JP2007060972A - Method for producing tea beverage suppressed in browning - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for producing a tea beverage for further suppressing, compared to conventional beverage, production of browning and its progress and/or uncomfortable taste/uncomfortable smell which are each produced in a production process, a circulation process or a storage process, as a problem in conventional green tea beverage packed in a PET-bottle. <P>SOLUTION: This method for producing the tea beverage suppressed in browning comprises including L-ascorbic acid 2-glucoside. The tea beverage suppressed in browning and produced by the method is provided. A tea beverage browning suppressing method comprising the addition of L-ascorbic acid 2-glucoside is also provided. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for producing a tea beverage in which browning is suppressed, a tea beverage in which browning is suppressed, and a method for inhibiting browning of a tea beverage.

  Conventionally, it has been known that when a green tea extract is left in the air, components such as polyphenol contained therein are oxidized, and the color of the extract gradually changes from light green or yellow to reddish brown (brown). . Even in green tea beverages filled with this green tea extract in PET bottles etc., when it is sterilized by heating at the time of its production, the browning remarkably progresses, and also during the distribution and storage period after manufacture, the commercial value is reduced. It has been known that unpleasant taste and unpleasant odor are also generated.

  Therefore, in order to suppress browning during the production process and after production of green tea beverages, adding ascorbic acid or sodium ascorbate having a reducing action, or replacing the headspace air with nitrogen gas when filling the container, A method for suppressing the oxidation of tea beverages has been proposed (Patent Document 1). Furthermore, a method of adding a saccharide such as a flavonoid derived from a natural product or trehalose to a green tea beverage has also been devised as a method for suppressing browning (Patent Documents 2 and 3). However, the above-described methods and the like that are currently known do not necessarily have a satisfactory effect on this requirement.

  On the other hand, L-ascorbic acid 2-glucoside has glucose bonded to the 2-position of L-ascorbic acid, does not exhibit reducing properties, and is decomposed into ascorbic acid by an enzyme in vivo to give a physiological function as vitamin C. Because of its function, it has also been proposed to use it as a stable vitamin C in cosmetics and foods and drinks (Patent Document 4). However, these documents do not describe at all that L-ascorbic acid 2-glucoside has a remarkable effect of suppressing browning of tea beverages.

JP-B-1-48737 JP-A-1-289446 JP 2001-112414 A JP-A-3-139288

  The present invention is a problem in conventional green tea drinks with PET bottles, occurs during the production process, in the distribution process or storage process, browning and its progression, and / or generation of unpleasant taste and unpleasant odor, It is an object to further suppress it than before.

  As a result of diligent research to solve the above problems, the present inventors surprisingly extracted L-ascorbic acid 2-glucoside, which is originally stable in an aqueous solution and does not exhibit reducing properties, from tea leaves, It has been found that by adding it during the production of a tea beverage to be filled in a container, the occurrence and progression of the browning, and further the generation of unpleasant taste and unpleasant odor can be significantly suppressed. In addition to this, the tea beverage to which L-ascorbic acid 2-glucoside was added was found to be able to stably maintain a tea-specific flavor for a long period of time, thereby completing the present invention.

  By containing L-ascorbic acid 2-glucoside, browning of tea beverages and generation of unpleasant taste and unpleasant odor can be effectively suppressed. Furthermore, the change in flavor peculiar to tea can also be suppressed for a long time.

  The tea beverages referred to in the present invention are teas (scientific name: Camellia sinensis) mainly produced using leaves and stems, such as green tea, black tea, oolong tea, and puar tea, as well as brown rice, wheat, and others. A blend of various plant materials, or a variety of plants other than tea plants, mainly leaves, stems, rhizomes, roots, flowers, fruits, etc., and blends of them, hot water, hot water, cold water, ethanol, This refers to an extract obtained by extraction with hydrous ethanol or the like, or a product obtained by filling a can, a glass bottle, a paper pack, a PET bottle or the like with the obtained extract or its extract or dilution. In addition, the tea beverage of the present invention includes an extract obtained by concentrating the extract, a powder obtained by pulverizing the extract or extract by a spray drying method or a freeze drying method, or various foods and beverages using these as a raw material. included.

  Although browning of the extract occurs in any of the above tea beverages, the present invention is particularly useful for green tea beverages in which color change due to browning is easily noticeable. Furthermore, the present invention is particularly useful for green tea beverages using transparent plastic bottles or glass containers as containers.

