JP6742294B2 - Method for enhancing the juice feeling of a juice-containing beverage - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a citrus fruit juice enhancer, a citrus fruit juice-containing beverage, a container-packed citrus fruit juice-containing beverage, a method for producing a fruit juice-containing beverage, and a method for enhancing the fruit juice feeling of a fruit juice-containing beverage.

With the development of manufacturing and distribution technology, a wide variety of packaged beverages have been put on the market. Among them, the container-containing juice-containing beverage is one of the container-packaged beverages that have been manufactured and sold since ancient times, and many consumers still love it.

In a conventional container-packed fruit juice drink containing fruit juice, flavors unique to fruit juice are produced by adding flavors alone or in combination of a plurality of kinds to enhance or maintain aroma of the fruit juice.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a beverage obtained by adding an herb component to a low fruit juice-containing beverage containing a fruit component. The invention disclosed herein has an object to provide a beverage having a novel refreshing sensation while suppressing the astringency and bitterness of herb ingredients, and fruit ingredients and herb ingredients are flavors such as synthetic flavors. Or that food additives such as flavors and antioxidants may be added (particularly paragraphs 0003, 0007, 0010, 0015, etc.).

Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a method for improving the feeling of fruit juice by adding methyl jasmonate or methyl dihydro jasmonate to a beverage containing no fruit juice or low fruit juice flavored with a flavor. As a method for adding methyl jasmonate or methyl dihydrojasmonate, it is described as a preferable mode to add as a perfume formulation mixed with a perfume (paragraph 0014 and the like). Patent Document 3 discloses the use of a citrus flavor enhancer containing rotandon as an active ingredient as a food flavor for the purpose of enhancing the freshness and juice feeling of citrus fruits of foods and drinks (paragraph 0011). , 0012).

However, consumers are refraining from additives (food additives) in foods, beverages, etc. due to the recent increase in health consciousness and organic boom. This tendency is not an exception even in the case of fruit juice in a container, and an increasing number of consumers particularly dislike the excessively strong and unnatural aromas derived from flavors.

JP, 11-215973, A JP, 2017-79607, A JP, 2016-198025, A

When the fruit juice content of the beverage is low fruit juice of, for example, less than 10% by mass, it is difficult to improve the feeling of fruit juice. Furthermore, it is even more difficult to improve the original juice feeling of the fruit in the juice-containing beverage without impairing the natural flavor and without using food additives such as flavors.

The present invention was developed by focusing on citrus fruit juice-containing beverages among fruit juice-containing beverages, and even if the citrus fruit juice-containing beverage does not contain a flavor and is a low fruit juice, the original fruit juice feeling of citrus fruit is improved. An object of the present invention is to provide a citrus juice texture improving agent.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a citrus fruit juice-containing beverage that can feel the original fruit juice feeling of citrus fruit even if it contains no flavor and has a low fruit juice, and a method for producing the same.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for enhancing a citrus juice feeling, which can improve the original juice feeling of the citrus fruit even if the citrus juice-containing beverage does not contain a flavor and is a low juice.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a citrus-feel enhancer containing an herb extract, which contains at least one of a mint extract and a rooibos extract as the above-mentioned herb extract.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a citrus juice-containing beverage containing citrus juice and an herb extract, wherein the herb extract contains at least one of a mint extract and a rooibos extract.

According to a third aspect of the present invention is a method for producing a fruit juice-containing beverage, selecting at least citrus fruit juice as fruit juice, selecting at least one of a mint extract and rooibos extract as an herb extract, the citrus fruit juice. And a method for producing a fruit juice-containing beverage, which comprises preparing a mixture containing the mint extract and at least one of the rooibos extract.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention is a method for enhancing the juice feeling of a juice-containing beverage, selecting at least citrus juice as the fruit juice, selecting at least one of a mint extract and a rooibos extract as the herb extract, There is provided a method for enhancing the juice feeling of a juice-containing beverage, which comprises preparing a mixture containing the citrus juice and at least one of the extract and the rooibos extract.

According to the present invention, it has become possible to provide a citrus juice taste improving agent that can improve the original juice feeling of citrus fruit even if the citrus fruit juice-containing beverage contains no flavor and is low juice.

Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a citrus juice-containing beverage that does not contain a fragrance and can feel the original juice feeling of citrus fruit even if the juice is low, and a method for producing the beverage.

Further, according to the present invention, even if the citrus juice-containing beverage does not contain a fragrance and is a low juice, it is possible to provide a method for enhancing the citrus juice sensation that can improve the original citrus fruit sensation. ..

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described. In addition, components other than those described in the embodiments may be added without departing from the constitution of the present invention.

