CN117281190A

CN117281190A - Method for producing animal and plant extract

Info

Publication number: CN117281190A
Application number: CN202310738908.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 桥田纹佳; 三泽尚己; 中西启; 马场信辅; 村井弘二
Original assignee: T Hasegawa Co Ltd
Current assignee: T Hasegawa Co Ltd
Priority date: 2022-06-23
Filing date: 2023-06-21
Publication date: 2023-12-26
Also published as: JP2024001993A; TW202400024A

Abstract

Although natural animal and plant extracts obtained by the conventional steam distillation method can impart natural feel to foods and beverages, they are insufficient in imparting unique aroma and imparting strong aroma by adding a trace amount. The present invention provides a method for producing an animal/plant extract comprising the following steps (A) to (D): step (A): steam distilling the animal and plant material to obtain distillate; step (B): a step of adjusting the pH of the distillate obtained in the step (A) to 8.0 or more; step (C): freezing the distillate having a pH of 8.0 or more obtained in the step (B); step (D): and (C) thawing the frozen distillate in the step (C). By blending the animal and plant extracts obtained by the production method of the present invention with food and beverage, a unique flavor can be imparted to food and beverage. In particular, by adding a small amount of the green tea extract obtained by the production method of the present invention to a green tea beverage, a tea beverage having a soft and fragrant green aroma which is possessed by freshly brewed teas can be provided.

Description

Method for producing animal and plant extract

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a method for producing an animal and plant extract, an animal and plant extract produced by the method, and a method for producing a food or beverage to which an animal and plant extract produced by the method is added.

Background

The steam distillation method has been known since ancient times as a method for obtaining aroma components of natural animals and plants, and is applied to a method for producing an animal and plant extract excellent in aroma, in addition to collection of essential oils and aroma analysis of natural products.

As a method for producing an animal and plant extract by steam distillation, for example, the following methods are known.

For example: a method for preparing a steam distilled coffee essence (flavor) characterized by comprising the steps of subjecting a coffee essence to steam distillation, fractionating and collecting condensate containing the essence, and using a fraction having a low sour taste and rich in aroma components (patent document 1); a process for producing a tea flavor, characterized by bringing a distillate obtained by steam distillation of tea into contact with tea leaves to remove a heating distillation odor from the distillate (patent document 2); a method for producing an extract for a favorite beverage, characterized by extracting a favorite beverage raw material with warm water and recovering an extract, extracting an extraction residue with steam and recovering a distillate, and mixing the extract with the distillate (patent document 3); a novel essence containing an essence (a) obtained by steam distillation of a raw material for a favorite beverage and an essence (B) obtained by supplying the raw material for a favorite beverage to a gas-liquid convection contact device, and containing 0.01 to 100 parts by mass of the essence (B) per 1 part by mass of the essence (a) (patent document 4); a green tea beverage packaged in a sealed container, characterized by comprising a distillate obtained by picking fresh leaves of tea (academic name: camellia sinensis (L) O.Kuntze) which is a evergreen tree belonging to the family Theaceae, subjecting the picked fresh leaves to a freezing treatment, and subjecting the frozen tea leaves to steam distillation (patent document 5); a method for producing a coffee extract, characterized by comprising the steps of (1) to (5): (1) a step of extracting roasted coffee beans at a low temperature in a temperature range of 0 to 30 ℃ to obtain a low-temperature extract, (2) a step of preserving the low-temperature extract obtained in the step (1) in a temperature range of 0 to 30 ℃, (3) a step of subjecting the extraction residue of (1) to steam distillation extraction to obtain a steam distillation extract, (4) a step of mixing the low-temperature extract preserved in the temperature range of 0 to 30 ℃ in the step (2) with the steam distillation extract obtained in the step (3) to obtain a coffee extract (patent document 6); a method for preserving aroma components, comprising a step of collecting an aqueous solution containing aroma components of roasted coffee beans by applying a steam distillation method or a gas-liquid countercurrent contact extraction method to roasted and pulverized coffee beans, a step of adding an alkaline substance to the aqueous solution containing the aroma components to adjust the pH thereof to 6.6 to 10, a step of ionizing carbon dioxide gas, a step of storing the pH-adjusted aqueous solution containing the aroma components in a container, and a step of freeze-preserving the container storing the aqueous solution at a temperature of-10 to-50 ℃ (patent document 7).

On the other hand, in addition to natural extracts and steam distillation methods, specific sulfur-containing compounds are known to be useful as aroma compounds to be added to food and beverage, and for example, a method has been proposed in which 4-mercapto-4-methylpentan-2-one is added to green tea beverage as a flavor compound to provide a tea beverage having a soft and fragrant green aroma (green flavor) possessed by freshly brewed tea (patent document 8). It is known that natural green tea also contains a small amount of 4-mercapto-4-methylpentan-2-one (non-patent document 1).

Prior art literature

Patent literature

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open No. 2-203750,

patent document 2: japanese patent laid-open No. 8-116882,

patent document 3: japanese patent application laid-open No. 2000-135059,

patent document 4: japanese patent laid-open No. 2003-33137,

patent document 5: japanese patent application laid-open No. 2005-160416,

patent document 6: japanese patent No. 6146915 discloses a method for producing a plastic film,

patent document 7: japanese patent No. 5374020 discloses a method for producing a plastic film,

patent document 8: japanese patent laid-open No. 2000-342179.

Non-patent literature

Non-patent document 1: influence of Manufacturing Conditions and Crop Season on the Formation of 4-Mercap-4-methyl-2-pentanone in Japanese Green Tea (Sen-cha) (J.Agric.food chem.2005,5,1,5390-5396).

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

However, the above-mentioned conventional natural animal and plant extracts by steam distillation are not sufficient in imparting a unique aroma and a strong aroma by adding a small amount, although they can impart a natural feel to foods and beverages.

The present invention provides an extract having a type of flavor which is significantly different in quality from the flavor obtained by the conventional steam distillation method, although it is a process for producing a natural animal and plant extract by steam distillation.

Means for solving the problems

The present inventors have conducted intensive studies on green tea extracts containing a distillate (natural aroma recovery) obtained by steam distillation from green tea raw materials. As a result, it was surprisingly found that: the steam distillation distillate of green tea leaves is frozen in a state of only distillate (pH before freezing is 9.2) without containing so-called extract fraction (aqueous extract of water or other solvent from steam distillation residue of green tea leaves or green tea leaves), and when thawed, the quality of aroma is remarkably changed, and when added to a beverage, the soft and fragrant green aroma of freshly brewed green tea can be reproduced. In addition, it was found that 4-mercapto-4-methylpentan-2-one in the water vapor distillation distillate after thawing was significantly increased as compared with before freezing by the freeze-thaw operation, and completed the present invention.

Accordingly, the present invention provides the following.

[1] A method for producing a green tea extract, which comprises the following steps (A) to (D):

step (A): a step of subjecting green tea to steam distillation to obtain a distillate;

step (B): a step of adjusting the pH of the distillate obtained in the step (A) to 8.0 or more;

step (C): freezing the distillate having a pH of 8.0 or more obtained in the step (B);

step (D): and (C) thawing the frozen distillate in the step (C).

[2] Green tea extract which is green tea extract without 4-mercapto-4-methylpentan-2-one added, and which satisfies the following formula when 4-mercapto-4-methylpentan-2-one in green tea extract is measured:

((yield of green tea extract (mass))/(amount of green tea leaf used as extraction raw material (mass))) ×content ratio of 4-mercapto-4-methylpentan-2-one in green tea extract (based on mass) =

1×10 ^-8 ～5×10 ^-5 。

[3] Green tea extract which is green tea extract without 4-mercapto-4-methylpentan-2-one added, satisfying the following formula when analyzing aroma components of green tea extract by GC/MS and drawing a chromatogram according to the analysis result of GC/MS:

(area value of peak (m/z=132) of detected 4-mercapto-4-methylpentan-2-one)/(area value of peak (total ion) of detected linalool) =1×10 ^-5 ～5×10 ^-2 。

[4] A packaged green tea beverage comprising the green tea extract according to [2] or [3 ].

[5] A green tea-flavored food beverage comprising the green tea extract according to [2] or [3 ].

[6] A process for producing an animal/plant extract, which comprises the following steps (A) to (D):

step (A): steam distilling the animal and plant material to obtain distillate;

step (D): and (C) thawing the frozen distillate in the step (C).

[7] The method for producing an animal and plant extract according to [6], wherein in the freezing in the step (C), the animal and plant extract is frozen until 99% or more of the total distillate is frozen.

