JP2006325469A - Tea extract - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide tea extract having effect of suppressing and/or preventing generation of flock when added to tea beverage, and enabling favorable tea taste to be served. <P>SOLUTION: The tea extract contains a component (A) 0.15-10.0 wt.% of aluminium, and a component (B) strictinin, wherein the weight ratio (B)/(A) of the component (B) to the component (A) is 0.001-7.0. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a tea extract that has an effect of suppressing or preventing floc generation when added to a tea beverage, and can provide a good taste of tea.

  Tea catechin, which is a bitter and astringent ingredient contained in tea, has been shown to have physiological functions such as antidepressant action, blood pressure increase inhibitory action, and body fat inhibitory action, and has attracted attention. Therefore, in order to more effectively enjoy the physiological effects of tea catechins when ingesting beverages, a method for producing a tea beverage containing a high concentration of tea catechins by adding a tea extract containing tea catechins Etc. have been reported (see Patent Document 1).

  By the way, when a tea beverage is stored for a long period of time, flocs (cotton-like suspended matters and / or precipitates) are gradually observed. The floc gradually increases in size and amount over time, giving it an appearance with an undesirable turbidity. In addition, this floc phenomenon is often treated as an undesired change over time in tea beverages, such as being easily mistaken for contamination by microorganisms due to its shape and size. The floc occurrence phenomenon is found in tea drinks in general, but is particularly likely to occur in green tea. As for the main body of floc, a report that it is a water-soluble polymer polysaccharide component having a molecular weight of 20,000 or more (see Non-Patent Document 1), and strictinin, which is one of tea components, is decomposed into ellagic acid by heating. There are reports that ellagic acid is a substance formed by binding to proteins and the like (see Patent Document 2), but the involvement of other components such as polyphenols, caffeine, organic acids, metal ions, etc. is also estimated, There are many unexplained parts about the cause of floc and its constituents.

Examples of methods for suppressing or preventing the occurrence of flocs in tea beverages include a method of decomposing water-soluble polymer polysaccharide components that are considered to cause flocs by enzymatic treatment, and ultrafiltration or silicidation of causative substances and precipitates. A person skilled in the art knows a method of physically removing by algal soil filtration, a method of adding a component that suppresses the generation of flocs, a method of using a raw material having a low content of substances causing flocs, and the like. To give specific examples of these prior arts, ascorbic acid or a salt thereof is added to a solution obtained by clarification of a warm water extract of green tea by ordinary centrifugation or filtration, and then treated with an enzyme having hemicellulase activity, which is necessary. A method for producing a green tea beverage that is heat-sterilized by heating (see Patent Document 3), water-soluble tea components obtained by extracting green tea or fresh or dried tea leaves by ultrafiltration, and having a molecular weight of about 10,000 or more A method for producing a clear green tea beverage by substantially removing molecular components (see Patent Document 4), and adding a fucoidan-containing material to a tea beverage and a tea extract, thereby producing a cotton-like precipitate (floc) generated during storage of the tea beverage (Refer to Patent Document 5), method of adjusting the amount of aluminum ions and water-insoluble solids in container-packed green tea beverage (see Patent Document 6), non-epimer in container-packed green tea beverage A method of adjusting the ratio of techins and epi-catechins, and the content of aluminum ions and silicon ions (see Patent Document 7), selecting tea leaves using the strictinin content as an index, and adjusting the strictinin content during tea beverage production Thus, a method for preventing flocs generated after manufacturing (see Patent Document 2) has been proposed.
JP 2002-272373 A JP 2003-235451 A JP-A-8-228684 JP-A-4-45744 JP 2000-116327 A JP 2004-180574 A JP 2004-159665 A Takeo Teiichi, Soft Drinks Technical Data, No. 1, 1993, P85