The citrus fruit juice sensation improver according to the present embodiment can be added to a citrus fruit juice-containing beverage to improve the original juice sensation of citrus fruit, and a mint extract and a rooibos extract as an herb extract. At least one is contained as an active ingredient. The active ingredient means that it is contained to such an extent that it can exhibit the function of improving the original juice feeling of citrus fruit, and the content rate thereof can be appropriately adjusted.
In the embodiment, the preferable content rate of the mint extract or rooibos extract (when two or more kinds are contained, the total content rate) is 0.1 to 100% by mass based on the total mass of the citrus fruit juice sensation improver. It is preferably 5 to 100% by mass, more preferably 20 to 100% by mass.

Citrus juice-containing beverage according to another embodiment is a beverage containing at least one of citrus juice and at least one of a mint extract and a rooibos extract as an herb extract, for example, a container filled in a container described later. It may be a citrus juice-containing beverage.

In a beverage prepared by adding an herb extract to a fruit juice-containing beverage, when citrus juice was selected as the fruit juice, at least one of a mint (Mentha spp.) extract and a rooibos (Aspalathus linearis) extract was selected as the herb extract. At this time, a synergistic effect of these contents produces a remarkable citrus juice feeling improving effect. This effect is obtained even when the content of citrus juice is low or when the flavor or food additive is not contained. In the embodiment, it is preferable that the citrus juice enhancer does not contain a fragrance and preferably does not contain a food additive. In addition, in the embodiment, the citrus juice-containing beverage preferably does not include a flavor and preferably does not include a food additive.

In the present specification, "fragrance" is a kind of "food additive" described later, and means an additive and a formulation thereof added in order to retain, enhance, or impart aroma in the process of food production. To do. Specifically, the fruit juice contained in the fruit juice-containing beverage, that is, the citrus fruit juice and/or the flavor derived from other fruit juice added as an optional component described later, is added for the purpose of retaining, enhancing, or imparting. An additive and its formulation are meant.

Therefore, "perfume" includes not only synthetic perfume but also natural perfume purified from a natural product for the above purpose. For example, an aroma component purified from fruit juice or herb extract is not in the form of fruit juice or herb extract, but corresponds to “flavor” when added separately from the fruit juice or herb extract for the above purpose. For example, d6 limonene, which is an aroma component contained in yuzu fruit juice, (6Z, 8E)-undeca-6, 8, 10-trien-3-one; methyl jasmonate (a jasmonic acid which is an aroma component contained in a mint extract). Methyl, ie methyl 3-oxo-2-(cis-2-pentenyl)-cyclopentyl acetate), and methyl dihydrojasmonate (methyl dihydrojasmonate, ie methyl 3-oxo-2-pentylcyclopentyl acetate, so-called “ Known as "Hedione"); Rotandone ((3S,5R,8S)-3,8-dimethyl-5-(prop-1-en-2-yl)-3,4,5,6,7,8) -Hexahydroazulen-1(2H)-one) is a component derived from citron fruit juice, a component derived from mint extract, and a component derived from fragrant koji (kobushi) extract, respectively. When purified and added from mint extract and scented extract, it corresponds to “flavor” and is distinguished from fruit juice and herb extract.

In the present specification, the “food additive” means an additive and a formulation thereof which are added for the purpose of processing or storing the food in the process of manufacturing the food. Therefore, as long as it is used for the above purpose, it includes not only a chemically synthesized compound but also a compound purified from a natural product for the above purpose. On the other hand, honey, fruit juice, and herb extracts are not included. Specifically, antioxidants (vitamin C, etc.), various esters, organic acids, organic acid salts, inorganic acids, inorganic salts, sweeteners (excluding honey), emulsifiers, preservatives, seasonings, acidulants, Food additives such as flavors, colorants, pH adjusters (citric acid and the like), quality stabilizers and the like can be mentioned.

As used herein, the term "free of fragrance" means that the fragrance is not contained at all, and that the fragrance is not substantially contained. That is, it does not exclude the case where a slight amount that does not exert the effect as a fragrance is contained, but it is preferable that the fragrance is not contained at all. In the embodiment of the present invention, the content of the flavor is preferably 0 to 0.1% by mass, more preferably 0 to 0.01% by mass, based on the total mass of the fruit juice-containing beverage, and 0. Is more preferably 0.001% by mass, and most preferably 0% by mass. In addition, in this specification, "the total mass of the fruit juice-containing beverage" means the total mass of the fruit juice-containing beverage that does not include the container.

As used herein, the term "free of food additives" means that the food additives are not contained at all and that the food additives are not substantially contained. That is, it does not exclude the case where a small amount that does not exhibit the effect as a food additive is contained, but it is preferable that the food additive is not contained at all. In the embodiment of the present invention, the content of the food additive is preferably 0 to 0.1% by mass, more preferably 0 to 0.01% by mass, based on the total mass of the fruit juice-containing beverage. It is more preferably 0% by mass.