[8] The method for producing an animal and plant extract according to [6], wherein the time required for the freezing in the step (C) to reach a frozen state of 99% or more of the total distillate is 30 minutes or more.

[9] The method for producing an animal and plant extract according to [6], wherein in the step (C), the concentration of the soluble solid fraction in the distillate obtained in the step (B) before freezing, excluding the distillate obtained in the step (A), is 1.0 mass% or less.

[10] The method for producing an animal and plant extract according to [6], wherein the steam distillation in the step (A) is 1 or 2 or more selected from the group consisting of atmospheric steam distillation, reduced pressure steam distillation, pressurized steam distillation and rotary film steam distillation (SCC).

[11] The process for producing an animal and plant extract according to [6], which further comprises the following step (E) after the step (D):

step (E): and (c) adding a solvent extract fraction of the same kind of animal and plant material as the material used in the step (a) to the thawing solution obtained in the step (D).

[12] The process for producing an animal and plant extract according to [11], wherein the solvent-extracted extract fraction of the animal and plant material is an extract fraction obtained by extracting an animal and plant material after and/or before the steam distillation distillate is obtained with an aqueous solvent.

[13] The method for producing an animal and plant extract according to [12], which comprises a heat sterilization step.

[14] The method for producing an animal and plant extract according to any one of [6] to [13], wherein the animal and plant material is coffee or tea.

[15] A method for producing a food or beverage comprising the step of adding the animal or plant extract obtained by the production method according to any one of [6] to [13] to a food or beverage.

[16] A method for producing a perfume composition comprising the step of adding the animal and plant extract obtained by the production method according to any one of [6] to [13] to a perfume composition.

[17] A method for producing a food or beverage comprising the step of adding the flavor composition obtained by the production method according to [16] to a food or beverage.

ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS OF INVENTION

By incorporating the animal and plant extract of the present invention into food and beverage, a unique flavor can be imparted to food and beverage. In particular, the green tea extract of the present invention has a strong green aroma as a slight fruit feel when smelling the aroma directly, and by adding a small amount of the green tea extract to green tea beverages, green tea foods, and the like, a tea beverage or a tea food having a soft and strong green aroma which is possessed by freshly brewed teas can be provided.

Detailed Description

(animal and plant Material)

Any animal or plant material can be used in the present invention as long as it can be distilled with water vapor. For example, animal raw materials include livestock meat (muscle, fat, viscera, etc. of cattle, pig, chicken, sheep, horse, etc.), fish and shellfish (sea fish, freshwater fish, white fish, red fish, cuttlefish, octopus, shellfish, shrimp, crab, etc.), and heat-cooked products thereof. Examples of the plant material include teas (green tea, ground tea, black tea, oolong tea, post-fermented tea, wheat tea, brown rice tea, herbal tea, etc.), roasted coffee beans, herbs/spices (lavender, perilla, jasmine, parsley, sage, oregano, bergamot, hops, lemon balm, chamomile, rosemary, thyme, peppermint, coriander, black pepper, white pepper, cumin, chilli, pricklyash peel, etc.), fruits (apples, strawberries, grapes, mandarin orange, lemon, pineapple, kiwi, etc.), vegetables (cabbage, radish, onion, tomato, etc.), nuts (white sesame, black sesame, walnut, chestnut, cashew, hawai fruit (macadamia nut), peanuts, etc.). Among them, coffee and tea are particularly preferable.

The animal and plant materials can be used in a fresh state, or can be used by enhancing or improving fragrance by baking, or other heat treatment.

The animal and plant materials may be pulverized as needed so as to have a particle diameter of about 0.1mm to 10mm, preferably about 1mm to 5mm, to improve the recovery rate of aroma by distillation.

( Step (A): steam distilling animal and plant materials to obtain distillate )

The steam distillation is a phenomenon in which when steam is blown into a raw material, when the sum of the vapor pressure (partial pressure) of a volatile substance contained in the raw material and the vapor pressure (partial pressure) of steam added from the outside is equal to or higher than the ambient pressure (atmospheric pressure in the case of atmospheric steam distillation), the volatile component is distilled out together with the steam, and by cooling the volatile component distilled out together with the steam, an aqueous solution containing the volatile component (generally, so-called aroma component) can be obtained as a distillate.

As the steam distillation method, for example, an atmospheric steam distillation method, a pressurized steam distillation method, a reduced pressure steam distillation method, etc., may be used, and a method of directly blowing steam into a column is also used, a method of wetting an animal and plant raw material with a small amount of water after the animal and plant raw material is filled into the column, and then blowing steam into the column, a method of mixing an animal and plant raw material with water to form a suspension, a method of blowing steam into a kettle filled with the suspension, a steam distillation using an SCC (also referred to as "rotating cone column (Spinning Cone Column)", "gas-liquid convection contact distillation") apparatus, etc., may be used.

For example, in a method using steam distillation through a column, steam is blown from the bottom of a steam still pot charged with a raw material, and the distillate is cooled by a cooler connected to the upper distillation side, whereby a distillate containing aroma as condensate can be collected. If necessary, a cold trap using a refrigerant (dry ice-ethanol, dry ice-acetone, liquid nitrogen, etc.) is connected to the tip of the aroma capturing device, so that aroma components having a lower boiling point can be reliably captured. In addition, when distillation is performed in the presence of an inert gas such as nitrogen and/or an antioxidant such as vitamin C in steam distillation, deterioration of the raw material and/or aroma components due to heating can be effectively prevented. In steam distillation, a large amount of fragrance is distilled off at the initial stage of distillation, and then the distillation of fragrance is gradually reduced. The time when the distillation is to be ended is determined with reference to the results of several times and also with consideration of economy and the like. The amount of the distillate collected is about 0.1 to 10 parts by mass, preferably about 0.2 to 5 parts by mass, more preferably about 0.5 to 2 parts by mass, based on 1 part by mass of the raw material, and a distillate of about 0 to 5 ° Bx can be obtained.

In the method using the SCC apparatus, for example, a method of mixing a pulverized material (about 1 to 3 mm) with water as a slurry and distilling the mixture using an apparatus described in JP-A-7-22646 is employed. Specifically, a method of collecting aroma using the apparatus will be described, and a method of collecting aroma components originally present in a liquid or pasty raw material for a favorite beverage by flowing down the raw material from the upper part and raising vapor from the lower part on a rotating cone of a gas-liquid countercurrent contact extraction apparatus having a structure in which the rotating cone and the stationary cone are alternately combined will be exemplified. The operation conditions of the gas-liquid countercurrent contact extraction apparatus may be arbitrarily selected according to the processing capacity of the apparatus, the kind and concentration of raw materials, the intensity of aroma, and the like. The ratio of the raw material to water in the raw material slurry may be any ratio as long as the raw material is in a state of fluidity, and may be exemplified by water in an amount of about 5 to 30 times the amount of the raw material per 1 part by mass.

The amount of the distillate collected is 0.1 to 10 parts by mass, preferably about 0.2 to 5 parts by mass, more preferably about 0.5 to 2 parts by mass, based on 1 part by mass of the animal and plant materials, whereby a distillate of about 0 to 5 ° Bx can be obtained.

( Step (B): a step of adjusting the pH of the distillate obtained in the step (A) to 8.0 or more )

Next, the pH of the distillate obtained in the step (A) was adjusted to 8.0 or more. This improves the reactivity of each component contained in the distillate in the subsequent steps of freezing and thawing.

The pH of the distillate is not particularly limited as long as it is 8.0 or more, and examples of the lower limit include 8.0, 8.2, 8.4, 8.6, 8.8, 9.0, 9.2, 9.4, 9.6, 9.8, and 10.0, and examples of the upper limit include 14.0,

13.5, 13.0, 12.5, 12.0, etc. The pH of these distillates may be exemplified by a pH range of usually 8.0 to 14.0, preferably 8.4 to 13.0, more preferably 8.8 to 12.0, and even more preferably 9.2 to 11.0.

The pH of the distillate can be adjusted by an edible alkaline substance, but in the case where the pH of the distillate obtained in the step (A) is already 8.0 or more, the adjustment by adding an alkaline substance is not necessary. Therefore, step (B) also includes confirming that the pH of the distillate obtained in step (A) is 8.0 or more and nothing is added. Examples of the edible alkaline substance include sodium bicarbonate, sodium hydroxide, and potassium hydroxide. For example, when sodium bicarbonate is used, the amount of sodium bicarbonate added to the distillate is from 0.001 to 0.05 parts by mass, preferably from 0.002 to 0.01 parts by mass, based on 1 part by mass of the distillate.

