JP2019170307A - Instant tea beverage - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an instant tea beverage that reduces the bitterness of nonpolymeric catechin while reinforcing the nonpolymeric catechin.SOLUTION: An instant tea beverage has following components (A) and (B): (A) nonpolymeric catechin 7.5-20 mass%, and (B) astragalin, with a mass ratio between component (A) and component (B) [(B)/(A)] of 1×10or more and 30×10or less.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

  The present invention relates to instant tea beverages.

  Non-polymer catechins are a kind of polyphenol contained in tea leaves belonging to the genus Camellia, and have various physiological activities, and thus are attracting attention for application to foods and drinks. Among them, since it can be easily ingested as a lifestyle, a number of instant tea beverages that can be easily drunk simply by pouring hot water into a container such as a cup without using a teapot or teapot have been put on the market in recent years.

  Conventionally, as an instant tea beverage, for example, a purified product of green tea extract 0.5 to 20 obtained by purifying a green tea extract in a mixed solution having a mass ratio of ethanol and water of 99/1 to 75/25. 0.0 mass% and hydroxycarboxylic acid or lactone thereof or a salt thereof 0.01 to 10.0 mass% are blended, and the content of non-polymer catechins is 0.5 to 15.0 mass%. In addition, an instant powdered beverage that has a high concentration of non-polymer catechins, has a good bitterness and astringent taste, has a good flavor, and can maintain flavor and appearance stability for a long time after being reduced to a beverage ( Patent Document 1), tea polyphenol, catechins and strictinin are contained, and 70% by weight or more of catechins are epi-catechins, thereby containing tea polyphenols at a high concentration. Regardless of its original flavor, taste and taste, it contains instant powder tea (Patent Document 2), green tea extract, antioxidant, powder tea and potassium, which has both taste and functionality, and contains potassium. By setting the amount to 0.8 to 5.6% by mass, sufficient umami and aroma are obtained at the time of drinking, the powder color and light blue at the time of drinking show a vivid green color, and drinking from the time of dissolution of the powder Instant green tea (Patent Document 3) and the like in which powdered tea does not easily settle until the end is proposed.

  On the other hand, astragalin is a kind of polyphenol contained in bamboo leaves and mulberry leaves, and has been reported to have antiallergic action. Paying attention to such physiological effects of astragalin, its application to foods and beverages has been studied. For example, astragalin has one or more sugars selected from the group consisting of fructose, galactose, lactose and glucose. There has been a report that the astragalin absorbability is improved by blending (Patent Document 4).

JP 2009-72188 A JP 2008-306980 A JP 2009-219411 A JP 2002-291441 A

  An instant tea beverage containing a high amount of non-polymer catechins may have a strong bitter taste when used as a reduced beverage. The subject of this invention is providing the instant tea drink by which the bitterness of non-polymer catechins was suppressed, strengthening non-polymer catechins.

  As a result of intensive research in view of the above problems, the inventor of the present invention contains an astragalin known as an astringent substance in an instant tea beverage that contains a high amount of non-polymer catechins, and the non-polymer catechins and astra It was surprisingly found that the bitterness can be remarkably reduced while reinforcing the non-polymer catechins by controlling the mass ratio with galine within a specific range.

That is, the present invention includes the following components (A) and (B);
(A) Non-polymer catechins 7.5 to 20% by mass, and (B) containing astragalin,
An instant tea beverage having a mass ratio [(B) / (A)] of the component (A) to the component (B) of 1 × 10 ⁻³ or more and 30 × 10 ⁻³ or less is provided.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, while strengthening non-polymer catechins, the instant tea drink by which bitterness was suppressed can be provided.

  As used herein, “instant tea beverage” refers to a reduced food that is diluted and dissolved in a liquid and used for drinking as a tea beverage. Examples of the tea beverage include, but are not particularly limited to, a green tea beverage, a roasted tea beverage, a black tea beverage, and a oolong tea beverage. The liquid is not particularly limited as long as it can be reduced to a beverage, and examples thereof include water, carbonated water, milk, soy milk, and the temperature of the liquid does not matter.

  The instant tea beverage of the present invention contains non-polymer catechins as the component (A). As used herein, “(A) non-polymer catechins” refers to non-gallate compounds such as catechin, gallocatechin, epicatechin and epigallocatechin, catechin gallate, gallocatechin gallate, epicatechin gallate and epigallo It is a general term that includes gallate bodies such as catechin gallate. In this invention, what is necessary is just to contain at least 1 sort (s) among the said 8 types of non-polymer catechins.