  There is no restriction | limiting in the manufacturing method of the tea beverage of this invention, A normal manufacturing method can be utilized. Specifically, first, raw materials such as tea leaves are extracted with warm water or hot water, and then tea leaves and fine particles in the extract are removed by filtration or the like. Next, this extract is diluted to an appropriate concentration for drinking and used as a tea beverage. When a plastic bottle or the like is used as a container, the tea beverage is usually sterilized by heating before filling the container. On the other hand, when filling a can or the like, the container is sterilized by heating after filling.

  The L-ascorbic acid 2-glucoside used in the present invention may be produced by an enzymatic method, a fermentation method, an organic synthesis method or the like, regardless of its production method or origin, and is commercially available as a food additive. May be used (Hayashibara Shoji Co., Ltd., trade name "ASCO Fresh").

  The amount of L-ascorbic acid 2-glucoside added to the tea beverage is appropriately adjusted according to the type and amount of raw tea leaves used, the extraction method, the form of the final product, etc., but L-ascorbic acid 2 at the time of drinking or edible -The concentration of glucoside is preferably 0.075% by mass (hereinafter, unless otherwise specified, "% by mass" is expressed as "%"), preferably 0.075% to 1%. More preferably, it is set as the range. If the addition amount is less than 0.075%, it is difficult to obtain the intended effect. Moreover, when the addition amount exceeds 1% by mass, depending on the product, the acidity or the like may be felt, or the unpleasant taste of a pH adjusting agent such as sodium hydrogencarbonate added to adjust the acidity may be felt. However, in tea beverages that are diluted as needed, such as tea extracts, tea beverages containing sweeteners such as sucrose, or tea beverages seasoned with acidulants such as sports beverages Since the acidity and unpleasant taste are diluted or masked, there is no need to worry about the acidity or unpleasant taste, so the upper limit of the amount of L-ascorbic acid 2-glucoside added is not particularly limited. On the other hand, even in tea beverages that do not use sweeteners such as sucrose, browning, unpleasant taste, and unpleasant odor occur without affecting the taste of the product within a concentration range of 0.075% to 1%. Can be effectively suppressed. Furthermore, the change of flavor peculiar to tea can also be suppressed for a long time.

  In addition, the present invention can be used in combination with other browning suppression methods such as a method for suppressing browning by adding L-ascorbic acid or other antioxidants, or replacing air in the headspace with nitrogen gas. Thus, browning is further suppressed as compared with L-ascorbic acid 2-glucoside alone, and a tea beverage more suitable for a transparent container can be provided.

  The tea beverage of the present invention may contain L-ascorbic acid 2-glucoside in the process until the tea beverage is completed or in the finished product. As the specific method, for example, one or more kinds that can be used for production of food and drink such as mixing, kneading, dissolution, dispersion, suspension, infiltration, spraying, coating (coating), solidification, etc. A combination of these methods is appropriately selected. Usually, it is preferable from the viewpoint of work efficiency that it is added and dissolved in extraction water or added and dissolved in the extract. When the tea extract is concentrated to obtain a tea extract, it may be added and dissolved in the extract before concentration, or may be added and dissolved after concentration.

  The tea extract thus prepared can be pulverized by spray drying or freeze drying. If L-ascorbic acid 2-glucoside is added to the extract, it is possible not only to suppress browning of tea extract or powder over time but also to suppress browning during concentration or drying. The tea extract and powder can be used not only as a beverage by appropriately diluting with water or the like, but also as a raw material for confectionery such as candy, gum, jelly, Japanese confectionery, and frozen confectionery. Even when the product of the present invention is used in these confectioneries, the effect of inhibiting browning is retained.

  The tea beverage of the present invention can optionally contain components added to normal food and drink other than L-ascorbic acid 2-glucoside, as long as the effects of the present invention are not hindered. Specifically, for example, reducing sugars, non-reducing sugars, cyclic sugars, sugar alcohols, polysaccharides and other carbohydrates, vitamins, flavonoids, derivatives thereof, amino acids, minerals, antioxidants, flavoring Any one selected from agents, flavoring agents, emulsifiers, solubilizers, dispersants, stabilizers, pH adjusters, thickeners, colorants, flavors, sweeteners, high-intensity sweeteners, acidulants, etc. Or it can contain 2 or more types.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described by experimental examples.

