IL95535A - Production of chlorella-containing fatty oil foodstuff - Google Patents

Description

Production of chlorella-containing fatty oil foodstuff Yoshio TANAKA C:- 81564 BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention · The ..present invention relates to a Chlorella-containing fatty oil foodstuff useful as a functional healthy food product which effectively and stably various effective ingredients of Chlorella algae, fungi and tonic medicinal vegetables stably contained therein, and to a process for producing the same.

Description of Prior Art it is well known that Chlorella is one of single cell algae which grow in fresh water, and it contains protein and the like in a large amount and has various peculiar physiologically active effects, e.g., an effect of promoting the growth of animals or microorganisms, an effect of flavoring foods and- an effect of removing foreign odor from foods, and particularly, a hot water-extract of chlorella algae finds applications in a wider range, because it significantly has such growth promoting and flavoring effects and can be used to make a product in the from of a concentrated liquid.

Various products utilizing Chlorella algae have been conventionally developed in view of the usefulness of such Chlorella algae. They include a variety of products, e.g., typically, those made by blending a dry powder of Chlorella algae with a garlic powder and molding the blend into a tablet, noodles and processed marine products containing a hot water-extract of Chlorella algae added and used as a flavoring component and a quality improving agent during production thereof, and heath food products made by encapsulating a dry powder or hot water-extract of Chlorella algae together with other nutritious and medicinal ingredients into a gelatin capsule. Thus, the applications of such products utilizing Chlorella algae covers a wide range.

As described above, various Chlorella products have been conventionally developed in view of the usefulness of Chlorella algae. In many cases, however, the prior art Chlorella products have considerations in processing operations in the course of production thereof and suffer from a disadvantage that the effective ingredients contained in Chlorella algae are not necessarily retained in a stable manner. More specifically, in spite of the usefulness of Chlorella algae having been ascertained and reported as a result of intellectual examinations and researches? there is a problem that when the effective ingredients are utilized to provide a product, it is difficult to retain the effective ingredients in an effective and stable manner, with the result that they cannot be utilized reliably and effectively.

Especially, in making a health food product by utilizing Chlorella algae in combination with other medicinal starting materials containing medicinal ingredients or the like with a synergistic effect, it is most important for development of a product to stably and effectively retain medicinal ingredients of individual starting materials to provide a product, but the prior art products suffer from a problem that in many cases, the medicinal ingredients are not necessarily stably and effectively retained and the usefulness thereof cannot be sufficiently utilized.

Summary of the Invention Thereupon, the present inventor has made zealous studies to aim at the development of a functional health product in which effective ingredients of Chlorella algae and other medicinal starting materials are stably retained without any reduction of the activity thereof, and consequently, have found that intended objects can be ahcieved by using a starting material, i.e., an exudate powder resulting from addition of a concentrated exudate of a hot water-extract of Chlorella algae together with a clathration material, followed by clathration blending and drying of them, an exudate powder resulting from addition of a concentrated exudate of a hot wa er-e tract of fungi together with a clathration material, followed by clathration blending and drying of them, and a slurl^/- like starting material resulting from grinding of tonic medicinal vegetables and Chlorella algae in the presencei of a vitamin E, and further by addition of them to an edible fatty oil or oils which may contain lecithin added thereto if required, followed by homogeneously stirring or mixing and encapsulation into a soft capsule. Thus, the present invention has been accomplished .

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide aprocess for producing a functional Chlorella — containing fatty oil foodstuff with effective ingredients of Chlorella algae, fungi and tonic medicinal vegetables effectively and stably retained therein.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a Ch lorel la-con ta in i ng fatty oil foodstuff which is useful as a health food product having a functionality and containing various physiologically active ingredients in a large amount and even effective ingredients of Chlorella algae, fungi and tonic medicinal vegetables in an effective and stable manner.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a functional Chlorel la — con taining fatty oil foodstuff containing an edible fatty oil and capable of being also directly used as a cooking flavoring element.