However, these methods have at least the following drawbacks. For example, in a method of providing a special manufacturing process such as ultrafiltration, a new manufacturing facility is required and the process becomes complicated. In addition, in the method using the enzyme treatment, not only the reaction time indispensable for the enzyme reaction greatly impairs the productivity, but also undesirable changes in content components such as loss of aroma components and coloring phenomenon due to oxidation of catechins, etc. Cause it. Furthermore, in the method of removing specific content components by filtration treatment, the method of changing content components by enzyme treatment, and the method of adding fucoidan-containing material, the balance of the components inherent to tea infusion is disturbed. Therefore, the influence on the flavor is inevitable. In particular, water-soluble polymer polysaccharides can cause flocs, but they have an important function to make the body of tea beverages and soften the mouth. However, there is a problem that even if the purpose of imparting storage stability can be achieved, the soft throat and taste unique to tea beverages are significantly impaired, and the purpose of imparting storage stability is different. Adjusting the aluminum ion concentration and water-insoluble solids content in packaged tea beverages, adjusting the ratio of non-epi catechins and epi catechins in packaged green tea beverages, and adjusting the content of aluminum ions and silicon ions In this method, the method of selecting tea leaves with the content of strictinin as an index and adjusting the content of strictinin at the time of tea beverage production is not a reliable method considering the involvement of other ingredients that cause floc, These methods inevitably limit the tea leaves that can be used, so that it is not possible to select tea leaves with a focus on the taste, and the purpose is to provide a tea beverage having the excellent taste of tea, which is the original purpose. It becomes difficult to achieve. As described above, the techniques known so far have not been able to satisfy both the two points of suppressing or preventing the occurrence of flocs and ensuring the original taste of tea at the same time.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a tea extract that has an effect of suppressing or preventing floc generation when added to a tea beverage and can provide a good taste of tea.

  As a result of intensive studies to achieve the above object, the inventors of the present invention contain a large amount of aluminum (the content of aluminum in a general tea extract is 0.01 to 0.1% by weight), A tea extract containing strictinin in a specific ratio with respect to aluminum can suppress or prevent the occurrence of flocs during storage when added to a tea beverage, and has an excellent tea original taste for tea beverages. As a result, the present invention has been completed.

That is, the tea extract of the present invention is as described in claim 1,
The following components (A) and (B):
(A) 0.15 to 10.0% by weight of aluminum
(B) It contains strictinin, and the weight ratio [(B) / (A)] of component (A) to component (B) is 0.001 to 7.0.
The tea extract according to claim 2 is characterized in that, in the tea extract according to claim 1, the content of strictinin is 1.2% by weight or less.
The tea extract according to claim 3 is characterized in that, in the tea extract according to claim 1 or 2, the content of tannin is 50% by weight or less.
The tea extract according to claim 4 is characterized in that in the tea extract according to any one of claims 1 to 3, green tea is used as a raw material.
Moreover, the manufacturing method of the tea drink of this invention is based on adding the tea extract in any one of Claims 1 thru | or 4 as Claim 5.
Moreover, the tea drink of this invention is manufactured with the manufacturing method of Claim 5, as described in Claim 6. It is characterized by the above-mentioned.
Moreover, the suppression thru | or prevention method of floc generation | occurrence | production of the tea drink of this invention is based on adding the tea extract in any one of Claim 1 thru | or 4 as described in Claim 7.
In addition, the method for preventing loss of taste of tea beverages according to the present invention is characterized in that, as described in claim 8, the tea extract according to any one of claims 1 to 4 is added.

