JP2006333769A - Tea extract - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a highly acceptable tea extract easily exhibiting and having floc-suppressive effects without causing troublesome process with no need of any special production process and any new production equipment as a result of adding in producing a tea beverage, and also affording its appearance color tone stability and excellent delicate tastiness inherent in tea. <P>SOLUTION: The tea extract contains (A) 0.15-1.20 wt.% aluminum and (B) theogallin, and the relationship between the component(A) content(wt.%) and the component(B) content(wt.%) is expressed as the following:64(A-0.65)<SP>2</SP>+ (B-0.10)<SP>2</SP>= C, wherein C is ≤19.2. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention has an effect of suppressing or preventing the occurrence of flocs when added to tea beverages, and also provides a tea extract capable of providing the color tone stability of the appearance and the original excellent taste of tea, and the addition thereof The present invention relates to a method for suppressing or preventing the occurrence of flocs in tea beverages, a method for improving the color tone stability of the appearance of tea beverages, and a method for preventing loss of taste.

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). Tea extracts are commercially available in a variety of variations, including those with less caffeine and those containing high concentrations of catechins, and are essential for beverage production in terms of easy control of beverage ingredients. It is coming.

  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 with 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 for adjusting the amount of aluminum ions and water-insoluble solids in a packaged green tea beverage (refer to Patent Document 6), concentration of green tea extract and green tea extract The ratio of non-epimeric catechins and epicatechins in packaged green tea beverages, as well as aluminum ions and silicon ions, by contacting specific aluminosilicates with the mixed green tea mixture and adsorbing specific components (See Patent Document 7) of adjusting the content of tea, selecting tea leaves using the content of strictinin as an index, and adjusting the content of strictinin at the time of tea beverage production prevents flocs generated after production in advance The method (refer patent document 2) etc. are proposed.

However, these methods have at least the following drawbacks. For example, in a method performed by providing a special manufacturing process such as an ultrafiltration process or a contact (adsorption) process using aluminosilicate, a new manufacturing facility is required, and the process becomes complicated. In particular, in the method of contacting a mineral containing aluminosilicate, there is a risk that metal ions other than aluminum cause discoloration of the tea beverage. In addition, in the method using enzyme treatment, not only the reaction time, which is indispensable for the enzyme reaction, greatly impairs productivity, but also the appearance color stability such as loss of aroma components and coloring phenomenon due to oxidation of catechins, etc. Giving great obstacles. Furthermore, in the method of removing specific content components by filtration treatment, the method of changing the content components by enzyme treatment, and the method of adding fucoidan-containing materials, the balance of the components inherent to tea infusion is disturbed. Therefore, the influence on the taste is inevitable. In particular, water-soluble polymer polysaccharides contained in tea beverages may cause floc and discoloration, but they have an important function to make the body feel of tea beverages and soften the mouthfeel. The method of disassembling and removing this is different from full-fledged tea, even though it can achieve the purpose of imparting storage stability while significantly impairing the soft throat and taste unique to tea beverages. There is a problem of becoming. The method of adjusting the amount of aluminum ions and water-insoluble solids in containerized tea beverages, the method of selecting tea leaves based on the content of strictinin and adjusting the content of strictinin during tea beverage production, Considering the involvement of other components, it is difficult to say that the method is reliable, and this method has the disadvantage that the tea leaves that can be used are inevitably limited. The harvested tea leaves (new tea, Ichibancha, etc.) that are tastefully good have a high strictinin content (see Non-Patent Document 2) and a low aluminum content. It will be impossible to use tea leaves that are considered to be of good quality, and it will be difficult to achieve the objective of providing a tea beverage having an excellent tea taste that is the original purpose. As described above, with the techniques known so far, it has not been possible to sufficiently satisfy the points of suppressing or preventing the occurrence of flocs and ensuring the color tone stability of the appearance and the original taste of tea. .
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 M. Yamamoto, 4 others, Proceedingsof 2004 International Conference on O-CHA (tea) Culture and Science, HB-P-45, 2005, P551

Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a tea extract that has the effect of suppressing or preventing floc generation when added to a tea beverage, and that can provide the color tone stability of the appearance and the original excellent taste of tea. To do.

