JP7078593B2 - Beverages, Beverage Manufacturing Methods and Methods for Improving the Bitterness of Beverages Containing Indigestible Glucan - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a beverage, a method for producing a beverage, and a method for improving the bitter taste of a beverage containing resistant glucan.

Beverages may contain dietary fiber for the purpose of nutritional supplementation, body feeling, and the like. Examples of dietary fiber used for such purposes include natural dietary fiber extracted from plants, indigestible dextrin, and the like. Indigestible dextrin is preferred over natural dietary fiber extracted from plants in terms of colorability, viscosity and the like.

In addition, indigestible glucan is known as a dietary fiber. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a sugar condensate composition (indigestible glucan) prepared by condensing one or more kinds of sugars or derivatives thereof in the presence of activated carbon. Such indigestible glucan can be prepared at a lower cost than indigestible dextrin, and is also excellent in adding taste thickness and the like, and therefore may be used as a substitute for indigestible dextrin.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2013-076044

However, the present inventors have revealed that when indigestible glucan is added to a beverage, a residual bitter taste is produced. If the beverage has a bitter taste, the flavor of the beverage itself changes, which is not preferable.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides a beverage having an improved bitterness produced when a beverage containing indigestible glucan, a method for producing the beverage, and a method for improving the bitterness. The purpose is.

The present invention provides a beverage containing indigestible glucan and minerals. By containing minerals in the beverage of the present invention, the bitter taste produced when the indigestible glucan is added to the beverage can be improved, and the complex taste of the beverage can be increased.

The content of the mineral may be 5 to 1000 ppm with respect to the whole beverage. When the mineral content is in that range, the complex taste of the beverage becomes even better.

The mineral may be calcium ion or sodium ion.

The content of the indigestible glucan may be 0.1 to 7% by mass per 100% by mass of the beverage. When the indigestible glucan is in the range, the mineral can sufficiently improve the bitter taste produced when the indigestible glucan is added to the beverage.

The beverage may have an alcohol content of 3 to 6%. When the alcohol content is in the range, the bitter taste produced when the indigestible glucan is added to the beverage can be improved, and the complex taste of the beverage can be further increased.

The beverage may be a beer-taste beverage.

The present invention also provides a method for producing a beverage, which comprises a blending step of blending indigestible glucan and minerals.

The present invention also provides a method for improving the bitter taste of a beverage containing indigestible glucan, which comprises blending the indigestible glucan with a mineral into the beverage.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a beverage having an improved bitterness produced when indigestible glucan is added to the beverage, a method for producing the beverage, and a method for improving the bitterness.

Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention (hereinafter referred to as “the present embodiment”) will be described in detail. The present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.

(Beverage)
The beverage of the present embodiment contains indigestible glucan and minerals.

As used herein, the term "indigestible glucan" means an indigestible sugar obtained by heating and polymerizing a sugar using activated carbon as a catalyst with a starch decomposition product as a main raw material. The "indigestible glucan" thus obtained is presumed to have a molecular structure consisting mainly of α-1,6 bonds and a mixture of α bonds and β bonds. The term "indigestible glucan" as used herein also includes those obtained by the above method. At this time, the raw material may contain monosaccharides other than glucose or oligosaccharides containing these monosaccharides. Examples of such indigestible glucan include Fit Fiber # 80 (registered trademark, manufactured by Nihon Shokuhin Kako Co., Ltd.) and the like.

The content of the resistant glucan may be 0.1 to 10% by mass, 0.1 to 7% by mass, or 0.1 to 5% by mass per 100% by mass of the beverage. It may be 0.5 to 3% by mass, or 1.0 to 2% by mass. The content of the resistant glucan may be 0.1% by mass or more, 0.5% by mass or more, or 1.0% by mass or more per 100% by mass of the beverage. You may. The content of the resistant glucan may be 10% by mass or less, 7% by mass or less, 5% by mass or less, or 3% by mass or less per 100% by mass of the beverage. It may be 2% by mass or less. When the content of the indigestible glucan is within the above range, the mineral can sufficiently improve the bitter taste of the beverage. As used herein, the term "bitterness" refers to the bitterness (convergent taste) that remains after drinking a beverage. The content of indigestible glucan can be measured based on the method described in "Points of component analysis for nutrition labeling (issued on October 20, 2007)", pp. 76-78 of the Japan Food Research Laboratories. can.