To achieve the above objects, according to the present invention, there are provided : 1) A process for producing a Ch lorel la — con taini ng foodstuff, comprising the steps , of homogeneously mixing a starting exudate powder material resulting from addition of a concentrated exudate of a hot water — extract of Chlorella algae together with a clathration material, followed by clathration blending and drying of them, and a starting exudate powder material resulting from addition - 4 - of a concentrated exudate of a hot water — extract of fungi together with a clathration material, followed by. clathration blending and drying of them, and a slurry — like starting material resulting from grinding of a tonic medicinal vegetable and Chlorella algae in the presence of a vitamin E oil, with an edible fatty oil which may contain a lecithin optionally added thereto, and encapsulating the resulting oi 1 —suspension into a soft capsule. 2) A process for producing a Chlorel la — containing foodstuff according to the above i em (1), wherein the clathration material used is a cyclodextrin. 3) A process for producing a Chlorel la— containing foodstuff according to the above item (1), wherein the fungus used is at least one of kawaratake, polypore, and shiitake. 4) A process for producing a Chlorel la — containing foodstuff according to the above item (1), wherein the tonic medicinal vegetable used is at least one of garlic ginseng, aloe, ume (Japanese spicot), prickly shrub of the familly Aradiaceae, and adlay. 5) A process for producing a Chlorella — containing foodstuff according to the above item (1), wherein the blending is carried out under a humidified and depressurized condition. 6) A process for producing a Chlorel la — con taining foodstuff according to the above item (1), wherein the edible fatty oil used is at least one of peanut oil, sesame oil, wheat germ oil, rapeseed oil, soybean oil, coconut oil, safflower oil, and beeswax. 7) A Chlorella-containing foods tuff which is produced by homogeneously mixing a starting exudate powder material resulting from addition of a concentrated exudate of a hot wa ter— extract of Chlorella algae together with a clathration material, followed by clathration blending and drying of them, and a starting exudate powder material resulting from addition of a concentrated exudate of a hot wa ter — extract of fungi together with a clathration material, followed by clathration blending and drying of them, and a slurry— like starting material resulting from grinding of a medicinal vegetable and Chlorella algae in the presence of a vitamin E oil, with an edible fatty oil which may contain a lecithin optionally added thereto, and encapsulating the resulting oi 1 —suspension into a soft capsule.

The process for producing a Chlorella-containing fatty oil foodstuff according to the present invention has an advantage that it is capable of producing a product containing various effective ingredients of Chlorella algae, fungi and tonic medicinal vegetables effectively and stably retained therein and having a long term preserveability of each effective ingredient. Further, the Chlorellal containing product of the present invention has an extremely high usefullness as a functional health food product, because it contains a large amount of an edible fatty oil having physiologically active effects such as a cholesterol reducing effect and each of . the ingredients is homogeneously mixed.

In addition, the Chlorella containing fatty oil foodstuff of the present invention has a peculiar effect that the capsule cannot be swelled, even if it contains an exudate of a tonic medicinal vegetable having a relatively large content of moisture.

The Chlorella — containing fatty oil foodstuff of the present invention can be not only provided for eating of itself as a functional health food, but also utilized as a cooking flavoring element for foods. Further, it can be utilized for outdoor activities such as a camping, because of its portable product form.

As described above, the Chlorel la — containing fatty oil foodstuff of the present invention has an extremely high value in industrial application, in that the effective ingredients of Chlorella algae, fungi and tonic medicinal vegetables can be stably and effectively preserved over a long period.

Detailed Description of the Invention In the present invention, an edible fatty oil is used in a relatively large amount with respect to starting ma terials, a concentrated exudate of a hot water — ex tract of Chlorella algae, a concentrated exudate of a hot water — extract of fungi or an exudate of tonic medicinal vegetables, in order that the soft capsule material is prevented from being subjected to any changing such as swelling and dissolution of by moisture present in effective ingredients 'containing exudates of the Chlorella algae, fungi and tonic medicinal vegetables and the product can be used in various applications, such as for cooking and particularly as a flavoring element for frying. In addition, the homogeneous mixing of the effective ingredient containing materials into the edible fatty oil is prevent the soft capsule from being swelled and broken.

