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Acidic protein food or drink and material thereofRelated Patent Categories: Food Or Edible Material: Processes, Compositions, And Products, Products Per Se, Or Processes Of Preparing Or Treating Compositions Involving Chemical Reaction By Addition, Combining Diverse Food Material, Or Permanent Additive, Beverage Or Beverage Concentrate, Bean, Nut Or Seed TypeAcidic protein food or drink and material thereof description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070092625, Acidic protein food or drink and material thereof. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
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 giving an unpleasant feeling that is often expressed by such terms as an astringent taste, a filmy mouthfeel and graininess. In these protein-containing acidic foods or drinks, protein that has been insolubilized and flocculated (or aggregated) by an acid, heating, fermentation or the like is in a dispersed state, and the flocculate (or aggregate, hereinafter simply referred to as flocculate) is recognized as a cause of astringency. Therefore, it has been attempted to relieve the astringency by reducing the particle size of the flocculate (Patent Document 1), or by removing the flocculate (Patent Document 2). Further, Patent Document 3 discloses a process for preparing a beverage with relieved astringency. said beverage comprising fermented whey, soybean milk, and pectin or xanthan gum as a stabilizer, and Patent Document 4 discloses a method, wherein propylene glycol alginate and a metallic salt is added as modifiers having an astringency relieving effect after homogenizing fermented soybean milk. However, either of these methods is not directed to the reduction of astringency developed during eating or drinking dissolved protein. [0004] There are acidic foods or drinks containing dissolved protein at a high concentration, while their numbers are very limited. They are beverages and jelly beverages containing a whey protein isolate (WPI) in an amount of 3 to 9%, and are characterized by their transparency. The present inventors have previously found a process for producing a soybean protein that shows excellent solubility under acidic conditions (Patent Document 5), and have succeeded in preparing protein-rich acidic foods or drinks using the protein. However these acidic protein foods or drinks were unexpectedly more astringent rather than aforementioned acid milk beverages. This phenomenon contradicts the conventional recognition that astringency is derived from the flocculate of protein. 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. [0005] Patent Document 1: JP 53-104764 A [0006] Patent Document 2: JP 10-295270 A [0007] Patent Document 3: JP 62-111632 A [0008] Patent Document 4: JP 54-84068 A [0009] Patent Document 5: WO 02/067690 A1 DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION [0010] Problem to be Solved by the Invention [0011] The present invention intends to provide a protein-containing acidic food or drink having a favorable flavor and relieved astringency that is characteristic to a dissolved protein, and to provide materials thereof. In case that the acidic food or drink is a cloudy-type fruit juice beverage, the present invention also intends to prevent formation of dregs. [0012] Means for Solving the Problem [0013] The present inventors have found that protein-containing acidic foods or drinks have characteristic astringency, and that the astringency is more strongly felt when protein is dissolved than when a major part of the protein has been flocculated like in a sour milk beverage, and this is significantly perceived when a beverage is drank or a frozen dessert is melted in the mouth. [0014] More specifically, the present inventors have presumed that there is astringency derived from protein dissolved under acidic conditions, and that this astringency is an unpleasant feeling when the protein is mixed with saliva to cause flocculation in the mouth. Then, the present inventors have intensively studied to improve this astringency. As a result, they have found that the astringency of the beverage is remarkably relieved by addition of a water-soluble polysaccharide, a calcium salt or a basic saccharide, and thus have completed the present invention. They have also found that the advantageous effect of the present invention is not limited to beverages, but extends to semi-solid foods such as gel or paste ones and emulsions such as ice cream, soft cream and whipped cream containing dissolved protein. That is, the present invention is: [0015] (1) An acidic protein food or drink comprising one or more of salts or saccharides selected from the group consisting of water-soluble polysaccharides, water-soluble basic salts, alkali metal salts of organic acids, basic monosaccharides and basic oligosaccharides, and acidic-soluble protein; [0016] (2) The acidic protein food or drink according to the above (1), wherein the acidic-soluble protein is that of soybean origin; [0017] (3) The acidic protein food or drink according to the above (1), wherein the acidity is in the range of pH 2.0-4.5; [0018] (4) The acidic protein food or drink according to the above (1), wherein the food or drink is a beverage, an aqueous phase-containing emulsion or a frozen dessert; [0019] (5) A powder material comprising one or more of salts or saccharides selected from the group consisting of water-soluble polysaccharides, water-soluble basic salts, alkali metal salts of organic acids, basic monosaccharides and basic oligosaccharides, and acidic-soluble protein; [0020] (6) An acidic-soluble protein material with relieved astringency comprising one or more of added salts or saccharides selected from the group consisting of water-soluble polysaccharides, water-soluble basic salts, alkali metal salts of organic acids, basic monosaccharides and basic oligosaccharides which are added thereto; [0021] (7) The material according to the above (5) or (6), which is an agent for preventing formation of dregs of cloudy-type fruit juice. 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