JP4276500B2 - Method for producing saccharide composition containing N-acetylglucosamine and method for producing food and drink using the method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a manufacturing method and a manufacturing method for food or beverage using the method of the saccharide composition containing the available N- acetylglucosamine food or drink.

  N-acetylglucosamine is contained in the cell walls of crustaceans such as shrimps and crabs, insects and fungi such as beetles and crickets in nature, and is a monosaccharide widely present in nature as a structural unit of chitin. It is a kind. This N-acetylglucosamine has a sweetness that is about half that of sugar and is known as a raw material for the synthesis of mucopolysaccharides in the living body. In recent years, it has attracted attention as a functional food material.

  On the other hand, chitin oligosaccharide is an oligosaccharide in which several N-acetylglucosamines are bonded, and is a functional food material that has been recognized to have physiological activities such as bifidobacteria growth action and immune regulation function.

  N-acetylglucosamine can be produced by completely hydrolyzing chitin with hydrochloric acid to obtain glucosamine hydrochloride, and then acetylating with acetic anhydride, but acetylated and synthesized N-acetylglucosamine is used as food. Could not be used.

  Therefore, as a method for producing N-acetylglucosamine that can be used for foods and drinks, for example, in Patent Document 1 below, an N-acetylchitooligosaccharide-containing mixture obtained by partial hydrolysis of chitin with an acid is used as a substrate. -A method for producing N-acetyl-D-glucosamine is disclosed, wherein an enzyme having hydrolytic ability is allowed to act on acetylchitooligosaccharide.

  In Patent Document 2 below, N-acetyl-D-glucosamine is selectively extracted from an acid hydrolyzate of chitin, which is a mixture of N-acetyl-D-glucosamine and N-acetylchitooligosaccharide, using a separation membrane. A method for producing natural N-acetyl-D-glucosamine is disclosed.

  On the other hand, as a method for producing chitin oligosaccharide (N-acetylchitooligosaccharide), the following Patent Document 3 discloses that a tetramer or pentamer N-acetylchitooligosaccharide obtained by hydrolysis of chitin is used as a substrate. In addition, a method for producing N-acetylchitooligosaccharide using an enzyme is disclosed, characterized in that chitinase produced by Nocardia spp. ing.

  In Patent Document 4 below, N is composed of partial hydrolysis of chitin with an acid, neutralization with alkali to produce N-acetylchitooligosaccharide, and separation and removal of by-product salts from the neutralized solution. -In the manufacturing method of acetylchitooligosaccharide, the manufacturing method of N-acetylchitooligosaccharide characterized by performing desalting from the said neutralization solution by an ion exchange membrane electrodialysis method is disclosed.

Furthermore, in Patent Document 5 below, there is a method of obtaining a chitin degradation product containing N-acetylglucosamine and / or chitooligosaccharide as an active ingredient by allowing chitin degrading enzymes derived from microorganisms belonging to the genus Streptomyces to act on chitin. It is disclosed.
Japanese Patent Publication No. 5-33037 JP 2000-281696 A Japanese Patent Publication No. 5-68239 Japanese Patent Publication No. 5-86399 Japanese Patent Publication No. 7-102100

  However, when chitin is hydrolyzed with hydrochloric acid, the degradation of the acetamide group proceeds simultaneously with the degradation of the glycosidic bond, and glucosamine hydrochloride having a bad taste is produced, which affects the purification and quality of N-acetylglucosamine. There was a problem.

  In addition, when N-acetylglucosamine is selectively taken out from the chitin acid hydrolyzate by a separation membrane, the yield is significantly reduced by the spray drying method. However, there is a problem that the manufacturing cost is increased.

  On the other hand, the method using a chitin degrading enzyme is not suitable for practical use because chitin is insoluble in water and has a low degradation rate.

  As described above, the conventional manufacturing method cannot obtain a product that is sufficiently satisfactory in terms of cost, quality, and the like.

  In addition, N-acetylglucosamine has a calorie content (4 kcal / g) equivalent to that of sugar, so it is not suitable for recent low-sweetness and low-calorie-oriented foods and beverages, and has been directed away.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing a sugar composition containing N-acetylglucosamine, which is less sweet and less caloric than N-acetylglucosamine pure products and can be used for food and drink, and the sugar. It is providing the food / beverage products containing a composition.