(Beverage containing juice)
The fruit juice-containing beverage is a beverage containing fruit juice, and includes a new category of fruit juice component-containing beverages in which the proportion of fruit juice used is less than 10% by mass, such as “fruit juice-based near water”. In the fruit juice-containing beverage according to the present embodiment, citrus fruit juice, for example, citron fruit juice, shikuwasa fruit juice, grapefruit fruit juice, Satsuma mandarin fruit juice, and Hinata summer fruit juice were used as the main fruit juice.

(Citrus juice)
The citrus fruit juice in the present invention is obtained by squeezing fruits (citrus fruit) belonging to citrus fruits, and examples thereof include transparent fruit juice, cloudy fruit juice, concentrated transparent fruit juice, concentrated cloudy fruit juice, paste, and puree. Here, "citrus fruits" is used as a general term for citrus, kumquat, karata and the like, but since citrus juice suitable for drinking is preferable, citrus juice is preferable among citrus fruits, and citrus juice of Among them, fruit juices of tangerines, grapefruits, citrus fruits, and perfume-based citrus fruits are particularly preferable.

Examples of citrus fruits include Wenzhou mandarin orange, Kishu mandarin orange, calamandarin, mandarin orange, and the like. Examples of the fruits of grapefruits include grapefruit and orangero. Examples of the fruit of citrus include summer tangerine, Hachisaku, Hinata summer, and Shiranui. Examples of fragrant citrus fruits include yuzu, kabosu, sudachi, lime, shikuwasa, lemon and daidai. One type of the above fruits may be used, or two or more types may be used in combination. Particularly when lemon is used as the citrus fruit, it is preferably used in combination with another citrus fruit.

The citrus juice is obtained by squeezing citrus fruits as described above. For example, the citrus fruits are crushed and squeezed or lined to remove rind, seeds and the like. For these juices, not only straight juice that is not concentrated or diluted with juice or lining liquid after removing skins, seeds, etc., but also concentrated juice with concentrated juice or lining liquid, and further diluted concentrate Reduced juice etc. are included. Further, these fruit juices include transparent fruit juice clarified by subjecting a squeezed juice or a lining fluid to an enzyme treatment or the like, cloudy juice containing solid components such as turbid components and unnecessary components derived from fruits. In the citrus fruit juice-containing beverage according to the present embodiment, one kind of these fruit juices may be used, or two or more kinds thereof may be used. In the examples described below, the yuzu fruit juice, the shikuwasa fruit juice, the grapefruit juice, and the Satsuma mandarin orange juice obtained by the above-mentioned method were used.

In the present embodiment, the citrus juice is preferably cloudy juice, more preferably concentrated juice. By using concentrated fruit juice, the original juice feeling of citrus fruit can be further enhanced.

In the present embodiment, the content rate of citrus juice (the total content rate when two or more kinds are contained) is preferably less than 10% by mass in terms of straight fruit juice, based on the total mass of the juice-containing beverage, and 0 It is more preferably 0.07% by mass or more and less than 10% by mass, further preferably 0.10 to 9.0% by mass, and most preferably 0.15 to 9.0% by mass. However, lemon juice is preferably used in combination with other citrus juice as described above, the content of the lemon juice in that case, based on the total mass of the juice-containing beverage, 0.05 in terms of straight juice To less than 1.00 mass% is preferable, 0.1 to 0.9 mass% is more preferable, and 0.2 to 0.8 mass% is still more preferable.

Here, "straight fruit juice conversion" means that the ratio (mass %) of the fruit juice amount to the total mass of the fruit juice-containing beverage is converted to a ratio (mass %) based on the fruit juice amount contained in the straight fruit juice. ..

Further, the citrus fruit juice-containing beverage according to the present embodiment may contain other fruit juice in addition to the citrus fruit juice. Other fruit juices include, for example, camu camu juice. Such other fruit juice may not only further improve the original juice feeling of the citrus fruit juice-containing beverage, but also have a function of adjusting the physical properties and components of the citrus fruit juice-containing beverage. For example, kamucom juice is mentioned. In particular, kamucum juice is a suitable juice in a citrus juice-containing beverage containing no food additives, because it improves the original juice feeling of citrus fruits without impairing the balance of flavor.

When the citrus fruit juice-containing beverage according to the embodiment contains camucam juice, the content ratio of camucum juice is 0.1 to 3.0% by mass in terms of straight fruit juice, based on the total mass of the fruit juice-containing beverage. It is more preferably 0.3 to 2.0% by mass, further preferably 0.5 to 1.5% by mass.

(Herb extract)
The herb extract is a mixture obtained by extracting herbs by a known method, that is, an herb extract, and also includes a concentrate of the extract. For example, the herb as a raw material plant, as it is, or in a state of being cut and crushed, is put into a solvent such as water, hot water or an organic solvent and extracted under normal pressure or under pressure, and the extract is recovered to an arbitrary concentration. It is an extract obtained by concentrating. The concentration method is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include vacuum concentration and membrane concentration. In the citrus juice-containing beverage according to this embodiment, at least one of a mint extract and a rooibos extract was used as an herb extract.

