JP2006174754A - Alcoholic beverage containing acetic acid - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an alcoholic beverage containing acetic acid, suppressing the formation of ethyl acetate giving undesirable effect on the taste and flavor and capable of keeping excellent taste and flavor over a long period. <P>SOLUTION: The alcoholic beverage containing acetic acid has a pH value adjusted to satisfy the formula (I): 7>P>1.6304×log(a×b)+3.15, wherein P is the pH of the alcoholic beverage containing acetic acid, (a) is the acetic acid concentration (w/v%) of the beverage, and b is the alcohol concentration (v/v%) of the beverage. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an acetic acid-containing alcoholic beverage, and more particularly to an acetic acid-containing alcoholic beverage that is easy to drink with reduced production of ethyl acetate.

Vinegar is a seasoning mainly containing acetic acid, and has been widely used for the purpose of improving the seasoning and preservation of food and drink.
In recent years, vinegar or acetic acid is not only used as a seasoning, as it has been scientifically verified that health effects such as vinegar or acetic acid promote fatigue recovery, calcium absorption, gastric mucosa protection, and blood pressure lowering effects on hypertensives. It is often used for drinking.
Known beverages containing vinegar or acetic acid include those prepared by soaking fruits in vinegar, and Vermont drinks made by mixing apple vinegar and honey.

On the other hand, acetic acid-containing alcoholic beverages containing vinegar or acetic acid in alcoholic beverages have also been developed. For example, alcoholic beverages containing organic acids such as acetic acid to prevent sickness (for example, see Patent Document 1), sake Alcohol-containing health drinks blended with rice vinegar (for example, see Patent Document 2), and sour drink drinks (for example, see Patent Document 3) whose flavor is improved by including sweeteners are disclosed.
In these acetic acid-containing alcoholic beverages, acetic acid and alcohol (ethanol) are mixed. In such a case, it is known that ethyl acetate is naturally generated.
The amount of ethyl acetate produced in such a case depends on the acetic acid concentration and the alcohol concentration in the beverage, and the higher the concentration, the more ethyl acetate is produced. In addition, the longer the elapsed time from the mixing of both acetic acid and alcohol, the greater.

The ethyl acetate thus produced has a peculiar irritating odor and has the disadvantage of harming the original flavor of the beverage. In particular, when alcohol is mixed immediately after vinegar is mixed to prepare an acetic acid-containing alcoholic beverage, the production of ethyl acetate is almost negligible, but the amount of ethyl acetate increases as time passes after preparation. As a result, the original flavor is impaired.
As described above, when developing an acetic acid-containing alcoholic beverage, how to suppress the production of ethyl acetate is a problem, and it has been desired to develop an acetic acid-containing alcoholic beverage that suppresses the production of ethyl acetate.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 62-143678 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 61-231990 JP-A 61-25475

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an acetic acid-containing alcoholic beverage that can suppress the production of ethyl acetate that adversely affects the flavor and maintain an excellent flavor for a long period of time in an acetic acid-containing alcoholic beverage that is made from acetic acid and alcohol Is to provide.

  The inventors of the present invention have made extensive studies to achieve the above object, and in the process, the production of ethyl acetate in an acetic acid-containing alcoholic beverage is greatly influenced not only by its acetic acid concentration and alcohol concentration but also by pH. I found out. And by adjusting the pH of the beverage to a predetermined range according to the acetic acid concentration and alcohol concentration, it is possible to develop an acetic acid-containing alcoholic beverage that suppresses the production of ethyl acetate during storage and has little change in flavor. I found out that As a result of repeated trial and error, an effective mathematical formula was developed as an index for predicting pH capable of effectively delaying ethyl acetate production, and the present invention was completed.

That is, the present invention according to claim 1 is an alcoholic beverage containing acetic acid, wherein the pH of the beverage is adjusted so as to satisfy P in the following formula (I): It is a beverage.
[Equation 1]
7>P> 1.6304 × log (a × b) +3.15 (I)
(In the formula (I), P represents the pH of the acetic acid-containing alcoholic beverage, a represents the acetic acid concentration (weight / volume%) in the beverage, and b represents the alcohol concentration (volume / volume%) in the beverage. )

  According to the present invention, by adjusting the pH of the acetic acid-containing alcoholic beverage to the range of P in the above formula (I), the production of ethyl acetate can be delayed, and there is little change in flavor even after long-term storage. A suitable acetic acid-containing alcoholic beverage can be provided.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail.
The acetic acid-containing alcoholic beverage of the present invention is characterized in that in an alcoholic beverage containing acetic acid, the pH of the beverage is adjusted so as to satisfy P in the above formula (I).
By adjusting the pH of the acetic acid-containing alcoholic beverage of the present invention to a range satisfying P of formula (I) at the time of production, even if it is drunk after long-term storage, it is a range that does not affect the flavor of ethyl acetate production Therefore, it is possible to provide an acetic acid-containing alcoholic beverage that is easy to drink and has a good flavor by suppressing deterioration in quality of the acetic acid-containing alcoholic beverage due to the pungent odor of ethyl acetate. In addition, acetic acid in the beverage is neutralized, the acetic acid content is reduced, the flavor unique to acetic acid is not lost, and there is no fear of generating a taste, and the flavor as an acetic acid-containing alcoholic beverage can be maintained.