  According to the tea extract of the present invention, without adding a special device for suppressing or preventing the occurrence of flocs in a tea beverage, it can be added to the tea beverage without losing the original taste of tea. The occurrence of floc can be suppressed or prevented. Therefore, the occurrence of flocs can be suppressed or prevented, and a tea beverage having an excellent taste inherent to tea can be produced using existing equipment, so that the effect on productivity and production cost is very large. As described above, adding a tea extract to a tea beverage has been performed so far, but a tea extract added to a conventional tea beverage simply has a content of tea catechin contained in the tea beverage. It is intended to be able to enjoy its superior physiological effect effectively by enhancing, and can be used as a means for suppressing or preventing the occurrence of floc in tea beverages, and for tea beverages The tea extract that has been adjusted so that the content of aluminum and strictinin, which can provide the excellent taste inherent in tea, has a predetermined composition, is a novel one that has never been known so far.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail.
The tea extract of the present invention contains 0.15 to 10.0% by weight of aluminum as the component (A) and strictinin as the component (B), and the weight ratio of the component (A) to the component (B) [(B ) / (A)] is 0.001 to 7.0. In the present invention, the tea extract is a tea extract obtained by extracting tea leaves as a raw material with water, hot water or a water-containing organic solvent, and removing insolubles by solid-liquid separation means such as centrifugation or filtration, or It means what was made into the form of a concentrated liquid or a dried product by an evaporator or a freeze dryer as required. The tea extract of the present invention can be produced, for example, by appropriately selecting a tea leaf or an extraction method as a raw material and adjusting the contents of aluminum and strictinin to have a predetermined composition. In addition, for the tea extract in which the content of aluminum and strictinin obtained by the above method is not a predetermined composition, further known separation / purification methods such as solvent fractionation, ultrafiltration, gel filtration, dialysis, etc. By carrying out the above, it can also be produced by adjusting the contents of aluminum and strictinin to a predetermined composition.

The tea leaf used as a raw material shown above refers to a tea tree ( Camellia Sinesis ) leaf or stem, or a processed product produced using these as raw materials. Examples of the processed product include non-fermented teas such as green tea and flower tea, semi-fermented teas such as oolong tea, and completely fermented teas such as black tea, both for producing the tea extract of the present invention. Although it can be used as a raw material, it is preferable to use green tea as a raw material. This is because the abundance ratio of aluminum and strictinin contained in the green tea leaves is suitable for producing the tea extract of the present invention and is excellent in balance with the flavor of the tea beverage to be added.

  Green tea here refers to tea leaves that are stopped by fermentation in tea processing by stopping the enzymatic activity in the tea leaves by a process that includes heating the steam or heat immediately after harvesting the leaves or stems of the tea tree. It is manufactured so that the original components and green color are retained. There are various types of green tea depending on differences in the cultivation method and manufacturing method of tea trees, and specific examples include Sencha, Gyokuro, Kabusecha, Tsujicha, Matcha, Bancha, Houjicha, Kamaagecha and the like. Aluminum is abundant in Chinese tea, bancha, hojicha, etc., and strictinin is known to be abundant in sencha, such as No.1 and No.2, and these green tea leaves are selected and combined as appropriate. If it is made into a raw material, it becomes possible to manufacture the target tea extract easily.

  Moreover, the tea extract of this invention can also be manufactured by mixing several types of commercially available tea extracts, and adjusting so that the content of aluminum and strictinin may become a predetermined composition. Examples of commercially available tea extracts include “Polyphenone”, a trade name of Mitsui Norin Co., Ltd., “Theafuran”, a trade name of ITO EN Co., Ltd., and “Sunphenon”, a trade name of Taiyo Kagaku Co., Ltd.

  The tea extract of the present invention contains 0.15 to 10.0% by weight of aluminum as the component (A). When the content of aluminum exceeds the upper limit, when added to tea beverages, the effect of suppressing or preventing floc generation in tea beverages is exhibited, but polyphenol components such as catechins contained in tea beverages form a bond with aluminum. This is not desirable because it may cause precipitation or adversely affect the human body. On the other hand, if the aluminum content is lower than the lower limit, it is not desirable because the effect of suppressing or preventing the occurrence of flocs may not be exhibited. The aluminum content is preferably 0.28 to 8.0% by weight, more preferably 0.35 to 5.0% by weight, particularly preferably 0.42 to 3.0% by weight, and most preferably 0.5 to 1.0% by weight.

