JP2005253474A - Formed body of green tea composition and method for producing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for producing a green tea composition containing powdery or granular green tea at high concentration. <P>SOLUTION: This method for producing the formed body of the green tea composition comprises pressure-forming the tea composition comprising components (A) to (C) as follows. Component (A): 35-80 wt.% of powdery or granular green tea; Component (B): 10-60 wt.% of maltose; Component (C): 1-20 wt.% of trehalose. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a green tea composition molded body obtained by molding powdered or granular green tea into various shapes and a method for producing the same.

Conventionally, green tea is usually shaped like a needle-shaped tea leaf through many processes such as a steaming process, a twisting process, and a drying process.
However, in general green tea, it is normal that some powdery or granular tea leaves are produced by breaking the needle-shaped green tea.
Even if such needle-shaped tea leaves or powdered or granular green tea is to be molded into various shapes such as tablets, the water content of the green tea itself is extremely low, about 3 to 5% by weight. Because it is in a dried state, it has no viscosity. Even if it is blended with powdered or granular green tea and a molding aid such as maltose, it is molded into a molded body even if it is molded under high pressure in the mold. Even if it was temporarily molded, it was only possible to easily collapse because of its poor shape retention.

Therefore, in order to temporarily mold into various shapes such as tablets, maltose as a molding aid must be blended in a larger amount (70% by weight or more) than the green tea component (30% by weight or less). It was.
Therefore, the green tea composition molded body color obtained by blending a large amount of molding aids such as maltose in this way has a low content of green tea components. It was not obtained.
In addition, the green tea composition formed in such a large amount (more than 70% by weight) of maltose loses its original taste due to the sweetness of maltose. It was normal not to try to mold it into the body.
On the other hand, powdered or granular green tea is included in the green tea because it is more easily dehydrated and powdered or granulated, and its surface area is increased, so that oxidation is more likely to occur. The phenomenon of chlorophyll (blue green) being oxidized and changing to pheophytin (brownish brown) occurs, so green tea gradually changes color over time and becomes yellowish.
Therefore, after being processed into powdery or granular green tea, it has been very difficult to maintain it as a dark green tea for a long time.
Furthermore, green tea is generally sold in the form of sticks or powders or granules, and can be picked up with a spoon and placed in a teapot, or individually packed in a paper pack or the like in the form of sticks or powders or granules. Is normal.
However, green tea individually packaged in a paper pack or the like in this way is easy to use, but a stick-shaped or powdery or granular green tea is weighed in an irregular shape and placed in a paper pack or the like. Since it is very difficult to individually wrap, rod-like or powdery or granular green tea has poor powder flowability in industrial production such as paper packs, and the packaging speed cannot be improved.

As a result of intensive studies in view of the above problems, the present inventors have found that maltose and trehalose can be molded into a compact by blending maltose and trehalose at a specific ratio with respect to powdered or granular green tea. Based on this, the present invention has been completed.
That is, the green tea composition molded body of the present invention is characterized in that it is formed by molding a green tea composition comprising the following components (A) to (C).
Ingredient (A): Powdered or granular green tea 35-80% by weight
Ingredient (B): Maltose 10-60% by weight
Ingredient (C): Trehalose 1-20% by weight
In addition, a method for producing a green tea composition molded body according to another aspect of the present invention is characterized in that a green tea composition comprising the following components (A) to (C) is pressure-molded. It is.
Ingredient (A): Powdered or granular green tea 35-80% by weight
Ingredient (B): Maltose 10-60% by weight
Ingredient (C): Trehalose 1-20% by weight

Such a molded product of the powdery or granular green tea composition of the present invention is not oxidized and discolored and contains a high concentration of greenish dark powdery or granular green tea. And caffeine and catechins in large quantities, caffeine's physiological functions (wakefulness, diuretics, blood circulation by vascular dilation, digestive secretion, central nervous system stimulation In addition to catechins at a high concentration, anti-bacterial and anti-bacterial / viral effects (antibacterial activity against digestive pathogens) Antibacterial activity against influenza virus, action against bacteria related to dental caries), adjustment of cholesterol level, blood pressure increase action, hypoglycemic action, antidiabetic action, platelet aggregation inhibitory action, blood clot formation Effect, anti-tumor, anti-carcinogenic action, detoxifying, can exhibit pharmacological effects such as deodorizing action.
In addition, since it contains a high concentration of chlorophyll and fluorine that are insoluble in water, bad breath can be prevented and the tooth surface can be strengthened.