In addition, for example, as in the case where the animal and plant raw material is coffee, carbon dioxide generated during baking may be contained in the raw material. In such a raw material, the carbon dioxide is distilled off by steam distillation and contained in the distillate, and as a result, bicarbonate ions and hydrogen ions are present in the distillate, and the pH may be lowered by the hydrogen ions. In such a case, the carbon dioxide in the distillate may be expelled as carbonic acid gas by subjecting the distillate to a treatment such as degassing or nitrogen bubbling, and then the pH may be adjusted to 8.0 or more as it is or as needed.

( Step (C): freezing the distillate having a pH of 8.0 or more obtained in the step (B) )

In the present invention, the distillate having a pH of 8.0 or more obtained in the step (B) is frozen. The freezing is performed until the distillate is almost completely frozen, and usually, 99% or more, preferably 99.5% or more, more preferably 99.8% or more, and still more preferably 99.9% or more of the total distillate is frozen. The freezing is preferably performed in a frozen state from a portion in contact with the refrigerant to a portion not in contact with the refrigerant. It is considered that the crystallization of water (ice) containing no volatile component as an impurity is performed by such a freezing method, and the concentration of the volatile compound is performed in the unfrozen portion, and the effect of the present invention is achieved by the chemical reaction occurring in the high concentration portion of the matrix before the concentrated reaction.

While not being bound by any theory, the phenomenon in the present invention is presumed to occur by the reaction of volatile sulfur compounds such as hydrogen sulfide, methyl mercaptan, ethyl mercaptan and the like with other volatile components in the distillate under alkaline conditions.

As a freezing method for generating such a phenomenon, there are illustrated a method of filling a predetermined amount of the distillate into a container to freeze the distillate in units of containers, and a method of continuously freezing the distillate.

In the case of freezing in units of containers, the time conditions become important elements, and it takes 30 minutes or longer, preferably 1 hour or longer, more preferably 2 hours or longer, and even more preferably 5 hours or longer as the time from freezing until the distillate almost reaches freezing. In the case where the freezing is ended in a short period of time, the concentration of the volatile compounds in the unfrozen portion is difficult to perform. The amount of the distillate to be charged into the container is not particularly limited, but it is assumed to be about 30g (filled in an ounce bottle) to 200kg (filled in a drum), and the freezing temperature suitable for the size of the container may be appropriately selected.

Such a freezing temperature is also dependent on the filling amount of the distillate into the vessel, but freezing at a temperature of less than 0℃may be exemplified by a temperature of usually-5℃or less, preferably-10℃or less, more preferably-15℃or less, and still more preferably-20℃or less. On the other hand, if the partial freeze concentration as described above is considered to occur, if the freezing temperature is too low, the reaction may not proceed sufficiently under the condition that a large amount of the freezing is instantaneously performed in all or a part of the freezing. Thus, it is exemplified that the temperature is about-100℃or higher, preferably-80℃or higher, more preferably-60℃or higher, still more preferably-45℃or higher, particularly preferably-30℃or higher.

On the other hand, in the case where the distillate is continuously frozen while flowing, it is preferable that the pure crystallization of part of the ice is performed at the cooled portion and the condition is performed until 99% or more of the total distillate is finally frozen. If such conditions are used, the object of the present invention can be achieved irrespective of the time.

In the freezing step (C), it is preferable that the distillate before freezing does not contain solutes other than components derived from the distillate, such as a solvent extract fraction or other soluble (mainly water-soluble) solid fraction of the animal and plant materials, in order to achieve the object of the present invention. In the case of containing, the content is preferably as small as possible. As described above, the phenomenon of the aroma change in the present invention is presumed to occur by the reaction of the volatile sulfur-containing compounds such as hydrogen sulfide, methyl mercaptan, and ethyl mercaptan with other volatile components in the distillate in the concentrated portion obtained by freeze concentration under alkaline conditions, but if the distillate contains the solvent extract fraction or other soluble (water-soluble) solid fraction of the animal and plant material, the concentration of the volatile sulfur-containing compounds such as hydrogen sulfide, methyl mercaptan, and ethyl mercaptan in the distillate does not sufficiently increase, and the chemical reaction is difficult to proceed. In addition, the solvent extracted extract fraction of the animal and plant material also impedes the chemical reaction.

The solvent-extracted extract fraction or other soluble (water-soluble) solid fraction of the animal and plant material in the distillate is usually 1.0% or less, preferably 0.5% or less, more preferably 0.2% or less, and even more preferably 0.1% or less in the distillate.

The temperature and time from the time when the entire distillate is almost entirely frozen until the subsequent thawing step (D) are performed include conditions under which the entire distillate is almost entirely kept frozen and the chemical reaction proceeds sufficiently, and the storage temperature is not particularly limited, but examples of the storage temperature include generally 0 ℃ to-100 ℃, preferably-5 ℃ to-80 ℃, more preferably-10 ℃ to-60 ℃, still more preferably-15 ℃ to-45 ℃, and most preferably-20 ℃ to-30 ℃. Further, the storage time is exemplified by 30 minutes to 168 hours, preferably 1 hour to 100 hours, more preferably 2 hours to 48 hours after almost all of the distillate is frozen.

( Step (D): a step of thawing the distillate frozen in the step (C) )

The distillate frozen in the step (C) is then thawed. The thawing method is not particularly limited, and any of thawing in a refrigerator (for example, about 5 to 10 ℃), thawing at normal temperature (for example, 15 to 30 ℃) and thawing by heating (for example, 40 to 100 ℃) may be performed. The thawing time is generally about 1 minute to 1 week, preferably 5 minutes to 48 hours, more preferably 10 minutes to 3 days, still more preferably 15 minutes to 24 hours, and most preferably 30 minutes to 12 hours, although it is about the size of the container and the thawing temperature. Although the entire solution in the container may be completely thawed, if pure crystals of ice are concentrated in the center portion, a part of the solution may be collected in a state where a part of the whole is thawed.

Thus, the thawed solution obtained through the steps (a) to (D) has a unique aroma significantly different from the distillate before freezing. For example, when the animal and plant material is green tea, the distillate before freezing is fresh and soft green tea flavor accompanied with sea weed flavor and coastal flavor,

on the other hand, the thawed distillate is perceived as having a strong green aroma which is reminiscent of grass hot air and a fruity sweet aroma in a state of being directly smelled. However, when the thawed distillate is diluted about 100 to 100000 times, the fresh green tea is perceived as having a soft and fragrant aroma which is accompanied by a slight fruity aroma.

( Step (E): a step of adding a solvent-extracted extract fraction of the animal and plant material to the thawing solution obtained in the step (D) )

In the present invention, the thawing solution may be used as a raw material for blending for imparting flavor to food and beverage, but if the process (a) to (D) are followed, the addition of a solvent-extracted extract fraction or other soluble (water-soluble) solid fraction of the animal and plant material to the thawed distillate is preferable because the flavor characteristics of the thawed distillate are not affected and the stability of the product of the present invention is improved by the addition of these components.

The preferred ingredient for addition is generally an aqueous solvent extract of the animal and plant materials. The solvent extract of the animal and plant materials can be obtained as follows.

The animal and plant material after and/or before steam distillation is then extracted with water, aqueous ethanol, glycerol, aqueous glycerol solution, etc. The preferred solvent is water. Enzyme treatment may also be performed during and/or after the extraction. That is, the enzyme treatment may be performed simultaneously at the time of extraction, or may be performed after the extraction is performed before. In addition, these methods may be performed in combination.

Specifically, a method for producing an extract obtained by extracting a residue obtained by steam distillation using a column with water and then performing an enzymatic treatment is described, and can be obtained, for example, by the following method: 1 to 100 parts by weight of water is added to 1 part by weight of the steam distilled animal and plant material, and extraction is carried out at room temperature to about 100 ℃ for about 2 minutes to about 5 hours according to the use temperature under the condition of standing or stirring, and after cooling, insoluble matters are removed by solid-liquid separation by a method known per se such as centrifugal separation, squeezing and filtration. Further, it can be obtained, for example, by: the residue raw material is packed into a column made of a suitable material such as glass or stainless steel, and hot water at room temperature to about 100 ℃ is introduced from the upper part or the lower part of the column by using a constant displacement pump or the like, thereby performing column extraction. Such column extraction may be performed by connecting a plurality of columns in series as desired.