  In the tea extract of the present invention, the weight ratio [(B) / (A)] of aluminum as the component (A) and strictinin as the component (B) is 0.001 to 7.0. If this weight ratio exceeds the upper limit value, it is not desirable because the effect of suppressing or preventing the occurrence of flocs may not be exhibited. On the other hand, if this weight ratio is less than the lower limit, it is not desirable because the original excellent taste of tea may be lost. This weight ratio is preferably 0.003 to 4.0, more preferably 0.005 to 2.5, particularly preferably 0.008 to 1.0, and most preferably 0.01 to 0.5.

  In order to more effectively suppress or prevent the occurrence of flocs when the tea extract of the present invention is added to a tea beverage, the content of strictinin in the tea extract is preferably 1.2% by weight or less, and 1.0% % By weight or less is more preferred, 0.8% by weight or less is particularly preferred, and 0.6% by weight or less is most preferred (the lower limit is usually 0.001% by weight).

  Further, the content of tannin contained in the tea extract of the present invention is preferably 50% by weight or less, more preferably 40% by weight or less (note that the lower limit is usually 1.0% by weight). If the content of tannin contained in the tea extract is too high, when added to a tea beverage, the bitterness and astringency will be strongly expressed, and the balance of the taste may be lost to impair the taste.

  In addition, the tea extract of this invention may contain the component normally contained in tea extracts, such as tea catechin, in the range which does not inhibit the effect.

  The tea extract of the present invention may be added to the tea beverage at any stage of the tea beverage production process, and even if it is performed at any stage, occurrence of flocs is suppressed or prevented over a long period of time, and a good tea A tea beverage having a delicious taste can be produced. As a general manufacturing process of a tea beverage, first, tea leaves as raw materials are extracted with hot water or hot water of 20 to 50 times weight. The extraction time and temperature are appropriately adjusted according to the type of tea leaf used, the quality and taste of the desired tea beverage (for example, the taste becomes stronger when extracted at low temperature and the astringency becomes stronger when extracted at high temperature), etc. Extraction is performed at 45 to 95 ° C. for 3 to 30 minutes, and stirring is performed during the extraction operation as necessary. Next, a tea extract is obtained by removing insoluble matters such as tea husks by filtration or centrifugation. To this, add water to dilute to a concentration suitable for drinking, and add 100-2000 ppm ascorbic acid or a salt thereof to prevent oxidation as necessary, or add 100-2000 ppm sodium bicarbonate, etc. By adjusting pH to 5.0-7.0, it is set as a tea drink preparation liquid. Finally, the tea beverage preparation liquid is filled into a sealed container such as a metal can, a plastic container, a plastic bottle, a glass bottle, or a paper container to produce a tea drink. These steps may include a sterilization step as necessary. The addition of the tea extract of the present invention to the tea beverage is preferably performed in the stage of diluting the tea extract to obtain a tea beverage preparation or on the tea drink preparation.

  The amount of the tea extract of the present invention added to the tea beverage is not particularly limited as long as the tea extract of the present invention exhibits an effect, and tea leaves used as a raw material in the tea beverage production process Can be appropriately adjusted depending on the type and amount of use, the extraction method, the component composition and form of the tea beverage, etc., but usually the tea beverage preparation before adding the tea extract of the present invention (filling process into a sealed container) And before the sterilization step), based on the tannin content of 0.05 to 20 times, that is, for example, in a tea beverage preparation with a tannin concentration of 50 mg%, It is effective to add 2.5 mg to 1 g of the tea extract of the present invention (if the tea extract contains a large amount of tannin, the tea beverage composition after adding the tea extract of the present invention is effective. Set the amount of addition based on the tannin content Is preferred). The amount of tea extract added to the tannin content of the tea beverage preparation is more preferably 0.1 to 10 times, particularly preferably 0.2 to 5 times. In general, the higher the tannin content, the stronger the tea drink, the influence of other ingredients that cause flocs, etc., and the tendency for flocs to occur. Therefore, it is preferable to increase the amount of tea extract added.