[I] Molded green tea composition
(1) Component
(A) Ingredient (A): Powdered or granular green tea
(a) Green tea Powdered or granular green tea, which is a constituent of the green tea composition used as a raw material in the green tea composition molded body of the present invention, is hand-picked, pinched and mechanically picked from a tea tree that is a plant. Steamed tea leaves obtained by heat-treating fresh tea leaves collected by heating etc. with heated steam at a temperature of generally 95 ° C. or higher, preferably 97-100 ° C., generally for 20 seconds or longer, preferably about 30 seconds to 3 minutes. , Powdered or granular green tea obtained by twisting, drying and granulating, or obtained by drying and granulating (cutting, sieving and grinding) the steamed tea leaves Powdered or granular green tea, or powdered or granular green tea obtained by frying fresh tea leaves in a kettle or the like, heating, drying, and granulating is used.
Steamed tea leaves and roasted tea leaves that have been heat-treated with the above-mentioned heated steam, etc. lose the enzyme activity in the raw tea leaves by the above heat treatment, and remove the green odor of the fresh tea leaves, or evenly smooth the tea leaves It is softened, facilitates the subsequent mastication operation, and is a non-fermented tea that retains green color.

However, such steamed tea leaves and roasted tea leaves have lost the activity of chlorophyll oxidase (chlorophyllase) completely, but they are heated during each subsequent long-term manufacturing process, By removing it, normal oxidation is likely to occur, and chlorophyll (blue green) contained in green tea leaves is oxidized to pheophytin (brownish brown), and the green tea leaves gradually change color to yellow. Come on.
Accordingly, as the powdery or granular green tea, the powdery or granular green tea can be used as it is as the powdery or granular green tea of the component (A). It is preferable to use a powdered or granular green tea treated with trehalose, which is brought into contact with trehalose used as the component (C) and discoloration is prevented by adding trehalose to the green tea leaves.

(b) Particle size The powdery or granular green tea used as the raw material of the green tea composition molded product of the present invention generally has a particle size of 16 mesh or less (aperture about 1 mm or less), preferably 32 to 200 mesh (aperture about 0.5 to 0.07 mm), particularly preferably 60 to 100 mesh (aperture of about 0.25 to 0.15 mm) powdered or granular green tea is used.
Those having these particle sizes are prone to oxidative degradation, and thus can particularly exhibit the effect of preventing discoloration due to trehalose.

(c) Green index Generally, sencha and gyokuro are not very discolored, but when green tea is finely powdered, the surface area of green tea increases, making it susceptible to oxidation and moisture absorption. Even if green tea is produced in a simplified process in a short time, the rate of oxidative degradation is remarkably increased and the color is easily changed.
For example, in normal powdery green tea, the green index of fresh tea leaves immediately after collection is 1000, but the green index after 2 months after manufacture is less than 700.

Trehalose-treated green tea Accordingly, in the green tea composition of the present invention, the green tea composition used as a raw material is brought into contact with trehalose used as component (C) described later to make fresh tea leaves contain trehalose in the tea leaves. Therefore, even if it is processed into powdered green tea or granular green tea with fine particles, it is difficult to discolor.
Therefore, the powdery or granular green tea of the green tea composition used for the molded green tea composition of the present invention has a green index immediately after production by the digital color discrimination sensor by adding trehalose to the tea leaves. It exhibits 900 to 1000, preferably 930 to 990, particularly preferably 950 to 990.
Such trehalose-treated powdered or granular green tea can be maintained in green tea having a green index of 700 or more, preferably 800 or more, more preferably 900 or more, and particularly preferably 930 or more even after two months. .

(B) Ingredient (B): Maltose (maltose)
The maltose (maltose), which is a component of the green tea composition used as a raw material in the green tea composition molded body of the present invention, is a sugar in which two pyranose-type D-glucose molecules are linked by α-1,4 bonds. Examples thereof include maltose (maltose) and reduced maltose.
Among these maltose (maltose), it is preferable to use a reduced maltose having a reducing property having a free aldehyde group or a ketone group.
When fructose or lactose (lactose), which is a saccharide other than maltose (maltose), is used as an alternative, shape retention is poor, and only a molded product that is easy to disintegrate can be obtained. In order to achieve this, the amount of green tea must be reduced and the amount of sugar increased, but if the amount of sugar is increased, the sweetness of the molded body will increase or the flavor will deteriorate and the original flavor of tea will be impaired. The problem arises.

