JP2006206482A - Method for producing non-polymeric catechin composition - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for producing a non-polymeric catechin composition purification-treated for removing a fragrant aroma peculiar to a pot-roasted tea produced by excessive heating and also improving the hue and flavor of the non-polymeric catechin composition in performing the purification treatment of the non-polymeric catechins in a water-soluble composition extracted by using water from green tea leaves produced by the pot-roasting production method. <P>SOLUTION: This method for producing the non-polymeric catechin composition is provided by adsorbing the water-soluble composition extracted by using water from the green tea leaves produced by the pot-roasting production method with a column filled with a synthetic adsorbent by 0.5-20 [v/v] liquid passing multiple based on the synthetic adsorbent, washing with with water by 1-10 [v/v] liquid passing multiple based on the synthetic adsorbent, and then eluting by passing through 0.5-20 [v/v] amount of 10-95 vol% aqueous ethanol solution based on the filled volume amount of the synthetic adsorbent. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention does not change the composition of non-polymer catechins when purifying non-polymer catechins in a water-soluble composition extracted with water from green tea leaves produced by a kettle roasting method. The present invention relates to a method for producing a non-polymer catechin composition that has been purified by removing the heated incense peculiar to roasted tea.

  As an effect of catechins, an α-amylase activity inhibitory action and the like have been reported (for example, see Patent Document 1). In order to express such a physiological effect, it is necessary to drink 4 to 5 cups of tea per day for an adult. Therefore, in order to ingest a large amount of catechins more easily, catechins are increased in the beverage. A technique for blending concentrations has been desired.

  As one of the methods, a method of adding catechin to a beverage in a dissolved state using a water-soluble composition such as a concentrate of green tea extract is used. However, depending on the beverage to be mixed with catechin at a high concentration, for example, when catechin is added to black tea extract or carbonated beverage, caffeine and green tea-derived flavor remains, polymerized polyphenol remains and tea extract It has been found that the commercial value of beverages is greatly impaired by the burning odor caused by the browning reaction between the amino acids contained and the sugars. In particular, the non-polymer catechin composition produced from the roasted tea leaves was heated at a higher temperature than the non-polymer catechin composition produced from the steamed tea leaves, and it was difficult to remove the generated smoke odor. .

  In order to solve this problem, there is a method of adding a highly purified non-polymer catechin composition, but the conventional purification methods such as chloroform treatment and purification with ethyl acetate do not provide the non-polymer catechin composition. Since it is difficult to completely remove the solvent from the polymer catechins composition, it could not be blended for beverages.

Against this background, among the conventional purification methods, many attempts have been made to adsorb the water-soluble composition extracted from green tea leaves using water to the adsorbent once, and then to elute and recover it with a solvent or the like. (For example, refer to Patent Documents 2 to 7). However, it is difficult to completely remove the smoke aroma derived from heating such as theanine pyrazines and pyrroles (see Non-Patent Document 1) when eluting the non-polymer catechins composition. there were.
Furthermore, in the case of a production method with a high temperature at the time of killing (about 350 ° C.), such as kettle roasted tea, a Maillard reaction material of amino acids and saccharides produced at the time of burning or a composition of amino acids and polymer catechins In some cases, the resulting non-polymer catechin composition was colored, and an unfavorable browning odor was also generated (see Non-Patent Document 2).
JP-A-3-133828 JP-A-1-175978 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-311474 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-67771 JP-A-4-182479 JP-A-6-9607 JP 2003-33157 A Vegetable and tea industry test site research report B (tea industry) 4: 25-91 (1991) Vegetable and Tea Experiment Station Research Report B (Kanaya) 1: 45-53 (1987)

  An object of the present invention is to produce kettle roasted tea produced by excessive heating when performing purification treatment of non-polymer catechins in a water-soluble composition extracted from green tea leaves produced by a kettle roasting method using water. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for producing a purified non-polymer catechin composition that removes a unique and scent and improves the hue and flavor of the non-polymer catechin composition.

