JP2020130107A - Beverage having reduced tannin-derived bitterness - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a beverage containing tannin and having a pH of at least 5.0, wherein the sharp bitter taste from tannin that is perceived when drinking the beverage is reduced.SOLUTION: The beverage contains 1-650 ppm of tannin, contains at least 0.4 ppb of phenethyl alcohol, and has a pH of 5.0-8.0.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

The present invention relates to reducing the bitterness derived from tannins present in beverages.

Tannin is a polyphenol contained in tea extract, coffee beans, and some fruits (for example, grapes, persimmons, etc.), and is a component present in various beverages. However, tannins have a bitter taste, which in some cases can interfere with the ease of drinking of the beverage. As a method of suppressing the bitterness and astringency of beverages containing polyphenols such as tannin, the addition of various masking agents has been studied. For example, a method using cyclodextrin (Patent Document 1), somatin (Patent Document 2), glycyrrhizin (Patent Document 3), sucralose (Patent Documents 4 and 5), which are high-sweetness sweeteners, and further, high-sweetness sweetener. Examples thereof include a method using a material such as Rakan fruit extract (Patent Document 6) and Aspartame (Patent Document 7).

On the other hand, the flavor of the beverage can also be improved by the aroma component. Phenethyl alcohol is a component that is widely present in nature and is contained in essential oils such as roses, carnations, hyacinths, aleppo pine, ylang-ylang, geranium, neroli, and champak. Phenethyl alcohol is also known to be contained in alcoholic beverages such as sake and wine. However, the bitterness-reducing effect of phenethyl alcohol is not known.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 3-168046 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2008-17834 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2008-17835 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10-262601 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2008-99677 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2014-82960 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10-248501

The present inventor has found that when a beverage having a pH of 5.0 or higher contains tannin, the bitterness derived from tannin is felt more strongly than that of a beverage having a pH of less than 5.0. An object of the present invention is to reduce the pungent bitterness derived from tannin that is felt during drinking in a beverage containing tannin and having a pH of 5.0 or higher.

In view of the above circumstances, the present inventor has searched for an ingredient effective for reducing bitterness derived from tannin in a beverage. As a result of diligent studies, it was found that phenethyl alcohol can contribute to the reduction of the bitterness. Based on such findings, the present invention has been completed.

The present invention provides: However, the scope of the present invention is not limited to this.
(1) A beverage containing 1 to 650 ppm of tannin, (b) containing 0.4 ppb or more of phenethyl alcohol, and (c) having a pH of 5.0 to 8.0.
(2) The beverage of (1) having Brix of 1 or less.
(3) The beverage of (1) or (2) containing a tea extract.

Unless otherwise specified, "ppb" and "ppm" as used herein mean ppb and ppm in weight / volume (w / v), respectively. Further, in the present specification, the numerical range represented by the lower limit value and the upper limit value, that is, "lower limit value to upper limit value" shall include those lower limit value and upper limit value. For example, the range represented by "1-2" includes 1 and 2.

(Tannin)
The beverage of the present invention contains tannins. "Tannin" is a name that includes catechins, gallic acid, esters thereof, and condensates thereof. The concentration of tannin in the beverage can be measured by a known method. For example, using the official method (iron tartrate reagent method) described in "Explanation of the 5th Edition Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan Analysis Manual" (edited by the Japan Food Analysis Center, Chuo Houhou Shuppan, July 2001, p. 252). Can be measured. In this method, an iron tartrate reagent is used as a color former, and the amount of tannin can be examined by measuring the absorbance of the component developed by the reagent at a wavelength of 540 nm. For example, a calibration curve can be prepared using ethyl gallate as a standard substance, the amount of ethyl gallate corresponding to the absorbance of the sample can be obtained from the calibration curve, and the obtained value can be converted into the amount of tannin. ..

The tannin of the present invention is not particularly limited, but can be used, for example, in the form of a tea extract or a concentrate thereof. The tannin-containing plant extract or its concentrate can be prepared by using tea leaves belonging to Camellia sinensis such as black tea, green tea, oolong tea, and puer tea as raw materials. Above all, from the aspect of the effect of the present invention, an extract obtained from black tea leaves can be preferably used.

