WO2019151002A1

WO2019151002A1 - Beverage and method for imparting milk flavor to beverage

Info

Publication number: WO2019151002A1
Application number: PCT/JP2019/001577
Authority: WO
Inventors: 彰宏阿部
Original assignee: アサヒ飲料株式会社; アサヒグループホールディングス株式会社
Priority date: 2018-01-31
Filing date: 2019-01-21
Publication date: 2019-08-08

Abstract

Provided is a beverage comprising whey minerals and one or more acids (specific acids) selected from the group consisting of phosphoric acid, tartaric acid, lactic acid, and gluconic acid, wherein the pH is less than 4.6. Here, the specific acid is preferably lactic acid or gluconic acid, and is more preferably gluconic acid. The beverage also preferably further comprises a plant extract. The mass ratio of the content of whey minerals in the beverage is preferably 0.5 to 10 relative to the content of the specific acid in the beverage. The absorbance of the beverage at a wavelength of 650 nm is preferably no more than 0.06.

Description

Beverage and method for imparting milk flavor to beverage

The present invention relates to a beverage and a method for imparting a milk flavor to a beverage.

In the field of beverages, various studies have been made on milk-flavored beverages.
For example, Patent Document 1 describes a milk flavored beverage characterized by containing whey minerals and sweeteners, and substantially free of proteins and fats and oils.
Patent Document 2 discloses a milk flavored beverage containing milk, milk protein stabilizer and water, having a non-fat milk solid content of 0.15 to 0.4% by mass and a pH of 4.0 or less. Have been described.

JP 2010-227095 A International Publication No. 2015/111357

As described above, various studies have been made on milk-flavored beverages.
However, these conventional milk flavor drinks have room for improvement in the following points.

The milk flavor drink specifically described in Patent Document 1 does not contain an acid, and the pH is considered to be near neutral.
A beverage having a pH near neutral needs to be sufficiently sterilized (heated) for sale in the market. Therefore, it can be considered that an appropriate acid is added to lower the pH and relax the sterilization conditions.
However, according to the study of the present inventor, a certain amount of acid, for example, citric acid, which is the most typical acid in the beverage field, was added to the milk flavored drink specifically described in Patent Document 1 to lower the pH. In this case, there is a problem that the milk flavor is lowered.

The milk flavored beverage described in Patent Document 2 is cloudy because it contains a certain amount of milk protein. However, in recent years, there is a strong need for beverages called “flavored water” and the like that have a high transparency and have a flavor and flavor. Therefore, there was room for improvement in terms of transparency.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances. That is, an object of the present invention is to provide a beverage having a good milk flavor and high transparency even at a low pH.

As a result of various studies, the present inventor has found that combining whey minerals and a specific acid is important for achieving the above-described purpose. Based on this knowledge, the present invention has been completed.

According to the present invention,
Whey minerals,
Including one or more acids selected from the group consisting of phosphoric acid, tartaric acid, lactic acid and gluconic acid,
A beverage having a pH of less than 4.6 is provided.

Moreover, according to the present invention,
A method for imparting a milk flavor to a beverage, wherein the beverage is obtained by adding at least one whey mineral and one or more acids selected from the group consisting of phosphoric acid, tartaric acid, lactic acid and gluconic acid to the beverage. Is provided.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a beverage having a good milk flavor and high transparency even at a low pH.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail.
In the present specification, the notation “a to b” in the description of numerical ranges represents a to b inclusive unless otherwise specified. For example, “1-5 mass%” means “1 mass% or more and 5 mass% or less”.

<Beverage>
The beverage of this embodiment contains whey minerals and one or more acids selected from the group consisting of phosphoric acid, tartaric acid, lactic acid and gluconic acid, and has a pH of less than 4.6.
In the following, “one or more acids selected from the group consisting of phosphoric acid, tartaric acid, lactic acid, and gluconic acid” are also referred to as “specific acids”.

In this drink, transparency can be increased by using whey minerals in order to give a milk flavor.
Further, according to the knowledge of the present inventor, the acidity of the specific acid is less likely to disturb the milky taste due to whey minerals than the acidity of other acids used in the beverage field such as citric acid, And / or it is estimated that it is easy to match the milk flavor, and as a result, the drinker can feel a good milk flavor even at a low pH.
The surprising property that “a good milk flavor is felt despite being transparent and low pH” is unique to the beverage of the present embodiment.