Examples of minerals include calcium ion, sodium ion, potassium ion, magnesium ion and the like. When the beverage of the present embodiment contains minerals, the bitter taste generated when the indigestible glucan is added to the beverage can be improved, and the complex taste of the beverage is increased. The mineral may be a calcium ion or a sodium ion, or may be a calcium ion, in that the complex taste of the beverage is further enhanced. One type of mineral may be used alone, or two or more types may be used in combination. These salts may be used to contain minerals in the beverage, and examples thereof include calcium chloride, sodium chloride, potassium chloride, magnesium chloride, calcium sulfate, magnesium sulfate, sodium sulfate, and sodium nitrate. As used herein, the term "complex taste" refers to a taste that is synergistically produced by overlapping various tastes.

The mineral content may be 5 to 1000 ppm, 10 to 500 ppm, 10 to 300 ppm, 10 to 100 ppm, 20 to 100 ppm with respect to the whole beverage. It may be 60 ppm. The mineral content may be 5 ppm or more, 10 ppm or more, or 20 ppm or more with respect to the entire beverage. The mineral content may be 1000 ppm or less, 500 ppm or less, 300 ppm or less, 100 ppm or less, or 60 ppm or less with respect to the entire beverage. May be good. The above content can be paraphrased in terms of mass%. For example, when the content of mineral is 5 to 1000 ppm with respect to the whole beverage, it is 0.0005% by mass to 0.1% by mass per 100% by mass of the beverage. When the mineral content is within the above range, the bitterness of the beverage can be improved and the complex taste of the beverage can be further improved.

The beverage of the present embodiment may contain distilled alcohol. Examples of distilled alcohol include various spirits such as shochu, brandy, vodka, and whiskey, and alcohol for raw materials. One type of distilled alcohol may be used alone, or two or more types may be used in combination. As used herein, the term "spirits" refers to spirits that are spirits, and may differ from spirits under the Liquor Tax Law.

The content of distilled alcohol may be 60% or less in alcohol content (volume / volume%) or 10% or less. Specifically, the alcohol content may be 1 to 10% or 3 to 6%. When the alcohol content is within the above range, the bitterness of the beverage can be improved and the complex taste of the beverage can be further improved. The beverage of the present embodiment may be a non-alcoholic beverage. As used herein, the term "non-alcoholic beverage" refers to a beverage having an alcohol content of less than 1%, and includes a beverage having an alcohol content of 0.00%.

In the beverage of the present embodiment, colorants, sweeteners, high-sweetness sweeteners, antioxidants, flavors, bitterness agents, salts, acidulants, which are usually blended as beverages, as long as the desired effects of the present invention are not impaired. Etc. (hereinafter, these may be simply referred to as additives) and the like (hereinafter, these may be simply referred to as additives) can also be blended. As the colorant, for example, caramel color, gardenia color, fruit juice color, vegetable color, and synthetic color can be used. As the sweetener, for example, fructose-glucose liquid sugar, glucose, galactose, mannose, fructose, lactose, sucrose, maltose, glycogen, and starch can be used. As the high-sweetness sweetener, for example, acesulfame K, sucralose, and aspartame can be used. As the antioxidant, for example, vitamin C, vitamin E, and polyphenol can be used. Further, as the bitterness agent, for example, iso-alpha acid, low hop, hexahop, and tetrahop can be used. As the salts, for example, salts other than the above minerals can be used.