  The content of the component (A) in the instant tea beverage of the present invention is 7.5 to 20% by mass, and is preferably 8% by mass or more from the viewpoint of strengthening non-polymer catechins and physiological effects. 5 mass% or more is more preferable, 9 mass% or more is still more preferable, and from a viewpoint of bitterness reduction, 18 mass% or less is preferable, 15 mass% or less is more preferable, and 12 mass% or less is still more preferable. As a range of content of a component (A), in the instant tea drink of this invention, Preferably it is 8-18 mass%, More preferably, it is 8.5-15 mass%, More preferably, it is 9-12. % By mass. In addition, content of a component (A) is defined based on the total amount of said 8 types of non-polymer catechins. The content of the component (A) can be measured by an analysis method suitable for the state of the measurement sample among the commonly known measurement methods, and can be analyzed by, for example, liquid chromatography. is there. Specifically, the methods described in the examples described later can be mentioned. In addition, in order to adapt to the detection range of the device at the time of measurement, the sample is freeze-dried, or impurities in the sample are removed to adapt to the separation performance of the device. You may give it.

  The instant tea beverage of the present invention contains astragalin as the component (B). As used herein, “astragalin” is a compound in which glucose is bonded to the 3-position of kaempferol. The component (B) may be derived from a raw material or newly added.

  The content of the component (B) in the instant tea beverage of the present invention is preferably 0.02% by mass or more, more preferably 0.04% by mass or more from the viewpoint of bitterness reduction, and from the viewpoint of flavor, the content of the component (B) is preferably 0.0. 3 mass% or less is preferable, 0.2 mass% or less is more preferable, 0.15 mass% or less is further more preferable, and 0.07 mass% or less is especially preferable. As a range of content of a component (B), in the instant tea drink of this invention, Preferably it is 0.02-0.3 mass%, More preferably, it is 0.04-0.2 mass%, More preferably, it is 0.04-0.15 mass%, More preferably, it is 0.04-0.07 mass%. The content of the component (B) can be measured by an analysis method suitable for the state of the measurement sample among the commonly known measurement methods, and can be analyzed by, for example, liquid chromatography. is there. Specifically, the methods described in the examples described later can be mentioned. In addition, in order to adapt to the detection range of the device at the time of measurement, the sample is freeze-dried, or impurities in the sample are removed to adapt to the separation performance of the device. You may give it.

In the instant tea beverage of the present invention, the mass ratio [(B) / (A)] of the component (A) and the component (B) is 1 × 10 ⁻³ or more and 30 × 10 ⁻³ or less. From the viewpoint, 2 × 10 ⁻³ or more is preferable, 2.5 × 10 ⁻³ or more is more preferable, 5.5 × 10 ⁻³ or more is further preferable, and from the viewpoint of flavor, 25 × 10 ⁻³ or less is preferable. 20 × 10 ⁻³ or less is more preferable, 15 × 10 ⁻³ or less is further preferable, and 9 × 10 ⁻³ or less is particularly preferable. The mass ratio [(B) / (A)] is preferably 2 × 10 ⁻³ or more and 25 × 10 ⁻³ or less, more preferably 2.5 × 10 ⁻³ or more and 20 × 10 ⁻³ or less. Or less, more preferably 5.5 × 10 ⁻³ or more and 15 × 10 ⁻³ or less, and particularly preferably 5.5 × 10 ⁻³ or more and 9 × 10 ⁻³ or less.

  The instant tea beverage of the present invention can contain vanillin as the component (C). Here, “vanillin” in the present specification is a main component of the scent of vanilla and is generally used as a flavor in the field of food and drink. Component (C) may be derived from raw materials or newly added. In addition, the origin of the component (C) is not particularly limited as long as it is usually used in the field of foods and drinks. For example, the component (C) may be a chemically synthesized product or a product extracted from vanilla beans.

