PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a gelling agent capable of being dispersed or dissolved with a liquid state food at a relatively low temperature such as 50 to 60°C as the dissolution temperature of the gelling agent, gelling the liquid state food and keeping a good shape-holding property without dissolving the gelled state food even on re-heating, also the gelling agent having a highly wide usability to become the gel state food suitable for a person having mastication or swallowing difficulty even in the case of being added to the liquid state foods having a high mineral or fat content such as miso soup (soup), a concentrated fluid food, milk or the like, and also the gelling agent being dispersed without forming lumps even under a mild agitating condition such as hand agitation and excellent in handling property.SOLUTION: This gelling agent comprises easily dissolvable agar and guar gum having &ge1.5×106 g/mol weight-average molecular weight of 60 to 700 mass% based on the easily dissolvable agar, and further comprises xanthan gum and/or a native type gellan gum.COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT【課題】50~60℃といったゲル化剤の溶解温度としては比較的低温の液状食品に良好に分散、溶解して液状食品をゲル化させることができ、再加温を行った場合であってもゲル状食品が溶解することなく良好な保形性を保つことのできるゲル化剤を提供する。更には、果汁飲料、牛乳、味噌汁(スープ)や濃厚流動食や牛乳といった、ミネラルや脂肪含有の高い液状食品に添加した場合であっても、咀嚼・嚥下困難者の喫食に適したゲル状食品となる、汎用性の高いゲル化剤を提供する。また、手撹拌のような緩い撹拌条件でもダマになることなく分散し、取り扱いに優れたゲル化剤を提供する。【解決手段】易溶性寒天及び重量平均分子量が1.5×106g/mol以上のグァーガムを含有し、易溶性寒天に対して前記グァーガムを60~700質量%含有する。更にキサンタンガム及び/又はネイティブ型ジェランガムを含有する。【選択図】なし