In the case of recovering aroma by the gas-liquid countercurrent contact extraction method, the residue is in the form of a slurry containing the extract, and therefore, insoluble matter can be removed by subjecting the solid portion in the residue to solid-liquid separation by a method known per se such as centrifugation, squeezing and filtration, thereby obtaining the extract.

The method of collecting the extract before the enzyme treatment may be employed as described above, but in the present invention, the enzyme treatment may be performed in a state comprising the animal and plant materials after the steam distillation. By performing the enzyme treatment in a state of containing the animal and plant material after the steam distillation, the yield of the soluble solid portion as a whole of the extract from the animal and plant material can be increased by the enzymatic hydrolysis.

The enzyme to be used may be any enzyme corresponding to an animal or plant material, and examples of the enzyme include protease and lipase when the animal or plant material is an animal material, and examples of the enzyme include cellulase, pectinase, hemicellulase, amylase, tannase, protease, and lipase when the animal or plant material is a plant material. In addition, mannanases are particularly exemplified when the raw material is coffee, and tannase and the like are particularly exemplified as preferable enzymes when the raw material is tea.

The enzyme treatment solution may be subjected to solid-liquid separation and filtration in the case of containing a slurry by inactivating the enzyme by heating or the like, thereby obtaining an extract.

The aqueous solvent extract or enzyme-treated solution may be further concentrated as needed. As the concentration method, for example, a suitable concentration method such as vacuum concentration, reverse osmosis membrane (RO membrane) concentration, or freeze concentration may be used to concentrate the extract of the water-soluble solvent or the concentrate of the enzyme-treated extract. The concentration of the concentrate is generally Bx 3 DEG

A range of about 50℃and preferably about 10℃to about 40℃is suitable.

The solvent-extracted extract fraction of the animal and plant materials (the water-soluble solvent extract or the enzyme-treated solution or the concentrate thereof) may be mixed with the distillate thawed in the step (D). The mixing ratio is not particularly limited, and the mixing amount of the solvent extract fraction of the animal and plant material with respect to the thawed distillate varies depending on the material used, etc., but may be, for example, in the range of usually 0.005 to 100 parts by mass, preferably 0.01 to 50 parts by mass, more preferably 0.1 to 20 parts by mass, still more preferably 0.5 to 10 parts by mass per 1 part by mass of the animal and plant material of the distillate.

(heat sterilization)

The animal and plant extract of the present invention can be referred to as a microbiologically stable extract by heat sterilization at any stage of the process. The stage of heat sterilization may be performed at any stage as long as it does not interfere with the chemical reaction caused by freezing, which is the object of the present invention. Preferably, the method includes a step of preparing a solvent extract fraction of an animal or plant material, a step of mixing the solvent extract fraction of the animal or plant material with the thawed distillate in the step (D), and a step of final-stage preparation.

The heat sterilization may be carried out in either a batch type or a plate type, and if the temperature is a batch type, the temperature is usually 80 to 110 ℃, preferably 85 to 105 ℃, more preferably 90 to 100 ℃, and the time is usually 30 seconds to 60 minutes, preferably 1 minute to 30 minutes, more preferably 2 minutes to 15 minutes. In the plate type, the temperature is usually 80 to 140 ℃, preferably 85 to 135 ℃, more preferably 90 to 130 ℃, and the time is usually 10 seconds to 5 minutes, preferably 20 seconds to 3 minutes, more preferably 30 seconds to 2 minutes.

The animal and plant extract of the present invention thus obtained may be cooled and then filled into a container or may be filled into a container while it is hot and cooled, and then stored frozen. In addition, the aroma change due to freezing in this stage is small. The reason for this is presumed that the chemical reaction proceeds sufficiently in the steps (a) to (D), the solvent extract of the animal and plant material added in the step (E) partially blocks the chemical reaction, the substrate concentration involved in the reaction is diluted by the solvent extract of the animal and plant material, the pH is lowered, and the like.

(specific examples of animal and plant materials-Green tea)

In the present invention, tea is exemplified by tea, and among these, green tea and new tea are particularly exemplified by suitable specific examples of the animal and plant materials. The pH of the distillate obtained by steam distillation in step (a) of fresh tea is often about 9 without pH adjustment. Presumably, the alkali is a large amount of volatile components. The aroma of the steam distillation distillate thus obtained had a soft aroma accompanied with a rock-shore aroma.

When the distillate of the fresh tea thus obtained is frozen and thawed under the conditions described in detail in the step (C), the aroma is significantly changed, and the aroma becomes tea having a strong green aroma accompanied with a slight fruit feel. Analysis of the aroma components revealed that the aroma components contain a large amount of sulfur-containing compounds mainly composed of 4-mercapto-4-methylpentan-2-one. On the other hand, the distillate before freezing contained only a very small amount of 4-mercapto-4-methylpentan-2-one. According to non-patent document 1, it is reported that the content of 4-mercapto-4-methylpentan-2-one in tea leaves is more than 0.14ppb. However, it has been found that the amount of 4-mercapto-4-methylpentan-2-one produced by the process of the present invention increases to thousands to tens of thousands times as much as that of the distillate before freezing by subjecting green tea, particularly fresh tea, to the steps (a) to (D) by steam distillation of the distillate without adding 4-mercapto-4-methylpentan-2-one from the outside. Therefore, in the case of using green tea as a raw material, the present invention product using green tea as a raw material can be determined particularly by setting the range of the content of the compound to 4-mercapto-4-methylpentan-2-one, which is an index of compounds that are generally contained in green tea and have little fluctuation in the freeze-thawing step of the present invention. Examples of the index compound suitable for such setting include linalool, indole, cis-3-hexenol, hexanal, linalool oxide (linalool oxide), isobutyraldehyde, geraniol, hexanol, octanol, benzyl alcohol, trans-2-nonenal (trans-2-nonenal), and β -ionone. Among them, linalool can be preferably exemplified.

(aroma analysis)

Aroma analysis can be performed using appropriate GC columns and devices, GC/MS devices, using appropriate SPME, and the like.

Quantification may be performed by plotting a chromatogram from the analysis result of GC/MS, using the area value of the detected peak, or by an absolute standard curve method, a standard addition method, or an internal standard method.

(4-mercapto-4-methylpentan-2-one)

The amount of 4-mercapto-4-methylpentan-2-one of the present invention prepared from green tea by the method of the present invention falls within the following range when the analysis result by GC/MS is plotted as an ion chromatogram extracted at m/z=132, and the analysis is performed by a standard addition method using the area of the detected peak.

The content ratio of 4-mercapto-4-methylpentan-2-one in the green tea extract (based on mass) is usually 1X 10 in terms of ((yield (mass) of green tea extract)/(amount (mass) of green tea leaf used as extraction raw material)) ×green tea extract ^-8 The above is preferably 5×10 ^-8 The above is more preferably 2×10 ^-7 The above is more preferably 5×10 ^-7 The above. The upper limit is not particularly limited, but is generally about 5×10 ^-5 Hereinafter, it may be set to 3×10 ^-5 The following is 2×10 ^-5 The following is 1×10 ^-5 The following is 5×10 ^-4 The following is 4×10 ^-4 The following, etc. The ranges of the upper limit and the lower limit may be arbitrarily combined, and for example, 1×10 can be exemplified ^-8 ～5×10 ^-5 Is not limited in terms of the range of (a).

The amount of 4-mercapto-4-methylpentan-2-one in the animal and plant extract (green tea extract) as the product of the present invention, which is obtained from green tea as the animal and plant material, also varies depending on the yield of the product of the present invention from the raw tea leaves, but the following ranges are obtained when the quantitative analysis is carried out by the same analytical method as described above.

The content of 4-mercapto-4-methylpentan-2-one in the present invention, which is obtained by using green tea as a raw material of animal and plant materials, may be an index of linalool, which is a volatile compound generally contained in green tea. From the analysis result of GC/MS in this case, an ion chromatogram extracted with m/z=132 (4-mercapto-4-methylpentan-2-one) and total ion (linalool) was drawn, and the area of the detected peak was used, and may be generally set to 1×10 in terms of (area value of the detected peak of 4-mercapto-4-methylpentan-2-one (m/z=132)/(area value of the detected peak of linalool (total ion)) ^-5 Above, 2×10 ^-5 Above, 5×10 ^-5 Above, 1×10 ^-4 And the like. The upper limit is not particularly limited, but is generally about 5×10 ^-2 Hereinafter, it may be set to 3×10 ^-2 The following is 2×10 ^-2 The following is 1×10 ^-2 The following is 5×10 ^-3 The following is 3×10 ^-3 The following, etc. The ranges of the upper limit and the lower limit may be arbitrarily combined, and for example, 1×10 can be exemplified ^-5 ～5×10 ^-2 Is not limited in terms of the range of (a).