In order to achieve the above object, the method for producing a saccharide composition containing N-acetylglucosamine according to the present invention comprises subjecting chitin to partial hydrolysis with hydrochloric acid, neutralizing this decomposition solution, and then removing it by ion exchange membrane electrodialysis. After the salt treatment, the coexisting glucosamine hydrochloride is adsorbed and removed by an ion exchange resin to make it substantially free of glucosamine hydrochloride, and 80-90% by mass of N-acetylglucosamine, 10-chitin oligosaccharide 10% by enzymatic decomposition The sugar composition contained at 20% by mass is liberated and dried by a spray dryer.

Further, at least one sugar selected from starch, dextrin, lactose and trehalose is added to the enzymatically decomposed sugar composition, N-acetylglucosamine 32 to 90% by mass, chitin oligosaccharide 4 to 20% by mass, and starch, dextrin, lactose, and at least one carbohydrate 0.1 to 60% by weight containing sugar composition selected from trehalose, it is preferably dried by a spray dryer.

  According to the production method of the present invention, chitin is partially hydrolyzed with hydrochloric acid, neutralized with this decomposition solution, desalted by ion exchange membrane electrodialysis, and adsorbed glucosamine hydrochloride by ion exchange resin. By removing the glucosamine hydrochloride that causes browning in the spray drying process, the chitin oligosaccharide contained in the sugar composition serves as an excipient, so the spray drying method Can easily be made into dry powder. Moreover, since glucosamine hydrochloride having a bad taste as compared with N-acetylglucosamine and chitin oligosaccharide can be efficiently removed, not only can the taste of the sugar composition be improved, but also chitin which is an indigestible carbohydrate. Since an oligosaccharide is contained, a sugar composition with low sweetness and low calories can be obtained.

Moreover, the manufacturing method of the food / beverage products (except milk drink) of this invention is characterized by adding the said sugar composition 0.01-30 mass%. In addition, in this invention, a milk beverage means the milk beverage according to the type whose milk solid content is 3 mass% or more.

Since the food / beverage products to which the sugar composition is added include the sugar composition having a low sweetness and a low calorie, food / beverage products suitable for the recent low sweetness and low calorie orientation can be provided. Moreover, by ingesting this beverage, physiological functions such as beauty and joint damage improvement by N-acetylglucosamine, and physiological functions such as bifidobacteria growth action and immune regulation function by chitin oligosaccharides can be expected.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the sugar composition containing N-acetylglucosamine which can be utilized for food-drinks with a low sweetness and a low calorie can be provided at low cost. Moreover, the food / beverage products which provided the physiological function of N-acetylglucosamine and chitin oligosaccharide by low sweetness and a low calorie can be provided by adding this saccharide | sugar composition to food / beverage products.

  The chitin used as a raw material in the present invention is prepared by removing the calcium content by treating the crustacean crust, such as shrimp, crab, krill, etc., with hydrochloric acid, and further removing the protein by sodium hydroxide treatment. Further, chitin obtained by other acquisition routes, preparation means, and the like can also be used.

  In the present invention, partial hydrolysis of chitin with hydrochloric acid is carried out by adding 2 to 20 times the amount of chitin mass and reacting at 30 to 60 ° C. for 2 to 8 hours with stirring. More preferably, 3 to 10 times the amount of chitin mass of concentrated hydrochloric acid is added, and the mixture is reacted at 40 to 50 ° C. for 3 to 5 hours with stirring. If the amount of hydrochloric acid added is outside the above range, the decomposition efficiency is deteriorated or the amount of neutralized salt is increased, which takes time for desalting. Moreover, it is not preferable that the reaction temperature and the reaction time are out of the above ranges because the decomposition efficiency deteriorates and the amount of glucosamine hydrochloride produced increases.

  Next, in order to complete the hydrolysis reaction, it is diluted with about the same volume of water as the partially hydrolyzed solution, and an alkaline agent such as 25-50% sodium hydroxide solution is used so that the temperature does not rise. Neutralize to pH 3-7.

  The neutralized partially hydrolyzed solution contains N-acetylglucosamine, chitin oligosaccharides, glucosamine hydrochloride and the like, as well as undegraded insoluble chitin, which is somewhat brownish due to the decomposition of sugar. Decomposed insoluble chitin and coloring can be removed by filtration using a small amount of activated carbon and a filter.