(C) Component (C): Trehalose Trehalose, which is a component of the green tea composition used as a raw material in the green tea composition molded body of the present invention, is one of disaccharides, and bimolecular D-glucose is It is a compound bonded with reducing groups.
There are three isomers, α, α-form, α, β-form, and β, β-form shown below, depending on whether the binding mode is α-bond or β-bond. -The body is used.
[1] α, α-form: mycose, mycoside, mushroom sugar
[2] α, β-form: Neotrehalose
[3] β, β-isomer: Isotrehalose Trehalose is a solid prismatic crystal having a melting point of 97 ° C., soluble in water, slightly soluble in hot ethanol, and insoluble in ether. Generally, it is used as a dissolved aqueous solution.
These trehaloses were previously produced by extraction from yeast, but recently, those produced directly from starch are commercially available as “Treha ^TM ” from Hayashibara Co., Ltd., and it is preferable to use such trehalose. .
The green tea composition molded body containing such component (C) trehalose prevents green tea itself from oxidative deterioration by bringing green tea into contact with trehalose, while maintaining the green color and preventing discoloration. Can prevent deterioration of catechin and chlorophyll.
Moreover, the shape retention property of the molded object at the time of shape | molding a molded object can be improved by mix | blending the trehalose of a component (C) in this green tea composition.

(D) Other ingredients (optional ingredients)
The green tea composition used for the green tea composition molded body of the present invention is composed of the above essential components, but within the range not significantly inhibiting the effects of the present invention other than the above components, carboxymethylcellulose salt and Other components such as a lubricant can be blended.
The carboxymethyl cellulose salt carboxymethyl cellulose salt, specifically, for example, for the purpose of improvement of solubility and the like of the molded product, for example, be formulated carboxymethylcellulose calcium, carboxymethylcellulose magnesium, sodium carboxymethylcellulose, carboxymethylcellulose potassium, etc. Can do. Among these, it is preferable to use carboxymethylcellulose calcium.
In general, the carboxymethylcellulose salt is preferably blended at a ratio of 0.01 to 0.05% by weight.
In order to facilitate molding of the lubricant green tea composition into a molded body, it is preferable to incorporate a lubricant.
Specific examples of the lubricant include sucrose fatty acid ester, fine silicon disulfide, rapeseed hydrogenated oil, and the like. These lubricants are generally blended in an amount of about 0.2 to 8.0% by weight, particularly about 1.0 to 5.0% by weight.

(2) Content of constituents Powdered or granular green tea (component (A)), reduced maltose (component (B)) and trehalose (component (C)) constituting the green tea composition molded body of the present invention. The content of each component is 35 to 80% by weight, preferably 45 to 70% by weight, particularly preferably 55 to 65% by weight, and 10 to 60% by weight of maltose, preferably 20 to 50%. % By weight, particularly preferably 30-40% by weight, trehalose 1-20% by weight, preferably 3-15% by weight, particularly preferably 5-10% by weight.
If the content of the maltose is too small, it cannot be formed into a molded body, or even if it is molded, it will lose its shape even with a slight impact. Moreover, when there is too much content of maltose, the sweetness of maltose will be felt strongly and the original taste of green tea will be lost.
Further, if the trehalose content is too small, the mold will be deformed even if molded into a molded body. Moreover, when there is too much trehalose content, the sweetness of maltose will be felt strongly and the original taste of green tea will be lost.

(3) Shape of the compact
Shape As the shape of the green tea composition formed from the green tea composition, the green tea composition is filled into various molds such as a tablet molding machine, a food molding machine, etc., and pressed and compression molded. Thus, it can be formed into various shapes such as a tablet shape, a flat plate shape, a rod shape, a spherical shape, and a rectangular parallelepiped shape. Among these various shapes, from the viewpoint of the hardness and the like of the molded product formed, it is preferable to form into a tablet shape having a diameter of 3 to 15 mm, particularly 6 to 12 mm.

Hardness The hardness of the molded body of the green tea composition of the present invention is generally preferably 3 to 10 kg / cm ² , particularly preferably 4 to 6 kg / cm ² , and the shape retainability is sufficient even when tableted. Yes, soft and easy to chew, good disintegration, easy to dissolve in water or hot water.

[II] Manufacture of green tea composition moldings
(1) Components of green tea composition
(A) Powdered or granular green tea (component (A))
(a) Green tea Powdered or granular green tea that is a constituent of the green tea composition used as a raw material in the production of the green tea composition molded body of the present invention is hand-picked from a tea tree that is a plant, pinched-picked, It was obtained by heat-treating fresh tea leaves collected by mechanical picking or the like with heated steam at a temperature of generally 95 ° C or higher, preferably 97 to 100 ° C, generally 20 seconds or longer, preferably about 30 seconds to 3 minutes. Powdered or granular green tea obtained by twisting, drying, and powdering or granulating steamed tea leaves, or drying and granulating (cutting, sieving, and grinding) the steamed tea leaves Powdered or granular green tea obtained by heating, or fresh green tea leaves in a kettle or the like, heated and dried, and then powdered or granular green tea obtained by powdering or granulating is used.
Steamed tea leaves and roasted tea leaves that have been heat-treated with the above-mentioned heated steam, etc. lose the enzyme activity in the raw tea leaves by the above heat treatment, and remove the green odor of the fresh tea leaves, or evenly smooth the tea leaves It is softened, facilitates the subsequent mastication operation, and is a non-fermented tea that retains green color.
Such steamed tea leaves and roasted tea leaves have lost the activity of chlorophyll oxidase (chlorophyllase) completely, but they are heated and the water is removed during the subsequent long production steps. As a result, normal oxidation is likely to occur, and chlorophyll (blue green) contained in green tea leaves is oxidized to pheophytin (brownish brown). Come on.