  From the viewpoint of reducing bitterness, the content of the component (C) in the instant tea beverage of the present invention is preferably 0.1 mass ppm or more, more preferably 0.5 mass ppm or more, and even more preferably 1 mass ppm or more, More preferably 2 ppm by mass or more, more preferably 4 ppm by mass or more, more preferably 100 ppm by mass or less, more preferably 50 ppm by mass or less, still more preferably 30 ppm by mass or less, and still more preferably 10 ppm by mass or less. . As a range of content of this component (C), in the instant tea drink of this invention, Preferably it is 0.1-100 mass ppm, More preferably, it is 0.5-50 mass ppm, More preferably It is 1-30 mass ppm, More preferably, it is 2-10 mass ppm, Most preferably, it is 4-10 mass ppm. In addition, content of a component (C) can be measured by the analysis method suitable for the condition of the measurement sample among the analysis methods generally known, for example, GC / MS method. Specifically, the methods described in the examples described later can be mentioned. In addition, in order to adapt to the detection range of the device at the time of measurement, the sample is freeze-dried, or impurities in the sample are removed to adapt to the separation performance of the device. You may give it.

  Furthermore, the instant tea beverage of the present invention can contain dextrin as component (D). As used herein, “dextrin” refers to a polymer compound in which various sugars are polymerized by glycosidic bonds. The glycosidic bond may be linked in a chain, cyclically bonded, or a mixture thereof. Examples of the sugar bonding method include 1,4-bond, α-1,6 bond, β-1,2 bond, β-1,3 bond, β-1,4 bond, β-1,6 bond, and the like. However, only a single coupling method or two or more coupling methods may be used.

  Component (D) has a dextrose equivalent (DE) of preferably 1 or more, more preferably 2 or more, still more preferably 3 or more, and preferably 40 or less, more preferably 25 or less, and 11 or less, from the viewpoint of reducing bitterness. Is more preferable, and 9 or less is more preferable. The range of DE is preferably 1 to 40, more preferably 2 to 25, still more preferably 3 to 11, and even more preferably 3 to 9. The dextrose equivalent (DE) can be measured by an analysis method suitable for the state of the measurement sample among the commonly known methods for measuring dextrose. Specifically, it can be measured by the method described in Examples below. In addition, content of a component (D) can be suitably selected according to the final form to desire.

  The instant tea beverage of the present invention may be sweetened, sour, flavor, vitamin, mineral, antioxidant, ester, emulsifier, quality stabilizer, preservative, seasoning, fruit juice extract, vegetable extract, nectar extract, etc. One or two or more additives may be contained. The content of the additive can be appropriately set within a range that does not impair the object of the present invention.

  The form of the instant tea beverage of the present invention may be solid or concentrated at normal temperature (20 ° C. ± 15 ° C.), and is not particularly limited. For example, examples of solids include powder, granules, tablets, rods, plates, and blocks. When the instant tea beverage of the present invention is solid, the solid content in the instant tea beverage is usually 95% by mass or more, preferably 97% by mass or more. In addition, the upper limit of this amount of solid content is not specifically limited, 100 mass% may be sufficient. Here, the “solid content” in this specification refers to the mass of a residue obtained by drying a sample for 3 hours with an electric constant temperature dryer at 105 ° C. to remove volatile substances. Examples of the concentrated liquid include concentrated liquid, gel, jelly, and slurry. In addition, when the instant tea drink of this invention is concentrated liquid form, if the density | concentration is higher than the straight drink which can drink as it is, it can select suitably, and it will not specifically limit. Especially, as a form of the instant tea drink of this invention, solid is preferable from a viewpoint of handling property, and a powder is still more preferable.

  The dilution rate of the instant tea beverage of the present invention may be in accordance with a predetermined usage. For example, when the instant tea beverage is solid, the dilution ratio is usually 20 to 600 times by mass, preferably 30 to 500 times by mass, more preferably 50 to 250 times by mass, and still more preferably 100 to 200 times by mass. When the instant tea beverage is a concentrated liquid, the dilution ratio is usually 1.5 to 100 times by mass, preferably 1.5 to 50 times by mass, more preferably 1.8 to 30 times by mass. Yes, more preferably 2 to 100 times mass.

  The instant tea beverage of the present invention can have the following characteristics when diluted according to a predetermined usage. For example, when the instant tea beverage of the present invention is diluted 66 times by mass with water, the content of non-polymer catechins in the reduced beverage is usually 0.06 to 0.5% by mass, more preferably It is 0.08-0.4 mass%, More preferably, it is 0.1-0.3 mass%, Most preferably, it is 0.12-0.25 mass%. In this case, the pH (20 ° C.) of the reduced beverage is usually 3 to 7, preferably 3.5 to 6.8, more preferably 4 to 6.6, and even more preferably 5 to 6. .4. The pH is measured with a pH meter by weighing 100 mL of the reduced beverage into a 300 mL beaker, adjusting the temperature to 20 ° C.