  The neutralized partially hydrolyzed solution is then desalted by the method (ion exchange membrane electrodialysis method) described in Japanese Patent No. 2134244 (Japanese Patent Publication No. 5-86399). The ion exchange membrane used for the ion exchange membrane electrodialysis is not particularly limited. For example, Neocepta CL-25T, CM-1 to 2, AM-1 to 3 (manufactured by Tokuyama Soda Co., Ltd.), Selemion CMV / AMV (Asahi Glass Co., Ltd.) Company-made).

  Next, the desalted partial hydrolysis solution is treated with an ion exchange resin to adsorb and remove glucosamine hydrochloride in the solution. The ion exchange resin treatment is performed by a combination of a strongly acidic ion exchange resin and a weakly basic ion exchange resin. Thereby, compared with N-acetyl glucosamine and chitin oligosaccharide, taste is bad and the glucosamine hydrochloride which causes the browning of a powder also in a spray drying process can be removed very efficiently.

  Specifically, the desalted partially hydrolyzed solution is treated with a strongly acidic ion exchange resin and subsequently treated with a weakly basic ion exchange resin. The processing method may be a column type or a batch type. As the strong acid ion exchange resin, for example, trade name “Diaion SK1-B” (manufactured by Mitsubishi Chemical) can be used, and as the weakly basic ion exchange resin, trade name “Diaion WA-30” (Mitsubishi). Chemical) etc. can be used.

  Next, an enzyme having hydrolytic ability is allowed to act on the chitin oligosaccharide to decompose the chitin oligosaccharide contained in the partially hydrolyzed solution treated with the ion exchange resin to further release N-acetyl-glucosamine. . As such an enzyme, any enzyme capable of degrading chitin oligosaccharide to monosaccharide N-acetylglucosamine may be used. For example, lysozyme, chitinase, chitobiase (β-N-acetyl) Hexosaminidase) and the like. In addition, some lysozyme and chitinase have low hydrolytic ability for disaccharides and trisaccharides of chitin oligosaccharides, so use an enzyme with high hydrolytic ability for low molecular weight oligosaccharides such as chitobiase. Is preferred.

  Commercially available enzymes can be used as the enzyme. For example, lysozyme is generally chicken egg white lysozyme. Examples of the chitinase include enzymes derived from microorganisms such as Streptomyces griseus, Serratia martzens (Sigma), Aeromonas hydrophila (joint sake spirit), Streptomyces antibiotecus (Calbiochem). It is also possible to use a crude enzyme obtained by culturing a microorganism producing chitin or chitin oligosaccharide-degrading enzyme such as chitinase or chitobiase and extracting the enzyme from this culture.

  In addition, among commercially available enzyme preparations (cellulase preparations, pectinase preparations, amylase preparations, protease preparations, etc.), there are many preparations containing chitinase, chitobiase, etc., and these commercially available enzyme preparations can also be used.

In the present invention, the conditions for the enzymatic degradation reaction of the chitin oligosaccharide contained in the partially hydrolyzed solution treated with the ion exchange resin may be appropriately set according to the type of enzyme and the amount of the enzyme, but finally obtained. The sugar composition is set to contain 80 to 90% by mass of N -acetylglucosamine and 10 to 20% by mass of chitin oligosaccharide . Also, good Mashiku is set so as to contain 15 to 20 wt% N-acetylglucosamine 80-85 wt%, chitin oligosaccharides. When the ratio of N-acetylglucosamine is higher than the above range, drying by a spray drying method becomes difficult, and when the ratio of chitin oligosaccharide is higher than the above range, the solubility of the sugar composition in water is reduced, and beverages and the like This is not preferable because it interferes with the use of the product.

  Then, after the enzyme reaction is completed, the enzyme decomposition solution is heated to inactivate the enzyme, and then dried by spray drying. The conditions of spray drying may be normally performed at 120 to 200 ° C. in and 50 to 120 ° C. out. In the present invention, the chitin oligosaccharide contained in the enzyme decomposition solution plays a role just as a shaping material, so that it can be easily powdered by spray drying. Moreover, since glucosamine hydrochloride is not included, browning which becomes a problem in a spray-drying process can be prevented.

  In the present invention, at least one carbohydrate selected from starch, dextrin, lactose, and trehalose may be added to the solution after the enzyme is deactivated. As a result, the powder can be more easily dried by a spray drying method, and efficient production becomes possible.

  The amount of the saccharide added is such that the finally obtained saccharide composition is selected from N-acetylglucosamine 32-90 mass%, chitin oligosaccharide 4-20 mass%, and starch, dextrin, lactose, trehalose. It is preferable to set so as to contain 0.1 to 60% by mass of one kind of carbohydrate. If the amount of the saccharide added is too large, the taste of the saccharide itself will be strong, and starch and dextrin are not preferred because they cause problems such as an increase in viscosity after dissolution in water.