Trehalose process Therefore, the powdery or granular green tea is a component of green tea composition used as a raw material in the molding of the green tea composition of the present invention, the powdered or component granular green tea as it is (A) It can also be used as powdered or granular green tea, but it is particularly discolored by bringing trehalose used as component (C) below into contact with green tea leaves in advance during the green tea production process and adding trehalose to the green tea leaves. It is preferable to use a powdery or granular green tea treated with trehalose that prevents the above.
The trehalose treatment performed to bring the green tea leaves into contact with trehalose and mix the trehalose with the green tea leaves is performed before or after the raw tea leaves are heat-treated or contacted with trehalose at the same time as the heat treatment. Is done.
Among these contact treatments, it is preferable to contact with trehalose simultaneously with the heat treatment or after the heat treatment.
The trehalose treatment uses powdered or granular green tea in which 0.01 to 30 parts by weight, preferably 0.1 to 10 parts by weight, particularly preferably 1 to 5 parts by weight of trehalose is added to 100 parts by weight of green tea leaves. Is preferred.

The trehalose is usually a powder, but may be used as an aqueous trehalose solution when used to prevent oxidative degradation of green tea leaves.
When trehalose is used as an aqueous trehalose solution, it is generally prepared and used as an aqueous trehalose solution of 5 to 50% by weight, preferably 10 to 40% by weight, particularly preferably 20 to 30% by weight.
If trehalose is to be impregnated in tea leaves, a solution with a lower concentration is less likely to be impregnated due to osmotic pressure. However, if the solution is too concentrated, dehydration occurs and impregnation becomes difficult.
In addition, the green tea leaves blended with trehalose in this way are less susceptible to oxidative degradation and prevent discoloration, and can also prevent degradation of catechins and chlorophyll in green tea by maintaining the green color of green tea.
The reason why trehalose can prevent oxidative degradation of green tea itself and retain the green color to prevent discoloration is still unclear, but trehalose encapsulates the active ingredients in tea leaves by inclusion, By preventing contact and preventing discoloration due to oxidation, or by adding trehalose component to the retained water in the tissue in the green tea leaves to increase the viscosity of the retained water and prevent the retained water from moving This is presumed to be due to preventing discoloration due to oxidation.

(b) Particle size The particle size of the powdery or granular green tea constituting the green tea composition used in the production of the green tea composition molded product of the present invention is generally 16 mesh or less (aperture about 1 mm or less), preferably 32. A powdery or granular green tea having a mesh size of ~ 200 mesh (aperture approximately 0.5 to 0.07 mm), particularly preferably 60 to 100 mesh (aperture approximately 0.25 to 0.15 mm) is used.
Those having these particle diameters are prone to oxidative degradation, and thus can particularly exhibit the effect of preventing discoloration due to trehalose.

(c) Green index Generally, it is difficult to discolor in sencha or gyokuro, but if green tea is finely powdered, the surface area of green tea becomes large, which makes it easy to be oxidized and also absorbs moisture. Even if green tea is produced in a simplified process in a short time, the rate of oxidative degradation is significantly increased and the color is easily changed.
For example, in normal powdery or granular green tea, the green index of fresh tea leaves immediately after collection is 1000, but the green index after 2 months after manufacture is less than 700.
However, in the green tea composition suitably used in the method for producing a green tea composition molded body of the present invention, the green tea composition is processed into powdered green tea with fine particles by bringing trehalose into contact with fresh tea leaves and containing trehalose in the tea leaves. Even so, it is hard to discolor.
Accordingly, the powdery or granular green tea of the green tea composition used in the green tea composition molded body of the present invention has a green index immediately after production by a digital color discrimination sensor by blending trehalose into the tea leaves, which is 900 to 1000. , Preferably 930 to 990, particularly preferably 950 to 990.
Moreover, such trehalose-treated powdered or granular green tea should be maintained in green tea having a green index of 700 or more, preferably 800 or more, more preferably 900 or more, particularly preferably 930 or more even after two months. Can do.

