JP2002272446A - Malt alcohol beverage and method of producing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a malt alcoholic beverage that has a sufficiently high concentration of oligosaccharide and new types of taste and flavor and a method of producing the same that can readily and surely give the objective beverage. SOLUTION: The objective method of producing malt alcohol beverage characteristically comprises the following steps: (1) the malting step where a β-amylase activity-defective barley is malted; (2) the preparation step wherein the malt is saccharized to the wort; and (3) the fermentation step wherein the yeast is added to the wort to effect fermentation thereby producing the objective malt alcoholic beverage including oligosaccharides.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a malt alcoholic beverage and a method for producing the same, and more particularly, to a malt alcoholic beverage containing an oligosaccharide and a method for producing the same.

[0002]

BACKGROUND ART Barley used as a raw material for malt alcoholic beverages such as beer and low-malt beer is α-amylase,
It contains saccharifying enzymes such as β-amylase. During malting and saccharification, the action of these saccharifying enzymes degrade carbohydrates in barley seeds into low molecular weight saccharides. Among the low-molecular-weight saccharides thus produced in wort, fermentable saccharides such as glucose, maltose, and maltotriose are used for yeast fermentation.

[0003] In malt alcoholic beverages obtained using conventional barley, maltose produced by the action of β-amylase usually accounts for the highest proportion, but the malt alcoholic beverages have a flavor that depends on the composition of these sugars. It is known to be affected. Therefore, a malt alcoholic beverage to which a new flavor is imparted by changing the sugar composition is desired. Above all, beer and low-malt beer containing oligosaccharides, in addition to new flavors due to changes in sugar composition, have a healthy digestive system for beer and low-malt beer, which are recognized as healthy alcohols with relatively low alcohol concentrations. It is considered to have a very high value in that a preserving action can be imparted.

[0004]

However, in the conventional method for producing malt alcoholic beverages, the sugar composition cannot be sufficiently changed only by adjusting the conditions for malting and saccharification, and the content of soluble nitrogen and the like cannot be changed. And it is very difficult to increase the oligosaccharide concentration in the malt alcoholic beverage to impart a new flavor.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and has a malt alcoholic beverage having a sufficiently high oligosaccharide concentration and a new flavor, and a malt alcoholic beverage which is easily and reliably prepared. It is an object of the present invention to provide a production method which can be obtained at a time.

[0006]

Means for Solving the Problems As a result of intensive studies to achieve the above object, the present inventors first found a plurality of Tibetan native barleys having no β-amylase activity (93rd breeding). The Society also clarified that this trait was due to mutations in the β-amylase structural gene, and that the specific sugar composition in germinated seeds was different from that of normal barley (the 96th Association for Breeding). Then, the present inventors have further studied diligently based on such findings, and found that, when producing a malt alcoholic beverage, the above problem is solved by using β-amylase activity-deficient barley, The present invention has been completed.

That is, the method for producing a malt alcoholic beverage according to the present invention comprises a malting step in which barley lacking β-amylase activity is malted to obtain malt, and a charging step in which the malt is saccharified to obtain wort. A fermentation step of adding yeast to the wort and fermenting the wort to obtain a malt alcoholic beverage containing oligosaccharides.

[0008] The malt alcoholic beverage of the present invention is characterized by being obtained by the production method of the present invention.

In the present invention, the use of barley lacking β-amylase activity can sufficiently increase the oligosaccharide concentration in the resulting malt alcoholic beverage. Also, β-
Since barley deficient in amylase activity germinates in a usual manner even when β-amylase activity is deficient, conventional barley is used for malting, preparation (saccharification), and fermentation of the barley lacking β-amylase activity. Each step can be carried out in the same manner as in the production method described above. Therefore, it is possible to easily and reliably obtain a malt alcoholic beverage having a high content ratio of oligosaccharides and a new flavor.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail.

The method for producing a malt alcoholic beverage according to the present invention comprises the steps of: producing a malt by producing barley lacking β-amylase activity; a step of preparing the wort by saccharifying the malt; Fermenting the wort by adding yeast to the juice to obtain a malt alcoholic beverage containing oligosaccharides.