As a result of studying a purification treatment of a water-soluble composition extracted from green tea leaves produced by a roasting method using water, the present inventors adsorbed / desorbed non-polymer catechins to a specific synthetic adsorbent. By controlling the ethanol concentration of the aqueous ethanol solution to be used, non-polymer catechins with a reduced pot-flavored flavor compared to non-polymer catechin compositions produced from conventional pot-stir-fried green tea leaves can be obtained in high yield. It was found that it can be obtained.
In addition, as a result of purifying the non-polymer catechins in the water-soluble composition extracted from the kettle roasted tea leaves with water, by adding a step of adjusting the acidity of the liquid by adding a water-soluble acidic substance, Furthermore, the present inventors have found that a non-polymer catechin composition can be obtained in a high yield without improving the hue and flavor and without changing the composition.

  In the present invention, a water-soluble composition extracted with water from green tea leaves produced by a roasting method is used in a column filled with a synthetic adsorbent as 0.5 to 20 [v] / V] is adsorbed, washed with 1 to 10 [v / v] of water as a passing ratio of the synthetic adsorbent, and then 10 to 95 vol% ethanol aqueous solution is added to 0.5 to 20 per filled volume of the synthetic adsorbent. The present invention provides a method for producing a non-polymer catechin composition that is eluted by passing a [v / v] amount, and a non-polymer catechin composition thus obtained.

  According to the present invention, the flavor of the kettle is reduced compared to the non-polymer catechin composition produced from the conventional kettle roasted green tea leaves, so that the flavor is improved and the water is adjusted to be acidic by adding a water-soluble acidic substance. By adding the process, the hue is further improved, the composition of the non-polymer catechins is not changed, and a non-polymer catechin composition having a low caffeine content and a high purity can be obtained.

  Non-polymer catechins in the present invention are non-epimeric catechins such as catechin, gallocatechin, catechin gallate, and gallocatechin gallate, and epicatechins such as epicatechin, epigallocatechin, epicatechin gallate, and epigallocatechin gallate. Is a collective term.

  The non-polymer catechin gallate body in the present invention is a general term including catechin gallate, gallocatechin gallate, epicatechin gallate, epigallocatechin gallate and the like. The non-polymer gallo form is a general term including gallocatechin, gallocatechin gallate, epigallocatechin, epigallocatechin gallate and the like.

  Examples of the green tea leaves used in the present invention include tea leaves produced from the tea leaves obtained from the genus Camellia, for example, C. sinensis, C. assamica and Yabutaki seeds, or hybrids thereof by a kettle roasting method. The tea leaves used in the present invention are made in a kettle, and tea leaves killed at 300 ° C. or higher can be used. Although green tea mainly manufactured in China is mentioned, in this invention, it is not limited to a production area, The domestic roasted tea made in Japan can also be used.

  The method for producing the water-soluble composition used in the present invention is carried out under normal green tea extraction conditions. From the viewpoint of increasing the extraction efficiency of non-polymer catechins, the temperature at the time of extraction from green tea leaves may be 70 ° C to boiling water, more preferably 80 ° C to boiling water. The amount of water when extracting from green tea leaves is preferably 5 to 60 times by weight, particularly 5 to 40 times by weight, relative to the green tea leaves. The extraction time from green tea leaves is preferably 1 to 60 minutes, more preferably 1 to 40 minutes, and further preferably 1 to 30 minutes. If the extraction time is too short, elution of the non-polymer catechins is insufficient, and if it is too long, the heat-denaturing isomerization reaction of the non-polymer catechins proceeds.

  The water-soluble composition used in the present invention is a concentrate of a so-called kettle roasted green tea extract, which is disclosed in JP-A-59-219384, JP-A-4-20589, JP-A-5-260907, You may use what was prepared by the method illustrated in detail in Kaihei 5-306279, Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 2003-304811, Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 2003-219800. Moreover, as a commercial item, the non-polymer catechin formulation which uses the kettle roasted tea leaf as a raw material can be used. As the form of the concentrate of the roasted tea extract mentioned here, various forms such as a solid, an aqueous solution, and a slurry are mentioned, but in the treatment of the present invention, the state of the aqueous solution is adjusted in advance.

  The Brix of the water-soluble composition used in the present invention is in the range of 2 to 25, more preferably 2 to 10, more preferably 2 to 5, so that the recovery rate of non-polymer catechins is increased, and decaffeination efficiency Will be improved.