(B) Maltose (component (B))
The maltose (component (B)) used in the green tea composition molded product of the present invention includes maltose (maltose), which is a sugar in which two pyranose-type D-glucose molecules are linked by α-1,4 bonds, and reduced maltose. Can be mentioned.
Among these maltose (maltose), it is preferable to use a reduced maltose having a reducing property having a free aldehyde group or a ketone group.
If fructose or lactose (lactose), which is a saccharide other than maltose (maltose), is used as an alternative, the amount of green tea must be decreased and the saccharide increased in order to maintain shape retention. If the saccharides are increased, the sweetness of the molded body increases or the flavor deteriorates, and the original flavor of tea is impaired.

(C) Trehalose (component (C))
Trehalose, which is a component of the green tea composition used as a raw material in the green tea composition molded body of the present invention, is one of disaccharides and is a compound in which two molecules of D-glucose are bonded to each other through their reducing groups. is there.
There are three isomers, α, α-form, α, β-form, and β, β-form shown below, depending on whether the binding mode is α-bond or β-bond. -The body is used.
[1] α, α-form: mycose, mycoside, mushroom sugar
[2] α, β-form: Neotrehalose
[3] β, β-isomer: Isotrehalose Trehalose is a solid prismatic crystal having a melting point of 97 ° C., soluble in water, slightly soluble in hot ethanol, and insoluble in ether. Generally, it is used as a dissolved aqueous solution.
These trehaloses were previously produced by extraction from yeast, but recently, those produced directly from starch are commercially available from Hayashibara Co., Ltd. as “Treha ^TM ”, and it is preferable to use this trehalose.
The green tea composition molded body containing such component (C) trehalose prevents green tea itself from oxidative deterioration by bringing green tea into contact with trehalose, while maintaining the green color and preventing discoloration. Can prevent deterioration of catechin and chlorophyll.
Moreover, the shape retention property of the molded object at the time of shape | molding a molded object can be improved by mix | blending the trehalose of a component (C) in this green tea composition.
The reason why the shape retention of the molded product during molding can be improved is still unclear, but trehalose and maltose are melted and integrated when trehalose is pressed in the presence of maltose (maltose). It is estimated that it will be molded.

Method of blending trehalose Therefore, the trehalose of component (C) is added in the process of producing powdered or granular green tea before molding the green tea composition molded body, or the green tea composition molded body is molded. The necessary amount of trehalose component is blended in the green tea composition molded body by adding and molding into the raw material.
However, the necessary amount of trehalose may be blended only in the process of producing powdered or granular green tea, or only in the raw material when molding the molded body, but the process of producing powdered or granular green tea A necessary amount of the trehalose component can also be blended by blending a small amount therein and blending the rest into the raw material for molding the molded body.
Among these blending methods, a necessary amount of trehalose is blended only in the process of producing powdered or granular green tea, or a small amount is blended in the process of producing powdered or granular green tea, and the rest of the molded body It is preferable to blend the necessary amount of trehalose component by blending in the raw material and molding.
In particular, it is preferable to blend the required amount of trehalose only during the process of producing powdered or granular green tea.
Furthermore, among the methods of blending this required amount of trehalose only in the process of producing powdered or granular green tea, especially when heat-treating fresh tea leaves or in steamed tea leaves immediately after heat-treating fresh tea leaves. It is preferable to contact trehalose.

(D) Other ingredients (optional ingredients)
The green tea composition used for the green tea composition molded body of the present invention is composed of the above essential components, but within the range not significantly inhibiting the effects of the present invention other than the above components, carboxymethylcellulose salt and Other components such as a lubricant can be blended.
The carboxymethyl cellulose salt carboxymethyl cellulose salt, specifically, for example, for the purpose of improvement of solubility and the like of the molded product, for example, be formulated carboxymethylcellulose calcium, carboxymethylcellulose magnesium, sodium carboxymethylcellulose, carboxymethylcellulose potassium, etc. Can do. Among these, it is preferable to use carboxymethylcellulose calcium.
In general, the carboxymethylcellulose salt is preferably blended at a ratio of 0.01 to 0.05% by weight.
In order to facilitate molding of the lubricant green tea composition into a molded body, it is preferable to incorporate a lubricant.
Specific examples of the lubricant include sucrose fatty acid ester, fine silicon disulfide, rapeseed hydrogenated oil, and the like. These lubricants are generally blended in an amount of about 0.2 to 8.0% by weight, particularly about 1.0 to 5.0% by weight.