(Mint extract)
Here, mint is a general term for plants of the genus Mint and is classified into peppermint and spearmint. Examples of the peppermint system include peppermint and Japanese peppermint.

When adding a fragrance to a citrus juice-containing beverage instead of the mint extract or rooibos extract, it is difficult to improve the original juice feeling of the citrus fruit, and the flavor of the citrus juice-containing beverage may be impaired. .. This becomes more remarkable as the content of citrus juice decreases. The same applies when, for example, methyl jasmonate or methyl dihydro jasmonate isolated from mint extract is used as a fragrance. Although the reason is not clear, it is presumed that when a flavor is added, only the flavor derived from the flavor is emphasized, and the balance of the overall flavor of the citrus juice-containing beverage is lost.

On the other hand, when a mint extract or rooibos extract, which is an extract (mixture) obtained by contacting mint or rooibos as a raw material plant with a solvent, is added to a citrus juice-containing beverage, it is included in the mint extract or rooibos extract. It is speculated that the various components improve the flavor of the citrus juice-containing beverage without impairing the overall balance of the flavor of the citrus juice-containing beverage. This enhances the citrus juice feel without impairing the natural flavor of the citrus fruit.

When the citrus fruit juice-containing beverage according to the present embodiment contains only one of the mint extract and the rooibos extract, the content rate is 0.01% by mass or more and 0.1% by mass or less based on the total mass of the fruit juice-containing beverage. It is preferably 50 mass% or less, more preferably 0.04 mass% or more and 0.30 mass% or less, and further preferably 0.070 mass% or more and 0.100 mass% or less. In another embodiment, when both the mint extract and the rooibos extract are contained as the herb extract, the total content of both is preferably within the above range.

(Honey)
The citrus juice-containing beverage according to the present embodiment preferably further contains honey. Honey is a natural sweetener that uses honey collected from flowers as a main ingredient and is stored in nests. When the citrus fruit juice-containing beverage according to the present embodiment contains honey, the content rate of honey is preferably 0.1 to 8.0 mass% based on the total mass of the fruit juice-containing beverage, and 0.5 To 6.0 mass% is more preferable, and 1.0 to 5.0 mass% is still more preferable.

In particular, honey, citrus juice, by further containing a citrus juice-containing beverage containing at least one of mint extract and rooibos extract as an herb extract, not only to improve the original juice feeling of citrus fruit, The compatibility between the fruit juice of the citrus fruit juice-containing beverage and the herb extract can be improved.

Further, the inclusion of honey also suppresses the stimulating flavor derived from the herbal extract. As a result, the flavor of the whole beverage containing citrus juice is mellow, and the original juice feeling of citrus fruits can be felt deeper.

(water)
The citrus juice-containing beverage according to the present embodiment usually contains water. The water may be water used for general soft drinks, and may be city water, natural water, or purified water or pure water that has been subjected to ion exchange treatment or membrane treatment. In particular, it is preferable to use natural water. The water used in the beverage containing citrus juice according to the present embodiment may or may not be filled with carbon dioxide. When water containing carbon dioxide is used, a carbonated beverage (fruit juice carbonated beverage) is obtained. Moreover, when using the water which does not enclose carbon dioxide, a non-carbonated drink (fruit juice non-carbonated drink) is obtained.

(container)
In one form, the citrus juice-containing beverage according to the present embodiment is provided in a container-packed form. The container form is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include metal cans (steel cans, aluminum cans, etc.), PET containers, paper containers, bottles, and the like.

(sugar content)
The sugar content (Bx) of the citrus fruit juice-containing beverage according to the present embodiment is preferably 0.2 to 5.0, more preferably 0.5 to 4.5, and 0.86 to 3.96. Is more preferable.

(acidity)
The acidity of the citrus fruit juice-containing beverage according to the present embodiment is preferably 0.001 to 0.20, more preferably 0.003 to 0.10. More preferably, it is 0.069.

(Sugar acid ratio)
The sugar acid ratio is obtained by dividing the sugar content (Bx) value obtained by the above method by the acidity obtained by the above method. The sugar acid ratio of the citrus juice-containing beverage according to the present embodiment is preferably 10.0 to 200.0, more preferably 11.0 to 170.0, and 12.5 to 100.0. More preferably,
By adjusting the sugar acid ratio within this range, the compatibility of the citrus juice and the herb extract of the citrus juice-containing beverage according to the present embodiment is improved.

(PH)
The citrus juice-containing beverage according to the present embodiment preferably has a pH of 3.0 to 6.0, more preferably 3.1 to 4.0, and more preferably 3.3 to 40 at a product temperature of 20°C. More preferably, it is 3.8.