The components contained in the beverage according to the present embodiment and the properties of the beverage according to the present embodiment will be described more specifically below.

[Whey mineral]
The beverage of this embodiment contains whey minerals. Whey minerals are known in the food and beverage industry as one of the food additives. Whey minerals are sometimes called whey minerals or whey salts.

Whey minerals are generally produced by removing protein and lactose as much as possible from milk or whey. For this reason, generally, milk ash (mineral) is contained at a high concentration, and the proportion of ash in the solid is extremely high. And the mineral composition becomes a ratio close | similar to the mineral composition in the milk or whey used as a raw material.
The ash content in the solid content of the whey mineral is, for example, 30% by mass or more, and specifically 50% by mass or more. A higher ash content is preferred.

As a specific method for producing whey minerals, whey minerals can be obtained by using milk or whey as a raw material to remove proteins and lactose by membrane separation and / or ion exchange, cooling, and the like.
In the above production method, when whey is used as a raw material, the whey is not particularly limited, whey obtained as a by-product when producing cheese using milk, whey obtained as a by-product during casein production, Examples thereof include whey obtained by ultrafiltration of milk.
In the above production method, examples of the membrane separation method include microfiltration membrane separation, ultrafiltration membrane separation, nanofiltration membrane separation, reverse osmosis membrane separation, and dialysis membrane separation.
In the above production method, examples of the ion exchange method include electrodialysis membrane separation using a cation exchange membrane method and an anion exchange membrane method, and a method using an ion exchange resin.

The whey mineral obtained by the above production method may remain in a liquid state, but may be concentrated and / or dried in terms of storage and handling. Examples of the concentration method include a vacuum concentration method using an evaporator. Further, as a drying method, a generally used method such as spray drying or freeze drying can be appropriately selected.

As the whey mineral, for example, a commercial product of ADEKA (trade name: Milku Mineral L10, P10, etc.) may be used.

The concentration (addition amount) of the whey mineral in the beverage is not particularly limited, but the amount of the solid content (component other than water) of the whey mineral is usually 0.1 to 2 g / L, preferably 0.1 to The amount is 1.5 g / L, more preferably 0.1 to 1 g / L, and still more preferably 0.2 to 0.8 g / L. By setting this amount, an appropriate milk flavor can be obtained.

Here, since the whey mineral generally contains milk ash (mineral) at a high concentration as described above, the concentration of potassium (K ⁺ ) that is particularly abundant as ash is set to the concentration of whey mineral. Can be used as an estimation index.

Specifically, the potassium concentration in the beverage is typically 1.5 mg / 100 mL or more, preferably 2.0 mg / 100 mL or more, more preferably 2.5 to 55 mg / 100 mL, The dose is preferably 2.6 to 45 mg / 100 mL, particularly preferably 2.6 to 30 mg / 100 mL, and most preferably 5 to 25 mg / 100 mL.

In addition, the potassium concentration here is a density | concentration of the total potassium contained not only in the potassium derived from a whey mineral but in a drink.
The potassium concentration in the beverage can be determined, for example, by analysis by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Or it can also obtain | require by calculation from the potassium concentration in the raw material of a drink, and the usage-amount of a raw material.

[Specific acid]
The beverage of this embodiment includes one or more acids (specific acids) selected from the group consisting of phosphoric acid, tartaric acid, lactic acid and gluconic acid. As described above, the sourness of these acids makes it difficult to disturb the milky taste of whey minerals and / or easily matches the milky taste, and as a result, a good milky taste can be obtained even at low pH. it is conceivable that.

For example, since phosphoric acid has a weak aftertaste and does not interfere with the aftertaste (kokumi) of whey minerals, it is considered that phosphoric acid does not interfere with the milk flavor. Moreover, since tartaric acid has a weak persistent acidity like citric acid, it does not interfere with the aftertaste (kokumi) due to whey minerals and is considered to have good compatibility with milk flavor.

As the specific acid, lactic acid or gluconic acid is preferable, and gluconic acid is particularly preferable. As a knowledge of the present inventors, when lactic acid or gluconic acid is used, surprisingly, the milk flavor can be “enhanced” more than when no specific acid is used. This is also shown in the examples described later.