Examples of the synthetic adsorbent used in the present invention include those based on styrene-divinylbenzene, modified styrene-divinylbenzene, or methyl methacrylate. Examples of synthetic adsorbents based on styrene-divinylbenzene include Mitsubishi Chemical's trade names Diaion HP-20, HP-21, Sepabeads SP70, SP700, SP825, SP-825, and Organo (supplier: ROHM, USA) And Amberlite XAD4, XAD16HP, XAD1180, XAD2000, and Duolite S874, S876 (supplied by Rohm & Haas, USA). Examples of modified styrene-divinylbenzene-based synthetic adsorbents that have a bromine atom substituted into the nucleus to enhance the adsorptive power include trade name products SP205, SP206, and SP207 manufactured by Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation. Examples of methyl methacrylate-based synthetic adsorbents include Sepabeads HP1MG and HP2MG manufactured by Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation, XAD7HP manufactured by Organo Corporation, and Duolite S877 manufactured by Sumitomo Chemical.
Among the synthetic adsorbents, a modified polystyrene synthetic adsorbent and a methyl methacrylate synthetic adsorbent are particularly preferable. The former is preferable because it has a higher adsorption capacity and higher specific gravity than the polystyrene-based synthetic adsorbent, and allows upflow through the purification process. Moreover, although the latter has a small amount of adsorption, it is advantageous for adsorption of highly polar organic substances.
Specific examples of the synthetic adsorbent used in the present invention include a modified polystyrene synthetic adsorbent such as SP207 (manufactured by Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation) and a methacrylic synthetic adsorbent such as HP2MG (manufactured by Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation). For reasons, SP207 and HP2MG are preferable, and SP207 is more preferable.

  In the present invention, the water-soluble composition is added with 0.001 to 1.0% by weight of a water-soluble acidic substance to lower the pH to 2.0 to 5.5. As long as it is after extraction, it may be applied between any steps, and the hue can be improved by adding it at any time before and after passing the extract through the synthetic adsorbent of the present invention.

  The addition amount of the water-soluble acidic substance used in the present invention is preferably 0.001 to 1.0% by weight based on the water-soluble composition obtained from the tea extract. If the amount is 0.001% by weight or less, the acidity cannot be increased, and thus the hue is not sufficiently improved. If the amount is 1.0% by weight or more, the resulting non-polymer catechin composition is not preferable in terms of flavor. The pH at that time is in the range from about 5.5 to pH 2.0 when 1.0 wt% is added.

  The water-soluble acidic substance used in the present invention is preferably approved for use as a food additive. Further, those which are water-soluble and have the effect of increasing the acidity of the water-soluble composition obtained from the tea extract and lowering the pH are preferred. Specific examples include citric acid, ascorbic acid, lactic acid, malic acid, fumaric acid, tartaric acid, acetic acid, gluconic acid, succinic acid, phosphoric acid and fruit juice extracted from natural ingredients. You can also From the viewpoint of flavor as a beverage, citric acid and ascorbic acid are particularly preferable.

As the effect of the water-soluble acidic substance used in the present invention, the hue of the polymerized catechins can be changed from red to yellow, so that the coloration of the polymerized catechins contained in the non-polymerized catechins obtained in the present invention is reduced. can do.
Furthermore, since the isoelectric point of the Maillard reaction substance of amino acids and saccharides or the browning substance of amino acids and polymer catechins composition is estimated to be weakly acidic to neutral, the acidic substance of the present invention It has been found that, by adding, the pH can be lowered, the holding power of the colored substance to the synthetic adsorbent is weakened, and the colored substance can be removed while holding the non-polymerized catechins at the time of adsorption or washing with water.

In the present invention, first, the water-soluble composition is passed through a column filled with a synthetic adsorbent, and SV (space velocity) = 1 to 5 [h ⁻¹ ] is preliminarily set to 2 as the passage ratio for the synthetic adsorbent. It is preferable to remove the raw material monomer of the synthetic adsorbent, impurities in the raw material monomer, etc. by washing with 95 vol% aqueous ethanol solution under a flow rate of ˜5 [v / v]. And after that, it is washed with water under the condition of SV (space velocity) = 1 to 5 [h ⁻¹ ] and 1 to 5 [v / v] as a passing ratio of the synthetic adsorbent, and the ethanol is removed to remove the synthetic adsorbent. The ability to adsorb non-polymer catechins is improved by substituting the aqueous solution with water.