(2) Preparation of green tea composition
(A) Mixing ratio As a mixing ratio of the constituent components of the green tea composition used as a raw material in the production of the green tea composition molded body of the present invention, 35 to 80% by weight of powdered or granular green tea (component (A)) is used. , Preferably 45 to 70% by weight, particularly preferably 55 to 65% by weight, maltose (component (B)) 10 to 60% by weight, preferably 20 to 50% by weight, particularly preferably 30 to 40% by weight, trehalose (Component (C)) is 1 to 20% by weight, preferably 3 to 15% by weight, particularly preferably 5 to 10% by weight.
In order to make the green tea composition into molded bodies of various shapes, the powdered or granular green tea (component (A)), maltose (component (B)), and trehalose (component (C)) are contained in the molded body. It is important to blend in the above blending ratio.
If the blending amount of the malt sugar is too small, it cannot be formed into a molded product, or even if it is molded, it will lose its shape even with a slight impact. Moreover, when there is too much compounding amount of malt sugar, the sweetness of malt sugar will be felt strongly, or the original taste of green tea will be lost.
Further, if the amount of trehalose is too small, it will be out of shape even if molded into a molded body. If the amount of trehalose is too large, the sweetness of maltose will be felt strongly and the original taste of green tea will be lost.

(B) Blending method As a blending method of the above powdery or granular green tea component (component (A)), maltose component (component (B)) and trehalose component (component (C)), these components are simply mixed. In general, the powdered or granular green tea component (component (A)) and the trehalose component (component (C)) are blended first, and then the maltose component (component (B)) is blended. May be.
If we specifically describe the blending method,
(i) A method of blending a maltose component (component (B)) with a powdered or granular green tea component (component (A)) treated with a trehalose component (component (C)),
(ii) A method of blending a maltose component (component (B)) and a trehalose component (component (C)) into a powdery or granular green tea component (component (A)) treated with a trehalose component (component (C)),
(iii) A method of blending a maltose component (component (B)) and a trehalose component (component (C)) into a powdered or granular green tea component (component (A)),
And the like.

Among these blending methods, the method described in (i) and (ii) above in which the maltose component is blended after the trehalose component is blended first.
The reason why the trehalose component is added first is to prevent discoloration of powdered or granular green tea, and the reason why the discoloration can be prevented is still unclear, but the trehalose component is effective in tea leaves. Encapsulate the ingredients by inclusion to prevent contact with air and prevent discoloration due to oxidation, or increase the viscosity of the retained water by adding the trehalose component to the retained water in the tissue in the green tea leaves. It is estimated that this is because discoloration due to oxidation is prevented by preventing the movement of retained water.
Therefore, the tea leaves immediately after steaming are immersed in an aqueous solution in which the trehalose component is dissolved, or the aqueous solution in which the trehalose component is dissolved is sprayed evenly on the tea leaf in the presence or absence of water vapor, and the trehalose is then introduced into the tea leaf. It is preferable to mix the maltose component after the components are contained and then dried and powdered to obtain a powdered green tea component.

(C) Addition of trehalose The above-mentioned trehalose component is added to the raw material of the green tea composition molded body or molded, or a process for producing powdery or granular green tea before molding the green tea composition molded body By adding in, a necessary amount of trehalose component is blended in the green tea composition molded body.
However, the amount of trehalose component necessary to be molded into a molded body may be molded only during the process of producing a powdered or granular green tea component, or blended only in the raw material of the molded body, A necessary amount of the trehalose component can be blended by blending a small amount in the process of producing the powdered or granular green tea component and blending the rest into the raw material of the molded body.
When the above trehalose (component (C)) is blended in a small amount in the process of producing powdered or granular green tea, and the rest is blended and molded into the raw material of the molded body. If the proportion of trehalose in powdered or granular green tea treated with trehalose (component (A)) has already reached a sufficient amount for the proportion of component (C), it is necessary to add trehalose. However, if it is within the range of the trehalose blending ratio, trehalose can be added and blended.
Among these blending methods, a necessary amount of trehalose is blended only in the process of producing powdered or granular green tea, or a small amount is blended in the process of producing powdered or granular green tea, and the rest of the molded body It is preferable to blend the necessary amount of trehalose component by blending in the raw material and molding.
In particular, the method of blending the required amount of trehalose only in the process of producing powdered or granular green tea is a preferable method because trehalose can be uniformly dispersed in the powdered or granular green tea.
Also, among the methods of blending trehalose only during the process of producing powdered or granular green tea, a trehalose treatment method in which trehalose is brought into contact with steamed tea leaves immediately after heat treatment, particularly when heat-treating fresh tea leaves. Preferably it is done.
As is apparent from the above description, in the production of the green tea composition molded body of the present invention, as the green tea composition used as a raw material, the component (C) trehalose is used as the component (A) powdered or granular green tea. It is preferable to use the green tea composition which mix | blended what was made to contact beforehand in the manufacturing process of (2), and the maltose of a component (B).