  As a result of intensive studies to achieve the above object, the present inventors have determined that the tea extract in which the relationship between the aluminum content and theogarin content is controlled to a desired value is added to the tea beverage when stored. It has been found that the occurrence of flocs can be suppressed or prevented, and the color tone stability of the appearance and the excellent taste of tea can be provided to the tea beverage, and 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 1.20% by weight of aluminum,
(B) Theogaline is contained, and the following formula 64 (A-0.65) ² + (B-0...) Comprising the content (% by weight) of component (A) and the content (% by weight) of component (B). 10) When ² = C, C is 19.2 or less.
Further, as described in claim 2, the tea extract according to claim 1 is characterized in that the content of theogalin is 3.0% 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 improving the color stability of the appearance of the tea beverage of the present invention and the method for preventing the loss of taste are as described in claim 8, by adding the tea extract according to any one of claims 1 to 4. It is characterized by that.

  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, the original excellent taste of tea is lost only by adding to the tea beverage. Therefore, the color tone of the appearance can be kept stable and the occurrence of floc can be suppressed or prevented. Therefore, since it is possible to produce a tea beverage that suppresses or prevents the occurrence of flocs, has a stable external color tone, and has the original excellent taste of tea using existing equipment, the effect on productivity and production cost can be achieved. Is very big. As described above, adding a tea extract to a tea beverage has been carried out so far, but the tea extract added to a conventional tea beverage is simply the content of tea catechins contained in the tea beverage. It can be used as a means to suppress or prevent the occurrence of flocs in tea beverages, and can be used for tea beverages. On the other hand, a tea extract that has been adjusted so that the content of aluminum and theogarin, which can provide the color stability of the appearance and the excellent taste of tea, is a predetermined composition, has never been known before It is a thing.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail.
The tea extract of the present invention contains 0.15 to 1.20% by weight of aluminum as the component (A) and theogarin as the component (B), and the content (% by weight) of the components (A) and (B). The following formula [64 (A−0.65) ² + (B−0.10) ² ] consisting of ¹ ) is 19.2 or less. 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 tea leaves and extraction methods as raw materials and adjusting the contents of aluminum and theogarin to an appropriate composition. In addition, for the tea extract whose aluminum and theogarin content obtained by the above method is not a predetermined composition, further known separation / purification such as solvent fractionation, ultrafiltration, gel filtration, dialysis, etc. By carrying out the method, it can also be produced by adjusting the contents of aluminum and theogarin to a predetermined composition.

In the tea extract of the present invention, the content of aluminum and theogarin can be adjusted by mixing a plurality of tea extracts. For example, a commercially available tea extract or the like can be mixed to mix aluminum and theogarin. It can also be produced by controlling the content of to a desired value. In addition, the content of aluminum and theogarin in the tea extract of the present invention may be adjusted using an aluminum compound or a natural product containing aluminum. If such a method is used, for example, in Example 2 As described above, it is possible to use a tea extract in which the content of aluminum and theogarin is not a predetermined composition as a part of the raw material. 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. Aluminum compounds and natural products containing aluminum include activated clay, acidic clay, zeolite, kaolin, bentonite, and other aluminum-containing minerals, as well as ammonium aluminum sulfate, potassium aluminum sulfate, sodium aluminum sulfate, aluminum chloride, bromide. Examples include inorganic aluminum compounds and organic aluminum compounds such as aluminum, aluminum borate, aluminum phosphate, aluminum nitrate, aluminum sulfate, aluminum trifluoride, aluminum acetate, aluminum lactate, aluminum laurate, aluminum oleate, and aluminum stearate. . Various aluminum salts may be in the form of hydrates. Among these, ammonium aluminum sulfate (baked ammonium alum), potassium aluminum sulfate (baked alum) and their hydrates ammonium aluminum sulfate 12 water (ammonium alum), potassium aluminum sulfate 12 water (alum or potash alum) Can be suitably used because it is approved as a food additive. In addition, extracts of animals and plants such as leafy vegetables, seaweeds and shellfish containing aluminum can also be used.