The reason why the milk flavor can be “enhanced” can be explained as follows although it is speculated.
Lactic acid may be contained in raw milk in a small amount, and is compatible with whey minerals. Therefore, it is presumed that it is easy to feel that the human taste is closer to the milk flavor.
Gluconic acid also has a complex taste. This complex taste expresses the “richness” of milk, and as a result, it is presumed that the milk flavor is enhanced.

The beverage of this embodiment may contain only one type of specific acid or may contain two or more types of specific acid. When two or more kinds of specific acids are included, the combination of the specific acids is not particularly limited. For example, it is preferable to use a combination of gluconic acid and lactic acid. It is considered that this combined use can further enhance the milk flavor.

The content of the specific acid in the beverage is not particularly limited, but is usually 0.01 to 2 g / L, preferably 0.05 to 1 g / L, more preferably 0.07 to 0.5 g / L, and still more preferably 0.08 to 0.3 g / L. By adjusting the amount of the specific acid, it is considered that the milk flavor can be further enhanced while the pH of the beverage is less than 4.6.

[Quantity ratio between whey mineral and specified acid]
In the beverage of the present embodiment, the milk flavor can be further enhanced by adjusting the quantitative ratio between the whey mineral and the specific acid. In addition, further improvement in ease of drinking can be expected.
Specifically, the mass ratio of the whey mineral content in the beverage to the specific acid content in the beverage (that is, the whey mineral content (mass) in the beverage / specific acid content ( The value of (mass) is, for example, 0.3 to 10, preferably 0.5 to 10, more preferably 0.5 to 8, and still more preferably 1.5 to 6.5. In particular, from the viewpoint of improving ease of drinking, it is preferably 0.5 to 4, and more preferably 0.5 to 1.5. Here, “content of whey mineral” means the amount of solid content (components other than moisture) of whey mineral.

[Plant extract]
It is preferable that the drink of this embodiment contains a plant extract as one aspect | mode. By including a plant extract in the beverage, it is possible to relieve the after-effect of sweetness, which is effective in improving the dryness.

“Plant extract” is obtained by immersing plant raw materials in water or an organic solvent such as alcohol (typically ethanol) or a mixed solvent such as water and ethanol to extract components and distilling off the solvent. It is.
Although it does not specifically limit as a plant raw material of a plant extract, Teas, coffee, cocoa, seeds, vegetables, a fruit, an herb, a spice, a seaweed etc. can be mentioned.
In the beverage of this embodiment, it is preferable to use a plant extract made from tea, coffee, or herb as a plant material from the viewpoint of compatibility with milk flavor. That is, the beverage of this embodiment preferably contains one or more plant extracts selected from the group consisting of tea extracts, coffee extracts, and herbal extracts.

Examples of tea extracts include green tea extract, black tea extract, oolong tea extract, hoji tea extract, pu-erh tea extract, mate tea extract, gymnema tea extract, dokudami tea extract, and other tea extracts that are generally regarded as favorite beverages. it can.
The coffee extract may be an extract made from raw beans, or an extract made from roasted beans.
Examples of herbal extracts include thyme extract, sage extract, rosemary extract, oregano extract, basil extract, mint extract and the like.

When the beverage contains a plant extract, the content is not particularly limited, but is usually 0.01 to 1 g / L, preferably 0.03 to 0.5 g / L, more preferably 0.05 to 0.2 g / L. It is. By setting it as this amount, it is possible to achieve both a good milk flavor and dryness at a high level.

[sweetener]
The beverage of this embodiment preferably contains a sweetener for improving palatability.
Known sweeteners can be used. For example, sugars such as sucrose (sugar), glucose, granulated sugar, fructose, lactose, maltose, fructose, glucose liquid sugar, etc., low sweetness sweeteners such as xylitol and D-sorbitol, thaumatin, stevia extract, glycyrrhizin diacid Examples include high-intensity sweeteners such as sodium, acesulfame potassium, sucralose, aspartame, saccharin, neotame, and saccharin sodium. Among these, saccharides are preferable from the viewpoint of natural milk flavor, and sucrose (sugar) or fructose is more preferable. Moreover, only 1 type may be used for a sweetener and it may use 2 or more types together.