  The instant tea beverage of the present invention can be produced according to a conventional method, and an appropriate method can be adopted. For example, components (A) and (B), and other components as necessary, can be blended, and the mass ratio [(B) / (A)] can be adjusted together with the content of the component (A). The mixing order of components (A) and (B) is not particularly limited, and they may be added in any order or both may be added simultaneously. As a mixing method, an appropriate method such as stirring and shaking can be adopted, but a mixing device may be used. The mixing system of the mixing device may be a container rotating type or a container fixing type. As the container rotation type, for example, a horizontal cylindrical type, a V type, a double cone type, a cubic type, or the like can be adopted. As the container fixing type, for example, a ribbon type, a screw type, a conical screw type, a paddle type, a fluidized bed type, a Philips blender, or the like can be adopted. Moreover, it is good also as a granulated material by a well-known granulation method. Examples of the granulation method include spray granulation, fluidized bed granulation, compression granulation, rolling granulation, stirring granulation, extrusion granulation, powder-coated granulation and the like. The granulation conditions can be appropriately selected depending on the granulation method. Furthermore, in the case of a concentrated liquid, for example, a known atmospheric pressure concentration method in which the solvent is evaporated at normal pressure, a reduced pressure concentration method in which the solvent is evaporated at reduced pressure, a membrane concentration method in which the solvent is removed by membrane separation, and the like Concentration methods can be employed.

The origin of the component (A) is not particularly limited as long as it is normally used in the field of food and drink, and it may be a commercially available reagent or a plant rich in the component (A), and these may be used in combination. it can. Examples of plants rich in the component (A) include tea leaves of the genus Camellia, and the mode thereof may be, for example, a tea extract from tea leaves or a ground tea leaf.
In the case of a tea extract, it may be a tea extract obtained by extracting tea leaves with a solvent, a concentrate of the tea extract or a dried product, and can be appropriately selected according to the method for producing an instant tea beverage. In addition, as an extraction method, well-known methods, such as a kneader extraction, stirring extraction (batch extraction), countercurrent extraction (drip extraction), column extraction, are employable, for example. The extraction conditions are not particularly limited, and can be appropriately selected depending on the extraction method. Also, the tea extract can be concentrated or dried according to the method for producing an instant tea beverage. Examples of the concentration method include the same methods as described above. As the drying method, for example, a known method such as spray drying or freeze drying can be employed.
The tea leaf pulverized product is not particularly limited as long as it is obtained by pulverizing tea leaves, and examples thereof include matcha tea. The tea leaf pulverized product is obtained by pulverizing tea leaves so that the average particle diameter (d ₅₀ ) is usually 100 μm or less. The range of the average particle diameter is preferably 0.1 to 100 μm, more preferably 0.1 to 50 μm, and still more preferably 1 to 30 μm. In the present specification, the "average particle diameter (d _50)" means the particle diameter (d ₅₀₎ which corresponds to 50% of the cumulative distribution curve when creating a particle size distribution of the sample by volume. In addition, the grinding | pulverization method of a tea leaf can employ | adopt a well-known method, and is not specifically limited.

Examples of tea leaves belonging to the genus Camellia include C. sinensis. Var. Sinensis (including Yabutaki species), C. sinensis. Var. Assamica, and tea leaves (Camellia sinensis) selected from those hybrids. According to the method, it can be classified into non-fermented tea, semi-fermented tea, and fermented tea. One or more kinds of tea leaves belonging to the genus Camellia can be used. In addition, the tea varieties and collection times of tea leaves are not particularly limited, and the tea leaves may be subjected to a burning process.
Examples of the non-fermented tea include green tea such as sencha, deep-steamed sencha, roasted tea, bancha, gyokuro, kabusecha, mochi tea, kettle tea, stem tea, stick tea, and bud tea. Examples of the semi-fermented tea include oolong tea such as iron kannon, color type, golden katsura, and martial arts tea. Further, examples of fermented tea include black teas such as Darjeeling, Assam, Sri Lanka and the like.