  Moreover, the aluminum which is a component (A) of a tea beverage preparation liquid (before performing the filling process and the sterilization process to a sealed container) after adding the tea extract of this invention with the addition amount as mentioned above, and a component The weight ratio [(B) / (A)] of strictinin as (B) is preferably 4-12 when the tannin concentration in the tea beverage preparation is 0-100 mg%, and is 100-200 mg%. In the case, it is preferably 2 to 8, and when it exceeds 200 mg%, it is preferably 1 to 5. With such a weight ratio, the occurrence of floc in the tea beverage preparation liquid is effectively suppressed or prevented, and the tea beverage preparation liquid is provided with the excellent original taste of tea.

  Examples of the tea beverage to which the tea extract of the present invention is added include non-fermented tea such as green tea and flower tea, semi-fermented tea such as oolong tea, and fully fermented tea such as black tea. Usually, the less fermented tea leaves tend to feel soft throat and taste, and these are more likely to be damaged. Therefore, the tea extract of the present invention functions more effectively when applied to the production of tea beverages using such tea leaves that are weakly fermented, specifically green tea and flower tea (jasmine tea, etc.). In addition, the tea beverage to which the tea extract of the present invention is added should be a packaged tea beverage that has been commercialized by filling a sealed container such as a metal can, a plastic container, a plastic bottle, a glass bottle, or a paper container. It is preferable because the effect of suppressing or preventing the occurrence of flocs is remarkably exhibited. In addition to tea leaves, which are the main raw materials, when blended tea beverages are manufactured, blended brown rice and leaves of various plants, stems, roots, etc. as antioxidants, antioxidants, preservatives, cyclic oligosaccharides, dietary fiber , Emulsifiers, pigments, fragrances, stabilizers, pH adjusters, acidulants, sweeteners, fruit juices, nutrient enhancers and the like may be used alone or in combination.

  In addition, although the suppression thru | or prevention effect of floc generation | occurrence | production by adding the tea extract of this invention to a tea drink is sufficient in itself, in order to supplement or enhance the effect, it is necessary. Correspondingly, known methods for suppressing or preventing floc generation, for example, a method for decomposing water-soluble polymer polysaccharide components by enzymatic treatment, a method for physically removing causative substances and precipitates by ultrafiltration or diatomaceous earth filtration, etc. May be.

  The tea extract of the present invention can also be used to prevent precipitation of a concentrated tea extract used as a raw material for confectionery such as candy, gum and jelly, quasi drugs, and cosmetics.

  The following examples further illustrate the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

Test Example 1:
For various tea extracts having different contents of aluminum and strictinin, the effect of suppressing or preventing the occurrence of flocs on a packaged green tea beverage and the taste of the packaged green tea beverage were examined.

Example 1:
100 g of Chinese green tea leaves are poured into 1000 mL of hot water at 90 ° C., extracted for 30 minutes with stirring, and after separating tea leaves with a 100 mesh stainless steel filter, filter paper (No. 26, manufactured by Advantech Co., Ltd.) is used. And filtered to obtain a green tea extract. Next, in order to obtain a green tea extract having a suitable aluminum and strictinin content, it was passed through a column packed with polystyrene resin (trade name “DIAION HP-20” of Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation), and then 15% A methanol aqueous solution was flowed to collect fractions. After concentrating this fraction with an evaporator, it was dried with a freeze dryer, and 17 g of green tea extract (aluminum content (A) = 0.588 wt%, strictinin content (B) = 0.069) as an example of the present invention. % By weight, (B) / (A) = 0.118, tannin content = 14.4% by weight).

Comparative Example 1:
50 g of green tea leaves (sencha) was poured into 500 mL of hot water at 90 ° C., extracted for 30 minutes with stirring, and the tea leaves were separated with a 100-mesh stainless steel filter, followed by filter paper (No. 26, manufactured by Advantech Co., Ltd.) To obtain a green tea extract. The green tea extract was concentrated with an evaporator and then dried with a freeze dryer, and 15 g of a green tea extract as a comparative example (aluminum content (A) = 0.010 wt%, strictinin content (B) = 0.585 wt%) , (B) / (A) = 68.500, tannin content = 47.3% by weight).