When the beverage contains a sweetener, the content of the sweetener in the beverage is not particularly limited, but in the case of sugar, it is usually 10 to 200 g / L, preferably 20 to 100 g / L, more preferably 30 to 80 g / L. is there. It can be considered that a good palatability improvement effect can be obtained by setting this amount.

[PH adjuster]
It is preferable that the beverage of this embodiment contains a pH adjuster. By including a pH adjusting agent, it is possible to obtain merits such as easy pH fine adjustment, and suppression of pH fluctuation during production or distribution of beverages.

Specific examples of the pH adjuster include organic acid salts. More specifically, a sodium salt of carboxylic acid, a potassium salt of carboxylic acid, and the like can be given.
In terms of suppressing the influence on taste as much as possible, when the organic acid that is the base of the organic acid salt is a polybasic acid, it is preferable that all carboxyl groups are neutralized.

In particular, in the beverage according to the present embodiment, it is preferable to include the above-mentioned salt of a specific acid (such as sodium salt or potassium salt) as a pH adjuster. By using such a pH adjuster, a good buffering action can be obtained, and it is considered that the influence on taste due to the addition of the pH adjuster is easily reduced. On the other hand, trisodium citrate can also be preferably used as a pH adjuster.

[Fragrance]
The beverage of this embodiment may contain a fragrance for adjusting the milk flavor and other purposes. The fragrance | flavor which a drink can contain is not specifically limited, A well-known fragrance | flavor can be used suitably. For example, it is considered that a milk flavor can be further enhanced by using a milk flavor. Examples of milk flavoring fragrances include fragrances containing aroma components characteristic of milk components such as lactones and short chain fatty acids.

[Other ingredients]
The beverage of this embodiment may contain various components other than those described above. For example, the taste may be adjusted with salt. Further, it may contain fruit juice, various nutritional components, coloring agents, diluents, antioxidants, thickening stabilizers and the like.
However, from the viewpoint of transparency, it is preferable that the beverage contains substantially no colorant or a small amount (for example, 0.01 g / L or less).

[PH]
The pH of the beverage of this embodiment is less than 4.6. The pH is preferably 3.6 to 4.5, more preferably 3.7 to 4.2.
When the pH is less than 4.6, sterilization conditions can be relaxed. Particularly in Japan, it is necessary to tighten the sterilization conditions of beverages when the pH of the beverage is 4.6 or more according to the law. Therefore, the pH is preferably less than 4.6 from the viewpoint of production cost, flavor maintenance, browning suppression, and the like. Moreover, since pH is 3.7 or more, a sour taste does not stand out too much and a milk flavor can be improved further.
The pH can be measured by using a commercially available pH meter.
The pH can be adjusted, for example, by changing the amount of the specific acid or using a pH adjuster.

[Acidity (citric acidity)]
The acidity of the beverage of this embodiment (the amount of acid contained in the beverage) is not particularly limited, but the milk flavor can be further enhanced by adjusting the acidity to an appropriate acidity.
Specifically, in the value converted as the equivalent amount of citric acid (this value is also referred to as “citric acid degree” in this specification), the upper limit is preferably 0.04% or less, more preferably 0. It is less than 03%, more preferably 0.025% or less, and particularly preferably 0.02% or less. There is no particular lower limit (typically a value greater than 0%).

Here, in this specification, the citric acidity is specifically determined by titration using the following procedure using a phenolphthalein indicator and sodium hydroxide.
(1) Weigh accurately 5 to 15 g of beverage in a 200 mL Erlenmeyer flask and dilute to about 50 ml with water.
(2) Add a few drops of 1% phenolphthalein indicator to the diluted beverage and stir.
(3) While stirring the diluted beverage solution in the Erlenmeyer flask with a magnetic stirrer, 0.1M sodium hydroxide placed in a 25 mL burette is dropped into the beverage solution, and a titration test is performed. In this titration test, the end point is the point where the color of the beverage solution in the Erlenmeyer flask has remained red for 30 seconds. And
(4) The value of citric acidity (%) is calculated by the following formula based on the result of the titration test.
Citric acidity (%) = A × f × (100 / W) × 0.0064 (Formula 1)
[In (Formula 1), A is the titration amount (mL) of 0.1 M sodium hydroxide solution, f is the titer of 0.1 M sodium hydroxide solution, and W is the mass (g) of the beverage sample. Indicates. The value of “0.0064” multiplied in (Equation 1) refers to the mass (g) of anhydrous citric acid corresponding to 1 mL of 0.1 M sodium hydroxide solution. ]

In the titration test, a hydrogen ion concentration meter may be used instead of the phenolphthalein indicator. In this case, the end point of the titration test is when the pH of the beverage solution in the Erlenmeyer flask becomes 8.1.