“A” in the above formula (I) means the acetic acid concentration (weight / volume%) in the acetic acid-containing alcoholic beverage. The acetic acid concentration can be set by appropriately adjusting the type and composition of the vinegar and acetic acid that are the ingredients of the beverage, depending on the preference and the desired health function. The range can be 1% by weight / volume.
The vinegar as a raw material may be either brewed vinegar or synthetic vinegar, but particularly when using fruit vinegar or rice black vinegar represented by apple vinegar or grape vinegar, a flavor unique to vinegar is obtained, preferable. Moreover, as acetic acid, if it is acetic acid for foodstuffs, it can be utilized alone or with vinegar as a raw material.

In the above formula (I), b means the alcohol concentration (volume / volume%) in the acetic acid-containing alcoholic beverage. The alcohol concentration can be set by appropriately adjusting the type, frequency, etc. of the alcoholic beverage that is the raw material of the beverage and the composition of the alcoholic beverage, depending on the preference, etc., but the alcohol concentration at the time of drinking is 2 to 20 It can be applied at a capacity / volume%, and more preferably 4-8 volumes / volume%.
The alcoholic beverage as a raw material can be used without particular limitation, and examples thereof include shochu, vodka, spirits, whiskey, brandy, liqueur, beer, sparkling wine, wine, and sake.

In order to adjust to satisfy the range satisfying P of the above formula (I), in addition to the selection of acetic acid and alcoholic beverages as described above, the selection is made by selecting the following raw materials and adjusting the blending ratio. You can also.
The raw material that can be used for adjusting the pH is not particularly limited, and generally includes organic acid salts, inorganic acid salts, sodium hydroxide, amino acids, and the like. Examples of organic acid salts include acetates, citrates, lactates, malates, succinates, and the like, and sodium salts, potassium salts, and calcium salts thereof are particularly preferable. Examples of inorganic acid salts include carbonates and phosphates, and sodium salts, potassium salts, and calcium salts are particularly preferable.

In the acetic acid-containing alcoholic beverage of the present invention, various organic acids and various fruit juices may be added for the purpose of enhancing taste as necessary. Moreover, you may be seasoned by adding additives, such as a sweetening agent, a sour agent, a taste agent, and various fragrance | flavors as needed.
In addition, the acetic acid-containing alcoholic beverage of the present invention is preferable because it contains a carbon dioxide gas, so that a refreshing throat can be obtained and stimulation of acetic acid and ethyl acetate can be eased.
The acetic acid-containing alcoholic beverage of the present invention can be produced according to a conventional method. For example, after mixing raw materials and adjusting the pH according to the acetic acid concentration and alcohol concentration, sterilization and filling into a container are commercialized. can do.
In order to prevent the formation of ethyl acetate and to maintain the flavor of acetic acid, it is preferable that the storage temperature is room temperature or lower and the storage period is within one year.

EXAMPLES The present invention will be specifically described below with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited to these examples.
(Test Example 1) Determination of allowable ethyl acetate concentration In 100 ml of acetic acid-containing alcoholic beverage prepared using 8 ml of apple vinegar and 4.2 ml of 95% ethanol, ethyl acetate was contained stepwise in the range of 50 ppm to 400 ppm, respectively. Was evaluated by 10 expert panelists.
Evaluation: 5 points: ethyl acetate odor is not felt 4 points: very weak ethyl acetate odor 3 points: ethyl acetate odor is acceptable but 2 points: strong ethyl acetate odor is unsuitable 1 point: extremely There was a strong odor of ethyl acetate, and it was carried out in five stages, expressed as the average value of the evaluation points of each panel, and the results are summarized in Table 1.

  As a result, it was found that the allowable concentration of ethyl acetate in the acetic acid-containing alcoholic beverage was 150 ppm or less.

(Test Example 2) Measurement of the amount of ethyl acetate produced Apple vinegar and 95% ethanol were mixed so that the component values (alcohol concentration and acetic acid concentration) shown in Table 2 were obtained, and citric acid or sodium citrate was mixed and dissolved. After adjusting to each pH, the bottle was bottled and stored at 35 ° C. for 100 days.
After storage for 100 days, each bottle was opened and the concentration of the produced ethyl acetate was measured for the acetic acid-containing alcoholic beverage containing the contents using gas chromatography.
These results are shown in Table 2.