The malt alcoholic beverage referred to in the present invention refers to an alcoholic beverage obtained using malt as a raw material.
Beer (malt alcoholic beverage with a malt usage ratio of 66.6% or more in raw materials) and Happoshu (malt usage ratio in raw materials of 66.6% or more).
Alcohol beverage (less than 6% malt alcoholic beverage).

[0013] The β-amylase activity referred to in the present invention refers to the term “β-amylase activity” refers to the terminus of hydrolysis of starch from the end of glucose chain.
It refers to the property of breaking α-1,4 bonds by molecule, and the barley lacking β-amylase activity according to the present invention refers to barley lacking β-amylase activity. As the barley lacking β-amylase activity according to the present invention, malt obtained by steeping at a steeping degree of 42.5%, germinating at 15 ° C. for 6 days, and then roasting is shown in FIG. Preferably, when saccharified based on the above, the content of maltose in the resulting wort is 4% by weight or less based on the total amount of wort. As such β-amylase activity deficient barley,
Examples include barley barley lacking β-amylase activity of a native Tibetan species. The deletion of β-amylase activity can be determined using, for example, a β-amylase activity measurement kit (manufactured by Megazyme) or a diamond color AMY kit (manufactured by Ono Pharmaceutical).

In the production method of the present invention, first, β-
A malting step is performed in which barley lacking amylase activity is malted to obtain malt.

[0015] The method and conditions in the above-mentioned malting step are not particularly limited, but when the barley of the present invention lacks β-amylase activity, the barley is sufficiently germinated by providing sufficient water and air. It is preferable to dry to remove the germ and roast in order to impart a flavor and a color peculiar to the malt alcoholic beverage.

Further, the degree of steeping of the barley deficient in β-amylase activity is preferably 40 to 45%.
If the degree of immersion is less than the lower limit, the decomposition of proteins during germination and the production of various enzymes tend to be insufficient or uneven, while if the degree of immersion exceeds the upper limit, excess protein is present. There is a tendency for extract loss due to decomposition, germination and rooting. In addition, the soaking degree here means the water content when barley seeds are soaked.

Further, the temperature for germinating the barley after immersion is preferably 10 to 20 ° C., and the time for germination is preferably 4 to 6 days.

The malt thus obtained can be a source of starch in the saccharification as well as an enzyme source in the charging step described later. Malt obtained from barley lacking β-amylase activity usually has a low saccharifying enzyme power and a final appearance fermentation degree. The present inventors speculate that this is due to the lack of β-amylase activity.

Next, in the charging step, wort is obtained by saccharifying the malt obtained in the malting step.

The method of saccharifying malt in the charging step according to the present invention is not particularly limited. For example, the raw material containing malt obtained in the malting step and charging water are mixed in a charging kettle, and the mixture is mixed. The wort can be obtained by heating based on a predetermined saccharification diagram and filtering the resulting saccharified solution. One example of a saccharification diagram preferably used in the present invention is shown in FIG.

In the above-mentioned preparation step, the use ratio of malt in the raw material is appropriately selected according to the type of malt alcoholic beverage such as beer and low-malt beer. For example, when producing beer, the use ratio of malt is 66.6%. As described above, the malt use ratio is set to less than 66.6% when producing low-malt beer. In addition, raw materials containing malt may be blended with auxiliary materials such as hops, corn starch, corn grits, rice, and sugars as necessary.

The mixing ratio of malt and water for charging in the charging step is not particularly limited, but preferably 300 to 350 ml of water for 100 parts by weight of malt. Further, a commercially available or separately prepared malt extract may be mixed with water for charging, and the above-mentioned auxiliary materials may be added and used as needed.