Examples of the acidulant include phosphoric acid, lactic acid, DL-apple acid, citric acid, adipic acid, trisodium citrate, gluconodeltalactone, gluconic acid, potassium gluconate, sodium gluconate, succinic acid and monosuccinic acid. Examples thereof include sodium, disodium succinate, sodium acetate, DL-tartrate acid, L-tartrate acid, DL-sodium tartrate acid, sodium L-tartrate acid, sodium lactate, glacial acetic acid, fumaric acid, monosodium fumarate, DL-sodium malate. .. The acidulant may be at least one selected from the group consisting of phosphoric acid, lactic acid, malic acid and citric acid. In addition, the acidulant may be lactic acid or malic acid from the viewpoint of further improving the smoothness of the beverage. As the acidulant, one kind may be used alone, or two or more kinds may be used in combination. In the present specification, the "smooth feeling" refers to the overall feeling of the tongue and the throat when drinking a beverage.

Although each of these acidulants has a characteristic of acidity, it is said that the acidity can be converted into each other. To give an example, for example, when the acidity of citric acid is 100, the acidity of lactic acid is 120, the acidity of malic acid is 125, the acidity of tartaric acid is 130, and the acidity of fumaric acid is 180. The acidity of succinic acid is 115, the acidity of acetic acid is 100, and the acidity of phosphoric acid is 200. As used herein, the term "acidity" refers to a value indicating the concentration (mass / volume%) of the acid contained in the beverage.

The content of the acidulant may be 10 to 4000 ppm, 24 to 3600 ppm, 24 to 2400 ppm, 60 to 1200 ppm, or 120 to 1200 ppm in terms of acidity. It may be 240 to 800 ppm, or 360 to 800 ppm. Further, the content of the acidulant may be 10 ppm or more, 24 ppm or more, 60 ppm or more, 120 ppm or more, or 240 ppm or more in terms of acidulantness. It may be 360 ppm or more. The acidulant content may be 4000 ppm or less, 3600 ppm or less, 2400 ppm or less, 1200 ppm or less, or 800 ppm or less in terms of acidulantness. good. When the beverage contains two or more kinds of acidulants, the acidulant degree is calculated for each acidulant, and the total sum thereof may be within the above range. When the content of the acidulant is within the above range, the bitterness of the beverage can be further improved, and the smoothness of the beverage can be further improved.

The acidulant content can be measured by the following method. When an organic acid is used as the acidulant, it can be measured by HPLC (high performance liquid chromatography) using, for example, Shodex RSpak KC-811 as an analytical column. When an inorganic acid is used as the acidulant, it can be measured by, for example, anion analysis by ion chromatography.

In the beverage of the present embodiment, various fruit juices such as lemon and plum and various fruit juice flavors can be blended as long as the desired effect of the present invention is not impaired. Various fruit juices may be blended in conventionally known forms such as straight fruit juice, concentrated fruit juice, concentrated reduced fruit juice, and fruit juice extract.

In the beverage of the present embodiment, wort may be blended to obtain a beer-taste beverage as long as the desired effect of the present invention is not impaired. Wort may be prepared by mixing various malts or various malt extracts with water. In addition, as raw materials other than malt, barley and / or wheat and the like (for example, one or more selected from the group consisting of barley, wheat, beans, rice, potatoes, corn and other grains) may be used. can. As used herein, the term "beer-taste beverage" is also referred to as a beer-like (wind) beverage, and refers to a beverage that has a beer-like taste, that is, a beverage that gives the drinker the sensation of drinking beer. Beer-taste beverages include those having an alcohol content of less than 1% (including those having an alcohol content of 0.00%) and those having an alcohol content of 1% or more.

The beverage of the present embodiment may be non-effervescent or effervescent. Here, the non-foaming property in the present embodiment means that the gas pressure at 20 ° C. is less than 0.049 MPa (0.5 kg / cm ² ), and the foaming property means that the gas pressure at 20 ° C. is 0. It means that it is 049 MPa (0.5 kg / cm ² ) or more. In the case of foamability, the upper limit of the gas pressure may be about 0.235 MPa (2.4 kg / cm ² ). If the gas pressure is higher than this, the stimulation of carbonic acid tends to be too strong.