[Concentration of citric acid]
From the viewpoint of good milk flavor, the beverage of this embodiment has a low content of acid components other than the specific acid (typically citric acid), or substantially does not contain any acid component other than the specific acid. Is preferred.
Specifically, the concentration of citric acid in the beverage of this embodiment is preferably 0 to 15 mg / 100 ml, more preferably 0 to 10 mg / 100 ml, and even more preferably 0.
The concentration of citric acid (including those present in the system in the form of acid anions) can be determined by organic acid analysis by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and the mass of citric acid used as a raw material. And the mass of citrate (excluding the mass corresponding to the counter cation).
Incidentally, it is not necessarily excluded that the beverage of the present embodiment contains an acid component other than the specific acid for some purpose. As long as a good milk flavor is felt, the beverage of this embodiment does not exclude the inclusion of an acid component other than the specific acid.

[transparency]
As described above, the beverage of this embodiment can have high transparency.
Specifically, the absorbance at a wavelength of 650 nm of the beverage of the present embodiment is preferably 0.06 or less, more preferably 0.04 or less, and still more preferably 0.01 or less.
Moreover, the light absorbency in wavelength 420nm becomes like this. Preferably it is 0.1 or less, More preferably, it is 0.05 or less, More preferably, it is 0.01 or less.
In addition, the light absorbency in this specification is a value measured by putting a beverage in a quartz cell having an optical path length of 1 cm.

From the viewpoint of transparency, it is particularly preferable that the beverage of this embodiment has a low protein content. Specifically, the content of the protein contained in the beverage of this embodiment is, for example, 0 to 0.2 g / L, preferably 0 to 0.05 g / L, more preferably 0 to 0.03 g / L. .

[Brix value]
The Brix value of the beverage of the present embodiment is preferably 1 to 20 °, more preferably 2 to 10 °, and further preferably 2 to 8 ° from the viewpoint of improving the palatability of the beverage.
The Brix value can be adjusted, for example, by the amount of the above-mentioned sweetener, the amount of other various components, and the like.

[Manufacturing method, container, etc.]
The beverage of this embodiment can be obtained by uniformly mixing whey minerals, a specific acid, and if necessary other components in water according to a conventional method.
The beverage of the present embodiment may be a container-packed beverage that has been heat-sterilized and packed in a container. Examples of the container at this time include a plastic bottle, an aluminum can, a steel can, a paper pack, a chilled cup, and a bottle. From the point of appeal of “transparency” which is one of the characteristics of the beverage of this embodiment, the container is preferably transparent, and specifically, a plastic bottle or an uncolored bottle is preferable. Moreover, it is preferable that a container is a PET bottle from viewpoints, such as a handleability, distribution | circulation property, and portability.

The beverage according to the present embodiment has a pH of less than 4.6, so that the conditions for heat sterilization can be moderated. The heat sterilization condition may be, for example, instantaneous sterilization at 90 to 135 ° C. or sterilization for 30 seconds.

<Method for imparting milk flavor to beverages>
As an embodiment of the present invention, there is a method for imparting a milk flavor to a beverage in addition to the beverage itself.
Specifically, as an embodiment of the present invention, at least one whey mineral and one or more acids (specific acids) selected from the group consisting of phosphoric acid, tartaric acid, lactic acid and gluconic acid are included in the beverage. There is a method for imparting a milk flavor to a beverage, in which a beverage is obtained by adding the above.
The “whey mineral”, “specific acid”, and other components used in this method of imparting milk flavor are as described above in <Beverage>.

The pH of the beverage finally obtained by this milk flavor imparting method is preferably less than 4.6. By carrying out like this, a more favorable milk flavor can be provided. Examples of the method of adjusting the pH of the beverage to less than 4.6 include a method of adjusting the addition amount of the specific acid and using a pH adjuster.

