Composition for improving taste of high-intensity sweetener and application thereof

Abstract

A low-calorie food or drink, particularly an edible product (a food or drink) with an improved distinctive strange taste (particularly bitterness remaining in the mouth) has low calories and is obtained by replacing part or most of the sugar or isomerized sugar to be added by a high-intensity sweetener. Provided are a composition for improving a taste of a high-intensity sweetener, a method of improving a taste of an edible product containing a high-intensity sweetener, and an edible product in which a taste of a high-intensity sweetener is improved, each of which is characterized by containing or using an isomerized sugar and a rare sugar such that the rare sugar is contained or used in an amount of from 1 to 150 parts by mass based on 100 parts by mass of the isomerized sugar.

1 . A composition, comprising:
 a high-intensity sweetener, and   an isomerized sugar which comprises rare sugars comprising D-psicose, D-allose and a rare sugar other than D-psicose and D-allose,   wherein the rare sugars are contained in an amount of from 1 to 150 parts by mass based on 100 parts by mass of the isomerized sugar, and   wherein the composition has a suppressed bitterness of the high-intensity sweetener.   
     
     
         2 . The composition according to  claim 1 , wherein the isomerized sugar and the rare sugars are a rare sugar-containing isomerized sugar syrup which is obtained by isomerizing one or more of the members selected from the group consisting of D-glucose, D-fructose, and an isomerized corn syrup with 0.005 mol/l or more of an alkali and contains sugars other than D-glucose and D-fructose in an amount of less than 60% by mass. 
     
     
         3 . The composition according to  claim 1 , which contains 0.5-17% by mass of D-psicose and 0.2-10% by mass of D-allose based on the total amount of the isomerized sugar. 
     
     
         4 . The composition according to  claim 1 , wherein the high-intensity sweetener is at least one member selected from the group consisting of aspartame, acesulfame potassium, sucralose, a stevia sweetener, saccharin, sodium saccharate, and a glycyrrhiza extract. 
     
     
         5 . The composition according to  claim 1 , wherein the isomerized sugar contains D-glucose and D-fructose as main components, and the rare sugars are contained in an amount of from 2.82 to 17.76 parts by mass based on 100 parts by mass of the isomerized sugar. 
     
     
         6 . The composition according to  claim 1 , which contains the rare sugar other than D-psicose and D-allose at an amount of about 6% by mass based on the total amount of the isomerized sugar. 
     
     
         7 . The composition according to  claim 1 , which does not comprise purified D-psicose. 
     
     
         8 . The composition according to  claim 1 , which does not comprise a sugar alcohol. 
     
     
         9 . The composition according to  claim 1 , which does comprise neither of purified D-psicose nor a sugar alcohol. 
     
     
         10 . An edible product containing an isomerized sugar which comprises rare sugars comprising D-psicose, D-allose and a rare sugar other than D-psicose and D-allose, and a high-intensity sweetener, wherein the rare sugars are contained in an amount of from 1 to 150 parts by mass based on 100 parts by mass of the isomerized sugar, whereby the edible product has a suppressed bitterness of the high-intensity sweetener. 
     
     
         11 . The edible product according to  claim 10 , wherein the isomerized sugar and the rare sugars are a rare sugar-containing isomerized sugar syrup which is obtained of the members selected from the group consisting of D-glucose, D-fructose, and an isomerized corn syrup with 0.005 mol/l or more of an alkali and contains sugars other than D-glucose and D-fructose in an amount of less than 60% by mass. 
     
     
         12 . The edible product according to  claim 10 , which contains 0.5-17% by mass of D-psicose and 0.2-10% by mass of D-allose based on the total amount of the isomerized sugar. 
     
     
         13 . The edible product according to  claim 10 , wherein the high-intensity sweetener is at least one member selected from the group consisting of aspartame, acesulfame potassium, sucralose, a stevia sweetener, saccharin, sodium saccharate, and a glycyrrhiza extract. 
     
     
         14 . The edible product according to  claim 10 , wherein the edible product is selected from the group consisting of a table sweetener, a beverage, a dessert, and a chilled or frozen sweet. 
     
     
         15 . The edible product according to  claim 10 , wherein the edible product has low calories. 
     
     
         16 . The edible product according to  claim 10 , which contains the rare sugar other than D-psicose and D-allose at an amount of about 6% by mass based on the total amount of the isomerized sugar.