In the above charging step, usually,
Malt tetraose, malt tetraose, wort having a saccharide composition such as maltotetraose having a high content of oligosaccharides and a low content of maltose can be obtained as compared with the conventional production method. The present inventors presume the reason for this as follows. That is, in the conventional production method using barley exhibiting β-amylase activity, first, starch is decomposed into dextran or oligosaccharide by the action of α-amylase, and then dextran or oligosaccharide is converted to β-amylase by the action of β-amylase. Although it is degraded to maltose by the action of amylase, in the production method of the present invention, by using barley lacking β-amylase activity, the decomposition of dextran or oligosaccharides to maltose is sufficiently suppressed, and the above sugar composition is reduced. It is considered to indicate.

Next, in the fermentation step, yeast is added to the wort obtained in the preparation step, and the wort is fermented to obtain a malt alcoholic beverage containing an oligosaccharide.

Here, the yeast used in the fermentation step is not particularly limited as long as it is capable of so-called alcohol fermentation which produces sugars and carbon dioxide by metabolizing sugars in wort. Include Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Saccharomyces ubalum and the like. The use amount of these yeasts is not particularly limited, but is preferably 0.4 to 0.5 part by weight based on 100 parts by weight of wort.

The fermentation conditions in the fermentation step are not particularly limited, but the fermentation temperature is usually 15 ° C. or lower, preferably 8 to 10 ° C., and the fermentation time is preferably 8 to 10 ° C.
Day. Furthermore, the fermentation liquid obtained by wort fermentation is stored in a closed tank or the like, and stored at a storage temperature of 0 to 2 ° C. for 30 to 90 days, so that the re-fermentation and ripening of the remaining extract can be suitably performed. .

In the production method of the present invention, impurities in the malt alcoholic beverage can be removed by subjecting the malt alcoholic beverage obtained in the fermentation step to a purification treatment such as filtration. When performing filtration, set the filtration temperature to 0.
By setting the temperature at ± 1 ° C. and using a filter aid such as diatomaceous earth, polyvinyl polypyrrolidone, silica gel, and cellulose powder, impurities in malt alcohol can be suitably removed. The malt alcoholic beverage after filtration is subjected to aseptic filtration treatment, heat treatment, or the like as it is, or if necessary, packed in a tank, packed in a barrel, packed in a bottle or canned, and shipped to the market.

The malt alcoholic beverage of the present invention thus obtained has a sufficiently high content of oligosaccharides such as maltotriose and maltotetraose and a low content of maltose as compared with conventional malt alcoholic beverages. And a new flavor such as sweetness is imparted by such a sugar composition.

Here, the total content of maltotriose and maltotetraose is preferably 1 to 5% by weight based on the total amount of the malt alcoholic beverage. If the content ratio of the oligosaccharide in the malt alcoholic beverage is less than the lower limit, a new flavor (for example, sweetness) due to a change in the sugar composition tends not to be sufficiently provided. In addition, malt alcoholic beverages in which the content ratio of oligosaccharides in the malt alcoholic beverage exceeds the upper limit can be produced by a method such as shortening the fermentation time, but when such a method is used, Tends to be insufficiently fermented, making it difficult to obtain the flavor inherent in malt alcoholic beverages.

The malt alcoholic beverage of the present invention may contain glucose, maltose, fructose and the like in addition to oligosaccharides such as maltotriose and maltotetraose, but maltotriose and maltotetraose. Is preferably 50% by weight or more based on the total amount of glucose, maltose, fructose, maltotriose and maltotetraose (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “major sugar”). If the total content ratio of maltotriose and maltotetraose is less than the lower limit, a new flavor (eg, sweetness) due to a change in the sugar composition tends not to be sufficiently provided.

Since maltotriose is a fermentable sugar, the maltotriose content in malt alcoholic beverages may decrease depending on the type of yeast strain. At this time, the content ratio of maltotetraose is 1 to 5% by weight based on the total amount of the malt alcoholic beverage.
And preferably at least 50% by weight based on the total amount of the main sugars.

The composition of the main sugars in the malt alcoholic beverage of the present invention can be determined, for example, by HPLC-PAD analyzer (high-performance liquid chromatography-pulse amperometry detector).
Can be used for analysis.

[0033]

EXAMPLES Hereinafter, the present invention will be described more specifically based on Examples and Comparative Examples, but the present invention is not limited to the following Examples.