(3) Molding of green tea composition
(A) Molding method Molded green tea compositions of various shapes by filling the green tea composition into molds of various molding machines such as tablet molding machines and food molding machines, and pressurizing and compressing them. can do.
The molding is preferably carried out by the direct compression method in which the raw material is used as it is or by directly compressing and molding an evenly mixed powder by adding an excipient, binder, disintegrant or other suitable additive.
(B) Molding conditions Molding is generally performed by pressure molding, particularly by direct powder compression, and the molding conditions are generally 0 to 30 ° C, preferably 5 to 25 ° C, particularly preferably 10 to 20 ° C. generally 350 kg / cm ² or more, preferably 400~500kg / cm ^2, particularly preferably carried out under pressure conditions of 450~500kg / cm ^2.

(4) Shape of green tea composition compact
(A) Shape As the shape of the green tea composition formed from the green tea composition, the green tea composition is filled in various molds such as a tablet molding machine and a food molding machine, and compressed by compression. By forming, it can be formed into various shapes such as tablets, flat plates, rods, spheres, and rectangular parallelepipeds. Among these various shapes, it is preferable to form into a tablet shape having a diameter of 3 to 15 mm, particularly 6 to 12 mm, from the viewpoint of the hardness of the molded article to be molded.

(B) Hardness The hardness of the molded body of the green tea composition of the present invention is generally preferably 3 to 10 kg / cm ² , and particularly preferably 4 to 6 kg / cm ² . Is sufficient, soft and easy to chew, has good disintegration, and is easily dissolved in water or hot water.

[III] Application The green tea composition molded body of the present invention, which is obtained by molding powdered or granular green tea into various shapes such as tablets, is easy to measure even when taking bad breath or taking it as a medicine.
Also, when packaging individually such as paper packs, unlike rod-shaped or powdered or granular green tea, the powder flowability is good, the weighing is easy, and the packaging speed is also high for individual packaging such as paper packs. Will not be reduced.

The present invention will be described more specifically by the following experimental examples.
[I] Evaluation method
(1) Measurement of green index The green index of the green tea composition of the present invention can be measured by a digital color discrimination sensor CZ-V1 type measuring instrument manufactured by Keyence Corporation.
Measurement conditions Light source Color: Green LED
Type: CZ-40
Sample distance: 60mm
Angle: Right angle to the sample of the sensor head Spot: 6mm
Measurement time: 0.5 to 1 minute Reference color setting: The color of fresh tea leaves immediately after harvesting is set as a standard product (1000).
Measurement conditions: Stationary specimen storage container: Glass petri dish Sample: Stored at 40 ° C using a thermostat
Immediately after production, 1 month later, 2 months later,

(2) Measurement of moisture The moisture in the green tea of the present invention can be measured according to the Japanese Pharmacopoeia crude drug drying loss measurement method.

(3) Measurement of catechin content The measurement of the catechin content in the green tea composition of the present invention was performed using genocatechin gallate (GCg), epigallocatechin contained in tea using an enzyme immunoassay kit manufactured by Yanaihara Laboratory. -Galate (EGCg) and epicatechin gallate (ECg) can be measured as the total amount of catechin.

(4) Hardness As a method for measuring the hardness of the molded product of this green tea composition, the hardness is generally measured by a method described in the Japanese Pharmacopoeia that measures the pressure when the tablet is broken by applying pressure to the tablet with a hardness meter. Can be measured.
As a hardness meter used at this time, a digital tablet hardness meter ERWEKA (measurement range 0 to 30 kg / cm ² ) is used.

(5) Sweetness degree The sweetness degree of the green tea composition molded body is a ratio to the sweetness when 100% of sugar is taken as 100, and is calculated by multiplying the ratio of sugar used and the sweetness degree. .
In addition, the sweetness degree of 100% of each saccharide used in the examples is shown below.
Sugar: 100
Reduced maltose: 80
Trehalose: 45
Fructose: 173
Lactose: 17

[II] Experimental Example Example 1
(1) Fresh tea leaves 100 kg of summer tea (bancha) harvested by machine picking from late August to early September in Sagara-cho, Kashihara-gun, Shizuoka Prefecture was used as a raw material.
The moisture content of this fresh tea leaf was measured and found to be 78% by weight.
(2) Steaming process Steam the above-mentioned summer tea for 90 seconds at a temperature of 100 ° C using a boiler manufactured by Hirano Tekko Co., Ltd. and a 10-inch steamer (speed control type) steamer manufactured by Suzuki Tekko Co., Ltd. to lose the enzyme activity. It was.
As a result of measuring the water content of the steamed tea leaves, it was 78% by weight.
(3) Cooling The steamed tea leaves treated in the steaming process were cooled to room temperature for 2 minutes using a Miyamura Tekko (with speed control) type cooler.