In the present invention, the hot wa ter — ex trac t of the Chlorella algae may be an extract produced by subjecting an aqueous suspension of fresh Chlorella algaes from an open — air mass cultivation by a photo synthesis to a heating treatment at a temperature of about 80 to 100'C for a period of 15 to 20 minutes, followed by fractionation of the algae. Typical of the fresh Chlorella algae are single cell algae growing in fresh water such as Chlorella pyrenoidosa, Chlorella vulgaris, Chlorella ellipsoidea, scenedesmus, but it is not intended to limit thereto. The hot water — extract of Chlorella algae contains various physiologically active substances, e.g., proteins and vitamins as well as effective poly —saccharides such as N — — 1, 3 glucan and acidic rhamnan present on cell walls. Λ1 ternatively, the hot water — extract of Chlorella algae may be an extract produced by adding and mixing water to a photo synthesized Chlorella algae powder in an amount about four times more than such powder and subjecting the mixture to a heating treatment at a temperature of 50 to 120 "C for about one hour or more and then to a slowly extracting treatment, and suitable hot water-extracts can be also used.

The hot wa ter — ex trac tof fungi may be a h,ot water extract of fungus body, dry fungi and fungus body powder. For example, use may be made of a suitable hot wa ter — ex tract such as produced by adding and mixing water to fungus body powder in an amount four times more than such powder and subjecting the mixture to a heating treatment at a temperature of 45 to 120 "C for a long period of time, preferably, for 5 to 7 hours. The word "fungi or fungus" refers to a polypore, kawaratake, shiitake and other edible mushrooms.

The tonic medicinal vegetable used may be any of medicinal vegetables which have a nutritive tonic effect, but especial ly preferred are garlic, ginseng, aloe, ume (Japanese spicot),. prickly shrub. of the familly Aradiaceae, and adlay. The tonic medicinal vegetable may be used in the proper form of vegetable itself, an exudate or dry powder. The word "exudate" refers to leached liquids resulting from leaching of the tonic medicinal vegetables by a usual method and slurry — like exudates resulting from grinding the concentrate thereof and vegetable itself in a colloid mill. The dry powder which may be used include those resulting from a proper pretreatment of vegetables, followed by a proper drying such as a hot air drying, a freeze drying and a spray drying, or those resulting from drying of exudates in a usual method.

Each of the hot water — extracts of the Chlorella algae and fungi is independently concentrated into a slurry-like concentrated exudate in a concentrator, and each of the exudates are independently then blended in a blender together with a clathration material forming a clathrate compound, thereby forming a clathrate blend. It is desired that the clathrate blend is used in a exudate powdered form obtained by drying in a dryer to the extent of a defined moisture content, followed by pulverization.

The tonic medicinal vegetable may be used as a starting material in the form of a slurry — like exudate resulting from grinding of each vegetable or its exudate powder together with Chlorella algae in the presence or absence of vitamin E oil in a colloid mill.

The edible oils which may be used include peanut oil, sesame oil, wheat germ oil, rapeseed oil, soybean oil, coconut oil, safflower oil, beeswax, and other edible fatty oils. These oils may be used alone or in combinations. When the edible oils are used in combination, it is desired that they are used in the form of an oil emulsified material produced by heating mixing starting edible oils, further adding a heated and dissolved soybean lecithin thereto, if necessary, and stirring and mixing the mixture by a homomixer and cooling it to room temperature.

To homogeneously mix the effective ingredient— containing starting materials of Chlorella algae, fungi and tonic medicinal vegetables with the edible fatty oil, each of the starting exudate powder materials of the above-described clathrate blend and the exudate or dry powder of the tonic medicinal vegetable may be homogeneously stirred and mixed with the edible fatty oil in a mixer. The means for and the sequence of mixing of individual starting components are particularly not limited, but in general, it is desired that the slurry— like starting material resulting from grinding of the tonic medicinal vegetable and Chlorella algae is homogeneously mixed to the edible fatty oil in the presence of a vitamin E oil and then, each of the starting exudate powder materials of the clathrate blend are homogeneously mixed to the resulting suspension in the oil. The concurrent homogeneous mixing of the effective ingredient— containing exudate of the tonic medicinal vegetable, the starting dry, powder material of the clathrate blend and the starting edible fatty oil material may be properly employed.