Example 1 (Malting process) A native Tibetan β-amylase activity-deficient barley (produced by Okayama University Shiseikaken Field in 1999) was prepared by the following procedure using a small wheat-making apparatus manufactured by Phoenix. It was malted. That is, barley lacking β-amylase activity was immersed at a degree of steeping of 42.5.
%, Then germinated at 15 ° C for 6 days,
Malting was obtained by roasting.

A quality analysis value was obtained by using a part of the malt thus obtained. Table 1 shows the results. In addition,
In Table 1, T.I. N. Represents total nitrogen [%]; N. Represents soluble nitrogen [%], KZ represents Colebach value,
EVG stands for final fermentation degree [%]. P represents saccharifying enzyme power [° WK or WK / TN], and VZ 45 ° C. is 45 ° C.
Indicates the saccharified extract ratio.

As shown in Table 1, the saccharifying enzyme activity and the final fermentation degree of malt obtained using barley lacking β-amylase activity are those of malt obtained using “Haruna Nijo” described later. The value was significantly lower than that. Also, soluble nitrogen of malt obtained using β-amylase activity deficient barley,
The fly ability and β-glucan content showed values significantly different from those of malt obtained using “Haruna Nijo” .The results show that the barley lacking β-amylase activity is six-row naked barley, The present inventors speculate that it is caused by the native varieties that have not undergone breeding improvement as wheat.

(Preparation Step) Next, wort was prepared from the obtained malt according to the following procedure according to a standard test method of Sapporo Breweries. That is, after crushing malt, malt 7
0 g and 230 L of water for preparation were mixed, malt was saccharified based on the saccharification diagram shown in FIG. 1, and the resulting saccharified solution was filtered to obtain wort.

The composition of the main sugars (mono- to tetra-monosaccharides) in the wort after the charging step was analyzed using an HPLC-PAD analyzer. Table 2 and FIG. 3 show the content ratio of the main sugar content based on the total amount of wort. The resulting wort is glucose,
It contained maltose, fructose, maltotriose and maltotetraose.

(Fermentation Step) Next, a 1-L scale fermentation test was performed according to the following procedure, and the number of yeasts and the amount of residual extract during fermentation were measured.

First, the wort obtained in the above charging step
After adding 2 g of hop pellets to 0 L and boiling for 90 minutes, the wort was cooled and filtered. To the filtrate was added Sapporo Brewer's yeast so that the initial yeast number would be 5 × 10 ⁶ cells / ml, the temperature was maintained at 10.5 ° C., the yeast number during fermentation and the true extract concentration were measured, and HPLC-PA to determine the sugar composition in the mixture of juice and malt alcoholic beverage
The measurement was performed using a D analyzer, and the fermentation was performed until no decrease in the intrinsic extract concentration was observed. FIG. 2 shows the correlation between the number of yeasts or the concentration of the true extract and the fermentation time in this fermentation step. The correlation is shown in Table 2 and FIG. 3, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 2, an increase in the number of yeasts and a decrease in the concentration of the true extract were observed with the elapse of the fermentation time.
On the 9th, the increase in yeast and the decrease in the concentration of the true extract almost stopped, and the fermentation was completed. The malt alcoholic beverage thus obtained had an intrinsic extract concentration of 5.18% by weight and an alcohol concentration (alcohol content) of 3.87% by weight.

Further, as shown in Table 2 and FIG. 3, the content ratio of glucose, maltose and fructose found in the wort was remarkably reduced after the fermentation step.
It was found that oligosaccharides such as maltotriose and maltotetraose were present in a sufficiently high content ratio even after the fermentation step. In particular, the content ratio of maltotetraose has hardly decreased compared to the content ratio in wort, and the total content ratio of maltotriose and maltotetraose is:
1.49% by weight based on the total amount of malt alcoholic beverage,
It was 71.7% by weight based on the total amount of main sugars. Thus, it was confirmed that the malt alcoholic beverage obtained in Example 1 contained oligosaccharides such as maltotriose and maltotetraose at a sufficiently high content ratio.

