Method for Improving Absorbability of Epigallocatechin Gallate, Foods, Drinks and Food/Drink Materials Using the Same and Method for Producing the Same

• US 20090047408A1
• Filed: 12/01/2006
• Published: 02/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: ITO EN Limited, Tohoku University National Universities Corporation
• Original Assignee: ITO EN Limited, Tohoku University National Universities Corporation
• Inventors: Unno, Tomonori, Kakuda, Takami, Nakagawa, Kiyotaka, Miyazawa, Teruo
• Application Number:
  US12/085,959
• Publication Number:
  US 20090047408A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 426/597
• CPC Class Codes: A23F 3/163 Liquid or semi-liquid tea extract preparations, e.g. gels, liquid extracts in solid capsules
• CPC Class Codes: A23F 3/20 Removing unwanted substances A23F3/166 takes precedence; reducing or removing alkaloid content A23F3/38
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 2/52 Adding ingredients adding preservatives A23L2/44
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 33/10 using additives addition of substantially indigestible substances A23L33/21
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 33/105 Plant extracts, their artificial duplicates or their derivatives
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 31/7048 having oxygen as a ring hetero atom, e.g. leucoglucosan, hesperidin, erythromycin, nystatin , digitoxin or digoxin
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 36/82 Theaceae (Tea family), e.g. camellia
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 47/22 Heterocyclic compounds, e.g. ascorbic acid, tocopherol or pyrrolidones
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 9/0095 Drinks; Beverages; Syrups; Compositions for reconstitution thereof, e.g. powders or tablets to be dispersed in a glass of water; Veterinary drenches A61K9/0007 takes precedence; eatable gels or foams A61K9/0056; oral mucosa adhesive forms A61K9/006
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 9/08 Solutions composition of solutions A61K47/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61P 17/18 Antioxidants, e.g. antiradicals preparations for protection against sunlight A61Q17/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61P 39/06 Free radical scavengers or antioxidants

Abstract

Provided are a food, a drink and a food/drink material having improved EGCg absorbability, and a method of producing the same, by improving the absorbability of EGCg to be taken in. The contents of caffeine and/or epigallocatechin gallate are regulated so that the ratio by mass of caffeine to epigallocatechin gallate contained in a food, drink, food/drink material or oral ingesta comes close to 0.4.

Claims

1. A method of improving the absorbability of epigallocatechin gallate, characterized by regulating the contents of caffeine and/or epigallocatechin gallate so that the ratio by mass of caffeine to epigallocatechin gallate contained in an oral ingesta comes close to 0.4.

2. The method of improving the absorbability according to claim 1, wherein the ratio by mass of caffeine to epigallocatechin gallate contained in the oral ingesta is regulated to be in the range of 0.08 to 1.15, and the oral ingesta excludes green tea drinks.

3. The method of improving the absorbability according to claim 1, wherein the ratio by mass of caffeine to epigallocatechin gallate contained in the oral ingesta is regulated to be in the range of 0.12 to 0.85.

4. A food or drink containing caffeine at a ratio by mass of 2.0 or less (except for zero) to epigallocatechin gallate.

5. The food or drink according to claim 4, excluding green tea drinks, wherein the caffeine is contained at a ratio by mass of 0.08 to 1.15 to the epigallocatechin gallate.

6. The food or drink according to claim 4, wherein the ratio by mass of the caffeine to the epigallocatechin gallate is in the range of 0.12 to 0.85.

7. The food or drink according to claim 4, being provided as a green tea drink, wherein the ratio by mass of the caffeine to the epigallocatechin gallate is in the range of 0.18 to 0.70, and the content of epigallocatechin gallate is in the range of 0.05 to 0.8 mg/ml.

8. A food/drink material containing caffeine at a ratio by mass of 2.0 or less (except for zero) to epigallocatechin gallate.

9. The food/drink material according to claim 8, in use for a food additive, wherein the ratio by mass of the caffeine to the epigallocatechin gallate is in the range of 0.12 to 0.85.

10. A method of producing a food or drink, characterized by regulating the contents of caffeine and/or epigallocatechin gallate so that the ratio by mass of caffeine to epigallocatechin gallate contained in the food or drink comes close to 0.4.

11. The method of producing a food or drink according to claim 10, wherein the ratio by mass of caffeine to epigallocatechin gallate contained in the food or drink is regulated to be in the range of 0.12 to 0.85, and the food or drink includes green tea.

12. A method of producing a food/drink material, characterized by regulating the contents of caffeine and/or epigallocatechin gallate so that the ratio by mass of caffeine to epigallocatechin gallate contained in the food/drink material comes close to 0.4.

13. The method of producing a food/drink material according to claim 12, wherein the ratio by mass of caffeine to epigallocatechin gallate contained in the food/drink material is regulated to be in the range of 0.12 to 0.8, and the food/drink material comprises a food additive.