From Table 2, when the pH is high, the ethyl acetate concentration tends to increase, and this is more remarkable as the acetic acid concentration and the alcohol concentration are higher.
As a result, it was confirmed that the production of ethyl acetate in the acetic acid-containing alcoholic beverage was greatly influenced not only by the acetic acid concentration and the alcohol concentration but also by the pH.
Therefore, in the combination of the component values (acetic acid concentration and alcohol concentration) shown in Table 2, the pH at which the ethyl acetate concentration becomes 150 ppm was estimated from the results in Table 2. On the other hand, the integrated value (a × b) of the acetic acid concentration (a weight / volume%) and the alcohol concentration (b volume / volume%) was also calculated and compared with the estimated pH.
Table 3 shows the estimated pH (P), the integrated value (a × b) of the acetic acid concentration (a weight / volume%) and the alcohol concentration (b volume / volume%).

Further, based on the results of Table 3, the integrated value (a × b) and the estimated pH (P) were graphed and shown in FIG.
From FIG. 1, it can be estimated that there is a correlation between the integrated value (a × b) and the estimated pH (P), and as a result, the following approximate expression (II) was obtained.

[Equation 2]
P = 1.6304 × log (a × b) +3.0219 (II)
(In the formula (II), P represents the pH of the acetic acid-containing alcoholic beverage, a represents the acetic acid concentration (weight / volume%) in the beverage, and b represents the alcohol concentration (volume / volume%) in the beverage. )

  That is, when the acetic acid concentration and the alcohol concentration of the acetic acid-containing alcoholic beverage are substituted into the formula (II) and the pH satisfies the above formula (II), it is estimated that it can be a critical pH that generates 150 ppm of ethyl acetate. it can. In other words, if the pH of the beverage is adjusted to be higher than the value of P calculated by substituting the acetic acid concentration or alcohol concentration into the above formula (II), the ethyl acetate is reduced to 150 ppm or less even after long-term storage. In other words, it was expected that the production of ethyl acetate could be suppressed to a concentration below the level at which the irritating odor of ethyl acetate is hardly felt.

  Here, when the pH of the beverage exceeds 7, the acetic acid in the beverage is completely neutralized and the acetic acid content is reduced, and the flavor unique to acetic acid is impaired, and there is a possibility that an astringent taste is generated. Inappropriate as an alcoholic beverage containing acetic acid. Moreover, it may be damaged as an alcoholic beverage, and there is a possibility that a taste of taste occurs. Considering this point and considering a certain safety factor, the above formula (II) can be rewritten as the following formula (I).

[Equation 3]
7>P> 1.6304 × log (a × b) +3.15 (I)
(In formula (I), P represents the pH of an acetic acid-containing alcoholic beverage, a represents the acetic acid concentration (weight / volume%) in the beverage, and b represents the alcohol concentration (volume / volume%) in the beverage. )

  In addition, as an acetic acid containing alcoholic beverage of pH conditions applicable to this Formula (I), among the test plots shown in Table 2, test plots 3-5, 9, 10, 19, 20, 25, 34, 35, and 40. In these test sections, the production concentration of ethyl acetate was certainly less than 150 ppm. From this, it was found that by adjusting the pH to satisfy P in the formula (I), an acetic acid-containing alcoholic beverage that does not impair the flavor due to the production of ethyl acetate was obtained.

Example 1
100 ml of apple cider vinegar (Mizkan), 200 ml of shochu (Takara Shuzo, 20 degrees alcohol), 200 ml of apple juice, 0.8 g of sodium citrate, 500 ml of water, acetic acid concentration: 0.5% w / v, alcohol Concentration: 4.0 liter / volume%, 1 liter of acetic acid-containing alcoholic beverage with pH 3.7 was prepared.
After sterilization at 80 ° C. for 20 seconds, the glass container was filled and stored at 35 ° C. for 100 days.

After storing for 100 days, the bag was opened and the ethyl acetate concentration in the beverage was measured and found to be 121 ppm. Moreover, when the beverage was sampled, it was confirmed that the beverage was weak in ethyl acetate and excellent in flavor.
The acetic acid containing alcoholic beverage by this invention can suppress the production | generation of ethyl acetate by adjusting pH appropriately, As a result, it has confirmed that it was an acetic acid containing alcoholic beverage with few flavor changes.

  According to the present invention, by adjusting the pH of the acetic acid-containing alcoholic beverage to the range of P in the above formula (I), the production of ethyl acetate can be delayed, and there is little change in flavor even after long-term storage. A suitable acetic acid-containing alcoholic beverage can be provided.

It is drawing which calculated | required the relationship of the acetic acid concentration in the ethyl acetate production | generation, alcohol concentration, and pH.

Claims (1)

An alcoholic beverage containing acetic acid, wherein the pH of the beverage is adjusted to satisfy P in the following formula (I).
[Equation 1]
7>P> 1.6304 × log (a × b) +3.15 (I)
(In formula (I), P represents the pH of an acetic acid-containing alcoholic beverage, a represents the acetic acid concentration (weight / volume%) in the beverage, and b represents the alcohol concentration (volume / volume%) in the beverage. )

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