<Experimental Example 1: Effect of L-ascorbic acid 2-glucoside on browning of green tea beverage>
An experiment for examining the effect of L-ascorbic acid 2-glucoside on browning of a green tea beverage was performed as follows. That is, 50 g of green tea blended for liquid beverage is extracted with 1500 g of deionized water at 65 ° C. for 5 minutes, followed by filtering with filter paper to remove tea leaves, and 1320 g of green tea extract (pH 6.0) is obtained. Obtained. This green tea extract was diluted 5 times with deionized water to prepare a tea beverage. In this tea beverage, the concentrations are 0.0001%, 0.001%, 0.01%, 0.05%, 0.075%, 0.1%, 0.5%, 1% and 2%, respectively. Thus, after adding L-ascorbic acid 2-glucoside, it adjusted to pH 6.0 with sodium hydrogencarbonate, and the tea drink for a test was prepared. These test tea beverages were filled and sealed in 300 g heat-resistant transparent glass containers, and sterilized (121 ° C., 7 minutes) to give green tea drinks in sealed containers.

  The obtained green tea beverage in a sealed container was stored at room temperature (25 ° C.) for 3 months and 6 months, and then the degree of browning of these green tea beverages was evaluated by visual observation of 11 panelists. Moreover, the sensory test of these green tea drinks was implemented by 11 panelists, and the change in flavor was evaluated. Evaluation criteria for the degree of browning are three stages: ○: browning is not observed as in preparation, Δ: slight browning is observed compared to preparation, x: significant browning is observed compared to preparation It was. As for the evaluation criteria for the change in flavor, ○: almost the same tea-specific flavor as that at the time of preparation is retained, Δ: tea-specific flavor is present, but lower than at the time of preparation, ×: preparation The flavor was considerably deteriorated compared to the time and unpleasant taste and unpleasant odor were generated. Table 1 shows the degree of browning and the change in flavor determined by 9 or more of 11 panelists based on these evaluation criteria.

  As apparent from Table 1, it was found that the browning can be suppressed for 3 months by using 0.0001% to 2% of L-ascorbic acid 2-glucoside in the green tea beverage. However, when 0.0001% to 0.05% was used, a decrease in flavor was observed. Further, by using 0.075% to 2% of L-ascorbic acid 2-glucoside, browning of the green tea beverage can be effectively suppressed and its flavor can be maintained even after 6 months of storage. It was revealed. However, when 0.0001% or 0.001% is used, browning occurs slightly. When 0.01% or 0.05% is used, browning is suppressed. The flavor was lower than at the time of preparation. In addition, when 2% of L-ascorbic acid 2-glucoside was used, the unpleasant taste considered to be derived from the sodium hydrogencarbonate used for pH adjustment of L-ascorbic acid 2-glucoside was felt, and L-ascorbic acid 2 -Since it became inferior to the taste quality of the green tea drink which does not use glucoside, it was judged that 1% of the upper limit of the addition amount to the green tea drink of L-ascorbic acid 2-glucoside was suitable.

  This result shows that during the production of a green tea beverage in which a green tea extract is prepared and filled into a container, L-ascorbic acid 2-glucoside is added to the extract in an amount of 0.075% to 1%, and browning occurs for a long time. It shows that it is possible to prepare a green tea beverage in a container that is effectively suppressed and retains the original flavor of green tea.

  EXAMPLES Hereinafter, although an Example demonstrates this invention further in detail, this invention is not limited to these Examples at all.

<Tea drink>
Extract 50 g of green tea leaves blended for liquid beverage with 1500 g of ion-exchanged water at 65 ° C. for 5 minutes, and then remove the tea leaves by filtering with filter paper to obtain 1320 g of green tea extract (pH 6.0). Obtained. This green tea extract was diluted to about 5 times with ion-exchanged water so as to have a drinking concentration, and L-ascorbic acid and L-ascorbic acid 2-glucoside were added to 0.1% each. Thereafter, the pH was adjusted to 6.0 with sodium bicarbonate to obtain a tea beverage. These tea beverages were filled and sealed in 300 g heat-resistant transparent glass containers and retort sterilized (121 ° C., 7 minutes) to obtain green tea drinks in sealed containers.