The condition for passing the water-soluble composition through the column filled with the synthetic adsorbent is preferably 0.5 to 20 [v / v] as the liquid passing ratio with respect to the synthetic adsorbent. Further, it is preferable that the liquid is passed at a liquid flow rate of SV (space velocity) = 0.5 to 10 [h ⁻¹ ] and 0.5 to 10 [v / v] as a liquid passage multiple to the synthetic adsorbent. In particular, it is preferable to pass 1 to 8 [v / v] as a passing rate of the synthetic adsorbent at a passing rate of SV = 1 to 5 [h ⁻¹ ].

  In the present invention, it is further washed with 1 to 10 [v / v] of water as the passing ratio of the synthetic adsorbent. This washing improves the hue improving effect, but hardly dissolves non-polymer catechins.

The condition for adsorbing the water-soluble composition on the column and then desorbing with an aqueous ethanol solution is that a non-polymer is passed through a 10 to 95 vol% aqueous ethanol solution in an amount of 0.5 to 20 times the packed volume of the synthetic adsorbent. This is preferable in that it allows efficient elution and purification of catechins. Furthermore, when the concentration of the eluting ethanol aqueous solution is 10 to 50 vol%, it is preferable in that the ratio of caffeine and non-polymer catechins can be reduced, and particularly preferably 10 to 30 vol%.
Here, when elution is carried out with an aqueous ethanol solution of less than 10 vol%, the ratio of caffeine to non-polymer catechins decreases, but the passing rate for the synthetic adsorbent exceeds 20 times, requiring a large amount of eluate. And the recovery rate of non-polymer catechins will become low. On the other hand, when eluting with an aqueous ethanol solution of 95 vol% or more, the separation of caffeine and non-polymer catechins becomes worse, and the distillation operation when recovering ethanol becomes complicated.

  The synthetic adsorbent used in the present invention can be reused by using a predetermined method after the purification treatment. Specifically, 90 to 99.5 vol% ethanol aqueous solution is passed through and all the aqueous solution composition components mainly composed of caffeine remaining on the adsorbent are desorbed.

  The non-polymer catechins composition obtained by the present invention has (A) caffeine / non-polymer catechins (weight ratio) of less than 1/10, and (B) a water-soluble extract extracted from green tea leaves with water. Of non-polymer catechin gallate bodies in non-polymer catechins of the composition is 0.80 to 1.20 when the ratio of non-polymer catechin gallate bodies is 1, (C) extracted from green tea leaves using water The ratio of non-polymer gallo-forms in non-polymer catechins when the ratio of non-polymer gallo-forms in non-polymer catechins of the water-soluble composition is 1 is 0.85 to 1.15, Caffeine is reduced and the composition change of non-polymer catechins is small.

  Further, the obtained non-polymer catechin composition has an L value (brightness) which is a hue of an aqueous solution in which the non-polymer catechin concentration is adjusted to 0.175% [w / v], b The value (yellow) is 0 to 20, the absorbance at 450 nm is 0 to 0.2, and the hue is good.

  The non-polymer catechin composition obtained in the present invention may be used as it is, and ethanol may be removed by a method such as vacuum concentration or thin film concentration. When used for blending into a normal beverage, it is preferable to completely remove ethanol. In addition, when a powder is desirable as a product form of the non-polymer catechin composition, it can be pulverized by a method such as spray drying or freeze drying.

  The non-polymer catechin composition obtained in the present invention can be blended in a packaged beverage. Containers to be used are provided in ordinary forms such as molded containers (so-called PET bottles) mainly composed of polyethylene terephthalate, metal cans, paper containers combined with metal foil and plastic film, bottles, etc., as with general beverages. be able to. The container-packed drink here means a drink that can be taken without dilution.

  Moreover, said container-packed drink is manufactured on the sterilization conditions prescribed | regulated to the food hygiene law, for example, when it can heat-sterilize after filling a container like a metal can. For PET bottles and paper containers that cannot be sterilized by retort, sterilize under the same conditions as above, for example, after sterilizing at high temperature and short time with a plate heat exchanger, etc. The method is adopted. Moreover, you may mix | blend another component with the filled container under aseptic conditions.