The concentration of tannin in the beverage of the present invention is 1 to 650 ppm, preferably 1 to 360 ppm, more preferably 3 to 360 ppm, still more preferably 5 to 200 ppm. When the concentration of tannin in the beverage is 1 ppm or more, the bitterness in the beverage is strongly felt, which is preferable for obtaining the effect of reducing the bitterness according to the present invention. Further, when the concentration of tannin in the beverage exceeds 650 ppm, the bitterness reducing effect according to the present invention can be obtained, but the bitterness may not be sufficiently reduced.

(Phenethyl alcohol)
The beverage of the present invention contains 2-Phenylethanol (hereinafter referred to as "phenethyl alcohol" in the present specification) in a specific amount. Thereby, the bitterness derived from tannin can be reduced. The content of phenethyl alcohol in the beverage of the present invention is 0.4 ppb or more, preferably 0.4 to 5 ppb, preferably 0.5 to 4 ppb, more preferably 0.6 to 3 ppb, still more preferably 0. It is 7 to 2 ppb. If the content of phenethyl alcohol in the beverage is less than 0.4 ppb, the effect of reducing the bitterness derived from tannin may be insufficient. On the other hand, if the content of phenethyl alcohol in the beverage exceeds 5 ppb, the flavor of phenethyl alcohol may become too strong and the taste of the beverage itself may be impaired.

In the beverage of the present invention, the ratio of the phenethyl alcohol content to the tannin content (phenethyl alcohol content / tannin content) is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 0.00008 or more, preferably 0.00014 or more. It may be.

The content of phenethyl alcohol in the beverage of the present invention can be measured by a known GC-MS method. However, in the present invention, the column is a highly polar column (manufactured by Azilent Technologies, DB-WaxUI), the extraction method is a solid-phase microextraction method (manufactured by CTC Analytics, SPME-ArrowCarbon WR / PDMS), and the detector is high resolution. It is preferable to use a mass spectrometer (Q Active GC Orbitrap manufactured by Thermo Fisher Scientific Co., Ltd.).

The phenethyl alcohol used in the present invention is not particularly limited, but may be a crude product or a crude product. For example, it may be a natural product containing phenethyl alcohol or a processed product thereof (plant extract, essential oil, fermented plant product, concentrate thereof, etc.). More specific examples include fruit juices and extracts in addition to flavors containing phenethyl alcohol. Perfume is a preferred example because it requires only a small amount to be added to the beverage.

(PH)
The pH of the beverage of the present invention is 5.0 to 8.0, preferably 5.5 to 7.5. If the pH of the beverage is less than 5.0, the sourness component in the beverage may mask the bitterness. However, when the pH of the beverage is 5.0 or more, bitterness can be remarkably perceived because there are few sour components acting as masking components, which is preferable in obtaining the effect of reducing bitterness according to the present invention. The pH of the beverage can be appropriately adjusted by using a pH adjusting agent such as sodium citrate, sodium hydroxide, or baking soda. The pH of the beverage can be easily measured using a commercially available pH meter.

(Brix)
The Brix of the beverage of the present invention is not particularly limited, but is preferably 1 or less. Although not bound by theory, when Brix is 1 or less, the bitterness of tannin may be noticeably felt because the soluble solid content acting as a masking component for bitterness is small. Therefore, the effect of reducing bitterness according to the present invention. It is preferable to obtain. Brix can be evaluated by the Brix value obtained by using a sugar content meter, a refractometer, or the like. The Brix value is a value obtained by converting the refractive index measured at 20 ° C. into the mass / mass percent of the sucrose solution based on the conversion table of ICUMSA (International Sugar Analysis Unified Committee). The unit is displayed in "° Bx", "%" or "degree".

(Other raw materials)
In addition to the various ingredients shown above, the beverage of the present invention can contain ingredients generally used in beverages. For example, but not limited to, flavors, sugars, acidulants, nutritional enhancers, antioxidants, emulsifiers, preservatives, extracts, dietary fiber, quality stabilizers, etc. are added as long as the effects of the present invention are not impaired. Can be done.

(Beverage)
The beverage of the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it is a soft drink. For example, it may be any of nutritional drinks, functional drinks, flavored water (near water) drinks, tea drinks (black tea, oolong tea, green tea, etc.), coffee drinks, and carbonated drinks. In one embodiment, the beverage of the present invention is preferably a tea beverage. Here, the "tea beverage" is a beverage containing an extract of tea leaves or an extract of grains as a main component, and specifically, green tea, roasted tea, blended tea, barley tea, mate tea, jasmine tea, black tea, etc. Examples include oolong tea and tochu tea. A particularly preferred tea beverage in the present invention is a black tea beverage.