Comparative Example 2:
Except for using jasmine tea instead of green tea leaves (sencha) in comparative example 1, 13 g of jasmine tea extract as a comparative example (aluminum content (A) = 0.068% by weight), except that jasmine tea was used. Striktinin content (B) = 1.256 wt%, (B) / (A) = 18.471, tannin content = 35.1 wt%).

Comparative Example 3:
Trade name “Polyphenone CH” of Mitsui Norin Co., Ltd. (aluminum content (A) = 0.180 wt%, strictinine content (B) = 1.400 wt%, (B) / (A) = 7.778, tannin Content = 36.2 wt%) was used as a green tea extract as a comparative example.

Comparative Example 4:
Trade name “Polyphenone HG” of Mitsui Norin Co., Ltd. (aluminum content (A) = 0.075 wt%, strictinin content (B) = 0.266 wt%, (B) / (A) = 3.547, tannin Content = 37.8 wt%) was used as a green tea extract as a comparative example.

Comparative Example 5:
Trade name “Polyphenone 70A” of Mitsui Norin Co., Ltd. (aluminum content (A) = 0.0099 wt%, strictinin content (B) = 0 wt%, (B) / (A) = 0, tannin content = 96. 0% by weight) was used as a green tea extract as a comparative example.

Comparative Example 6:
Alum commercially available as a food additive (potassium aluminum sulfate, 12 water, manufactured by Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd.) (aluminum content (A) = 5.692% by weight, strictinin content (B) = 0% by weight, (B ) / (A) = 0, tannin content = 0 wt%) was used as a comparative example.

  In addition, after dissolving each sample in a suitable quantity of pure water, it filtered with a 0.45 micrometer membrane filter (DISMIC-13HP; ADVANTEC), and the content of said aluminum, strictinin, and tannin was calculated | required with the following method.

1. Apparatus for measuring aluminum content: ICP-AES CIROS CCD-M (Rigaku)
Plasma power: 1400W
Pump flow rate: 1 ml / min
Plasma gas flow rate: Ar, 13.0 L / min
Auxiliary gas flow rate: Ar, 1.0 L / min
Nebulizer gas flow rate: Ar, 1.0 L / min
Analysis line: 396.152 nm
Standard solution: Uses standard solution for chemical analysis manufactured by Kanto Chemical.

2. Apparatus for measuring strictinin content: Alliance HPLC / PDA system (Nihon Waters)
Column: Mightysil RP-18 GP, 4.6 mmφ × 150 mm (5 μm) (Kanto Chemical)
Mobile phase (liquid A): volume ratio acetonitrile: 0.05% phosphoric acid water = 25: 1000
Mobile phase (liquid B): acetonitrile by volume: 0.05% phosphoric acid water: methanol = 10: 400: 200
Gradient: Linear gradient flow rate reaching from 100% of solution A to 100% of solution B 25 minutes after injection 3 minutes: 1 ml / min
Detection: UV267nm
Column temperature: 40 ° C

3. Measuring method of tannin content Edited by Japan Food Analysis Center, “Explanation of 5th edition Japanese Food Standards Component Analysis Manual”, Central Law, July 2001, p. 252 according to the official method (iron tartrate reagent method) described in 252.