(perfume composition)

The animal and plant extract (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as "the" present animal and plant extract ") of the present invention thus obtained can be added to food and beverage to impart a unique flavor, and can be used as a raw material for a flavor composition (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as" present flavor composition "). The flavor composition according to one embodiment of the present invention is a composition containing a predetermined amount of an animal or plant extract and capable of being incorporated into various foods and beverages for the purpose of imparting flavor. According to the present flavor composition, for example, natural, fruit, moist, fullness, ripeness, luxury, freshness, aroma, bitterness, pungency, richness, fullness, etc. flavor can be imparted to the flavor composition, and the flavor of various foods and beverages containing the present flavor composition can be improved.

The concentration of the animal and plant extracts in the perfume composition can be arbitrarily determined according to the compounding object of the perfume composition. Examples of the concentration include a range of 0.1ppt to 10%, preferably 1ppb to 1%, more preferably 0.1ppm to 0.1% based on the total mass of the perfume composition.

The perfume composition may further contain any other compound or component in addition to the animal and plant extracts. Examples of such compounds or components include various types of flavor compounds or flavor compositions, oil-soluble pigments, vitamins, functional substances, fish meat extracts, livestock meat extracts, plant extracts, yeast extracts, animal and plant proteins, animal and plant protein decomposition products, starches, dextrins, saccharides, amino acids, nucleic acids, organic acids, solvents, and the like. Examples of the "food flavors of section II of the conventional technology set (flavors) of japanese patent office publication Zhou Zhi" include natural essential oils, natural flavors, and synthetic flavors described in "release of food flavors of section II of the conventional technology set (flavors) of section II of 12 years, 1 month, 14 days", "live investigation of use of food flavor compounds of japan" (release of the conventional technology set(s) of section II of 12 years, 3 months, 13 years, 3 years, of the national institute of science and technology of japan), and "knowledge of synthetic flavor chemistry and commodity" (release of new release of 20 days, 12 months, 2016, edit of the editing of the synthetic flavor, chemical industry, daily necessities).

Specific examples of the synthetic flavor compound include monoterpenes such as α -pinene, β -pinene, γ -terpinene, myrcene, zmene, and limonene, sesquiterpenes such as valencene (valene), cedrene, caryophyllene, and longifolene, and 1,3, 5-undecatriene.

Examples of the alcohol compound include saturated alcohols such as butanol, pentanol, 3-octanol, and hexanol, unsaturated alcohols such as (Z) -3-hexen-1-ol, isopentenol, and 2, 6-nondienol, terpene alcohols such as linalool, geraniol, citronellol, tetrahydromyrcenol, farnesol, nerolidol, cedrol, α -terpineol, terpinen-4-ol, and borneol, and aromatic alcohols such as benzyl alcohol, phenethyl alcohol, and cinnamyl alcohol.

Examples of the aldehyde compound include saturated aldehydes such as acetaldehyde, hexanal, octanal, decanal, and hydroxycitronellal, unsaturated aldehydes such as (E) -2-hexenal and 2, 4-octadienal, terpene aldehydes such as citronellal, citral, myrtenal, and perillaldehyde, and aromatic aldehydes such as benzaldehyde, cinnamaldehyde, vanillin, ethyl vanillin, piperonal, and p-methylbenzaldehyde.

Examples of the ketone compound include saturated and unsaturated ketones such as 2-heptanone, 2-undecanone, 1-octen-3-one, acetoin, and 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one (methyl heptenone), diketones such as butanedione, 2, 3-pentanedione, maltol, ethyl maltol, methyl cyclopentenone (cyclotene), 2, 5-dimethyl-4-hydroxy-3 (2H) -furanone, terpene ketones such as carvone, menthone, and nocarmembers, and aromatic ketones such as α -ionone, β -large Ma Xitong, ketones derived from terpene decomposition products such as raspberry ketone, and the like.

Examples of furan or ether compounds include furfuryl alcohol, furfuraldehyde, rose oxide, linalool oxide, menthofuran, theaspirane, estragole, eugenol, and 1, 8-eucalyptol.

Examples of the ester compound include aliphatic esters such as ethyl acetate, isopentyl acetate, octyl acetate, ethyl butyrate, ethyl isobutyrate, isopentyl butyrate, ethyl 2-methylbutanoate, ethyl isovalerate, 2-methylbutyl isobutyrate, ethyl caproate, allyl caproate, ethyl heptanoate, ethyl caprylate, isovalerate, and ethyl pelargonate, terpene alcohol esters such as linalyl acetate, geranyl acetate, lavender acetate, terpinyl acetate, and neryl acetate, and aromatic esters such as benzyl acetate, methyl salicylate, methyl cinnamate, cinnamyl propionate, ethyl benzoate, cinnamyl isovalerate, and ethyl 3-methyl-2-phenylglycidate.

Examples of the lactone compound include saturated lactones such as γ -decalactone, γ -dodecalactone, δ -decalactone, and δ -dodecalactone, and unsaturated lactones such as 7-decene-4-lactide and 2-decene-5-lactide.

Examples of the acid compound include saturated and unsaturated fatty acids such as acetic acid, butyric acid, isovaleric acid, caproic acid, caprylic acid, stearic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid, and linolenic acid.

Examples of the nitrogen-containing compound include indole, skatole, pyridine, alkyl-substituted pyrazine, methyl anthranilate, and trimethylpyrazine.

Examples of the sulfur-containing compound include methyl mercaptan, dimethyl sulfide, dimethyl disulfide, allyl isothiocyanate, 3-methyl-2-butene-1-thiol, 3-methyl-2-butanethiol, 3-methyl-1-butanethiol, 2-methyl-1-butanethiol, 3-mercapto hexanol, 4-mercapto-4-methyl-2-pentanone, 3-mercapto hexyl acetate, p-mentha-8-thiol-3-one, furfuryl mercaptan, and the like.

Examples of natural essential oils include orange, bitter orange leaf (petitgrain), lemon, bergamot, chinese citrus (mandarin), orange flower, peppermint, spearmint, lavender, chamomile, rosemary, eucalyptus, sage, basil, rose, hyacinth, lilac, geranium, jasmine, ylang, pimpinella, clove, ginger, nutmeg, cardamom, fir tree, hinoki, vetiver, patchouli, and rosa.

Examples of the various animal and plant extracts include extracts of herbs and spices, extracts of coffee, green tea, black tea and oolong tea, and milk or milk processed products and various enzymatic decomposition products such as lipase and protease thereof.

The perfume composition can be prepared by mixing the animal and plant extracts in a suitable solvent or dispersion medium by a known method.

The form of the present spice composition is preferably a solution, an emulsion, a powder, or other solid preparation (solid lipid, etc.) in which the animal or plant extract or other components are dissolved in a water-soluble or oil-soluble solvent.

Examples of the water-soluble solvent include ethanol, methanol, acetone, tetrahydrofuran, acetonitrile, 2-propanol, methyl ethyl ketone, glycerin, propylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, and the like. Among them, ethanol or glycerin is particularly preferable from the viewpoint of use in food and beverage. Examples of the oil-soluble solvent include vegetable oils and fats, animal oils and fats, purified oils and fats (for example, processed oils and fats such as medium-chain fatty acid triglycerides, and short-chain fatty acid triglycerides such as triacetin and tripropionin), various essential oils, and triethyl citrate.

In addition, the present animal and plant extract or the present perfume composition may be emulsified with a water-soluble solvent and an emulsifier to prepare an emulsified preparation. The method for emulsifying the animal and plant extract or the flavor composition is not particularly limited, and various types of conventional emulsifiers used for foods and beverages, such as fatty acid monoglyceride, fatty acid diglyceride, fatty acid triglyceride, propylene glycol fatty acid ester, sucrose fatty acid ester, polyglycerin fatty acid ester, lecithin, processed starch, sorbitan fatty acid ester, quillaja (quick) extract, acacia, tragacanth, guar gum, karaya, xanthan gum, pectin, alginic acid and salts thereof, carrageenan, gelatin, casein saponin, sodium caseinate, and the like, can be used for emulsification treatment using a homomixer, colloid mill, rotary disc homomixer, high-pressure homomixer, and the like, to obtain an emulsion having excellent stability. The amount of these emulsifiers used is not strictly limited and may vary within a wide range depending on the type of emulsifier used, etc., but is usually in the range of about 0.01 to about 100 parts by mass, preferably about 0.1 to about 50 parts by mass, relative to 1 part by mass of the present animal and plant extract. In order to stabilize the emulsion, the emulsion may contain, in addition to water, a mixture of 1 or 2 or more of polyhydric alcohols such as glycerin, propylene glycol, sorbitol, maltitol, sucrose, glucose, trehalose, sugar solution, and reducing syrup.