The tea leaf used as the raw material of the tea extract of the present invention refers to a tea tree ( Camellia cinenissis ) leaf or stem, or a processed product produced using these as a raw material. 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 abundances of aluminum and theogalin contained in the green tea leaf are suitable for producing the tea extract of the present invention and are 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. Specifically, examples include sencha, gyokuro, stem tea, kabusecha, mochicha, matcha, bancha, hojicha, kettle roasted tea, etc. it can. Aluminum is abundant in Chinese tea, bancha, hojicha, etc., and theogarin is known to be abundant in sencha, such as No.1 and No.2, and these green tea leaves are appropriately selected and combined. If it is made into a raw material, it becomes possible to manufacture the target tea extract easily.

  The tea extract of the present invention contains 0.15 to 1.20% by weight of aluminum as the component (A). When the aluminum content exceeds the upper limit, when added to a tea beverage, the effect of suppressing or preventing the occurrence of flocs is exhibited, but the polyphenol component such as catechin contained in the tea beverage forms a conjugate 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 value, it is not desirable because there is a possibility that the effect of suppressing or preventing the generation of flocs may not be exhibited. The content of aluminum is preferably 0.20 to 1.10% by weight, more preferably 0.30 to 1.00% by weight, and particularly preferably 0.40 to 0.90% by weight.

In addition, the tea extract of the present invention has the following formula [64 (A−0.65) ² + representing the relationship between the content (% by weight) of aluminum as the component (A) and theogarin as the component (B). In (B-0.10) ² = C], it is necessary to adjust C to be 19.2 or less, preferably 14.1 or less, more preferably 9.6 or less, and even more preferably 6 .4 or less, particularly preferably 3.2 or less, and most preferably 0.6 or less. By controlling the relationship between the aluminum content and theogarin content in the tea extract to a desirable value, it has floc control or prevention effects, and when added to beverages, it has a stable color tone and excellent taste. It becomes the tea extract shown.

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 theogarin in the tea extract is preferably 3.0% by weight or less. 5 wt% or less is more preferable, and 2.0 wt% or less is most preferable (note that the lower limit is usually 0.01 wt%). Here, theogarin is a known compound having a chemical abstract registration number (CAS registration number) of 17365-11-6, and this compound contained in tea drinks is a bark of tea leaves or jellyfish (scientific name: Quercus stenophylla ). (If necessary, see H. Nishimura, et al., Phytochemistry, Vol. 23, No. 11, 1984, P2621) Can be used for quantitative analysis.

  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 tannin content in the tea extract is too high, when added to a tea beverage, the bitterness and astringency will be strongly expressed, the balance of the taste may be lost and the taste may be impaired and discoloration will occur. It is easy to cause.

  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, the occurrence of floc is suppressed or prevented over a long period of time, and the color tone of the appearance Is stable, and a tea beverage having the excellent taste inherent in tea 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%, On the other hand, it is effective to add 2.5 mg to 1 g of the tea extract of the present invention (when the tea extract contains a large amount of tannin, the tea beverage preparation after adding the tea extract of the present invention) The amount of addition is set based on the tannin content of It is preferable to that). The addition amount of the tea extract with respect to the tannin content of the tea beverage preparation liquid is more preferably 0.1 to 10 times, particularly preferably 0.2 to 5 times. In general, the higher the content of tannin and the stronger the tea drink, the influence of other ingredients causing flocs and the like, and flocs are likely 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 theogarin which is (B) is preferably 3.3 to 25 when the concentration of tannin in the tea beverage preparation is 0 to 100 mg%, and 100 to 200 mg. % Is preferably 1.2 to 20, and more than 200 mg% is preferably 0.5 to 15. With such a weight ratio, the occurrence of floc in the tea beverage preparation liquid is effectively suppressed or prevented, and the color tone stability of the appearance of the tea drink preparation liquid and the excellent taste inherent in tea are provided. In addition, since theogarin changes with the heat | fever in a heat sterilization process, and will reduce to 30 to 60% of the quantity at the time of preparation, in the packaged tea drink which passed through the heat sterilization process [(B) / (A) ] Is preferably 1.0-15 when the tannin concentration in the tea beverage preparation is 0-100 mg%, preferably 0.4-12 when the tannin concentration is 0-100 mg%, 200 mg When exceeding%, it is preferable that it is 0.2-9.