(Test method)
100 g of green tea leaves blended for tea beverage were extracted for 5 minutes with 3000 g of ion-exchanged water at 60 ° C. to which sodium L-ascorbate had been added to a concentration of 557 ppm, and the tea leaves were separated with a 100 mesh stainless steel filter. (No. 26, manufactured by Advantech Co., Ltd.) to obtain 2700 g of green tea extract. The green tea extract was diluted with ion-exchanged water so that the tannin concentration was 50 mg% (50 mg / 100 mL) (the tannin content was measured according to the iron tartrate reagent method described above), and L-ascorbic acid and sodium bicarbonate were used. Was added in an amount of 0.3 g per 1000 g of the green tea diluted solution to obtain a green tea beverage preparation. 200 mg or 400 mg of the green tea extract of Example 1 is separately added to 1000 g of the green tea beverage preparation solution to this green tea beverage preparation solution, and 300 g in a heat resistant glass container is hot-packed at 80 ° C. and sealed, and the retort A sterilization treatment (121 ° C., 10 minutes) was performed to produce a packaged green tea beverage.
Further, instead of the green tea extract of Example 1, the green tea extract of Comparative Example 1, the jasmine tea extract of Comparative Example 2, the green tea extract of Comparative Example 3, and the green tea extract of Comparative Example 4 were used, respectively. 200 mg or 400 mg was separately added to 1000 g of the prepared liquid, and a container-packed green tea beverage was produced in the same manner. Moreover, the green tea extract of the comparative example 5 was used instead of the green tea extract of Example 1, and 50 mg or 100 mg was added separately with respect to 1000 g of green tea drink preparation liquids, and the container-packed green tea drink was manufactured similarly. Moreover, the alum of the comparative example 6 was used instead of the green tea extract of Example 1, 200 mg or 400 mg was separately added with respect to 1000 g of green tea drink preparation liquid, and the container-packed green tea drink was manufactured similarly. In addition, as a control container-packed green tea beverage, a green tea beverage preparation liquid itself was directly filled in a heat-resistant glass container at 300 ° C. at 80 ° C. and sealed and retort sterilized.
The container-packed green tea beverage produced in this way is cooled to room temperature, stored in a thermostat at 25 ° C., visually observed for the occurrence of floc over time, and the number of days it took from the start of storage to the occurrence of floc (number of floc occurrence days ) Was recorded. When the flock occurrence days were 30 days or more, it was evaluated as “no occurrence”. In addition, it was evaluated as “effective” when the occurrence of floc was delayed by 2 times or more as compared with a control-packed green tea beverage to which no tea extract was added. Moreover, after storing these container-packed green tea beverages for 2 weeks, a sensory test was conducted for taste such as taste. The test was performed by 10 panelists with a three-point evaluation (3 points: good, 2 points: slightly good, 1 point: slightly bad, 0 points bad), and expressed as an average score obtained from all panelists.

(Test results)
Table 1 shows the flock generation days and sensory evaluation results for each green tea beverage packaged. Table 1 shows the contents of tannin, aluminum, and strictinin at the stage of the green tea beverage preparation liquid of each container-packed green tea beverage (before the filling process and the sterilization process in the sealed container) (the measurement method is the above) Street). As is clear from Table 1, it was confirmed that the container-packed green tea beverage to which the green tea extract of Example 1 was added effectively suppressed or prevented floc generation and had a good taste.

Test example 2:
Next, various tea extracts having different contents of aluminum and strictinin prepared by blending the tea extract of Example 1 and the tea extracts of Comparative Examples 1 to 4 in Test Example 1 with respect to the packaged green tea beverage The effect of suppressing or preventing the occurrence of flocs and the taste of the green tea beverage in a container were examined.

Example 2:
A blend of 4.5 g of the tea extract of Example 1 and 5.5 g of the tea extract of Comparative Example 2, and 10 g of the tea extract serving as an example of the present invention (aluminum content (A) = 0.302 wt%, strictinin) Content (B) = 0.722 wt%, (B) / (A) = 2.391, tannin content = 25.8 wt%).

Example 3:
3.0 g of tea extract of Example 1 and 7.0 g of tea extract of Comparative Example 3 were blended, and 10 g of tea extract (aluminum content (A) = 0.302 wt%, strictinin) as an example of the present invention. Content (B) = 1.001% by weight, (B) / (A) = 3.315, and tannin content = 29.7% by weight).

Example 4:
Blending 4.5 g of the tea extract of Example 1 and 5.5 g of the tea extract of Comparative Example 4, 10 g of the tea extract as an example of the present invention (aluminum content (A) = 0.305% by weight, strictinin) Content (B) = 0.178 wt%, (B) / (A) = 0.484, tannin content = 27.3 wt%).