(Production method)
The citrus juice-containing beverage according to the present embodiment can be produced by a conventionally known method except for the part of the present invention. For example, first, citrus juice as fruit juice and at least one of mint extract and rooibos extract as herb extract are added to water suitable for drinking and stirred to prepare a citrus juice-containing beverage. At that time, it is preferable to adjust at least one of the sugar content, the acidity, the sugar acid ratio, and the pH of the citrus juice-containing beverage so as to fall within the above-mentioned range.

Herbal extracts can be obtained, for example, using water as the extraction solvent. In this case, 20-80 times amount (kg) of water is added to the extractor such as a kneader based on the mass of the raw material, the water temperature is set to 50 to 90° C., the herb is added, and the extraction is performed for 1 to 20 minutes. Preferably. The extraction efficiency of the herb extract can be adjusted by the temperature of the solvent, the water addition ratio, the stirring frequency, and the extraction time.

The extract obtained by water extraction is preferably a stainless mesh, saran or flannel, and insoluble components are preferably removed by filtration. In that case, a filter aid may be used in combination, and examples thereof include diatomaceous earth, acidic clay, activated clay, talc, clay, zeolite, and powdered cellulose, but are not limited thereto. Furthermore, impurities may be removed by centrifugation as a means different from filtration, and may be used alone or in combination with filtration.

Further, for example, by filling a column of an appropriate material such as glass or stainless with a plant raw material, hot water at room temperature to 100° C. is flown from the upper or lower portion of the column using a metering pump or the like, and the column is extracted. It is also possible to use the resulting extract. Such column extraction can be performed by connecting a plurality of columns in series, if desired.

In the case of performing extraction with water vapor, a method may be mentioned in which water vapor is aerated through the herb as a raw material and the extract distilled along with the water vapor is condensed with water vapor. For example, methods such as pressurized steam distillation, atmospheric steam distillation, reduced pressure steam distillation, gas-liquid multi-stage AC contact distillation (spinning cone column) and the like can be adopted.

For example, the method using atmospheric pressure steam distillation, by blowing steam from the bottom of a steam distillation pot charged with plant material or its pulverized product, by cooling the distillate steam with a cooler connected to the upper distillation side, An extract can be obtained as a condensate.

According to the citrus fruit juice-containing beverage according to the present embodiment thus obtained, the citrus fruit juice and, by containing at least one of the herb extract, particularly the mint extract or the rooibos extract, the citrus fruit originally The fruit juice feeling is enhanced. Furthermore, by including honey, the compatibility between the fruit juice of the beverage containing citrus fruit juice and the herb extract can be improved. This effect is also obtained when the content of citrus juice is low or when no flavor or food additive is contained.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and can be variously modified in an implementation stage without departing from the scope of the invention. Further, the respective embodiments may be appropriately combined and implemented, in which case the combined effects can be obtained. Further, the above-described embodiment includes various inventions, and various inventions can be extracted by a combination selected from a plurality of disclosed constituent features. For example, even if some constituent elements are deleted from all the constituent elements shown in the embodiment, if the problem can be solved and the effect can be obtained, the structure in which the constituent elements are deleted can be extracted as the invention.

Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present application will be described with reference to examples and comparative examples.

<Test 1>
Natural water (Azumino City, Nagano Prefecture: hardness 21), based on the total mass of the juice-containing beverage, 0.170% by mass of the yuzu fruit juice shown in Table 1 (total of yuzu-cloudy straight fruit juice and yuzu paste) and each extraction The materials were mixed at the ratios shown in Table 1.
Next, 1.800% by mass of honey and 1.200% by mass of concentrated juice of Kamcomu transparent juice (straight juice equivalent value) are mixed, and the pH of each mixed solution (product temperature 20°C), sugar content (Bx), and acidity (Ac). (Product temperature 20° C.) was adjusted.
The obtained juice-containing beverage liquids were sterilized by a UHT sterilizer and filled in 200 ml PET bottles to produce container-containing juice-containing beverages (Examples 1A to 6A). In addition, a container-packed fruit juice-containing beverage for control was produced under the same conditions and method except that the extract was not added to each of the fruit juice-containing beverages (Reference Example A).

[Fruit]
In each of the fruit juice-containing beverages, a yuzu cloudy straight fruit juice (Bx6) and a yuzu paste (manufactured by Hoshino Kagaku Co.) were used as the yuzu fruit juice. Moreover, the camucam transparent concentrated juice (Bx30) was used for adjusting the acidity.