  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.

Example 1:
About various tea extracts (invention products 1-2, comparative products 1-5) having different contents of aluminum and theogarin, the effect of suppressing or preventing the occurrence of flocs on the packaged green tea beverage and the appearance of the packaged green tea beverage The effect on color stability and taste was tested.

Invention product 1:
100 g of green tea leaves (bancha) are poured into 1000 mL of hot water at 90 ° C., extracted for 30 minutes with stirring, and the tea leaves are separated with a 100 mesh stainless steel filter. And a tea extract was obtained. Next, in order to obtain a green tea extract having a suitable aluminum and theogarin content, 500 ml of ethyl acetate was added thereto, vigorously mixed using a separatory funnel, and then allowed to stand to separate an aqueous layer and an ethyl acetate layer. Liquid. The aqueous layer (ethyl acetate extraction residue) obtained by repeating this operation twice was concentrated with an evaporator, and then dried with a freeze dryer to obtain 17 g of green tea extract (aluminum content (A) = 0) as the product of the present invention. .35 wt%, theogarin content (B) = 0.19 wt%, [64 (A−0.65) ² + (B−0.10) ² ] = 5.7, tannin content = 7.2 % By weight).

Invention product 2:
10 g of the tea extract of the product 1 of the present invention was dissolved in 250 ml of purified water. This solution was subjected to ultrafiltration using an ultrafiltration membrane (PS / 10K, manufactured by Microgon) having a molecular weight cut-off of 10,000. When the amount of the permeate reached 200 ml, 200 ml of purified water was added to the concentrated solution, followed by continuous ultrafiltration. When the concentrated liquid reached 50 ml, ultrafiltration was continued while adding purified water so as to maintain the liquid volume to obtain 750 ml of permeate. The obtained permeate was concentrated and dried to obtain 8 g of a green tea extract (aluminum content (A) = 0.72% by weight, theogarin content (B) = 0.04% by weight, [64 (A −0.65) ² + (B−0.10) ² ] = 0.3, tannin content = 1.8% by weight).

Comparative product 1:
The ethyl acetate layer fractions produced in the production process of the product 1 of the present invention were combined into one, dehydrated overnight with anhydrous sodium sulfate, concentrated to dryness, and 13 g of green tea extract (aluminum) as a comparative product. Content (A) = 0.01 wt%, Theogarin content (B) = 0.01 wt%, [64 (A−0.65) ² + (B−0.10) ² ] = 26.3, Tannin content = 77.0% by weight) was obtained.

Comparative product 2:
100 g of green tea leaves (sencha) are poured into 1000 mL of hot water at 90 ° C., extracted for 30 minutes with stirring, and the tea leaves are separated with a 100-mesh stainless steel filter. And a tea extract was obtained. After concentrating this tea extract with an evaporator, it is solidified by a freeze dryer, and 31 g of a green tea extract (aluminum content (A) = 0.10% by weight, theogarin content (B) = 2.02) as a comparative product. %, [64 (A−0.65) ² + (B−0.10) ² ] = 23.0, tannin content = 41.3% by weight).

Comparative product 3:
26 g of a jasmine tea extract as a comparative product (aluminum content (A) = 0.07% by weight) in the same manner as in the comparative product 2 except that jasmine tea was used instead of green tea leaves (sencha) in the comparative product 2. , Theogarin content (B) = 3.20% by weight, [64 (A−0.65) ² + (B−0.10) ² ] = 31.1, tannin content = 35.1% by weight) Obtained.