As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, these are illustrations of this invention and various structures other than the above are employable. Further, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and modifications, improvements, and the like within the scope that can achieve the object of the present invention are included in the present invention.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail based on examples and comparative examples. In addition, this invention is not limited to an Example.

We asked five subjects to cooperate. To VII. The milk flavor and the like of beverages having various compositions were evaluated by the above test.
I. To VII. The common items in these tests are described below.

<Ingredients>
As for the whey mineral, “Mikuru Mineral L10” (solid content (component other than moisture) concentration: 10% by mass) of ADEKA Corporation was used. Regarding other components, commercially available products were appropriately used.

<About various numerical values>
Brix value: A value measured at 20 ° C. using a sugar refractometer (RX-5000α, Atago Co., Ltd.).
PH: Value measured with GST-5741C manufactured by Toa DKK Corporation.
Citric acidity: A value measured by the titration method described above.
Absorbance (wavelength: 420 nm, 650 nm): A value obtained by putting a beverage in a cell having an optical path length of 1 cm and measuring with a commercially available spectrophotometer.
Citric acid concentration: A value calculated from these components contained in the raw material and the amount of raw material used.
-Potassium (K ^<+> ), calcium (Ca ^< ²⁺ ^> ): It is a value calculated from the usage-amount of these components contained in a raw material, and a raw material.

I. Preliminary test A beverage containing whey minerals but not acid was prepared as a “standard” for evaluation. Specifically, beverages were prepared by uniformly mixing each component described in “Control Example” in Table 1 in water, and the resulting beverage was sterilized by instant sterilization at 95 ° C. and packed in a container. Thereby, a packaged beverage was obtained. And 5 subjects took this drink. Various numerical values were measured / calculated.

For each subject, the milk flavor (good milk feel, good milk taste) and ease of drinking of this control beverage were set as the reference point “4 points” in the 7-point evaluation from 1 point to 7 points below. did.
7 points: Very good compared to the standard.
6 points: Good compared to the standard 5 points: Slightly better than the standard.
4 points: Standard 3 points: Slightly worse than the standard.
2 points: Bad compared to the standard.
1 point: Very bad compared to the standard.

Moreover, the strength of the acidity of the beverage of this control example was set to the reference point “4 points” in the seven-step evaluation from the following 1 point to 7 points in each subject.
7 points ... I feel very strong compared to the standard.
6 points: feels stronger than the standard 5 points: feels slightly stronger than the standard
4 points-standard 3 points-feels slightly weaker than standard.
2 points ... Feels weaker than the standard.
1 point ... It feels very weak compared to the standard.

II. Preparation and Evaluation of Beverage Containing Whey Minerals and Specific Acids Beverages are prepared by uniformly mixing each component shown in Table 2 in water, and the resulting beverage is sterilized by instant sterilization at 95 ° C. Stuffed. Thereby, a packaged beverage was obtained.
Regarding the milk flavor (good milk feeling, good milk taste), ease of drinking and sourness when ingesting this packaged beverage, five panelists were given the above I.S. A 7-point evaluation (1 to 7 points) was performed with the control example described in 4 as 4 points (see Table 1 for the control example). Various numerical values were measured / calculated.
Table 2 shows the average values of various numerical values and the scores of five people. Regarding milk flavor (good milk feeling, good milk taste) and ease of drinking, the larger the number, the better the result. About sourness intensity, it shows that it is so favorable that a numerical value is small.

As shown in Table 2, an embodiment comprising whey minerals and one or more acids selected from the group consisting of phosphoric acid, tartaric acid, lactic acid and gluconic acid, and having a pH of less than 4.6. It was confirmed that the beverages 1 to 4 had a milk flavor (good milk feeling, good milk taste) similar to the control example.
In addition, the beverages of Examples 1 to 4 had better milk flavor (good milk feeling, good milk taste) than beverages containing citric acid or malic acid as acids (Comparative Examples 1 and 2). It was.

Furthermore, the sourness of the beverages of Examples 1 to 4 was suppressed as compared with the beverages of Comparative Examples 1 and 2. This suggests that the beverages of Examples 1 to 4 not only did not inhibit the milk flavor due to the acidity, but also improved the thirstability over citric acid.
In addition, the ease of drinking of the beverages of Examples 1 to 4 was the same as or better than the beverage of the comparative example. It can be seen that the ease of drinking tends to be improved by using phosphoric acid, tartaric acid, lactic acid or gluconic acid as the acid.