  Since the sugar composition obtained as described above contains N-acetylglucosamine and chitin oligosaccharide, the sweetness is lower than that of pure N-acetylglucosamine, and chitin oligosaccharide is an indigestible carbohydrate. Therefore, the calorie content is lower than that of pure N-acetylglucosamine. Therefore, the physiological function of N-acetylglucosamine or chitin oligosaccharide can be imparted by suppressing the sweetness and calories of the food and drink by adding the sugar composition to the food and drink.

  The sugar composition of this invention can be mix | blended with various food-drinks. Beverages suitable for adding the sugar composition of the present invention include, for example, soft drinks, carbonated drinks, fruit drinks, vegetable juices, lactic acid bacteria drinks, soy milk, mineral water, tea-based drinks, coffee drinks, sports drinks, alcohol Beverages, jelly drinks and the like can be exemplified, and among them, carbonated drinks, fruit drinks, vegetable juices, coffee drinks, tea drinks, jelly drinks, soy milk, alcoholic drinks and the like can be mentioned.

  In addition, foods suitable for adding the sugar composition of the present invention include (1) processed agricultural foods such as tomato puree, canned mushrooms, dried vegetables (mushrooms, shiso, etc.), processed vegetables such as pickles, Processed fruits such as dried fruit, jam, fruit puree, canned fruit, spices such as curry powder, wasabi, ginger, spice blend, seasoning powder, noodles such as pasta, udon, buckwheat, ramen, macaroni (raw noodles) (Including dry noodles), bread such as bread, confectionery bread, cooking bread, donuts, alpha rice, oatmeal, rice cake, batter flour, baked confectionery, biscuits, rice confectionery, candy, chocolate, chewing gum, snack confectionery, Confectionery such as frozen confectionery, candied confectionery, Japanese confectionery, Western confectionery, half confectionery, pudding, ice cream, red beans, tofu, natto, kinako Beans such as yuba, boiled beans, peanut products, honey, royal jelly processed foods, etc. (2) livestock processed foods ... meat products such as ham, sausage, bacon, yogurt, pudding, condensed milk, cheese, fermented milk, butter Dairy products such as ice cream, processed egg products, etc. (3) Seafood processed foods ... For example, processed fish such as dried fish, salmon, chikuwa, fish sausage, processed seaweed such as dried wakame, kelp, boiled fish, tarako, (4) Other food products such as dashi-no-moto, soy sauce, vinegar, mirin, consommé base, Chinese base, concentrated soup stock, dressing, mayonnaise, ketchup, miso Cooking / semitones for cooking oils, salad oils, sesame oils, linoleic oils, diacylglycerols, edible oils such as beni flower oil, soups (including powders and liquids) Food and, prepared foods, retort food, chilled food, semi-cooked food (cooked rice Moto, arsenide crab balls), and the like.

The amount of the sugar composition in the beverage is preferably 0.01 to 30% by weight N- acetylglucosamine terms, more preferably from 0.1 to 10% by weight. If the amount of N-acetylglucosamine is too small, it is necessary to greatly increase the amount of each intake in order to obtain the physiological activity of N-acetylglucosamine. May cause precipitation due to crystallization in the product, or loose stool due to excessive intake.

Note that the safety of N- acetylglucosamine, the results of acute toxicity test using rats, LD50 rat _{(LD 50)} is found to be 5,000 mg / kg body weight or more, It is a very safe ingredient.

The food and drink obtained by adding the sugar composition may contain collagen peptide, shark cartilage extract, vitamin B group, MS.M (methyl sulfonyl methane), ginger extract and the like as other components. For example, by including a collagen peptide or shark cartilage extract, biosynthesis of collagen or mucopolysaccharide in vivo is promoted, and a synergistic effect with N-acetylglucosamine can be expected. The content of collagen peptide and shark cartilage extract in food and drink is usually preferably 0.01 to 10% by mass, more preferably 0.1 to 10% by mass.

The food and drink obtained by adding the sugar composition can be produced according to a conventional method employed when producing each food and drink. For example, the sugar composition and the other ingredients as necessary, Manufactured by adding to liquid ingredients (water, fermented milk, tea, coffee, fruit juice, vegetable juice, puree, etc.), mixing and dissolving together with other food and drink ingredients, followed by heat sterilization, etc. be able to.

