JP2008131875A - Method for producing packaged drink - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for producing catechin-containing packaged drink free from reduction of catechin concentration in a sterilization process. <P>SOLUTION: This method for producing the packaged drink comprises adjusting the dissolved oxygen concentration of drink which contains 0.05-0.6 mass% of nonpolymerized catechin to 0.001-1 ppm, and sterilizing the drink. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for producing a catechin-containing container-packed beverage in which the catechin concentration does not decrease in the sterilization step.

  Non-polymer catechins are known to have excellent physiological actions such as cholesterol elevation inhibitors and α-amylase activity inhibitors (see, for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2). In order to express these physiological effects, it is necessary to ingest a certain amount or more of non-polymer catechins. A beverage containing a non-polymer catechin at a high concentration is known as a packaged beverage that achieves this purpose (Patent Document 3).

A sterilization process is indispensable in the manufacture of a container-packed beverage. However, in a container-packed beverage containing a high concentration of catechins, there is a problem that the catechin concentration decreases in the sterilization process. Usually, as a means for preventing denaturation of ingredients in the sterilization process of beverages, there is a method of adding an antioxidant such as vitamin C (Non-patent Document 1) a method of reducing the heat history during sterilization. However, even if these means are adopted as means for producing a beverage containing a high concentration of catechins, the effect is not sufficient, and a decrease in the catechin concentration cannot be prevented in the sterilization process.
JP-A-60-156614 JP-A-3-133828 JP 2002-142777 A Journal of the Japan Food Industry Association, 40 (3), 181 (1993)

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing a catechin-containing container-packed beverage in which the catechin concentration does not decrease in the sterilization step.

  Therefore, the present inventor examined various means while measuring the concentration of catechins before and after the sterilization process, adjusted the dissolved oxygen concentration of the beverage before being subjected to the sterilization process to 0.001 to 1 ppm, and then sterilized. It was found that the decrease in catechin concentration can be significantly suppressed.

  That is, the present invention is a container-packed beverage characterized by adjusting the dissolved oxygen concentration of a beverage containing 0.05 to 0.6 mass% of non-polymer catechins to 0.001 to 1 ppm and then sterilizing. A manufacturing method is provided.

  According to the method of the present invention, the concentration of non-polymer catechins does not decrease before and after sterilization, a container-packed beverage containing non-polymer catechins at a high concentration can be stably obtained, and quality control is easy. is there.

  In the method of the present invention, the dissolved oxygen concentration of a beverage containing 0.05 to 0.6 mass% of non-polymer catechins before sterilization is adjusted to 0.001 to 1 ppm.

  The beverage used in the method of the present invention is preferably a beverage containing 0.05 to 0.6% by mass of dissolved non-polymer catechins from the viewpoint of physiological effects and flavor improving effects.

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

  The preferred non-polymer catechin concentration is 0.06 to 0.5% by mass, more preferably 0.07 to 0.5% by mass, still more preferably 0.08 to 0.5% by mass, and still more preferably 0.8. It is 092-0.5 mass%, Most preferably, it is 0.1-0.4 mass%, Most preferably, it is 0.12-0.3 mass%.

  Examples of the beverage containing 0.05 to 0.6% by mass of non-polymer catechins include tea extract, purified tea extract, or a mixture thereof. The tea extract is obtained by extraction from tea leaves made from tea leaves obtained from Camellia spp. Liquid. The tea leaves produced include non-fermented teas collectively called green teas such as sencha, bancha, gyokuro, tencha, roasted tea, semi-fermented teas such as oolong tea, and fermented teas such as black tea. About the method of extracting tea, it carries out by conventional methods, such as stirring extraction. From the viewpoint of oxidative stability, a salt of an organic acid such as sodium ascorbate can be added in advance to the water during extraction.

  Examples of the purified tea extract include those obtained by concentrating an extract extracted from tea leaves with water or a water-soluble organic solvent, those obtained by purifying the extract, and those obtained by directly purifying the extracted extract. Commercially available products include Mitsui Norin Co., Ltd. “Polyphenone”, ITO EN Co., Ltd. “Theafranc”, Taiyo Kagaku Co., Ltd. “Sunphenon”, etc., and these can also be used. As a form of the refined tea extract here, various forms such as an aqueous solution and a slurry form are exemplified. The purified tea extract in the present invention includes those obtained by dissolving the above-mentioned commercial products.

  The tea extract or tea extract is particularly preferably a green tea extract or a green tea extract.

In the present invention, the dissolved oxygen concentration of the beverage is adjusted to 0.001 to 1 ppm, and the dissolved oxygen concentration is preferably 0.001 to 0.6 ppm, particularly preferably 0.001 to 0.3 ppm. When the dissolved oxygen concentration exceeds 1 ppm, the catechin concentration decreases in the sterilization process.
The dissolved oxygen in the beverage can be measured by the diaphragm type galvanic cell method (MC-7WSG manufactured by Iijima Electronics Co., Ltd.).

  As a method for adjusting the dissolved oxygen in the beverage to a low level, there is a method called “dealer” in which a beverage is heated and sprayed in a vacuum environment; a method using a gas permeable membrane; nitrogen bubbling, or the like. Nitrogen bubbling is preferred because there is a problem in the dissipation of flavor components in the dearator and the detergency due to the colored flavoring of the membrane in the membrane degassing method.