The beverage of the present embodiment is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include soft drinks containing carbonated beverages, beverages containing fruit or vegetable juice, alcoholic beverages, and non-alcoholic beverages.

The alcoholic beverage may be one obtained by adding distilled alcohol to the beverage of the present embodiment, or may be one containing alcohol through a fermentation step.

The beverage of the present embodiment can be provided in a container. The container may be a so-called can container or barrel container made of metal (aluminum, steel, etc.) as long as it can be sealed. Further, the container may be a glass container, a PET bottle container, a paper container, a pouch container or the like. The capacity of the container is not particularly limited, and anything currently in circulation can be applied. A metal container may be used because it completely blocks gas, moisture and light rays and can maintain stable quality at room temperature for a long period of time.

Since the beverage of the present embodiment contains indigestible glucan and minerals, the bitter taste produced when the indigestible glucan is added to the beverage is improved. Therefore, the beverage of the present embodiment has no bitter taste and has a thick taste.

(Beverage manufacturing method)
The method for producing a beverage of the present embodiment includes a blending step of blending indigestible glucan and minerals. The amounts of the indigestible glucan and the mineral to be blended in the blending step can be appropriately set, and may be blended so as to be within the above-mentioned range, for example.

The blending step may be performed at any stage during the manufacturing process of the beverage. For example, it can be blended in a mixing tank for mixing the raw materials of a beverage. A predetermined amount of water, distilled alcohol, various additives and the like can be added to the mixing tank at any time before, at the same time as or after the addition of the indigestible glucan and the mineral. The presence / absence and amount of these blends can be appropriately set.

Hereinafter, an example of a method for producing a beverage will be described. The manufacturing method is a blending step of blending indigestible glucan and minerals in an appropriate amount in a mixing tank containing water, distilled alcohol, various additives, fruit juice, etc., and each component is mixed in the blending step. The filtration step of filtering the mixed solution, the first sterilization step of sterilizing the filtered solution in the filtration step, and the sterilized filtrate sterilized in the first sterilization step are put into containers such as bottles, cans, and PET bottles. It includes a filling step of filling and a second sterilization step of sterilizing the filtrate filled in the container together with the container in the filling step.

In the blending step, the components may be mixed while stirring with a stirrer or the like so that the components are well mixed. Further, the filtration step can be performed by a general filter or strainer. The first sterilization step may be performed by plate sterilization from the viewpoint of treatment speed and the like, and is applicable without limitation as long as the same treatment can be performed. The filling step may be performed in a clean room where the degree of cleanliness is maintained to the extent normally performed in the production of beverages. The second sterilization step can be performed by heating the filtrate together with the container at a predetermined temperature and a predetermined time. It is also possible to perform non-sterilization filling without performing the first sterilization step and the second sterilization step. In the case of an effervescent beverage, for example, carbonation may be performed between the first sterilization step and the filling step.

(How to improve the bitter taste of beverages containing indigestible glucan)
The method of the present embodiment is a method for improving the bitter taste of a beverage containing indigestible glucan, and comprises blending the indigestible glucan and minerals into the beverage. The method of the present embodiment is a method for improving the bitter taste of a beverage containing indigestible glucan, and can also be regarded as a method including preparing a beverage containing indigestible glucan and minerals. ..

In the method of the present embodiment, the order in which the indigestible glucan and the mineral are added to the beverage can be appropriately set, and the other component may be added after the indigestible glucan or the mineral is added. , Indigestible glucan and minerals may be blended at the same time.

According to the method of the present embodiment, by blending the indigestible glucan and the mineral into the beverage, it is possible to improve the bitter taste generated when the indigestible glucan is added to the beverage. Therefore, the beverage prepared by using the method of the present embodiment has no bitter taste and has a thick taste.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited to these examples.

