid ester, sucrose fatty acid ester, lecithin, saponin, etc.), thickening polysaccharides (pectin, carboxymethyl cellulose, etc.), salts (salt (sea salt), calcium salt, phosphate, etc.) and the like for preventing aggregation. In particular, it does not contain emulsifiers and thickening polysaccharides. Thus, according to the present invention, nut milk can be provided that corresponds to the consumer's demand for a commodity with little or no additives. In this preferred embodiment, the additive is not used for preventing aggregation, and does not interfere with the use of additives for other purposes (specifically, for example, adjustment of taste and flavor).

As is apparent from the above description, the nut milk of the present invention can be produced by treating raw nut milk with a protein-deamidating enzyme. Accordingly, the nut milk of the present invention can be obtained typically by a production method including the following steps (1) and (2).

(1) Preparing nut milk;

(2) treating the nut milk prepared in (1) with a protein-deamidating enzyme.

The treatment with the protein-deamidating enzyme in step (2) may be performed at any time before or after the heat sterilization of the nut milk. However, in order to simplify the production process, this step may be performed before the heat sterilization of the nut milk, and thereafter, a heat sterilization step involving inactivation of the protein-deamidating enzyme may be performed (in other words, the step (2) may be introduced into the nut milk production step). Therefore, in a preferred embodiment, the step (2) is followed by "(3) a step of heat treatment". The conditions for the heat treatment are not particularly limited as long as the inactivation of the protein-deamidating enzyme and the sterilization of the nut milk can be performed. For example, the treatment is carried out at a temperature of 70 to 150 ℃ for 1 second to 5 hours.

2. Use of nut milk

The 2 nd aspect of the invention relates to the use of the nut milk of the invention. The nut milk of the present invention has excellent dispersibility and is less likely to cause protein aggregation. This property is therefore suitable for use in a wide variety of beverages or liquid foods. That is, various beverages and various liquid foods containing the nut milk of the present invention are provided.

As shown in examples described later, according to detailed studies by the present inventors, it was found that: (i) by the treatment with the protein-deamidating enzyme, a pH region in which aggregation does not occur can be extended to the acidic side; (ii) protein aggregation occurring when nut milk is mixed with a beverage, liquid food, or the like depends on the pH of the beverage or the like after the nut milk is mixed, and if the pH is 5 or more, protein aggregation does not occur. In view of the above, the pH of the beverage or liquid food containing the nut milk of the present invention is preferably 5 or more. More specifically, the pH of the beverage or liquid food containing the nut milk of the present invention is preferably 5 to 9, more preferably 5 to 8, and still more preferably 5 to 7.5.

Examples of beverages or liquid food products are: coffee beverages, coffee partners (for example, use other than coffee such as black tea is also conceivable), tea beverages (flavored tea, milky tea, tea beverages supplemented with fruit juice, etc.), fruit juice beverages, sports beverages, nutritional supplement beverages (protein beverages, nutritional care beverages, etc.), various soups, curries, cocoa beverages, and chocolate beverages. As is clear from the above examples, the present invention is applicable not only to neutral beverages, liquid foods, and the like, but also to weakly acidic beverages, liquid foods, and the like.

Nut milk is mixed with other raw materials, for example, during the production of a beverage or liquid food. It is preferable to mix the nut milk after mixing other raw materials at the final stage of the production process (at the stage of forming the shape of the product). In addition, the addition of seasonings, preserving materials, perfumes, antioxidants, and the like for the purpose of adjusting taste, maintaining quality, and the like may be performed after the sterilization treatment. On the other hand, it is also a preferred embodiment to mix nut milk in a beverage or liquid food (i.e., in the form of a final product, not an intermediate product) after completion of the manufacturing process. In this embodiment, the present invention can be applied without changing the process for producing a beverage or a liquid food.

Examples

1. Agglomeration prevention in coffee

To 100mL of commercially available Almond milk (Rude corporation, protein content 1.5%, starting material: Almond, water) was added 1U of protein glutaminase "AMANO" 500 (500U/g, manufactured by Amyme corporation) per 1g of protein in Almond milk, and the mixture was reacted at 50 ℃ for 5 hours (deamidation reaction). Treating at 95 deg.C for 20 min to inactivate enzyme heat, cooling to 5 deg.C, and making into enzyme-treated almond milk.

Coffee liquor (2%) was prepared by dissolving commercially available instant coffee in hot water. When 20 to 30mL of enzyme-treated almond milk (pH 5.7 after the addition of enzyme-treated almond milk) was added to 150mL of coffee solution, no aggregation was observed. In contrast, in the case of using the non-enzyme treated almond milk, significant aggregation was confirmed. In addition, the same results (no aggregation in the enzyme-treated peanut milk) were obtained when the experiments were carried out under the same conditions using peanut milk instead of almond milk.

2. Relationship between protein concentration of nut milk and coagulation/coagulation preventing effect

< enzyme-free treatment >