The intake of foods and drinks to which the sugar composition is added is 0.1 to 15 g, more preferably 0.5 to 1.5 g in terms of N-acetylglucosamine per adult day. If the intake amount of N-acetylglucosamine is less than 0.1 g, sufficient physiological activity cannot be expected, and if it exceeds 15 g, symptoms such as loose stool and diarrhea may occur depending on the constitution.

<Example 1>
1 kg of chitin was added to 4 L of concentrated hydrochloric acid in a 10 L glass container while stirring. The hydrolysis reaction was carried out while heating the container from the outside with warm water and maintaining the temperature at 40 ° C. After 4 hours, 2.5 L of water was slowly added to stop the reaction. The mixture was neutralized with soda ash to pH 3 to 7, and 100 g of activated carbon was added, followed by stirring and decolorization for 60 minutes. After removing the activated carbon by filtration with a filter paper, the filtrate was desalted with an electrodialysis desalting apparatus (trade name “Celemion CMV / AMV”, manufactured by Asahi Glass Co., Ltd.).

  Next, the desalted solution was added to a 500 ml column packed with a strongly acidic ion exchange resin (trade name “Diaion SK1-B”, manufactured by Mitsubishi Chemical), or a weakly basic ion exchange resin (trade name “Diaion WA-30”). , Manufactured by Mitsubishi Chemical Co., Ltd.), and sequentially passed through a 500 ml column (SV = 2) to remove coexisting glucosamine hydrochloride.

  Further, 8 g of a commercially available enzyme preparation (trade name “Hemicellulase Amano 90”, manufactured by Amano Enzyme) was added to the treatment liquid, treated at 50 ° C. for 12 hours, and then heated to 85 ° C. to deactivate the enzyme. Then, it was dried (drying temperature: in 160 ° C., out 95 ° C.) by a spray drying method (spray dryer manufactured by Niro Co., Ltd.) to obtain 430 g of a white powder. As a result of analyzing the obtained powder by HPLC, the mass composition ratio was N-acetylglucosamine 82%, chitin oligosaccharide 18%, and glucosamine hydrochloride was not detected.

<Example 2>
1 kg of chitin was added to 4 L of concentrated hydrochloric acid in a 10 L glass container while stirring. The hydrolysis reaction was carried out while heating the container from the outside with warm water and maintaining the temperature at 40 ° C. After 6 hours, 2.5 L of water was slowly added to stop the reaction. Neutralized with soda ash to pH 3-7, charged with 100 g of activated carbon and stirred for 60 minutes for decolorization. After removing the activated carbon by filtration with a filter paper, the filtrate was desalted with an electrodialysis desalting apparatus (trade name “Celemion CMV / AMV”, manufactured by Asahi Glass Co., Ltd.).

  Subsequently, the desalted solution is a 500 ml column packed with a strongly acidic ion exchange resin (trade name “Diaion SK1-B”, manufactured by Mitsubishi Chemical), or a weakly basic ion exchange resin (trade name “Diaion WA-30”, The solution was sequentially passed through a 500 ml column packed with Mitsubishi Chemical (SV = 2) to remove coexisting glucosamine hydrochloride.

  Furthermore, 10 g of a commercially available enzyme preparation (trade name “Hemicellulase Amano 90”, manufactured by Amano Enzyme) was added to the treatment liquid, treated at 50 ° C. for 12 hours, and then heated to 85 ° C. to deactivate the enzyme. 480 g of dextrin (trade name “Paindex NO. 2”, made by Matsutani Chemical Co., Ltd.) is added and dissolved, and dried (drying temperature: 160 ° C. in, 95 ° C. out) by spray drying (spray dryer manufactured by Niro Co., Ltd.). 910 g of white powder was obtained. As a result of analyzing the obtained powder by HPLC, the mass composition ratio of the saccharide contained in the powder was 44% for N-acetylglucosamine, 6% for chitin oligosaccharide, and 50% for dextrin, and glucosamine hydrochloride was not detected.

<Example 3>
A soft drink was prepared according to a conventional method with the following composition. This soft drink did not cause browning due to heat sterilization, had an appropriate sweetness, and was very easy to drink. This soft drink is preferably taken on a daily basis (50 g).