The emulsion thus obtained may be dried to prepare a powder preparation, if necessary. In the case of powdering, sugar such as acacia, trehalose, dextrin, granulated sugar, lactose, glucose, syrup, and reducing syrup may be further blended as necessary. The amount of these may be appropriately selected depending on the desired properties of the powder formulation and the like.

The animal and plant extract or the spice composition thus obtained can be blended with an effective amount in foods and beverages to improve the natural feel, fruit juice feel, water-wet feel, fullness, ripeness, finish, luxury feel, freshness feel, aroma, bitterness, pungency feel, richness or fullness of the foods and beverages.

In particular, when the animal and plant material is green tea, a small amount of the green tea extract or the flavor composition containing the green tea extract can be added to a green tea beverage, a green tea food, or the like to provide a green tea beverage or a green tea food having a soft and strong green aroma of freshly brewed teas.

(food beverage)

The food and beverage to which the animal and plant extract or the flavor composition can be added is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include food and beverage having 1 or more of the following flavors: lemon, orange, grapefruit, lime, chinese citrus, mandarin orange, tangerines, lime, citrus hassaku, citrus aurantium, grapefruit, lime, kumquat, and the like; strawberry, blueberry, raspberry, apple, cherry, plum, apricot, peach, pineapple, banana, melon, mango, papaya, kiwi, pear, grape, muscadine, kyoho grape and other fruit flavors; milk flavors such as milk, yogurt, butter, etc.; herb flavor; various tea flavors such as green tea, black tea, oolong tea, herbal tea, etc.; coffee flavor; cola flavor; cocoa bean flavor; cocoa flavor; peppermint, etc.; cinnamon, chamomile, cardamom, caraway, cumin, clove, pepper, coriander, pricklyash peel, perilla, ginger, star anise, thyme, capsicum, nutmeg, basil, marjoram, rosemary, bay, garlic, mustard and other various flavors or herbal flavors; nut flavors such as almonds, cashews, walnuts, etc.; wine, brandy, whiskey, rum, juniper, liqueur, sake, distilled liquor, beer, and other various wine flavors; vegetable flavors such as onion, celery, carrot, tomato, cucumber, etc.; chicken, duck, pork, beef, mutton, horse meat and other animal meat flavors; red fish such as tuna, white fish such as blue-flowered fish, porgy fish, salmon and horse mackerel, freshwater fish such as fragrant fish, trout and carp, shellfish such as turban, clam, clams and clam shells, shellfish such as shrimp and crab, various shellfish such as undaria pinnatifida and kelp, and various fish shellfish or seaweed flavors; various cereal flavors such as wheat, barley, wheat, malt, etc.; animal meat oils such as beef tallow, chicken fat and lard, and various oil flavors such as various fish oils.

Examples of the food and beverage include snack foods such as scallops, millet fruits, brown sugar, rice cakes, steamed stuffed buns, rice cakes, stuffing, sheep soup, soft sheep soup, cold weather jelly, casserole (castella), sugar balls, biscuits, crackers, potato chips, cookies, pie, pudding, butter cream (buttercream), cassita cream (custard cream), puff, wafer, sponge cake, doughnut, chocolate, chewing gum, caramel (caramal), candy, peanut butter, and the like; bread, radix Ophiopogonis noodles, stretched noodles, chinese noodles, sushi, assorted rice, fried rice, spicy vegetable and meat meal (pilaf), dumpling wrapper, steamed wheat skin, japanese assorted baked, octopus baked, etc.; pickles such as rice bran pickles, dried plum, fushen pickles, rice yeast pickled white radish pickles, thin-cut turnip slice pickles, allium macrostemon, miso pickles, bran pickled radish pickles, and seasoning materials of these pickles; fish such as blue-fish, sardine, saury, salmon, tuna, bonito, whale, flatfish, jade muscle fish, and fragrant fish, cuttlefish such as cuttlefish, long-gun cuttlefish, line-tail cuttlefish, and fluorescent cuttlefish, shrimp such as octopus, shrimp such as shrimp, and black tiger, crab such as king crab, snow crab, swimming crab, and hairy crab, and shellfish such as clams, scallops, oysters, and mussels; canned food, stewed fish, salted seafood, mashed meat, aquatic products (rolls of bamboo fish, cake of fried fish, stick of crab meat, etc.), fried food, processed food and beverage of fish and shellfish such as tempura; meat such as chicken, pork, beef, mutton, horse meat, etc.; flavoring materials for curry, stewed dish, stewed beef, japanese beef braised rice sauce, tomato meat sauce, mao bean curd, hamburger patties, dumplings, pot assorted rice, soup (corn soup, tomato soup, stewed soup), meatballs, roast meat pieces, and meat cans; seasoning such as table salt, seasoning salt, soy sauce powder, miso powder, mash, bacon sauce, rice flour, tea-soaked rice seasoning, margarine (margarine), mayonnaise, sauce, vinegar, three-cup vinegar, sushi vinegar powder, chinese meal seasoning, tempura sauce, noodle sauce (kelp soup stock, bonito soup stock, etc.), sauce (medium sauce, tomato sauce, etc.), tomato sauce, roast meat sauce, curry sauce (curry roux), stew seasoning, soup seasoning (kelp soup stock, bonito soup stock, etc.), composite seasoning, novel cooking wine, fried chicken powder/octopus powder, etc., and animal or vegetable flavor food and beverage added with these seasoning; milk products such as cheese, yogurt, butter, etc.; various microbial fermented products such as various yeasts including brewer's yeast and baker's yeast and lactic acid bacteria; stews such as vegetables stews, pre-cooking, kandong boiling, chafing dish, etc.; ingredients and side dishes of take-out box lunch; fruit juice beverage such as apple, grape, and citrus (grapefruit, orange, and lemon), refreshing beverage containing fruit juice, fruit pulp beverage, and fruit beverage containing fruit particles; vegetables such as tomatoes, green peppers, celery, melons, balsam pears, carrots, potatoes, asparagus, bracken, and osmunda japonica, or vegetable-containing food and beverage such as vegetable beverages and vegetable soup containing the vegetables; preferred beverage products such as coffee, cocoa, green tea, black tea, oolong tea, refreshing beverage, cola beverage, carbonated beverage (various flavored soft drinks such as citrus flavor), and lactobacillus beverage; beverage containing crude drug or herbal medicine; cola beverages, fruit juice beverages, milk beverages, beer-flavored beverages including non-alcoholic beer or so-called "third-class beer" and the like, sports beverages, honey beverages, vitamin-supplemented beverages, mineral-supplemented beverages, nutritional beverages, lactic acid bacteria beverages and the like; alcohol-free preference beverages such as alcoholic beverages with various flavors (beer flavor, plum flavor, carbonic acid distilled liquor flavor, etc.); wine, distilled liquor, sparkling wine, sake, beer, carbonated distilled liquor, cocktail, sparkling wine, fruit wine, medicinal wine, other brewed wine (sparkling) such as so-called "third beer", and liqueur (sparkling), alcoholic beverages containing the same, and the like.

The amount of the animal or plant extract or the flavor composition to be added to the food or beverage may be arbitrarily determined depending on the flavor of the food or beverage, the degree of the desired effect, and the like.

As an example of the concentration of the additive amount, in the case of food or beverage, the concentration of the animal or plant extract or the flavor composition is in the range of 0.001ppt to 0.1%, preferably 1ppt to 100ppm, more preferably 1ppb to 100ppm, based on the total mass of the food or beverage. More specifically, the lower limit value is set to any one of 0.001ppt, 0.01ppt, 0.1ppt, 1ppt, 10ppt, 100ppt, 1ppb, 10ppb, 100ppb, 1ppm, 10ppm, 100ppm, and the upper limit value is set to any one of 0.1%, 100ppm, 10ppm, 1ppm, 100ppb, 10ppb, 1ppb, 100ppt, 10ppt, 1ppt, 0.1ppt, and 0.01ppt, and any combination of these lower limit values and upper limit values is exemplified, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The concentration of the animal or plant extract or the flavor composition may be selected from the group consisting of 100ppt to 100ppb, 100ppt to 1ppm, 1ppb to 100ppb, 1ppb to 1ppm, 10ppb to 100ppb, 100ppb to 10ppm, and 1ppm to 100ppm, depending on the flavor characteristics of the food or beverage, but is not limited thereto.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described more specifically by way of examples, but the essence of the present invention is the technical idea disclosed above, and is not limited by the examples.