  In addition, the instant tea beverage of the present invention may use cereals or tea leaves other than Camellia as raw materials, as long as they contain tea leaves belonging to the genus Camellia as raw materials. Examples of grains include barley, wheat, pigeons, rye, buckwheat, and bare wheat; rice such as brown rice; soybeans, black soybeans, broad beans, kidney beans, red beans, shrimp, cowpeas, peanuts, peas, mung bean, etc. Beans; minor grains such as buckwheat, corn, white sesame, black sesame, persimmon, persimmon, persimmon, and kinuwa. In addition, tea leaves other than the genus Camellia include, for example, ginkgo biloba leaves, bamboo leaves, loquat leaves, mulberry leaves, wolfberry leaves, bamboo leaves, komatsuna, rooibos, kumazasa, dokudami, amacha eel, honeysuckle, primrose, Kakidooshi, Kawaraketsumei, Gymnema sylvestre, twilight tea (walnut family), persimmon tea (rose family), kidachi aloe and the like. Furthermore, herbs such as chamomile, hibiscus, peppermint, lemongrass, lemon peel, lemon balm, rosehip and rosemary can also be used. One type or two or more types of raw tea leaves other than Camellia tea leaves can be used. Here, “raw material tea leaves other than Camellia genus tea leaves” as used in the present specification include grains and herbs in addition to tea leaves other than Camellia genus as described above.

  In this specification, instant tea drinks that use the most non-fermented tea leaves as Camellia genus are called “instant green tea drinks”, and instant tea drinks that use the most semi-fermented tea leaves are called “instant oolong drinks”. "Instant tea beverages that most use" fermented tea leaves "are referred to as" instant tea beverages ".

  In addition, the origin of the component (B) is not particularly limited as long as it is normally used in the field of foods and drinks. For example, the component (B) contains a component (B), whether it is a chemically synthesized product or a commercially available reagent. It may be an extract from a plant.

1. Analysis of non-polymer catechins The sample solution is filtered through a filter (0.45 μm), and a high-performance liquid chromatograph (model SCL-10AVP, manufactured by Shimadzu Corporation) is used to pack an octadecyl group-introduced packed column L-column TM. An ODS (4.6 mmφ × 250 mm: manufactured by the Chemical Substance Evaluation Research Organization) was attached and analyzed by a gradient method at a column temperature of 40 ° C. As a standard product of non-polymer catechins, a product made by Kurita Kogyo was used and quantified by a calibration curve method. The mobile phase A solution was a distilled aqueous solution containing 0.1 mol / L of acetic acid, the B solution was an acetonitrile solution containing 0.1 mol / L of acetic acid, the sample injection amount was 20 μL, and the UV detector wavelength was 280 nm. . The gradient conditions are as follows.

Concentration gradient condition Time (min) A solution concentration (volume%) B solution concentration (volume%)
0 97% 3%
5 97% 3%
37 80% 20%
43 80% 20%
43.50% 100%
48.5 0% 100%
49 97% 3%
60 97% 3%

2. Analysis of astragalin Take 2 g of sample, add 20 mL of methanol and ultrasonically extract for 5 minutes, then adjust to a volume of 25 mL. Next, 1 mL is fractioned and the volume is adjusted to 25 mL, and then analyzed using a high performance liquid chromatograph-tandem mass spectrometer.

The analysis conditions are as follows.
Column: InertSustain C18, φ2.1mm x 150mm, particle size 3μm
-Mobile phase: Water, acetonitrile and acetic acid mixture-Flow rate: 0.2 mL / min
-Column temperature: 40 ° C
・ Ionization method: Electrospray (negative ion detection mode)
-Number of set ions: m / z 446.8 → 254.9

  A standard solution of astragalin is prepared, a calibration curve is prepared by subjecting it to high performance liquid chromatographic analysis, and the amount of astragalin in the sample solution is determined using astragalin as an index. .

3. Analysis of vanillin Take a 10 mL sample into a GC headspace vial (20 mL) and add 4 g of sodium chloride. A stirrer is placed in the vial and sealed, and the components are adsorbed onto SPME fiber (Sigma Aldrich, 50/30 μm, DVB / CAR / PDMS) while stirring with a stirrer for 30 minutes. After adsorption, the SPME fiber is heated and desorbed at the inlet and GC / MS measurement is performed. The analytical instrument is Agilent 7890A / 5975Cinert (manufactured by Agilent Technologies).