The beverage of the present invention is preferably a packaged beverage in a state of being heat sterilized and packed in a container. This is because the bitterness of tannins may become stronger as the beverage is heated. The means of heat sterilization is not particularly limited, but any known means such as UHT sterilization and retort sterilization can be used. The container for filling the beverage is not particularly limited, and for example, PET bottles, aluminum cans, steel cans, paper packs, chilled cups, bottles and the like can be used. From the viewpoint of convenience or convenience, a container that is lightweight, easy to carry, and can be re-plugged, for example, a container such as a PET bottle is preferable.

Hereinafter, the details of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to experimental examples, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Further, in the present specification, unless otherwise specified, the numerical range is described as including the end points thereof.

[Example 1] Effect of pH on bitterness As tannin, black tea extract powder BCL (Mitsui Norin Co., Ltd .; tannin 26%, caffeine 0.1% or less) was used. A black tea extract powder was added to water so that the tannin concentration in the beverage was 5 ppm to prepare a beverage. The pH of the beverage was adjusted with citric acid or sodium hydroxide as shown in Table 1 (Samples 1-5). In addition, a beverage prepared by adding phenethyl alcohol to 1 ppb to the beverage prepared in this manner was also prepared. Brix was 1 or less for all beverages.

The bitterness of each beverage was evaluated. After each of the three expert panels evaluated the bitterness according to the following criteria, all the panels discussed and decided the final evaluation.
◯: Almost no bitterness △: Slight bitterness ×: Strong bitterness The results are shown in Table 1. From the evaluation results of the beverage to which phenethyl alcohol was not added, it was found that the unpleasant bitterness derived from tannin was perceived when the pH of the beverage was 5.0 or higher. The addition of phenethyl alcohol to these beverages has been shown to reduce unpleasant bitterness.

On the other hand, it was found that the unpleasant bitterness derived from tannin was not so problematic in the beverage having pH 3.5. It was also found that the intensity of bitterness did not change even when phenethyl alcohol was added to this beverage.

［実施例２］タンニンとフェネチルアルコールの含有量の苦味に対する影響
水に紅茶エキスパウダーＢＣＬとフェネチルアルコールを添加し、タンニンとフェネチルアルコールの濃度を表２の濃度となるように調整し、各飲料を調製した。調製した飲料を５００ｍｌ容量のＰＥＴ容器に充填した。調製した飲料のｐＨは５．９であった。Ｂｒｉｘは全ての飲料で１以下であった。

[Example 2] Effect of content of tannin and phenethyl alcohol on bitterness Black tea extract powder BCL and phenethyl alcohol were added to water, and the concentrations of tannin and phenethyl alcohol were adjusted to the concentrations shown in Table 2, and each beverage was prepared. Prepared. The prepared beverage was filled in a PET container having a capacity of 500 ml. The pH of the prepared beverage was 5.9. Brix was 1 or less for all beverages.

A sensory evaluation was performed on the strength of the bitterness of the prepared beverage. Three expert panels evaluated the beverage according to the following criteria, using a beverage containing 1 ppm of tannin and no phenethyl alcohol as a control (Sample 1). The average score of the three specialized panels was calculated, and a score of 3.0 or less was passed. The sensory evaluation results are shown in Table 2.
5 points: Bitterness is stronger than control.
4 points: Has the same bitterness as control.
3 points: Less bitter than control.
2 points: Compared to the control, the bitterness is considerably less.
1 point: I do not feel bitterness.

タンニンを１〜６５０ｐｐｍ含有する飲料に対して、フェネチルアルコールを０．４ｐｐｂ以上、０．４〜５ｐｐｂ添加すると、タンニンに由来する不快な苦味が軽減され、飲みやすくなった。

When phenethyl alcohol was added at 0.4 ppb or more and 0.4 to 5 ppb to a beverage containing 1 to 650 ppm of tannin, the unpleasant bitterness derived from tannin was reduced and it became easier to drink.

Claims (3)

(A) Containing 1 to 650 ppm of tannin,
(B) Contains 0.4 ppb or more of phenethyl alcohol,
(C) The pH is 5.0-8.0,
Beverage. The beverage according to claim 1, wherein the Brix is 1 or less. The beverage according to claim 1 or 2, which contains a tea extract.