Foods and drinks having health benefits and method for adding health benefits to foods and drinks

Abstract

Problem to be solved: To provide foods and drinks having health benefits or enriched with health benefits and a method for adding strong health benefits to foods in a wide range. Solution: The present invention provides foods and drinks, having health benefits, or enriched with health benefits, comprising as an active ingredient a hydrogenated, hardly digestible dextrin obtainable by digesting pyrodextrin with an enzyme and then hydrogenating the digested dextrin. The present invention also provides a method for adding health benefits to foods and drinks or for increasing the health benefits in foods and drinks, which comprises the steps of adding at least 3 g/meal or 3 g/day, in terms of hardly digestible components, of the hydrogenated, hardly digestible dextrin to foods or drinks to foods or drinks, or replacing at least a part of the foods or drinks with the hydrogenated, hardly digestible dextrin.

1 . Foods and drinks, having health benefits, or enriched with health benefits, comprising as an active ingredient a hydrogenated, hardly digestible dextrin obtainable by digesting pyrodextrin with an enzyme and then hydrogenating the digested dextrin.  
   
   
       2 . The foods and drinks, having health benefits, or enriched with health benefits according to  claim 1 , wherein the health benefit is at least one member selected from the group consisting of controlling action of intestinal function, controlling action of blood sugar level, maintaining and improving action of glucose tolerance, controlling action of body fat and controlling action of serum lipid.  
   
   
       3 . The foods and drinks, having health benefits, or enriched with health benefits according to  claim 2 , wherein the health benefit is controlling action of body fat.  
   
   
       4 . The foods and drinks, having health benefits, or enriched with health benefits, according to  claim 1 , wherein the enzymatic digestion is the digestion with α-amylase or the digestion with α-amylase and glucoamylase.  
   
   
       5 . The foods and drinks, having health benefits, or enriched with health benefits, according to  claim 3 , wherein the enzymatic digestion is the digestion with α-amylase and glucoamylase.  
   
   
       6 . The foods and drinks, having health benefits, or enriched with health benefits, according to  claim 1 , wherein the content of the hardly digestible components is at least 45% by weight in terms of solid components.  
   
   
       7 . The foods and drinks, having health benefits, or enriched with health benefits, according to  claim 1 , wherein the content of the hardly digestible components is at least 60% by weight in terms of solid.  
   
   
       8 . The foods and drinks, having health benefits, or enriched with health benefits, according to  claim 1 , wherein the content of the hardly digestible components is 85 to 95% by weight in terms of solid.  
   
   
       9 . The foods and drinks, having health benefits, or enriched with health benefits, according to  claim 1 , wherein the hardly digestible components of the hydrogenated, hardly digestible dextrin have a number average molecular weight of 1,000 to 3,000.  
   
   
       10 . The foods and drinks, having health benefits, or enriched with health benefits, according to  claim 1 , wherein the hardly digestible components of the hydrogenated, hardly digestible dextrin have a number average molecular weight of 1,300 to 2,500.  
   
   
       11 . The foods and drinks, having health benefits, or enriched with health benefits, according to  claim 1 , wherein the hardly digestible components of the hydrogenated, hardly digestible dextrin have a number average molecular weight of 2,000.  
   
   
       12 . A method for controlling intestinal function, blood sugar level, body fat or serum lipid, or maintaining and improving glucose tolerance, the method comprising giving to human body or animal foods and drinks, having health benefits, or enriched with health benefits, and the foods and drinks comprising as an active ingredient a hydrogenated, hardly digestible dextrin obtainable by digesting pyrodextrin with an enzyme and then hydrogenating the digested dextrin.  
   
   
       13 . A method for adding health benefits to foods and drinks or for increasing the health benefits in foods and drinks, which comprises the steps of: 
 adding at least 3 g/meal or 3 g/day, in terms of hardly digestible components, of the hydrogenated, hardly digestible dextrin to foods or drinks according to  claim 1  to foods or drinks, or    replacing at least a part of the foods or drinks with the hydrogenated, hardly digestible dextrin according to  claim 1 .    
   
   
       14 . The foods and drinks, having health benefits, or enriched with health benefits, according to  claim 1 , wherein a hydrogenated, hardly digestible dextrin is obtainable by digesting pyrodextrin with α-amylase and glucoamylase and then hydrogenating the digested dextrin, the dextrin comprising 85 to 95% by weight, in terms of solid components, of the hardly digestible components and having a number-average molecular weight of 2000.