The analysis conditions are as follows.
Column: TC-WAX (30 m (length), 0.25 mm (inner diameter), 0.25 μm (film thickness))
Column temperature: 40 ° C. (3 min) → 20 ° C./min→250° C.
-Column pressure: Constant flow rate mode (31 kPa)
-Column flow rate: 1 mL / min (He)
・ Inlet temperature: 260 ° C
・ Injection method: Splitless ・ Detector: MS
-Ion source temperature: 230 ° C
-Ionization method: EI (70 eV)
・ Scan range: SCAN
・ Gain: 1729V

  The purchased reagent was dissolved in ethanol and serially diluted to prepare a sample. A sample with a predetermined concentration is added to the sample, and the sample is adsorbed on the SPME fiber in the same manner as the sample itself, and GC / MS measurement is performed. Note that the peak area of ions of m / z 151 is used for quantification.

4). Analysis of dextrin (1) Quantitative method Sample and 1.5 mL of standard solution of each concentration, 250 μL of 1N-NaOH aqueous solution and 0.5 M PMP (3-methyl-1-phenyl-5-pyrazolone) -methanol solution Is heated at 70 ° C. for 30 minutes. The obtained solution is neutralized with 250 μL of 1N HCl aqueous solution, 5 mL of chloroform is added and distributed, and the aqueous layer is used as a measurement sample. The measurement sample obtained by the above operation is measured under the following conditions using high performance liquid chromatography / mass spectrometry.

Analysis conditions / HPLC apparatus: Model ACQUITY UPLC, manufactured by Waters / MS apparatus: Model SYNAPT G2-S HDMS, manufactured by Waters / ionization: ESI
Mass range: m / z 100-2500
Column: Model Unison UK-C18 UP (2.0 × 100 mm, 3 μm), manufactured by Intact ・ Mobile phase: E solution: 0.05% formic acid aqueous solution, F solution: acetonitrile (% F = 15 → 90)
・ Flow rate: 0.6mL / min
・ Injection volume: 1μL

(2) The dextrose equivalent (I) analysis is applied when quantifying reducing sugars such as glucose and maltose contained in dextrin as glucose, and is performed according to the following procedure.
・ Quantification of moisture ・ Rain ・ Quantification of reducing sugar content by Einon method ・ Calculation of reducing sugar content (DE value,%) calculated as glucose

(II) Preparation of sample and standardization of titer (II-A) Preparation of sample (II-1) Standard invert sugar solution 4.75 g of sucrose (reagent) is accurately weighed and 500 mL using 90 mL of water. Transfer to volumetric flask. To this is added 5 mL of hydrochloric acid (specific gravity 1.18), and the mixture is allowed to stand at 20-30 ° C. for 3 days, and then added with water to make a constant volume and stored in a cool and dark place. 50 mL of the solution is taken into a 200 mL volumetric flask, neutralized with 1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution using phenolphthalein as an indicator, and then added with water to make a constant volume. This is used as an invert sugar solution for standardizing the titer of the Fering solution.
(II-2) Methylene blue solution 1 g of 1% methylene blue is dissolved in water to make 100 mL.
(II-3) Falling solution A solution: 34.639 g of copper sulfate (CuSO ₄ .5H ₂ O) is dissolved in water to make 500 mL, and the solution is allowed to stand for 2 days and then filtered.
Liquid B: 173 g of potassium sodium tartrate (KNaC ₄ H ₄ O ₆ · 4H ₂ O) and 50 g of sodium hydroxide are dissolved in water to make 500 mL, and this is left for 2 days and then filtered.

(II-B) Standardization of the titer of the failing solution Take 5.0 mL of the failing solution A and 5 mL of the solution B in a 200 mL Erlenmeyer flask and add 19.5 mL of the standard invert sugar solution using a 50 mL burette. After boiling for 2 minutes on an electric heater, 4 drops of methylene blue solution is added, and the standard invert sugar solution is dropped while boiling, and the point where the blue color disappears is taken as the end point. The titration ends within 3 minutes after starting to boil. This titration is performed 3 times, and the average value is obtained. However, the average of three times is used as the titration value, but the difference between the titration values is within 0.1 mL. Round off the fourth decimal place of the titer and keep it within the range of 1 ± 0.02.

[In formula, A shows the quantity (mL) of the standard invert sugar solution consumed. ]

(III) Preparation of sample Analytical samples are prepared as follows according to the properties of the samples.
(III-1) Liquid sample If crystals or lumps are precipitated in the liquid, put in a sealed container, dissolve in a 60-70 ° C water bath, dissolve well, and cool to room temperature. To do.
(III-2) Solid sample Powder or crystal form. If there is a lump, crush it and mix well.