Examples

Example 1

600g of Qinggang county fresh tea (longline, shallow steam) was packed into a 3L column, and an aqueous solution prepared by dissolving 1.2g of sodium L-ascorbate in 180g of soft water was uniformly sprinkled from the upper part of the column to moisten the tea. After the inside of the column was replaced with nitrogen gas, steam mixed with nitrogen was blown from the lower part of the column, and the steam containing the volatile components of tea obtained from the upper part of the column was condensed by a cooling tube (tap water cooling, about 20 ℃) for about 20 minutes, to obtain 300g (50% relative to tea leaves) of a distillate containing the volatile components of tea. The pH of the resulting distillate was 9.2.

The distillate was split into 300ml brown bottles in half (150 g), and after the headspace was replaced with nitrogen, one was stored in a refrigerator (5 ℃ C.) (comparative example 1) and the other was stored in a freezer (-20 ℃ C.). The one stored in the freezer was frozen from about 30 minutes after storage in the freezer, and was almost completely frozen for about 3 hours. Each of them was stored in this state for about 20 hours from the start of the storage, and then left at room temperature (23 ℃). The frozen product was completely thawed in about 2 hours to obtain a frozen-thawed product (inventive product 1: pH 9.2).

Both were diluted to 0.1% with water and subjected to sensory evaluation. The respective fragrances are summarized below.

Comparative product 1 (refrigerated storage product): fresh and soft green tea flavor accompanied by sea weed flavor and rock bank flavor

Inventive product 1 (frozen-thawed product): green tea flavor with intense green flavor accompanied by tropical fruit feel

Aroma analysis was performed on each sample by the following method.

1g of each sample solution (comparative sample 1, inventive sample 1) was analyzed by adding 1ppb, 10ppb, 100ppb, or 1000ppb of a standard of 4-mercapto-4-methylpentan-2-one to each sample as it is or.

Analysis conditions

Device

Gas chromatography apparatus: 7890B GC System, manufactured by Agilent Technologies Co

MSD device: 5977B MSD,Agilent Technologies Co Ltd

Column

InertCap WAX 0.25mm phi.times.30m (film thickness 0.25 μm), GL Sciences Inc

SPME fiber

50/30 μm DVB/CAR/PDMS StableF lex/SS (2 cm), manufactured by Merck company (Supelco: registered trademark)

Sample amount: 1g of

Vial capacity: 20ml of

Equilibrium conditions of the sample: stirring at 60℃for 30 min

Extraction conditions of SPME: standing at 60deg.C for 30 min

Inlet temperature: 250 DEG C

Temperature conditions: after 8 minutes at 40℃the temperature was raised to 180℃at 4℃per minute, followed by a rise to 230℃at 3℃per minute, and maintained at 230℃for 10 minutes

Carrier gas: he (constant pressure)

Injection method: no split flow

Flow rate: 1.2ml/min

The analysis result of GC/MS was used to map the peak of 4-mercapto-4-methylpentan-2-one using m/z=132, the peak of linalool using total ions, and the respective area values were used for quantification.

(analysis results)

The frozen-thawed product was confirmed to contain a large amount of 4-mercapto-4-methylpentan-2-one by GC/MS.

The content of 4-mercapto-4-methylpentan-2-one obtained by the standard addition method in the sample is shown below.

Comparative product 1:0.25ppb

The invention product 1:495.9ppb

In addition, the peak area value of 4-mercapto-4-methylpentan-2-one of inventive product 1 (sample to which 4-mercapto-4-methylpentan-2-one was not added as a standard) was 9.9X10 ⁴ Linalool has an area value of 3.9X10 ⁸ The peak area value of 4-mercapto-4-methylpentan-2-one of comparative example 1 was 49.9,linalool has an area value of 3.9X10 ⁸ 。

From the above results, it was confirmed that inventive product 1 contained (produced) about 2 thousand times as much 4-mercapto-4-methylpentan-2-one as comparative product 1.

Further, since the present invention product 1 produced 300g of the present invention product 1 from 600g of green tea leaves as the raw material, the content ratio (on a mass basis) of 4-mercapto-4-methylpentan-2-one in ((yield (mass) of green tea extract)/(amount (mass) of green tea leaves used as the extraction raw material)) x green tea extract was 2.5x10 ^-7 。

In contrast, in comparative product 1, ((yield (mass) of green tea extract))/(amount of green tea leaf used as extraction raw material) (mass)) x the content ratio of 4-mercapto-4-methylpentan-2-one in the green tea extract (mass basis) was 1.75X10 ^-10 。

In addition, the (area value of peak (m/z=132) of detected 4-mercapto-4-methylpentan-2-one)/(area value of peak (total ion) of detected linalool) of inventive product 1 was 2.5X10 ^-4 。

In contrast, in comparative product 1, the area value of the peak (m/z=132) of (detected 4-mercapto-4-methylpentan-2-one)/(the area value of the peak (total ion) of detected linalool) was 1.25X10 ^-7 。

Example 2

First, the present invention 1 and the comparative product 1 were obtained by the same procedure as in example 1. Then, 4800g of 40℃hot water (0.05% sodium ascorbate aqueous solution) was fed at a flow rate of 60 ml/min from the upper part of the column, and 3000g of Bx 3℃extract was taken out from the bottom of the column. The extracted extract was cooled to 20℃and centrifuged at 3000rpm for 10 minutes to remove the precipitate, thereby obtaining an aqueous extract (reference 1, bx 3.0 °, pH 5.6).

The green tea extract (inventive product 2) (Bx 1.6 °, pH 6.7) was obtained by mixing 150g of each of inventive product 1 and reference product 1, sterilizing at 90 ℃ for 10 minutes, cooling to 20 ℃, and filling. Further, comparative product 1 and reference product 1 were mixed at 150g each, sterilized at 90℃for 10 minutes, cooled to 20℃and filled to obtain green tea extract (comparative product 2) (Bx 1.6 °, pH 6.7).

For comparative product 2 and inventive product 2, the content of 4-mercapto-4-methylpentan-2-one was also determined by the analytical method. The results are shown below.

Comparative product 2:0.11ppb

The invention product 2:245.9ppb

As described above, the contents of the comparative product 2 and the inventive product 2 were confirmed to be almost the same as the calculated amounts of 4-mercapto-4-methylpentan-2-one considered to be derived from the comparative product 1 and the inventive product 1, respectively, indicating that the contents of 4-mercapto-4-methylpentan-2-one were not easily affected by the addition of the aqueous extract of green tea to the distillate or the heat sterilization.

In addition, for comparative product 2 and inventive product 2, the area value of the peak (m/z=132) of (detected 4-mercapto-4-methylpentan-2-one)/(the area value of the peak (total ion) of detected linalool) was also measured by the above-described analysis method. The results are shown below.

The area value of (peak of detected 4-mercapto-4-methylpentan-2-one (m/z=132)/(area value of peak of detected linalool (total ion)) of comparative product 2=5.5×10 ^-8

The area value of the peak (m/z=132) of (detected 4-mercapto-4-methylpentan-2-one)/(the area value of the peak (total ion) of detected linalool) =1.1x10 of inventive product 2 ^-4

As described above, in comparative product 2 and inventive product 2, values at almost the same level as the (area value of the detected peak (m/z=132) of 4-mercapto-4-methylpentan-2-one)/(the area value of the detected peak (total ion)) considered to be derived from comparative product 1 and inventive product 1, respectively, showed that the content of linalool or 4-mercapto-4-methylpentan-2-one was not easily affected by the addition of the aqueous extract of green tea to the distillate or by heat sterilization.

Comparative example 1

300g of comparative product 2 (pH 6.7) was again adjusted, and each 150g was divided into 2 parts, and one of them was prepared with 1% potassium hydroxide aqueous solution to pH 9.5. Put into 300ml brown bottles, respectively, and after nitrogen substitution of the headspace, stored in a freezer (-20 ℃). Samples stored in the freezer were frozen starting from about 30 minutes after storage in the freezer and almost completely frozen for about 3 hours. Each of them was stored in this state for about 20 hours from the start of the storage, and then left at room temperature (23 ℃). The frozen product was completely thawed in about 2 hours. A sample subjected to freeze-thawing at pH6.7 was used as a comparative product 3, and a sample subjected to freeze-thawing at pH9.5 was used as a comparative product 4.