In particular, for Example 3 using lactic acid as the specific acid and Example 4 using gluconic acid, the milk feeling and richness were significantly improved as compared with the control example. In other words, it was shown that the milk flavor can be “enhanced” more than when no acid is used.

III. Evaluation in which the amount of whey mineral was changed Each component shown in Table 3 was uniformly mixed in water to prepare a beverage, and the resulting beverage was sterilized by instant sterilization at 95 ° C. and packed in a container. Thereby, a packaged beverage was obtained.
Regarding the milk flavor (good milk feeling, good milk taste), ease of drinking and sourness when ingesting this packaged beverage, five panelists were given the above I.S. A 7-point evaluation (1 to 7 points) was performed with the control example described in 4 as 4 points (see Table 1 for the control example). Various numerical values were measured / calculated.
Table 3 shows the average of various numerical values and the scores of five people. Regarding milk flavor (good milk feeling, good milk taste) and ease of drinking, the larger the number, the better the result. About sourness intensity, it shows that it is so favorable that a numerical value is small.

From Table 3, it can be seen that by appropriately increasing the amount of whey mineral, milk flavor (good milk feeling, good milk taste) is further improved.
From the viewpoint of compatibility between milk flavor and ease of drinking, the amount of whey mineral itself (in terms of solid content) is preferably about 0.2 to 0.8 g / L (in the amount of potassium, 5.3 to 21.). 4 mg / 100 mL).

IV. Evaluation of beverage using plant extract Each component shown in Table 4 was uniformly mixed in water to prepare a beverage, and the resulting beverage was sterilized by instant sterilization at 95 ° C and packed in a container. Thereby, a packaged beverage was obtained.
About the strength of the aftertaste, milky taste (good milk feeling), aftertaste, ease of drinking and sweetness when ingesting this packaged beverage, Example 1 (in the control example) 7 points evaluation (1 to 7 points) with 4 points as reference points. Various numerical values were measured / calculated.
Table 4 shows the average values of various numerical values and the scores of five people. For milk flavor (good milk feeling), good aftertaste and ease of drinking, the larger the number, the better the result. As for the strength of the sweetness pull-back, the smaller the value, the better the result (the effect of improving the thirst is high).

As shown in Table 4, it was shown that by adding a plant extract (coffee, mint, or green tea) to the beverage of Example 1, an effect of relieving sweetness after-treatment was obtained. That is, it was shown that adding a plant extract is effective in improving the fastness.

V. Additional evaluation using phosphoric acid as a specific acid Additional evaluation using phosphoric acid as a specific acid was performed, and the relationship between various numerical values and milk flavor and ease of drinking was confirmed.

Each component described in Table 5 as “Example 11” was uniformly mixed in water to prepare a beverage, and the resulting beverage was sterilized by instant sterilization at 95 ° C. and packed in a container. Thereby, a packaged beverage was obtained.
Regarding the milk flavor (good milk feeling, good milk taste), ease of drinking and sourness when ingesting this packaged beverage, five panelists were given the above I.S. A 7-point evaluation (1 to 7 points) was performed with the control example described in 4 as 4 points (see Table 1 for the control example). Various numerical values were measured / calculated.
Table 5 shows the average values of various numerical values and the scores of five people. Regarding milk flavor (good milk feeling, good milk taste) and ease of drinking, the larger the number, the better the result. About sourness intensity, it shows that it is so favorable that a numerical value is small.

From Table 5, the amount of phosphoric acid is considerably higher (compared to the amount of whey minerals), and even if the beverage has a relatively large citric acidity of about 0.03%, the ease of drinking is better than the control example. In addition, the acidity was equivalent to that of the control example.
Moreover, although the amount of phosphoric acid was considerably large, the decrease in milk flavor (good milk feeling and good milk taste) was suppressed to only 0.2 points compared to the control example. That is, it was confirmed that a sufficient milk flavor can be felt.

VI. Additional evaluation using lactic acid as a specific acid Additional evaluation using lactic acid as a specific acid was performed to confirm the relationship between various numerical values and milk flavor and ease of drinking.