In grinding the tonic medicinal vegetable and Ch 1 ore 11a alga, the use of a vitamin E oil ensures that physiological activities of the vitamin E and various effective ingredients of the tonic medicinal vegetables can be effectively and stably intensified and maintained.

The oil suspension obtained by mixing the various starting materials in this manner is then passed through a proper mesh strainer and degassed in a deaerator, following which the resulting mixture is encapsulated into a proper soft capsule such as a soft gelatin capsule, thereby providing an intended functional Chlorella— containing fatty oil foodstuff.

It should be noted that the leached liquid of the vegetable can be used for the starting tonic medicinal vegetable material in the form of a spray-dried material, but this is expensive, because water is present in too large an amount in the leached liquid.

Therefore, it is desired that with or without a dry powder of other tonic medicinal vegetable(s) added, the leached liquid is adsorbed to an edible sugar powder such as lactose, starch or the like and the resulting powder material is used. The edible sugar powder such as lactose, starch or the like is properly used in order to absorb water in the leached liquid to provide no adverse influence to the soft capsule, rather than to serve merely as a bulking filler and an excipient as conventionally known.

It should be also noted that the proportion of each effective ingredient containing starting exudate material of Chlorel.la algae, fungi and tonic medicinal vegetable incorporated .relative to the edible fatty oil is particularly not limited and can be properly selected depending upon the type of products.

The present invention will now be described in more detail by way of Examples* Example 1 Water 300 1 was mixed with a photo synthesized Chlorella powder 30 kg, and the mixture was subjected to an extraction of effective ingredients in a hot water extractor. Then, the resulting extract was concentrated about 20 times in a concentrator to provide a slurry- like concentrated exudate.

On the other hand, 400 1 of water was mixed with 25 kg of dried kawaratake, and the resulting mixture was subjected to an extraction of effective ingredients in a hot water extractor. The resulting extract was concentrated about 20 times in a concentrator to provide a slurry- like concentrated exudate.

A clathration material, cyclodextrin 4.5 kg was added to the former of these concentrated exudates, cyclodextrin and cyclodextrin 5 kg was added to the latter of these concentrated exudates, and while being warmed and depressurized, each of the resulting mixture was sujected to a clathration blending in a blender. Then, the blend was dried in a drier and then pulverized in a pulverizer to provide 6.5 kg, 7.5 kg of each of the starting exudate materials.

A .mixture of 8.5 kg of a dry powder of ginseng, 8.5 kg of an exudate powder of odorless garlic, 15 kg of prickly shrub of the family Aradiaceae and 90 kg of a photo -synthesized Chlorella powder was ground together wi h 20 kg of a natural vitamin E oil in a colloid mill to provide 142 kg of a slurry — like starting ma ter i a 1.

The individual starting materials produced in the above manner were added to 210 kg of an oi 1 — emu 1 s i f ied starting material containing 28 kg of peanut oil containing 15 kg of soybean lecithin added thereto and then stirred and mixed therewith in a homomixer and 167 kg of safflower oil, and the resulting mixture was homogeneously stirred and mixed to provide 366 kg of. an oil suspension. Then, the oil suspension was degassed in a deaerator and then encapsulated into a soft gelatin capsule to provide a Chlorella — containing fatty oil product.

Example 2 Water 300 1 was mixed with an optical synthesized Chlorella powder 30 kg, and the mixture was subjected to an extraction of effective ingredients in a hot water extractor. Then, the resulting extract was concentrated about 20 times in a concentrator to provide a slurry-like starting concentrated exudate material.