(IV) Quantification of moisture The moisture is quantified by the following method according to the properties of the sample.
(IV-1) Liquid Sample As a drying aid, about 15 g of sea sand is taken in a weighing bottle in advance and dried in a dryer at 105 ° C. together with a glass rod to obtain a constant weight. Next, accurately measure the amount corresponding to about 2 g of the solid sample prepared in the above (III) as a solid content, add a small amount of water if necessary until it is completely immersed, and occasionally stir with a glass rod on a water bath. Heat up to volatilize most of the water. Further, the mixture is occasionally stirred in a dryer at 105 ° C., dried until almost dry, then transferred to a vacuum dryer and dried at 70 ° C. for 4 hours. Allow to cool to room temperature in a desiccator and then weigh. Repeat the vacuum drying for 1 hour to obtain the constant weight. When the weight loss changes by 2 mg or less, it is considered that the constant weight has been reached.
(IV-2) Solid Sample About 2 g of the uniform sample prepared in the above (III) is accurately weighed in a weighing bottle previously made constant, and dried in a vacuum dryer at 70 ° C. for 4 hours. Next, it is allowed to cool to room temperature in a desiccator and then weighed. Furthermore, vacuum drying is repeated for 1 hour, and when the weight loss changes to 2 mg or less, it is considered that the constant weight has been reached.
(IV-3) Calculation of moisture The moisture in the sample is calculated by the following formula. Numbers are rounded to the first decimal place.

[Wherein W ₀ represents the amount of sample collected (g), and W ₁ represents the weight (g) of the sample after drying. ]

(V) DE value determination (V-1) Preparation of test solution About 10 g of the uniform sample prepared in (III) above is accurately weighed, dissolved in water, transferred to a 500 mL volumetric flask, and water is added to the solution. Use the test solution.
(V-2) Titration operation Take 5.0 mL of the Falling Solution A and 5 mL of Solution B in a 200 mL Erlenmeyer flask, add 15 mL of the test solution prepared in (V-1) using a 50 mL burette, and add (II- Titrate according to the procedure in B), and use this as the preliminary titration. Further, in the same manner, a test solution of about 1 mL less than the titration constant obtained by preliminary titration is added, and titration is performed according to the procedure of (II-B). The consumption of the test solution obtained here is multiplied by the titer of the Fehring solution, and from this value, the reducing sugar concentration (DE value, mg / 100 mL) is obtained by using the Rain-Eynon sugar content table (glucose) shown in Table 1. Asking.
(V-3) Calculation of DE Value The DE value calculated as glucose in the dry state of the sample is calculated by the following equation. Numbers are rounded to the first decimal place.

[Where,
D _S indicates rain Einon sugar amount table shown in Table 1 (glucose) glucose amount in the test solution 100mL was determined using the (mg),
M represents the moisture content (%) of the sample weighed in (IV),
S represents the amount (g) of the sample weighed in (V-1). ]

5. pH measurement Each instant tea beverage was diluted 66 times by mass with water at 20 ° C., 100 mL of reduced beverage was weighed into a 300 mL beaker, and the temperature was adjusted to 20 ° C. using a pH meter (HORIBA Compact pH meter, manufactured by HORIBA, Ltd.). Measured with adjustment.

6). Sensory evaluation Four expert panels conducted a sensory test on the “bitter taste” of a reduced beverage obtained by diluting each instant tea beverage 66 times by mass with 20 ° C. water. The sensory test was conducted after each panelist agreed to the following evaluation criteria. Then, the average value of the score of the specialized panel was calculated. The average score shall be rounded to the first decimal place.

Criteria for evaluating bitterness Bitterness was evaluated by evaluating the strength of bitterness when consumed.
1: Very strong bitterness 2: Strong bitterness 3: Slightly strong bitterness 4: Very slightly bitterness 5: Moderate bitterness

Production Example 1
Manufacture of Green Tea Powder No. 2 Sencha leaves (produced in Miyazaki Prefecture (produced in 2016)) were ground with a stone mill to obtain a green tea powder having an average particle size (d ₅₀ ) of 20 μm. The green tea powder had a non-polymer catechin content of 11.1% by mass and an astragalin content of 0.034% by mass.