(Measurement of catechins and caffeine)
Packed column for liquid chromatography with octadecyl group introduction, using a high-performance liquid chromatograph (model SCL-10AVP), manufactured by Shimadzu Corporation, for the beverage packed in a container after filtering with a filter (0.8 μm) and then diluting with distilled water L -Column TM ODS (4.6 mmφ x 250 mm: manufactured by Chemical Substance Evaluation Research Organization) was attached, and the gradient was performed at a column temperature of 35 ° C. The mobile phase A solution was a distilled aqueous solution containing 0.1 mol / L of acetic acid, the B solution was an acetonitrile solution containing 0.1 mol / L of acetic acid, the sample injection amount was 20 μL, and the UV detector wavelength was 280 nm. .

(Measurement of hue)
The non-polymer catechin composition obtained in each example was diluted with deionized water so that the catechin content was 0.175% [w / v], and the L value (brightness) and b value (yellow) ) Was measured with a color difference meter (color Meter ZE2000, manufactured by NIPPON DENSHOKU). Moreover, the light absorbency of 450 nm was measured using the UV-VIS spectrometer (UV MINI1240) (OD450).

(Flavor evaluation after sterilization)
The non-polymer catechin composition obtained in each example was diluted with deionized water so that the catechin content was 0.175% [w / v], and 40 mL thereof was placed in a 50 mL pressure-resistant glass container. It was. Thereto was added 0.1 wt% of L-ascorbic acid Na, pH was adjusted to 6.4 with 5% aqueous sodium bicarbonate solution, nitrogen substitution was performed, and the mixture was sterilized by heating at 121 ° C. for 10 minutes in an autoclave. Then, it was confirmed by the evaluation panelists whether or not the taste and odor derived from green tea were felt.

(Evaluation method of precipitation)
The evaluation sample contained in the pressure-resistant glass container was placed in a constant temperature bath at 55 ° C., and the occurrence of turbidity was confirmed. The state of the contents was observed on an illuminator, and the time when starch was observed was defined as the starch production date.

Example 1
1,200 g roasted green tea from Yunnan Province, China was extracted with 24,000 g of deionized water at 95 ° C. for 10 minutes, cooled and squeezed, then filtered through a wire mesh to obtain 19,630 g of pH 5.43 extract. The concentration of non-polymer catechins in the extract was 709.1 mg / 100 mL, and 139.2 g of non-polymer catechins were contained. The gallate body ratio was 63.5% and the gallo body ratio was 66.0%. It was. The caffeine concentration was 136.2 mg / 100 mL, 26.6 g of caffeine was contained, and the ratio of caffeine / non-polymer catechins was 0.191 (−).

Thereafter, fine particles were removed with a Laval centrifuge while maintaining a temperature of 20 ° C.
Next, 5,192 mL of a synthetic adsorbent Sepabead SP-207 (manufactured by Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation) packed in a stainless steel column (inner diameter 72.3 mm × height 1,600 mm, volume 5,745 mL) was previously set to SV = 6.9. Washing was performed with 25,960 mL of 95% (v / v) ethanol at (h ⁻¹ ), and then with 25,960 mL of water at SV = 6.9 (h ⁻¹ ).

The total amount of the obtained extract (3.8 times volume vs. synthetic adsorbent) was passed at SV = 4.6 (h ⁻¹ ), and the passing liquid contained 0.7 g of non-polymer catechins. The non-polymer catechins were adsorbed on the synthetic adsorbent.

It was then washed with 20,760 mL (4.0 volumes vs. synthetic adsorbent) of water at SV = 6.9 (h ⁻¹ ). The washing liquid contained 0.8 g of non-polymer catechins, and there was almost no elution of non-polymer catechins by washing with water.

After washing with water, 21,000 mL of 20% (v / v) ethanol water was passed at SV = 4.6 (h ⁻¹ ) (4.0 times volume vs. synthetic adsorbent). After removing 3,000 mL of residual water in the column, 18,000 mL of the eluate was collected, concentrated under reduced pressure to remove ethanol and spray-dried, and then 147.7 g of the non-polymer catechin composition of the present invention. Got. This powder contains 103.4 g of non-polymer catechins, the recovery rate of non-polymer catechins from the extract is 74.3%, and the gallate content of the non-polymer catechins composition is 54. The percentage of gallium in the non-polymer catechins was 73.5%. Moreover, it contained 6.6 g of caffeine, and the ratio of caffeine / non-polymer catechins was 0.064 (−).