On the other hand, 450 1 of water was mixed with 25 kg of dried shiitake and 10 kg of kawaratake, and the resulting mixture was subjected to an exutraction of effective ingredients in a hot water extractor. The resulting extract was concentrated about 20 times in a concentrator to provide a slurry — like starting concentrated exudate material.

A clathration material, cyclodextrin 5.5 kg was added to the former of these concentrated exudates, and cyclodextrin 5 kg was added to the latter of these concentrated exudates, and each of the resulting mixtures was subjected to a clathration blending in a blender while being warmed and depressurized. Then, the blend was dried in a drier and pulverized in a pulverizer to provide 7.5 kg, 8 kg of each of the starting exudate materials.

Further, a mixture of 130 kg of pho to — sysn thes ized Chlorella powder, 9.5 kg of an exudate of garlic, 9.5 kg of an exudate powder of adlay and 10.5 kg of prickly shrub of the family Aradiaceae was ground little by little together with 25 kg of a natural vitamin E oil in a colloid mill to provide 184.5 kg of a slurry-like starting exudate material.

The individual starting materials produced in the above manner were homogeneously mixed with 226 kg of a viscous oil mixture, i.e., an oi 1 — emuls i f ied starting material resulting from heating and mixing of 28 kg of sesame oil, 28 kg of purified peanut oil, 110 kg of safflower oil, 42 kg of purified beeswax and further.-addition of. 18 kg of soybean! ietit -. thereto and stirring and .mixing in a homomixer. Then, the mixture was degassed in a deaerator. 426 kg of the resulting oil —suspension was encapsulated into a soft gelatin capsule to provide an intended Chlorella — containing fatty oil food product.

Claims (7)

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS

1. A process for producing a Chlorella-containing fatty oil foodstuff, comprising the steps of homogeneously mixing a starting exudate powder material resulting from addition of a concentrated exudate of a hot water — extract of Clorella algae together with a clathration material, followed by clathration blending and drying of them, and a starting exudate powder material resulting from addition of a concentrated exudate of a hot water-e tract of fungi together with a clathration material, followed by clathration blending and drying of them, and a slurry-like starting material resulting from grinding of a tonic medicinal vegetable and Chlorella algae in the presence of a vitamin E oil, with an edible fatty oil which may contain a lecithin' optionally added thereto, and encapsulating the resulting oi 1 -suspension into a soft capsule.

2. A process for producing a Chlorella-containing fatty oil foodstuff according to claim 1, wherein the clathration material used is a cyclodextrin.'

3. A process for producing a Chlorella-containing fatty oil foodstuff accrding to claim 1, wherein the fungus used is at least one of kawaratake, polypore, and shiitake.

4. A process for producing a Chlorella-containing fatty oil foodstuff according to claim 1, wherein the tonic medicinal vegetable used is at least one of garlic, ginseng, also, u e (Japanese spicot), prickly shrub of the 95535/2 family Aradiaceae, and adlay.

5. ) A process for producing a Chlorel la — con tai ning fatty oil foods t.uff according to claim 1, wherein the blending , is carried out under a humidified and depressur ized condition.

6. ) A process for producing a Chlorel la — coa aining fatty oil foodstuff according to claim 1. wherein the edible fatty oil used is at least one of peanut oil, sesame wheat germ oil, rapeseed oil, soybean oil, coconut oil, safflower oil, and beeswax.

7. ) A Chlorel la — containing fatty oil foodstuff which is produced by homogeneously mixing a starting exudate powder material resulting from addition of a concentrated exudate of a hot water — extract of Chlorella algae together with a clathration material, followed by clathration blending and drying of them, and a starting exudate powder material resulting from addition of a concentrated exudate of a hot water — extract of fungi together with a clathration material, followed by clathration blending and drying of them, and a slurry— like starting material resulting from grinding of a medicinal vegetable and Chlorella algae in the presence of a vitamin E oil, with an edible fatty oil which may contain a lecithin optionally added thereto, and encapsulating the resulting oil-suspension into a soft capsule. For tHe AppficSTfS "~~· - DR.REINHOLD COHN AMD ΡλλΓΝΖ£ - 1