FLAVOR-IMPROVING AGENT, AND FOOD AND BEVERAGE IMPROVED WITH FLAVOR BY THE SAME

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a flavor-improving agent excellent in safety and economical property, capable of improving the flavor of a food or beverage by eliminating salty astringent taste of the food or beverage and useful for improving the flavor of the food or beverage by incorporating a β-mannooligosugar. SOLUTION: This method for producing a flavor-improving agent is provided by incorporating a β-mannooligosugar (e.g.; β-1, 4-mannobiose). The flavor- improving agent can be used by any of singly as the β-mannooligosugar itself, a form formulated with an excipient such as any of liquid or granular form. The β-mannooligosugar contains oligosugars obtained by β-bonding of 2-10 mannoses as main components, and as the β-bonding, β-1, 4-bond, etc., are cited. Such mannooligosugar can be produced by an enzymatic decomposition of mannan derived from a plant (copro meal) or a condensation reaction of mannose by an enzyme mannosidase. The blending amount of the β- mannooloigosugar with the food is generally 1-50 pt.wt. β-mannooligosugar based on 100 pts.wt. table salt.