Ingredients described as Examples 12 to 15 in Table 6 were uniformly mixed in water to prepare a beverage. The obtained beverage was sterilized by instant sterilization at 95 ° C. and packed in a container. Thereby, a packaged beverage was obtained.
Regarding the milk flavor (good milk feeling, good milk taste), ease of drinking and sourness when ingesting this packaged beverage, five panelists were given the above I.S. A 7-point evaluation (1 to 7 points) was performed with the control example described in 4 as 4 points (see Table 1 for the control example). Various numerical values were measured / calculated.
Table 6 shows the average values of various numerical values and the scores of five people. Regarding milk flavor (good milk feeling, good milk taste) and ease of drinking, the larger the number, the better the result. About sourness intensity, it shows that it is so favorable that a numerical value is small.

According to Table 6, when lactic acid is used as the specific acid, at least in the wide range of whey mineral amount (solid content) of 0.05 to 0.8 g / L, milk flavor (good milk feeling and milk richness) It can be seen that the goodness of the milk is comparable to that of the control example or the milk flavor is better than that of the control example.
When the results are analyzed in more detail, the milk flavor tends to be enhanced when the whey mineral content / specific acid content is somewhat large.

VII. Additional evaluation using gluconic acid as a specific acid Additional evaluation using gluconic acid as a specific acid was performed, and the relationship between various numerical values and milk flavor and ease of drinking was confirmed.

Ingredients described as Examples 16 to 18 in Table 7 were uniformly mixed in water to prepare a beverage. The obtained beverage was sterilized by instant sterilization at 95 ° C. and packed in a container. Thereby, a packaged beverage was obtained.
Regarding the milk flavor (good milk feeling, good milk taste), ease of drinking and sourness when ingesting this packaged beverage, five panelists were given the above I.S. A 7-point evaluation (1 to 7 points) was performed with the control example described in 4 as 4 points (see Table 1 for the control example). Various numerical values were measured / calculated.
Table 7 shows the average values of various numerical values and the scores of five people. Regarding milk flavor (good milk feeling, good milk taste) and ease of drinking, the larger the number, the better the result. About sourness intensity, it shows that it is so favorable that a numerical value is small.

From Table 7, when gluconic acid is used as the specific acid, at least in the wide range of whey mineral amount (solid content) of 0.1 to 0.8 g / L, milk flavor (good milk feeling and milk It can be seen that (goodness) is better than the control example, that is, the milk flavor is “enhanced”.

In each of the above evaluations, only one kind of acid was used as the specific acid. However, based on the result of each evaluation, even if two or more kinds of specific acids (for example, gluconic acid and lactic acid) are used, the milk flavor is It is expected to be a beverage that is good, easy to drink and has a reduced acidity.

This application has priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2018-014282 filed on Jan. 31, 2018 and Japanese Application No. 2018-084198 filed on Apr. 25, 2018. Claims and incorporates all of its disclosure here.

Claims

Whey minerals,
Including one or more acids selected from the group consisting of phosphoric acid, tartaric acid, lactic acid and gluconic acid,
A beverage having a pH of less than 4.6.
The beverage according to claim 1,
A beverage containing gluconic acid as the acid.
The beverage according to claim 1 or 2,
A beverage having a potassium concentration of 1.5 mg / 100 mL or more.
The beverage according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
Furthermore, beverages containing plant extracts.
The beverage according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A beverage having a citric acidity of 0.04% or less.
The beverage according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
A beverage having a citric acid concentration of 0 to 15 mg / 100 mL.
The beverage according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
A beverage in which the mass ratio of the whey mineral content in the beverage to the acid content in the beverage is 0.5 to 10.
The beverage according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
A beverage that is a milk flavored beverage.
The beverage according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
A beverage having an absorbance at a wavelength of 650 nm of 0.06 or less.
A method for imparting a milk flavor to a beverage, wherein the beverage is obtained by adding at least one whey mineral and one or more acids selected from the group consisting of phosphoric acid, tartaric acid, lactic acid and gluconic acid to the beverage. .
A method for imparting milk flavor to a beverage according to claim 10,
A method for imparting milk flavor to a beverage, wherein the pH of the beverage is less than 4.6.