In the following examples, the evaluation of bitterness and bitterness was evaluated on a 5-point scale by a panel of four skilled people. The evaluation result shows the average value of the evaluation by each panel.
The bitterness refers to the bitterness (convergent taste) that remains after drinking a beverage. In the evaluation of bitterness, 1 was the least bitter, and 5 was the most bitter.
Complex taste refers to a taste that is synergistically produced by overlapping various tastes. In the evaluation of the complex taste, 1 was the least complex taste, and 5 was the most complex taste.

[Example 1: Evaluation of bitterness and complex taste by blending minerals]
Indigestible glucan (Fit Fiber # 80, manufactured by Nippon Shokuhin Kako Co., Ltd.) was added to carbonated water in an amount of 1.5% by mass, and calcium chloride was added so as to have the calcium ion concentration shown in Table 1. 3 was prepared.
Beverage samples 4 to 9 were prepared by blending indigestible glucan at 1.5% by mass, lactic acid at 200 ppm in acidity, and calcium chloride at the calcium ion concentration shown in Table 2 with carbonated water. ..
Tables 1 and 2 show the results of evaluating the bitterness and bitterness of these beverage samples.

From Table 1, the beverage samples 2 and 3 containing minerals had improved bitterness of the beverage as compared with the beverage sample 1 containing no calcium ion as a mineral. Beverage samples 2 and 3 have also been shown to increase complex taste. It was also shown that even in the beverage samples 4 to 9 containing lactic acid, the inclusion of minerals can improve the bitter taste and increase the complex taste as in the beverage samples 2 and 3. When a beverage sample containing indigestible dextrin instead of indigestible glucan was prepared, the bitter taste was not felt so much. Further, even if calcium chloride was added to the beverage sample containing indigestible dextrin so that the calcium ion concentration was 50 ppm, there was almost no increase in the complex taste. Therefore, the increase in complex taste in the beverage sample was speculated to be a synergistic effect of indigestible glucan and minerals.

[Example 2: Evaluation of bitterness and complex taste by blending alcohol]
Indigestible glucan was blended with 1.5% by mass and distilled alcohol with an alcohol content of 3% or 6% to prepare effervescent beverages with a malt usage ratio of 25% or less, and beverage samples 10 and 11 were prepared. And said. Table 3 shows the results of evaluating the bitterness and the complex taste of these beverage samples.

From Table 3, it was shown that the beverage samples 10 and 11 containing alcohol were more effective in improving the bitterness and increasing the complex taste than the alcohol-free beverage samples 2.

[Example 3: Examination of minerals]
Beverage sample 12 was prepared by blending indigestible glucan at 1.5% by mass, lactic acid at an acidity of 200 ppm, and sodium chloride at a sodium ion concentration of 50 ppm with respect to carbonated water. Table 4 shows the results of evaluating the bitterness and the complex taste of this beverage sample.

From Table 4, it was shown that even if sodium ion was added as a mineral, the effect of improving the bitter taste and the effect of increasing the complex taste could be obtained. In addition, a comparison of beverage samples 7 and 12 showed that the complex taste of the beverage was further increased when calcium ions were added.

Claims (7)

It is a method to improve the bitter taste of beverages containing indigestible glucan.
Beverages include refractory glucan, minerals, and lactic acid.
The mineral is calcium ion, sodium ion, potassium ion, or magnesium ion, and is blended so as to be 5 to 1000 ppm with respect to the whole beverage.
A method in which the lactic acid is blended so as to have an acidity of 120 to 800 ppm. The method according to claim 1, wherein the lactic acid is blended so as to have an acidity of 120 to 200 ppm. The method according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the mineral is calcium ion or sodium ion. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the indigestible glucan is blended in an amount of 0.1 to 7% by mass per 100% by mass of the beverage. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the beverage has an alcohol content of 3 to 6%. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein the beverage is a beer-taste beverage. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , which is a method for improving the bitterness of a beverage containing indigestible glucan and increasing the complex taste.