These comparative products 3 and 4 were analyzed for 4-mercapto-4-methylpentan-2-one and linalool in the same manner as described above. The results are shown in table 1.

TABLE 1

MMP: 4-mercapto-4-methylpentan-2-one

In the state of the water extract fraction containing green tea, no increase in 4-mercapto-4-methylpentan-2-one was observed in either of pH6.7 and pH9.5 even when freeze-thawing was performed.

Example 3

The same operations as in example 1 were carried out by filling 1000g of September product tea (Oblongus species, middle steam) into a 3L column. From the upper part of the column, an aqueous solution of 2.0g of sodium L-ascorbate dissolved in 300g of soft water was uniformly sprinkled, and the tea leaves were moistened. After the inside of the column was replaced with nitrogen gas, steam mixed with nitrogen was blown from the lower part of the column, and the steam containing the volatile components of tea obtained from the upper part of the column was condensed by a cooling tube (tap water cooling, about 20 ℃) for about 20 minutes, to obtain 500g (50% relative to tea leaves) of a distillate containing the volatile components of tea. The pH of the resulting distillate was 7.6.

The distillate was packaged into 4 300ml brown bottles at 100g each, and stored in the following classification.

Comparative product 5: after nitrogen substitution of the headspace, it was stored in a freezer (-20 ℃ C.)

Comparative product 6: after nitrogen substitution in the headspace, the headspace was stored in a refrigerator (5 ℃ C.)

Comparative product 7: the ascorbic acid powder was used to prepare a pH6.5, and after nitrogen substitution of the headspace, the headspace was stored in a freezer (-20 ℃ C.)

The invention product 3: the headspace was subjected to nitrogen substitution using 0.1% potassium hydroxide aqueous solution to prepare a pH 9.5, and stored in a freezer (-20 ℃ C.)

Samples stored in the freezer were frozen starting from about 30 minutes after storage in the freezer and almost completely frozen for about 3 hours. Each of them was stored in this state for about 20 hours from the start of the storage, and then left at room temperature (23 ℃). The frozen product was completely thawed in about 2 hours, to obtain frozen-thawed products (comparative product 6, comparative product 7 and inventive product 3).

These inventive product 3 and comparative products 5 to 7 were analyzed for 4-mercapto-4-methylpentan-2-one and linalool in the same manner as described above. The results are shown in table 2.

TABLE 2

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MMP: 4-mercapto-4-methylpentan-2-one

As shown in Table 2, even when the freezing-thawing was performed at pH7.6 (comparative example 5), the increase in 4-mercapto-4-methylpentan-2-one compared with the unfrozen product was not observed, whereas at pH6.5, even when the freezing-thawing was performed, the increase in 4-mercapto-4-methylpentan-2-one was hardly observed (comparative example 7). On the other hand, when the pH is set to 9.5 and frozen, the result is that 4-mercapto-4-methylpentan-2-one is further increased by 40 times or more than when frozen at pH 7.6.

Example 4

After adding 1kg of still county green tea (fresh tea, deep-distilled) to 20kg of ion-exchanged water heated to 80℃and slowly stirring for 5 minutes, tea leaves were separated using a 40-mesh metal mesh, the separated liquid was cooled to 20℃to obtain 14kg of an extract, 7.0g (500 ppm) of sodium ascorbate was added, and the extract was filtered with No.2 filter paper (manufactured by ADVANTEC Co.: retention particle size: 5 μm) to obtain a green tea beverage stock solution (analysis value of green tea beverage stock solution: bx:2.22 °, pH: 6.4; tannin content (iron tartrate method): 0.44%, amino acid content: 0.071%). The resultant was packaged, diluted 10 times with ion-exchanged water (mass ratio), and solutions of inventive product 2 or comparative product 2 having the concentrations shown in table 2 were prepared and added to the diluted solutions, respectively, and after heat sterilization at 137 ℃ for 30 seconds, the resultant was cooled to 88 ℃, filled into 500ml PET plastic bottles, and after holding for 2 minutes, cooled to room temperature (25 ℃) to prepare PET plastic bottled green tea beverages. The green tea beverages were evaluated by 10 panelists with no additives of the tea extract as a control. The evaluation criteria were that the fresh brewing feel, the bluish green (green) feel, the fullness, the sweetness, the fruit feel, the sea weed aroma were very good when the non-added product was set to 5 minutes: 10 minutes, good: 8 minutes, slightly better: 6 minutes, slightly worse: 4, dividing into two parts: 2 minutes, very poor 0 minutes. The results are shown in table 3.

TABLE 3

As shown in table 3, the present invention product 2 significantly increased the fresh taste, bluish green taste, sweetness and fullness of green tea with slightly fruity taste, with respect to green tea, at a trace amount of 1ppm to 10ppm (equivalent to 0.00025ppb to 0.0025ppb in terms of 4-mercapto-4-methylpentan-2-one) relative to green tea beverage. On the other hand, as a result of comparative product 2, the effect was slightly observed by adding about 10ppm, and the effect was clearly seen by adding about 100ppm, with almost no change from the case of no addition at the amount of 1 ppm. Therefore, the present product (present product 2) exhibits an effect even at a concentration far lower than that of the conventional aromatic extract (comparative product 2), and is also advantageous in terms of cost, while being characterized in terms of flavor characteristics.

Claims

1. A method for producing a green tea extract, which comprises the following steps (A) to (D):

step (D): and (C) thawing the frozen distillate in the step (C).

2. Green tea extract which is green tea extract without 4-mercapto-4-methylpentan-2-one added, and which satisfies the following formula when 4-mercapto-4-methylpentan-2-one in green tea extract is measured:

((yield (quality) of green tea extract))/(amount (quality) of green tea leaf used as extraction raw material)) ×content ratio of 4-mercapto-4-methylpentan-2-one in green tea extract (based on quality) =1×10 ^-8 ～5×10 ^-5 。

3. Green tea extract which is green tea extract without 4-mercapto-4-methylpentan-2-one added, satisfying the following formula when analyzing aroma components of green tea extract by GC/MS and drawing a chromatogram according to the analysis result of GC/MS:

4. A packaged green tea beverage comprising the green tea extract of claim 2 or 3.

5. A green tea flavored food beverage comprising the green tea extract of claim 2 or 3.

6. A process for producing an animal/plant extract, which comprises the following steps (A) to (D):

step (A): steam distilling the animal and plant material to obtain distillate;

step (D): and (C) thawing the frozen distillate in the step (C).

7. The method for producing an animal/plant extract according to claim 6, wherein in the freezing in the step (C), the animal/plant extract is frozen until 99% or more of the total distillate is frozen.

8. The method for producing an animal/plant extract according to claim 6, wherein the time required for the freezing of the step (C) until 99% or more of the total distillate is frozen is 30 minutes or more.

9. The method for producing an animal and plant extract according to claim 6, wherein in the step (C), the concentration of the soluble solid fraction in the distillate obtained in the step (B) before freezing, excluding the distillate obtained in the step (A), is 1.0 mass% or less.

10. The method for producing an animal and plant extract according to claim 6, wherein the steam distillation in the step (A) is 1 or 2 or more selected from the group consisting of atmospheric steam distillation, vacuum steam distillation, pressurized steam distillation and rotary film steam distillation (SCC).

11. The method for producing an animal/plant extract according to claim 6, further comprising the following step (E) after the step (D):

12. The method for producing an animal and plant extract according to claim 11, wherein the solvent-extracted extract fraction of the animal and plant material is an extract fraction obtained by extracting an animal and plant material after and/or before the steam distillation distillate is obtained with an aqueous solvent.

13. The method for producing an animal/plant extract according to claim 12, comprising a heat sterilization step.

14. The method for producing an animal and plant extract according to any one of claims 6 to 13, wherein the animal and plant material is coffee or tea.

15. A method for producing a food or beverage comprising the step of adding the animal or plant extract obtained by the production method according to any one of claims 6 to 13 to a food or beverage.

16. A method for producing a perfume composition, comprising a step of adding the animal and plant extract obtained by the production method according to any one of claims 6 to 13 to the perfume composition.

17. A method for producing a food or beverage comprising the step of adding the flavor composition obtained by the production method according to claim 16 to a food or beverage.