Comparative product 4:
Trade name “Polyphenone KN” of Mitsui Norin Co., Ltd. (aluminum content (A) = 0.16 wt%, theogarin content (B) = 2.76 wt%, [64 (A−0.65) ² + (B-0.10) ² ] = 22.4, tannin content = 37.9 wt% was used as a green tea extract as a comparative product.

Comparative product 5:
10 g of alum (potassium aluminum sulfate, 12 water, manufactured by Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd., aluminum content = 5.69% by weight) marketed as a food additive using 100 g of green tea leaves (bancha) similar to the present invention product 1 The sample is poured into 1000 mL of hot water at 90 ° C. and extracted with stirring for 30 minutes. After separating the tea leaves with a 100-mesh stainless steel filter, the precipitates and suspended matter in the extract are removed by flannel filtration. An extract was obtained. This tea extract was dried with a freeze dryer and 42 g of a green tea extract as a comparative product (aluminum content (A) = 2.34% by weight, theogarin content (B) = 1.30% by weight, [64 (A−0.65) ² + (B−0.10) ² ] = 184.2, tannin content = 28.5 wt% was obtained.

  In addition, after dissolving each sample in a suitable quantity of pure water, after filtering each sample in 0.45 micrometer membrane filter (DISMIC-13HP; ADVANTEC), content of said aluminum, theogarin, and a 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. Theogarin content measuring method equipment: 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: UV275nm
Column temperature: 40 ° C

3. Measurement method of tannin content The tannin content was determined according to the official method (iron tartrate reagent method) described in the Japan Food Analysis Center, “Explanation of Fifth Japanese Food Standard Component Analysis Manual”, Central Regulations, July 2001, p.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 55 mg% (55 mg / 100 mL) (the tannin content was measured according to the iron tartrate reagent method described above), and L-ascorbic acid and hydrogen carbonate. Sodium 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. To this green tea beverage preparation liquid, 350 mg of the tea extract of the product 1 of the present invention is added with respect to 1000 g of the green tea drink preparation liquid, and 300 g in a heat-resistant glass container is hot-packed and sealed at 80 ° C. and retort sterilized ( 121 degreeC, 10 minutes) was performed, and the container-packed green tea drink was manufactured.

  Also, instead of the tea extract of the product 1 of the present invention, the tea extract of the product 2 of the present invention, the green tea extract of the comparative product 2, the jasmine tea extract of the comparative product 3, the commercial tea extract of the comparative product 4, and the comparative product Using 5 alum containing tea extracts, 350 mg was added to 1000 g of the green tea beverage preparation solution, and a container-packed green tea beverage was produced in the same manner. Moreover, instead of the tea extract of the product 1 of the present invention, the tea extract of the comparative product 1 was added and 180 mg was added to 1000 g of the green tea beverage preparation solution to produce a container-packed 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.

Similarly, green tea leaves are extracted to obtain a green tea extract, which is diluted so that the tannin concentration is 100 mg%, and L-ascorbic acid and sodium bicarbonate are added in an amount of 0.6 g per 1000 g of the green tea dilution. A green tea beverage preparation was obtained. To this green tea beverage mixture, 3.0 g of the tea extract of the product 1 of the present invention is added to 1000 g of the green tea beverage mixture, and 300 g in a heat-resistant glass container is hot-packed at 80 ° C. and sealed, and retort sterilized. Processing (121 degreeC, 10 minutes) was performed and the container-packed green tea drink was manufactured.