[Extract]
In each fruit juice-containing beverage, as extracts, mint extract GL72509 (manufactured by Ogawa Fragrance Co., Ltd.), rooibos tea extract T-75 (manufactured by Sato Foods Co., Ltd.), guarana extract powder (manufactured by Nippon Powder Chemicals Co., Ltd.), dried tomato extract (Mitsubishi Foods) Tec Co., Ltd.), kelp extract KA (Maruhachi Muramatsu Co., Ltd.), and green tea extract MD (Sato Foods Co., Ltd.) were used. In addition, purified honey (Bx78) was used for adjusting the sugar content.

The pH, sugar content (Bx), and acidity (Ac) of each fruit juice-containing beverage were measured by the following methods.
<pH>
It was measured at a product temperature of 20° C. using a Horiba Mfg. Model F-52/tabletop pH meter.
<sugar content (Bx)>
An optical refractometer (Digital Refractometers, RX5000α-Bev manufactured by Atago Co., Ltd.) was used to measure the temperature at 20°C.
<Acidity (Ac)>
Using an automatic titrator (COM-1750 manufactured by Hiranuma Sangyo Co., Ltd.), it was calculated as citric acid based on a potentiometric titration method using 0.1 mol/L sodium hydroxide standard solution.

For each beverage containing fruit juice, a sensory evaluation was performed on the feeling of fruit juice and the flavor compatibility between the fruit juice and each extract.
[sensory evaluation]
The sensory evaluation was carried out by five trained panelists who specialize in the development of fruit juice-containing beverages. The reference example was used as a control, and the fruit juice sensation of the reference example was preliminarily set as a common recognition among five panelists.

[Evaluation item]
<Fruit feeling>
-1: Compared with the reference example, the feeling of fruit juice was weak and the problem was not solved.
0: Fruit juice feeling equivalent to that of the reference example, and the problem was not solved.
1: Compared with the reference example, the feeling of fruit juice was slightly stronger, solving the problem.
2: Compared with the reference example, the juice feeling is stronger and the problem is solved.
<Flavor compatibility of fruit juice and extract>
0: The flavors of the fruit juice and the extract are not compatible with each other.
1: The flavor of the fruit juice and the flavor of the extract are compatible with each other.
2: The flavor compatibility between the fruit juice and the extract is extremely good.

Here, "fruit juice feeling" means "the strength of the taste of fruit juice" contained in the fruit juice-containing beverage, and "strong fruit juice feeling" means "the taste of fruit juice is strong". In addition, "the compatibility of the flavors of the fruit juice and the extract" means "the good flavor produced by the combination of the fruit juice and the extract", and "the compatibility of the flavors of the fruit juice and the extract is good" means "the fruit juice. And the extract produces a good flavor."

From the results of Test 1, it was confirmed that the citron fruit juice feeling was improved by adding the mint extract or the rooibos extract to the citron fruit juice-containing beverage. In particular, it was confirmed that the mint extract further improves the fruit juice sensation of yuzu. In addition, it was confirmed that the mint extract and rooibos extract have a very good compatibility with the yuzu fruit juice and a good flavor can be obtained.

<Test 2>
For each of the fruit juice-containing beverages of Examples 1A to 6A and Reference Example A using the yuzu fruit juice produced in Test 1, apple juice (0.170 mass% in straight conversion was used instead of the yuzu fruit juice (0.170 mass %)). The fruit juice-containing beverages of Examples 1B to 6B and Reference Example B were produced under the same conditions and methods except that the above) was used.
Similarly, a fruit juice-containing beverage (Examples 1C to 6C and Reference Example C) using pineapple fruit juice (0.170 mass% in straight conversion), a fruit juice containing grape juice (0.170 mass% in straight conversion) Beverages (Examples 1D to 6D and Reference Example D), fruit juice-containing beverages (Examples 1E to 6E and Reference Example E) using peach juice (0.170 mass% in terms of straight line), Ume fruit juice (in terms of straight line) 0.170 mass%) was used to produce fruit juice-containing beverages (Examples 1F to 6F and Reference Example F). As with the fruit juice-containing beverages of Examples 1 to 6A and Reference Example A, the pH (product temperature 20°C), sugar content (Bx), and acidity (Ac) (product temperature 20°C) of each fruit juice-containing beverage were adjusted. ..

[Fruit]
In each fruit juice-containing beverage, apple turbid concentrated juice (Bx45) was used as the apple juice, pineapple turbid concentrated juice (Bx60) was used as the pineapple juice, and red grape concentrated juice (Bx68) was used as the grape juice. As the fruit juice, white peach cloudy concentrated fruit juice (Bx36) was used, and as the fruit juice, ume concentrated fruit juice (Bx29) was used. Moreover, the camucam transparent concentrated juice (Bx30) was used for adjusting the acidity.

[sensory evaluation]
Each of the obtained juice-containing beverages was subjected to a sensory evaluation in the same manner as in Test 1 regarding the feeling of fruit juice and the flavor compatibility between the fruit juice and each extract. The results are shown in Table 2. In Table 2, Examples 1A to 6A and Reference Example A are the same as Examples 1A to 6A and Reference Example A described in Table 1.