(4) Treatment with trehalose The above steamed tea leaves are immersed in a 27.5% by weight aqueous solution of trehalose in which 5.5 kg of trehalose (“Treha ^TM ” manufactured by Hayashibara Co., Ltd.) is dissolved in 14.5 liters of water, and the tissue is not destroyed. The mixture was impregnated at room temperature for 2 hours while stirring to the extent.
The water content of the trehalose-treated tea leaves was measured and found to be 78% by weight.
(5) Roughing process The above-mentioned trehalose-treated tea leaves were stirred and dried for 40 to 45 minutes while blowing hot air at a temperature of 50 to 70 ° C. using a 120 type rough crusher manufactured by Kawasaki Kiko.
As a result of measuring the water content of the crude koji-treated tea, it was reduced to 50% by weight.
(6) Drying Using a MAS-2420 vacuum dryer manufactured by Yamamasu Seisakusho Co., Ltd., to which hot air at a temperature of 45 to 50 ° C. is sent, takes 8 hours under a reduced pressure of 450 mm / H ₂ O. And dried.
The water content of the dried tea leaves was measured and found to be 5% by weight.
The green index of this tea leaf was 950, and catechins were 18% by weight in the tea leaf.

(7) Flour Mill Dry green tea was pulverized by setting it to 60 mesh or less using a collision type airflow grinder PGM130 manufactured by Nippon Pneumatic Kogyo.
(8) Preparation of Green Tea Composition To 60.0 kg of powdered or granular green tea having a particle size of 60-100 mesh treated with trehalose, 39.48 kg of reduced maltose (“Reduced malt sugar” manufactured by Hayashibara Co., Ltd.), sucrose fatty acid ester 0 50% by weight, 0.02% by weight of carboxymethylcellulose calcium, powdered or granular green tea 57.00% by weight, reduced maltose 37.51% by weight, trehalose 5.00% by weight, sucrose fatty acid ester 0. 98.60 kg of a green tea composition comprising 48% by weight and 0.02% by weight of carboxymethyl cellulose calcium (CMC) was obtained.
(9) Manufacture of molded body The above green tea composition was subjected to a direct compression method using a tablet machine D-36 manufactured by Kikusui Seisakusho Co., Ltd. under a pressure of 450 kg / cm ² and a size of 9 mm × 6.6 mm, weight A 335 mg tablet was formed.
(10) Evaluation The obtained tablets were measured for hardness, sweetness, and green index.
The results are shown in Table 1.

Examples 2-3 and Comparative Examples 1-5
The same procedure as in Example 1 was performed except that “(8) Preparation of green tea composition” and “(9) Production of molded product” were changed to “(8) Preparation of green tea composition” below in Example 1. did.
(8) Preparation of green tea composition The above-mentioned trehalose-treated powdery or granular green tea having a particle size of 60-100 mesh was blended with various blending components shown in Table 1 at the blending ratios shown in Table 1 to obtain a green tea composition. .

Claims (6)

A method for producing a molded body of a green tea composition, comprising pressure-molding a green tea composition comprising the following components (A) to (C).
Ingredient (A): Powdered or granular green tea 35-80% by weight
Ingredient (B): Maltose 10-60% by weight
Ingredient (C): Trehalose 1-20% by weight   Component (B) in which green tea composition is pre-contacted with trehalose of component (C) in the production process of powdered or granular green tea of component (A) and trehalose is contained in powdered or granular green tea The manufacturing method of the molded object of the green tea composition of Claim 1 which is a green tea composition obtained by mix | blending the maltose of. The method for producing a green tea composition molded body according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the green tea composition is 900 to 1000 even when the green index by the digital color discrimination sensor has passed for 2 months. , When measured under the following measurement conditions using a Keyence digital color discrimination sensor CZ-1 type measuring instrument).
[Measurement condition]
Light source Color: Green LED
Type: CZ-40
Sample distance: 60mm
Angle: Right angle to the sample of the sensor head Spot: 6mm
Measurement time: 0.5 to 1 minute Standard color setting: The color of fresh tea leaves immediately after harvesting is the standard product (1000) Measurement condition: Stationary specimen storage container: Glass petri dish Sample: Store at 40 ° C. using a thermostat What   The manufacturing method of the molded object of the green tea composition in any one of Claims 1-3 which mix | blends 0.2-8.0 weight part of lubricant with respect to 100 weight part of green tea compositions.   The manufacturing method of the molded object of the green tea composition in any one of Claims 1-4 which performs pressure molding by the direct compression method. The manufacturing method of the molded object of the green tea composition in any one of Claims 1-5 which performs pressure molding under the pressure of 350 kg / cm < ² > or more.