Furthermore, when the malt alcoholic beverage thus obtained was tasted by a test subject, it was evaluated that the malt alcoholic beverage had a characteristic flavor such as mellow sweetness.

Comparative Example 1 Malting and charging were carried out in the same manner as in Example 1 except that barley showing β-amylase activity was used instead of barley lacking β-amylase activity, “Haruna Nijo” (from Saitama). Perform each step of fermentation, alcohol concentration (alcohol content)
A malt alcoholic beverage having 5.24% by weight and an intrinsic extract concentration of 3.07% by weight was obtained.

Table 1 shows the malt analysis values of the malt obtained from "Haruna Nijo" in Comparative Example 1, Table 2 and FIG. 4 show the composition of the main sugar content in the wort obtained in the preparation step, and the number of yeasts in the fermentation step. Alternatively, the correlation between the concentration of the intrinsic extract and the fermentation time is shown in FIG. 2, and the content ratio of the main sugar content based on the total amount of the malt alcoholic beverage (or malt alcoholic beverage) obtained in the mixture of wort and malt alcoholic beverage in the fermentation step. And the correlation between fermentation time are shown in Table 2 and FIG.

As shown in Table 2, the wort obtained in the preparation step of Comparative Example 1 had a lower content of glucose and maltotetraose and a lower content of maltose than the wort obtained in Example 1. It was confirmed that the ratio was high. Furthermore, the malt alcoholic beverage obtained by fermenting this wort has a higher maltose content ratio and a lower maltotetraose content ratio than the malt alcoholic beverage of Example 1, and maltotriose and malt triose. It was confirmed that the total content ratio with tetraose was 0.65% by weight based on the total amount of the malt alcoholic beverage, and 25.0% by weight based on the total amount of main sugars.

[0047]

[Table 1]

[0048]

[Table 2]

[0049]

As described above, in the production method of the present invention, a malt alcoholic beverage having a sufficiently increased oligosaccharide concentration can be easily and reliably obtained by using barley lacking β-amylase activity. Becomes possible. Further, the malt alcoholic beverage of the present invention obtained by the production method of the present invention has a sufficiently high oligosaccharide content ratio and has a new flavor such as sweetness in addition to the flavor inherent in the conventional malt alcoholic beverage. And is very useful as a healthy malt alcoholic beverage.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a graph showing an example of a saccharification diagram according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a graph showing the correlation between the number of yeasts or the concentration of a true extract and the fermentation time in the fermentation steps of Example 1 and Comparative Example 1.

FIG. 3 is a graph showing the correlation between the main sugar content ratio and the fermentation time based on the total amount of wort and malt alcoholic beverage (or malt alcoholic beverage) in the fermentation step of Example 1.

FIG. 4 is a graph showing the correlation between the main sugar content and the fermentation time based on the total amount of wort and malt alcoholic beverage (or malt alcoholic beverage) in the fermentation step of Comparative Example 1.

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing from the front page (72) Inventor Kazutoshi Ito 37-1 Kizaki, Nitta-machi, Nitta-gun, Gunma Sapporo Brewery Co., Ltd. Plant Engineering Research Institute (72) Inventor Kazuyoshi Takeda 2-20- Chuo, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture 1 F-term in Okayama University Institute for Resource Biology (reference) 4B015 AG03 AG09

Claims (3)

[Claims] Claims: 1. A malting step of malting barley lacking β-amylase activity to obtain malt, a mashing step of saccharifying the malt to obtain wort, and adding yeast to the wort. A fermentation step of fermenting wort to obtain a malt alcoholic beverage containing an oligosaccharide. 2. The malt obtained by soaking the barley lacking β-amylase activity at a steeping degree of 42.5%, germinating at 15 ° C. for 6 days and then roasting is shown in FIG. The malt alcohol according to claim 1, wherein when saccharified based on the diagram, the content of maltose in the obtained wort is 4% by weight or less based on the total amount of wort. Beverage manufacturing method. 3. An alcoholic malt beverage obtained by the production method according to claim 1.