From the results of Test 2, it is only in the case of yuzu fruit juice-containing beverage that the fruit juice-containing beverage is mixed with a mint extract or rooibos extract, and only in the case of yuzu fruit juice-containing beverage. Alternatively, it was confirmed that even if the rooibos extract was added, the fruit juice feeling was not improved, and rather the fruit juice feeling was sometimes weakened. It was also confirmed that when the mint extract or rooibos extract was mixed with the fruit juice-containing beverage, the flavor compatibility between the fruit juice and the extract was remarkably improved in the case of the yuzu fruit juice.

From these results, the citron fruit juice feeling is improved by blending the citrus fruit juice-containing beverage with the mint extract or the rooibos extract, the effect that occurs specifically between the citron fruit juice and the mint extract or rooibos extract. I found out.

<Test 3>
To natural water (Azumino City, Nagano Prefecture: hardness 21),
Based on the total mass of the fruit juice-containing beverage, 1.00 mass% of each fruit juice described in Table 3 (straight fruit juice conversion value) and 0.070 mass% of mint extract (GL72509 (Ogawa Fragrance Co., Ltd.)) were mixed.
Next, 1.80% by mass of honey and 1.200% by mass of a concentrated juice of camucum transparent (straight juice equivalent value) were added and mixed according to the contents shown in Table 3, pH, sugar content (Bx), acidity and sugar acid. The ratio was adjusted. The same methods as those described in Test 1 were used for measuring the pH, sugar content (Bx) and acidity (Ac). Each of the obtained juice-containing beverages was sterilized by a UHT sterilizer and filled in a 200 ml PET bottle to produce a juice-containing beverage packed in containers (Examples G, H, I and J). Further, a container-packed fruit juice-containing beverage for control was produced under the same conditions and method as described above except that the mint extract was not added to each of the fruit juice-containing beverages (Reference Examples G, H, I, and J).

[sensory evaluation]
Each of the obtained juice-containing beverages was subjected to a sensory evaluation in the same manner as in Test 1 for the feeling of juice and the compatibility of the flavors of the juice and the extract. The results are shown in Table 3.

From the results of Test 3, it was confirmed that the effect of improving the feeling of fruit juice by the mint extract is not limited to the citron fruit juice and is also exerted on citrus fruit juices other than the citron fruit juice. It was also confirmed that the mint extract has excellent compatibility with citrus juices other than yuzu juice.

<Test 4>
(Test 4-1)
Other than changing the content rate (0.070% by mass) of the mint extract to the content rate shown in Table 4 with respect to the fruit juice-containing beverage of Example 1A using the yuzu juice and the mint extract produced in Test 1. Manufactured the fruit juice-containing beverages of Example 1A-1 to Example 1A-5 under the same conditions and methods.
Each of the obtained juice-containing beverages was subjected to a sensory evaluation in the same manner as in Test 1 for the feeling of juice and the compatibility of the flavors of the juice and the extract. The results are shown in Table 4.

From the results of Test 4-1, when the content of the mint extract is 0.01% by mass or more and 0.50% by mass or less, the content of the mint extract is preferably 0.040% by mass or more and 0.30% by mass. The fruit juice improving effect was confirmed in the following cases. In particular, when the content of the mint extract is 0.07% by mass or more and 0.100% by mass or less, a remarkable fruit juice feeling improving effect was confirmed.

(Test 4-2)
Examples described in Table 5 under the same conditions and methods except that fructose-glucose liquid sugar was used in place of honey for the juice-containing beverage of Example 1A using the citron juice and mint extract produced in Test 1. Fruit juice-containing beverages of 1A-11 and 1A-12 were produced.
Each of the obtained juice-containing beverages was subjected to a sensory evaluation in the same manner as in Test 1 for the feeling of juice and the compatibility of the flavors of the juice and the extract. The results are shown in Table 5.

From the results of Test 4-2, it was confirmed that the addition of honey in addition to the mint extract not only improves the original juice feeling of the citrus fruit, but also improves the compatibility between the juice and the extract. It was

(Test 4-3)
Comparative examples shown in Table 6 under the same conditions and methods except that the mint extract was used in place of the mint extract for the fruit juice-containing beverage of Example 1A using the yuzu juice and the mint extract produced in Test 1. Fruit juice-containing beverages of 1A-21 and 1A-22 were produced.
Each of the obtained juice-containing beverages was subjected to a sensory evaluation in the same manner as in Test 1 for the feeling of juice and the compatibility of the flavors of the juice and the extract. The results are shown in Table 6.