(Formulation: 50g / per bottle)
Erythritol 7g
Fish collagen peptide 1g
1 g of the sugar composition obtained in Example 1
Vitamin C 0.5g
Vitamin B2 5mg
Acidulant appropriate amount Sweetener appropriate amount Fragrance appropriate amount Preservative appropriate amount Water remaining

<Example 4>
A jelly drink was prepared according to a conventional method with the following composition. This jelly beverage had good gelation and was very easy to drink. This jelly drink is preferably taken on a daily basis (100 g).

(Formulation: 100g / per bottle)
10g sugar
Fish collagen peptide 5g
Concentrated fruit juice 5g
1.5 g of the sugar composition obtained in Example 1
Vitamin B2 4mg
Acidulant appropriate amount Gelling agent appropriate amount Fragrance appropriate amount Preservative appropriate amount Water remaining

<Example 5>
A vegetable drink was prepared according to a conventional method with the following composition. This vegetable drink had a low viscosity, a fruit juice feeling, and was very easy to drink. It is preferable to take this vegetable drink with 1 can (200 g) per day as a guide.

(Composition: 200g / can)
Carrot puree 20g
Celery puree 1g
Apple puree 5g
5g orange juice
Lemon juice 5g
5g sugar
2 g of the sugar composition obtained in Example 2
Vitamin C 0.3g
Ginger extract 0.3g
Acidulant appropriate amount crystalline cellulose appropriate amount water remaining

<Example 6>
A fruit drink was prepared according to a conventional method with the following composition. This fruit drink was colorful and fragrant in appearance, very inspiring to eat and drink, and was very tasty when actually tasting. This fruit drink is preferably ingested in 1 pack (200 g) per day.

(Formulation: 200g / pack)
Concentrated acerola juice 50g
Concentrated raspberry juice 50g
3 g of the sugar composition obtained in Example 2
Chitin oligosaccharide 0.2g
Royal Jelly 0.1g
Water rest

<Example 7>
A soy milk drink was prepared according to a conventional method with the following composition. This soymilk drink had good compatibility between the compounding ingredients and NAG, no browning / precipitation, etc. The taste was simple and mild, and it was very easy to drink. It is preferable to take this soymilk drink with 1 pack (125 g) per day as a guide.

(Formulation: 125g / pack)
100g soy milk
Soy isoflavone 0.5g
0.5 g of the sugar composition obtained in Example 1
4g sugar
Water rest

<Example 8>
A carbonated beverage was prepared according to a conventional method with the following composition. This carbonated beverage had a moderate foaming feeling, had a good throat, no precipitates, etc., and was very easy to drink. This carbonated beverage is preferably taken on a daily basis (150 g).

(Formulation: 150g / per bottle)
Fructose liquid sugar 25g
0.2 g of the sugar composition obtained in Example 1
1g water-soluble dietary fiber
Ginger extract 0.1g
Alcohol 1g
Acidulant appropriate amount Fragrance appropriate amount carbonated water remaining

  Since a sugar composition containing N-acetylglucosamine that is low in sweetness and low in calories and can be used in foods and drinks can be obtained at low cost, it can be widely used in foods and drinks as functional food materials. In addition, foods and drinks to which this sugar composition is added can be expected to have physiological functions such as beauty and joint damage improvement by N-acetylglucosamine, and physiological functions such as bifidobacteria growth and immune regulation functions by chitin oligosaccharides. Can be used as beauty and health food.

Claims (3)

Chitin is partially hydrolyzed with hydrochloric acid, neutralized, and then desalted by ion-exchange membrane electrodialysis. The coexisting glucosamine hydrochloride is adsorbed and removed with an ion-exchange resin to substantially convert glucosamine hydrochloride. manner a state that does not contain, by enzymatic degradation N- acetylglucosamine 80-90 wt%, a sugar composition containing 10 to 20 wt% chitin oligosaccharides were released, and wherein the drying by a spray dryer N- A method for producing a sugar composition containing acetylglucosamine. At least one sugar selected from starch, dextrin, lactose, and trehalose is added to the sugar composition that has been enzymatically degraded , and N-acetylglucosamine is 32 to 90% by mass, chitin oligosaccharide is 4 to 20% by mass, and starch. , dextrin, lactose, and at least one carbohydrate 0.1 to 60% by weight containing sugar composition selected from trehalose, process according to claim 1, wherein the saccharide composition is dried by a spray dryer. A method for producing a food or drink (excluding milk drinks), wherein 0.01 to 30% by mass of the sugar composition obtained by the method according to claim 1 or 2 is added.