Also, instead of the tea extract of the product 1 of the present invention, the tea extract of the product 2 of the present invention, the green tea extract of the comparative product 2, the jasmine tea extract of the comparative product 3, the commercial tea extract of the comparative product 4, and the comparative product Using 5 alum containing tea extracts, 3.0 g was added to 1000 g of the green tea beverage preparation solution, and a container-packed green tea beverage was produced in the same manner. Further, instead of the tea extract of the product 1 of the present invention, the tea extract of the comparative product 1 was used and 2.0 g was added to 1000 g of the green tea beverage preparation liquid to produce a packaged green tea beverage in the same manner. 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 obtained above was cooled to room temperature and stored in a thermostatic chamber at 25 ° C., and the occurrence of flocs over time was visually observed to record the number of days of floc occurrence. Samples that did not occur for 30 days or more were considered “no occurrence”. Moreover, when the generation | occurrence | production date of the floc was 2 times or more late compared with the control | contrast goods to which a tea extract is not added, it was supposed that there was a floc suppression effect. Moreover, after storing these container-packed green tea beverages for 2 weeks, a sensory test was performed on the taste. The test was performed by 10 panelists on a three-point scale (3 points: good, 2 points: somewhat good, 1 point: slightly bad, 0 point: bad), and expressed as an average score obtained from all panelists. Similarly, the samples after storage for 2 weeks were measured for L value, a value, and b value with transmitted light using a spectroscopic color difference meter (model number: SE-2000 Nippon Denshoku Industries Co., Ltd.). The color difference ΔE with respect to was calculated, and the change in color tone was examined. Generally, the color difference ΔE is considered to be the same color when the color difference ΔE is 3.2 or less. ΔE was calculated from the following equation.

L0: Initial product L value a0: Initial product a value b0: Initial product b value L1: Preserved product L value a1: Preserved product a value b1: Preserved product b value ΔE = √ [(L0−L1) ² + (a0− a1) ² + (b0−b1) ² ]

Example 2:
Next, blending the tea extract of the present invention product 2 and the comparative product 2 or / and the tea product of the comparative product 4 or the tea extract of the comparative product 2 and the tea extract of the comparative product 5 in Example 1 About various tea extracts (invention products 3 to 6) having different contents of aluminum and theogalin prepared in Step 1, the effect of suppressing or preventing the occurrence of flocs on the packaged green tea beverage and the color stability of the appearance of the packaged green tea beverage And the effect on taste.

Invention product 3:
A blend of 6.0 g of the tea extract of the present invention product 2 and 4.0 g of the tea extract of the comparison product 2 and 10 g of the tea extract to be the present invention product (aluminum content (A) = 0.47% by weight, theogarin) Content (B) = 0.83 wt%, [64 (A−0.65) ² + (B−0.10) ² ] = 2.6, tannin content = 17.6 wt%). .

Invention product 4:
The tea extract 2.5 g of the present invention product 2 and the tea extract 7.5 g of the comparison product 4 are blended, and the tea extract 10 g (aluminum content (A) = 0.30% by weight, theogaline) Content (B) = 2.08 wt%, [64 (A−0.65) ² + (B−0.10) ² ] = 11.8, Tannin content = 28.9 wt%) was obtained. .

Invention product 5:
A blend of 4.0 g of the tea extract of the present invention product 2, 3.0 g of the tea extract of the comparison product 2 and 3.0 g of the tea extract of the comparison product 4, and 10 g of the tea extract to be the present product (aluminum content) (A) = 0.37 wt%, theogarin content (B) = 1.45 wt%, [64 (A−0.65) ² + (B−0.10) ² ] = 7.0, containing tannin Amount = 24.5% by weight).

Invention product 6:
6.0 g of tea extract of Comparative product 2 and 4.0 g of tea extract of Comparative product 5 are blended, and 10 g of tea extract to be the product of the present invention (aluminum content (A) = 1.00% by weight, containing theogarin) Amount (B) = 1.73 wt%, [64 (A−0.65) ² + (B−0.10) ² ] = 10.3, tannin content = 36.2 wt%) was obtained.

(Test method)
In the same manner as in the test method of Example 1, a green tea extract was obtained, diluted to a tannin concentration of 55 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. To this green tea beverage preparation solution 1000 g, add 50 mg or 100 mg of the tea extract of the present invention product 3-6 separately to 1000 g of the green tea diluted solution, and heat pack it into a heat-resistant glass container in a hot pack at 80 ° C. and seal it. 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 Example 1 was performed with respect to the container-packed green tea beverage thus produced.