Example 2
Except that 19.6 g (0.1 wt%) citric acid was added to the extract obtained by the same operation as in Example 1 to adjust the pH to 4.12, and then passed through the synthetic adsorbent. The same operation as in Example 1 was performed to obtain a non-polymer catechin composition of the present invention.

Example 3
Except that 196.0 g (1.0% by weight) citric acid was added to the extract obtained by the same operation as in Example 1 to adjust the pH to 2.80, and then passed through the synthetic adsorbent. The same operation as in Example 1 was performed to obtain a non-polymer catechin composition of the present invention.

Example 4
After adding 4.9 g (0.025 wt%) of L-ascorbic acid to the 20% ethanol eluate obtained by the same operation as in Example 1, the pH was adjusted to 5.23, followed by concentration under reduced pressure and spray drying. The same operation as in Example 1 was carried out except that a non-polymer catechin composition of the present invention was obtained.

Comparative Example 1
The same extraction operation as in Example 1 was performed, and liquid passage and elution through the synthetic adsorbent were not performed.

Comparative Example 2
Except that steamed green tea from Yunnan, China was used, the same procedure as in Example 1 was performed.

  Table 1 shows the analysis and evaluation results.

  According to the method of the present invention, a non-polymer catechin composition having a high recovery rate of non-polymer catechins before and after the treatment, a small change in the non-polymer catechin gallate rate and the non-polymer catechin gallo-form rate, and a low caffeine concentration is obtained. I was able to get it. In addition, Examples 1-4 of the present invention are improved in flavor by reducing kelp roasted odor compared to Comparative Example 1, especially when the acidic compound citric acid is added, the hue is greatly improved, An almost equivalent flavor was also obtained for the manufactured product from the steamed tea leaves of Example 2. In addition, in the flavor evaluation after sterilization using a packaged beverage as a model system, no off-flavor and off-flavor derived from green tea was felt, and no starch was produced after storage at 55 ° C.

Claims (6)

  A water-soluble composition extracted with water from green tea leaves produced by a kettle roasting method is 0.5 to 20 [v / v] as a flow rate of the synthetic adsorbent in a column packed with the synthetic adsorbent. It was adsorbed and washed with 1 to 10 [v / v] water as a passage ratio of the synthetic adsorbent, and then 10 to 95 vol% aqueous ethanol solution was added to 0.5 to 20 [v / v of the synthetic adsorbent volume. v] A method for producing a non-polymer catechin composition that is eluted by passing through an amount.   0.001 to 1.0% by weight of a water-soluble acidic substance is added to a water-soluble composition extracted with water from green tea leaves produced by a kettle roasting method to adjust the pH to 2.0 to 5.5. The manufacturing method of the non-polymer catechin composition of Claim 1 adjusted to.   One or more water-soluble acidic substances selected from citric acid, ascorbic acid, lactic acid, malic acid, fumaric acid, tartaric acid, acetic acid, gluconic acid, succinic acid, phosphoric acid and fruit juices extracted from natural ingredients The method for producing a non-polymer catechin composition according to claim 2.   The manufacturing method of the non-polymer catechin composition of any one of Claims 1-3 which uses the pot roasted tea manufactured with the pot roasting temperature at 300 degreeC or more as a raw material.   A non-polymer catechin composition obtained from green tea leaves produced by a kettle roasting method, wherein (A) caffeine / non-polymer catechin (weight ratio) is less than 1/10, and (B) green tea The rate of catechin gallate compounds when the rate of non-polymer catechin gallate compounds in the non-polymer catechins of the water-soluble composition extracted from the leaves using water is 0.80 to 1.20, (C ) The ratio of non-polymer gallo-forms in non-polymer catechins when the ratio of non-polymer gallo-forms in non-polymer catechins of water-soluble compositions extracted from green tea leaves with water is 1. A non-polymer catechin composition which is 0.85 to 1.15.   A non-polymer catechin composition obtained from green tea leaves produced by a kettle roasting method, wherein the L value is the hue of an aqueous solution adjusted to a non-polymer catechin concentration of 0.175% [w / v] ( The non-polymer catechin composition according to claim 5, wherein the brightness is 90 to less than 100, the b value (yellow) is 0 to 20, and the absorbance at 450 nm is 0 to 0.2.