Example 5:
A blend of 2.0 g of the tea extract of Example 1, 4.0 g of the tea extract of Comparative Example 3 and 4.0 g of the tea extract of Comparative Example 4, and 10 g of the tea extract as an example of the present invention (aluminum content) (A) = 0.219% by weight, strictinin content (B) = 0.680% by weight, (B) / (A) = 3.101, tannin content = 32.5% by weight).

Comparative Example 7:
A blend of 1.7 g of the tea extract of Example 1, 4.5 g of the tea extract of Comparative Example 1 and 3.8 g of the tea extract of Comparative Example 2, and 10 g of the tea extract as a comparative example (aluminum content (A)) = 0.130 wt%, strictinin content (B) = 0.797 wt%, (B) / (A) = 6.138, tannin content = 37.1 wt%).

(Test method)
In the same manner as in the test method of Test Example 1, a green tea extract was obtained, diluted to a tannin concentration of 50 mg%, and L-ascorbic acid and sodium bicarbonate were added in an amount of 0.3 g per 1000 g of the green tea dilution. A green tea beverage preparation was obtained. 350 mg of the tea extracts of Examples 2 to 5 and Comparative Example 7 are added to this green tea beverage preparation solution with respect to 1000 g of the green tea beverage preparation solution, respectively, and 300 g in a heat-resistant glass container is hot-packed at 80 ° C. and sealed. Then, a retort sterilization treatment (121 ° C., 10 minutes) was performed to produce a packaged green tea beverage. In addition, as a control container-packed green tea beverage, a green tea beverage preparation liquid itself was directly filled in a heat-resistant glass container at 300 ° C. at 80 ° C. and sealed and retort sterilized.
Further, in the same manner as in the test method of Test Example 1, a green tea extract was obtained, diluted to a tannin concentration of 100 mg%, and 0.6 g of L-ascorbic acid and sodium bicarbonate per 1000 g of the green tea diluent. A green tea beverage preparation was obtained. To this green tea beverage preparation solution, 4 g of the tea extracts of Examples 2 to 5 and Comparative Example 7 were added to 1000 g of the green tea beverage preparation solution, respectively, and 300 g in a heat resistant glass container was hot-packed at 80 ° C. and sealed. Then, a retort sterilization treatment (121 ° C., 10 minutes) was performed to produce a packaged green tea beverage. In addition, as a control container-packed green tea beverage, a green tea beverage preparation liquid itself was directly filled in a heat-resistant glass container at 300 ° C. at 80 ° C. and sealed and retort sterilized.
Evaluation similar to Experiment 1 was performed with respect to the container-packed green tea drink manufactured in this way.

(Test results)
Table 2 shows the flock occurrence days and sensory evaluation results for each green tea beverage packaged. In addition, Table 2 shows the contents of tannin, aluminum, and strictinin at the stage of the green tea beverage preparation liquid of each container-packed green tea beverage (before the filling process and the sterilization process in the sealed container) (the measurement method is the above) Street). As is clear from Table 2, it was confirmed that the container-packed green tea beverages to which the tea extracts of Examples 2 to 5 were added had a good taste as well as the occurrence of flocs being effectively suppressed or prevented. .

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be industrially used in that it has an effect of suppressing or preventing the occurrence of flocs when added to tea beverages, and can provide a tea extract that can provide good tea taste. Have sex.

Claims (8)

The following components (A) and (B):
(A) 0.15 to 10.0% by weight of aluminum
(B) A tea extract containing strictinin and having a weight ratio of component (A) to component (B) [(B) / (A)] of 0.001 to 7.0.   The tea extract according to claim 1, wherein the content of strictinin is 1.2 wt% or less.   The tea extract according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the content of tannin is 50% by weight or less.   The tea extract according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the tea extract is made from green tea.   The manufacturing method of the tea drink by adding the tea extract in any one of Claims 1 thru | or 4.   A tea beverage produced by the production method according to claim 5.   The suppression thru | or prevention method of floc generation | occurrence | production of a tea drink by adding the tea extract in any one of Claims 1 thru | or 4.   A method for preventing loss of taste of a tea beverage by adding the tea extract according to any one of claims 1 to 4.