From the results of Test 4-3, it was found that even if the mint flavor was added to the yuzu fruit juice-containing beverage, the fruit juice feeling improving effect obtained when the mint extract was added was not obtained. The mint extract used in Example 1A (GL72509 (manufactured by Ogawa Fragrance Co., Ltd.)) has a very weak fragrance, and its addition amount is small, which contributes to the effect of improving the citrus juice feeling. It is speculated that what is present is not a fragrance component of the mint extract but a taste component (particularly sweetness).

(Test 4-4)
In addition, as a result of adjusting the sugar content, the acidity and the sugar acid ratio by using refined honey and concentrated juice of camu camu to the juice-containing beverage of Example 1A using the yuzu juice and the mint extract produced in Test 1, Is 0.86 to 3.96, the acidity is 0.006 to 0.069, and the sugar acid ratio is in the range of 12.5 to 100.0, so that the same fruit juice feeling improving effect as in Example 1A can be obtained. confirmed.

(Test 4-5)
Carbon dioxide gas was blown into each of the juice-containing beverages of Example 1A, Example 1A-2, Example 1A-3, and Example 1A-4 described in Table 4 so that the gas volume was 2.4, and carbonic acid was added. A fruit juice-containing beverage was obtained. The fruit juice-containing beverages were subjected to a sensory evaluation with respect to fruit juice sensation in the same manner as in Test 1, and as a result, fruit juice sensation similar to Example 1A, Example 1A-2, Example 1A-3, and Example 1A-4. The improvement effect was confirmed.
[Appendix]
The inventions described in the initial claims of the present application will be additionally described below.
[1]
A citrus juice texture improver comprising an herb extract, wherein the herb extract contains at least one of a mint extract and a rooibos extract.
[2]
The citrus juice texture improving agent according to [1], which contains at least the mint extract as the herb extract.
[3]
The citrus juice texture improver according to [1] or [2], wherein the citrus juice texture is yuzu sensation.
[4]
A citrus juice-containing beverage containing citrus juice and an herb extract, wherein the herb extract contains at least one of a mint extract and a rooibos extract.
[5]
The citrus fruit juice-containing beverage according to [4], wherein the citrus fruit juice contains at least one selected from the group consisting of yuzu fruit juice, shikuwasa fruit juice, grapefruit fruit juice, Satsuma mandarin fruit juice, and Hinata summer fruit juice.
[6]
The citrus fruit juice-containing beverage according to [5], which contains at least the yuzu fruit juice as the citrus fruit juice.
[7]
The citrus fruit juice-containing beverage according to any one of [4] to [6], which further contains honey.
[8]
The citrus juice-containing beverage according to any one of [4] to [7], which does not contain a fragrance.
[9]
The citrus juice-containing beverage according to any one of [4] to [8], wherein the content of the citrus juice is less than 10% by mass.
[10]
A container-packed citrus juice-containing beverage in which a container is filled with the citrus juice-containing beverage according to any one of [4] to [9].
[11]
A method for producing a juice-containing beverage,
Selecting at least citrus juice as the juice,
Selecting at least one of a mint extract and a rooibos extract as an herbal extract,
Preparing a mixture containing the citrus juice and at least one of the mint extract and the rooibos extract
A method for producing a fruit juice-containing beverage containing:
[12]
The method for producing a fruit juice-containing beverage according to [11], wherein the mint extract and the rooibos extract are an extract obtained by contacting a solvent with mint or rooibos as a raw material plant, or a concentrated solution of the extract.
[13]
A method for enhancing the juice feeling of a juice-containing beverage,
Selecting at least citrus juice as the juice,
Selecting at least one of a mint extract and a rooibos extract as an herbal extract,
Preparing a mixture containing the citrus juice and at least one of the mint extract and the rooibos extract
A method for enhancing the feeling of fruit juice in a fruit juice-containing beverage containing.
[14]
The mint extract and rooibos extract are the extract obtained by contacting a solvent with mint or rooibos as a raw material plant, or a concentrated solution of the extract [13] to obtain the juice feeling of the juice-containing beverage. How to strengthen.

Claims (4)

A method for enhancing the juice feeling of a juice-containing beverage,
Selecting at least citrus juice as the juice,
Selecting at least one of a mint extract and a rooibos extract as an herbal extract,
A method for enhancing the feeling of fruit juice in a fruit juice-containing beverage, which comprises preparing a mixture containing the citrus fruit juice, at least one of the mint extract and the rooibos extract, and honey. The fruit juice feeling of the fruit juice-containing beverage according to claim 1 , wherein the mint extract and the rooibos extract are an extract obtained by contacting mint or rooibos as a raw material plant with a solvent, or a concentrated solution of the extract. How to strengthen. Selecting the mint extract as the herbal extract, process enhancements juice feeling juice-containing beverage according to claim 1 or 2. The fruit juice-containing beverage is free of perfume and said citrus juice content is less than 10%, A method of reinforcing a juice sense of juice-containing beverage according to any one of claims 1-3.