Examples 1 to 6 and Comparative Examples 1 and 2
Each component shown in Table 2 was mixed to obtain a powdered instant tea beverage. The obtained instant tea beverage was analyzed and subjected to sensory evaluation. All of the obtained instant tea beverages had a solid content of 97.0% by mass. In addition, the reduced beverages prepared by diluting the instant tea beverages of Examples 1 to 6 and Comparative Examples 1 and 2 with water at 20 ° C. by 66 times by mass have a non-polymer catechin content of 0.14 mass. % And pH (20 ° C.) was 5.8. The sensory evaluation was based on the bitterness intensity of the reduced beverage prepared from the instant tea beverage of Example 6 as “5”, and the bitterness intensity of the reduced beverage prepared from the instant tea beverage of Comparative Example 1 as “ 1 ”was performed according to the above evaluation criteria. The results are shown in Table 2.

Example 7 and Comparative Example 3
Each component shown in Table 3 was mixed to obtain a powdered instant tea beverage. The obtained instant tea beverage was analyzed and subjected to sensory evaluation. All of the obtained instant tea beverages had a solid content of 97.0% by mass. In addition, the reduced beverage prepared by diluting the instant tea beverage of Example 7 and Comparative Example 3 with water at 20 ° C. by 66 mass times has a non-polymer catechin content of 0.28% by mass, The pH (20 ° C.) was 5.8. Moreover, sensory evaluation was performed according to the said evaluation criteria by setting the bitterness intensity | strength of the reduced drink prepared from the instant tea drink of the comparative example 3 as the score "1". The results are shown in Table 3.

Examples 8 and 9 and Comparative Example 4
Each component shown in Table 4 was mixed to obtain a powdered instant tea beverage. The obtained instant tea beverage was analyzed and subjected to sensory evaluation. All of the obtained instant tea beverages had a solid content of 97.0% by mass. In addition, the reduced beverage prepared by diluting the instant tea beverage of Example 8 and Comparative Example 4 with water at 20 ° C. by 66 times by mass has a non-polymer catechin content of 0.11% by mass, The reduced beverage prepared from the instant tea beverage of Example 9 had a non-polymer catechin content of 0.12% by mass. Moreover, pH (20 degreeC) of all the reduced drinks was 5.8. The sensory evaluation was performed based on the same criteria as in Example 1. The results are shown in Table 4.

Examples 10-12
Each component shown in Table 5 was mixed to obtain a powdery instant green tea beverage. The obtained instant tea beverage was analyzed and subjected to sensory evaluation. All of the obtained instant tea beverages had a solid content of 97.0% by mass. In addition, the reduced beverage prepared by diluting the instant tea beverages of Examples 10 to 12 with water at 20 ° C. by 66 times by mass has a non-polymer catechin content of 0.15% by mass, and has a pH ( 20 ° C.) was 5.8. The sensory evaluation was performed based on the same criteria as in Example 1. The results are shown in Table 5.

Examples 13 and 14
Each component shown in Table 6 was mixed to obtain a concentrated liquid instant green tea beverage. The obtained instant tea beverage was analyzed and subjected to sensory evaluation. In addition, the reduced beverage prepared by diluting the instant tea beverages of Examples 13 and 14 with water at 20 ° C. by 66 times by mass has a non-polymer catechin content of 0.15% by mass, and has a pH ( 20 ° C.) was 5.8. The sensory evaluation was performed based on the same criteria as in Example 1. The results are shown in Table 6.

  From Tables 2 to 6, high-concentration non-polymer catechins contain astragalin, and the non-polymer catechins are controlled by controlling the mass ratio of non-polymer catechins and astragalin within a specific range. It can be seen that an instant tea beverage in which the bitterness of non-polymer catechins is reduced while being strengthened can be obtained.

Claims (5)

The following components (A) and (B);
(A) Non-polymer catechins 7.5 to 20% by mass, and (B) containing astragalin,
Instant tea drink whose mass ratio [(B) / (A)] of an ingredient (A) and an ingredient (B) is ^1x10-3 or more and ^30x10-3 or less.   The instant tea drink of Claim 1 whose content of a component (B) is 0.02-0.3 mass%.   The instant tea drink of Claim 1 or 2 containing vanillin as a component (C).   The instant tea beverage according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the content of the component (C) is 0.1 to 100 ppm by mass.   The instant tea drink according to any one of claims 1 to 4, which is an instant green tea drink.