  This product is a green tea beverage that is inhibited from browning even when stored for a long period of time, retains the unique flavor of tea, and suppresses the occurrence of unpleasant taste and unpleasant odor.

  Per 100 g of tea beverage prepared in Example 1, sugar transfer hesperidin (Hayashibara Co., Ltd., sugar transfer hesperidin purity 95% or more) is 100 mg, catechin 50 mg, lysine 10 mg, glutamic acid 6 mg, asparagine 1 mg, proline 0.5 mg. Each was added to prepare a health supplement beverage. This health supplement beverage was heat-sterilized by a conventional method, and 300 g each was filled and sealed in a sterilized transparent PET bottle to prepare a health supplement beverage in a sealed container.

  This product is a health supplement beverage that has been inhibited from browning even after long-term storage, has a unique flavor of tea, and has reduced unpleasant taste and unpleasant odor. In addition, since this product contains useful components such as transglycosyl hesperidin, blood lipids such as blood neutral fat, blood cholesterol, and low-density lipoproteins are reduced, and arteriosclerosis is prevented.・ It can also be used for improvement and prevention / improvement of lifestyle-related diseases.

<Mixed tea based on green tea>
75 parts by weight of green tea, 15 parts by weight of oolong tea, 5 parts by weight of pearl barley, 2 parts by weight of Tochu, 1 part by weight of mulberry, 1 part by weight of dokudami and 1 part by weight of chicory were mixed to prepare mixed tea leaves for liquid beverages. 30 g of this mixed tea leaf was extracted with 900 g of deionized water at 70 ° C. for 6 minutes. Then, it filtered with the filter paper, solid content was removed, and 780g of mixed tea extract was obtained. This mixed tea extract was diluted 5.5 times with deionized water, L-ascorbic acid 2-glucoside was added to 0.075%, and the pH was adjusted to 6.0 with sodium bicarbonate. This solution was heat-sterilized by a conventional method, and 500 g each was filled in a sterilized transparent plastic bottle and sealed to obtain a mixed tea beverage.

  When the mixed tea beverage filled in the PET bottle was stored at room temperature (25 ° C.) for 4 months and then visually evaluated, no browning was observed. Moreover, when it tasted, the flavor immediately after manufacture was preserve | saved well.

<Green tea extract>
300 g of green tea leaves blended for liquid beverage were extracted with 1800 g of deionized water at 70 ° C. for 10 minutes. After removing the tea leaf residue by filtration, 0.8 g of L-ascorbic acid 2-glucoside (Hayashibara Shoji Co., Ltd., trade name “Asco Fresh”) was added to 1000 g of this extract, and pH 6.0 with sodium bicarbonate. And then concentrated under reduced pressure to obtain 80 g of green tea extract.

  After putting this green tea extract in a sealed container and storing it at room temperature (25 ° C.) for 3 months, it was diluted to a drinking concentration and visually observed. As a result, almost no browning was observed and the green tea had a good aroma. . On the other hand, when the green tea extract prepared by the same method as in Example 4 was stored at room temperature for 3 months except that L-ascorbic acid 2-glucoside was not added, it was markedly browned. It was recognized and an unpleasant odor was felt.

  The tea beverage to which L-ascorbic acid 2-glucoside of the present invention is added is a green tea beverage contained in a container such as a PET bottle, browning and its progress, and / or occurring during the production process, in the distribution process, storage process, etc. Generation of unpleasant taste and unpleasant odor can be effectively suppressed. Moreover, even if this L-ascorbic acid 2-glucoside is taken orally, it is decomposed into L-ascorbic acid and glucose in vivo, so that the safety as an additive is extremely high. The present invention is an invention that exhibits such remarkable effects, and is a truly significant invention that contributes greatly to the world.

Claims (5)

  The manufacturing method of the tea beverage by which the browning was suppressed characterized by including L-ascorbic acid 2-glucoside.   The method for producing a tea beverage according to claim 1, wherein the concentration of L-ascorbic acid 2-glucoside at the time of drinking or edible is 0.075% by mass to 1% by mass.   The method for producing a tea beverage according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the tea beverage is a green tea beverage.   A tea beverage in which browning produced by the method for producing a tea beverage according to any one of claims 1 to 3 is suppressed.   The browning suppression method of the tea drink characterized by including L-ascorbic acid 2-glucoside.