(Test results)
Table 1 shows the flock generation days, sensory evaluation, and color difference measurement results for each packaged green tea beverage. Table 1 shows the contents of tannin, aluminum, and theogarin at the stage where the tea extract was added to the green tea beverage formulation of each container-packed green tea beverage (before filling and sterilizing the sealed container). (The measurement method is as described above). As is apparent from Table 1, in the container-packed green tea beverage added with the tea extract of the present invention in which the content values of aluminum and theogarin are controlled to a desirable relationship, occurrence of floc is effectively suppressed or prevented. At the same time, it was confirmed that the color tone of the appearance was kept stable and the tea had an excellent taste.

Example 3:
The tea extract of the product 1 of the present invention used in Example 1 was added to prepare a packaged tea beverage.
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 55 mg% (55 mg / 100 mL) (the tannin content was measured according to the iron tartrate reagent method described above), and L-ascorbic acid and hydrogen carbonate. Sodium 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. To this green tea beverage preparation liquid, 350 mg of the tea extract of the product 1 of the present invention is added to 1000 g of the green tea drink preparation liquid, 300 g in a heat-resistant glass container is hot-packed at 80 ° C., sealed, and retort sterilized ( 121 degreeC, 10 minutes) was performed, and the container-packed green tea drink of this invention product 7 was manufactured.

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.

  In addition, 100 g of jasmine tea leaves blended for tea beverage were extracted with 3000 g of ion exchanged water at 70 ° C. for 5 minutes, and the tea leaves were separated with a 100 mesh stainless steel filter, and then filter paper (No. 28, manufactured by Advantech Co., Ltd.) was used. And filtered to obtain 2600 g of jasmine tea extract. This jasmine tea extract was diluted with ion-exchanged water so that the tannin concentration was 50 mg% (50 mg / 100 mL) (tannin content was measured according to the iron tartrate reagent method described above), and 1000 g of L-ascorbic acid was added. 0.3 g per liter and sodium bicarbonate was added to adjust pH to 6.1 to obtain a jasmine tea beverage preparation. 350 mg of the tea extract of the product 1 of the present invention is added to this jasmine tea beverage preparation liquid with respect to 1000 g of the jasmine tea drink preparation liquid, 300 g in a heat-resistant glass container is filled with a hot pack at 80 ° C., sealed, and retort sterilized. The processing (121 degreeC, 10 minutes) was performed and the container-packed jasmine tea drink of this invention product 8 was manufactured.

Moreover, as a container-packed jasmine tea beverage for control, a jasmine tea beverage preparation liquid itself was directly filled in a heat-resistant glass container at a temperature of 80 ° C. in a heat-resistant glass container and sealed and retort-sterilized.
Evaluation similar to Example 1 was performed with respect to the container-packed green tea beverage thus produced.

(result)
Table 2 shows the flock generation days, sensory evaluation, and color difference measurement results for each packaged tea beverage. Table 1 shows the contents of tannin, aluminum, and theogarin at the stage where the tea extract was added to the tea beverage preparation of each container-packed tea beverage (before the filling process and the sterilization process in the sealed container). (The measurement method is as described above). As is clear from Table 2, the container-packed tea beverage of the present invention to which the tea extract added with the desired value of the content of aluminum and theogarin is effectively suppressed or prevented from generating floc. At the same time, it was confirmed that the color tone of the appearance was kept stable and the tea had an excellent taste.

The present invention has an effect of suppressing or preventing the occurrence of flocs when added to a tea beverage, and also added a tea extract capable of providing the color tone stability of the appearance and the original excellent taste of tea. The present invention has industrial applicability in that it can be provided.

Claims (8)

The following components (A) and (B):
(A) 0.15 to 1.20% by weight of aluminum,
(B) Theogaline is contained, and the following formula 64 (A-0.65) ² + (B-0...) Comprising the content (% by weight) of component (A) and the content (% by weight) of component (B). 10) A tea extract in which C is 19.2 or less when ² = C. The tea extract according to claim 1, wherein the content of theogalin is 3.0% by weight or less.   The tea extract according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the tannin content 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 improving the color stability of the appearance of a tea beverage by adding the tea extract according to any one of claims 1 to 4, and a method for preventing loss of flavor.