  In nitrogen bubbling, the median diameter of the bubbles is preferably 1 to 200 μm, more preferably 3 to 100 μm, and particularly preferably 5 to 50 μm. Normally, when the bubble size is on the order of millimeters to centimeters, it takes a long time to lower it to 1 ppm or less. By reducing the size of the nitrogen bubbles, the dissolved oxygen reduction efficiency increases dramatically, and a low concentration of 1 ppm or less can be achieved in a short time. Furthermore, if the size of the nitrogen bubbles is reduced, the effect of reducing the dissipation of flavor components can be obtained.

  If the nitrogen bubbles are larger than 200 μm, it takes a long time to adjust the dissolved oxygen concentration and the flavor components of the beverage tend to be dissipated. An expensive special device is required to generate bubbles smaller than 1 μm. The median diameter of the bubbles can be measured with a batch cell using a laser diffraction method (SALD-2100 manufactured by Shimadzu Corporation).

  Among such dissolved oxygen concentration adjusting means, after pressure-dissolving nitrogen in the beverage, the method of reducing the pressure and generating bubbles in the beverage (pressure-dissolving method) forms small-sized bubbles at a high concentration It is particularly preferable from the viewpoint of the catechins concentration reduction inhibitory effect and flavor retention in the sterilization step. As the pressure dissolution method, for example, a method (see FIG. 1) in which the gas self-absorbed on the suction side of the pump is dissolved in the beverage under pressure and the pressure is released into the liquid with a nozzle is preferable.

  Moreover, the capacity | capacitance of the nitrogen bubble produced | generated in a drink is 0.1-10 volume% converted into 25 degreeC 1 atmosphere with respect to a drink from the point of the catechins density | concentration fall inhibitory effect in a disinfection process, and also 0.2 -5.0 volume%, especially 0.2-5.0 volume% is preferable.

  In addition, the generation position of the bubbles in the beverage is preferably near the bottom of the beverage in consideration of the contact efficiency between the generated bubbles and the beverage.

  A beverage with a reduced dissolved oxygen concentration can be made into a container-packed beverage as it is or after being diluted and sterilized. Here, the order of the sterilization operation and the filling operation into the container does not matter.

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

  Containers used for beverages of the present invention are molded containers (so-called PET bottles) mainly composed of polyethylene terephthalate, metal cans, paper containers combined with metal foil or plastic film, bottles, etc. It can be provided in the usual form. A container-packed drink here means what can be drunk without dilution.

  The pH of the container-packed beverage of the present invention is preferably 2 to 6.5 at 25 ° C., more preferably 3.5 to 6.5, and particularly preferably 5.5 to 6.5.

  A bitterness inhibitor can be blended in the container-packed beverage of the present invention. For example, cyclodextrin is preferred. As the cyclodextrin, α-, β-, γ-cyclodextrin and branched α-, β-, γ-cyclodextrin can be used. The cyclodextrin is contained in the beverage in an amount of 0.01 to 0.5% by mass, preferably 0.01 to 0.3% by mass. Among these, β-cyclodextrin is particularly preferable.

  In the container-packed beverage of the present invention, an antioxidant, a fragrance, various esters, an organic acid salt, an inorganic acid, an inorganic acid salt, an inorganic salt, and a pigment as components to be added in accordance with the ingredients derived from tea Additives such as emulsifiers, preservatives, seasonings, sweeteners, acidulants, fruit juice extracts, vegetable extracts, nectar extracts, and quality stabilizers may be used alone or in combination.

  Examples of sweeteners include sugar, glucose, fructose, isomerized liquid sugar, glycyrrhizin, stevia, aspartame, fructooligosaccharide, and galactooligosaccharide. Examples of acidulants include fruit juices extracted from natural ingredients, fumaric acid, and phosphoric acid. It is good to contain 0.0001-0.5 mass% in a drink, Preferably it is 0.0001-0.3 mass%. As the most preferable blending amount, a method of blending an amount less than the sweetness threshold value can be applied. When this method is used, the bitterness and astringency derived from high-concentration catechins can be effectively masked without impairing the beverage flavor with sweetness.

  Examples of inorganic acids and inorganic acid salts include phosphoric acid, disodium phosphate, and sodium metaphosphate. It is good to contain 0.0001-0.5 mass% in a drink, Preferably it is 0.0001-0.3 mass%.

  The container-packed beverage of the present invention can be a tea beverage such as a green tea beverage, a oolong tea beverage, or a tea beverage, or a non-tea beverage such as a sports drink, near water, or isotonic beverage.

Measurement of non-polymer catechins Samples that were filtered with a membrane filter (0.8 μm) and then diluted with distilled water were subjected to octadecyl group-introduced liquid chromatograph using a high performance liquid chromatograph (model SCL-10AVP) manufactured by Shimadzu Corporation. Packed column L-column TM ODS (4.6 mmφ × 250 mm: manufactured by Chemical Substance Evaluation Research Organization) was attached, and measurement was performed at a column temperature of 35 ° C. by a gradient method. The mobile phase A solution was a distilled aqueous solution containing 0.1 mol / L of acetic acid, the B solution was an acetonitrile solution containing 0.1 mol / L of acetic acid, the sample injection amount was 20 μL, and the UV detector wavelength was 280 nm. (Normally, the concentration of catechins is expressed in mass / volume% (% [w / v]), but the content in the examples is expressed in mass% by multiplying the liquid amount).

Measurement of dissolved oxygen The dissolved oxygen in the beverage was measured by the diaphragm type galvanic cell method (MC-7WSG manufactured by Iijima Electronics Co., Ltd.).

Measurement of median diameter of bubbles The median diameter of bubbles was measured with a batch cell using a laser recovery method (SALD-2100 manufactured by Shimadzu Corporation).

Example 1
490 g of Sencha leaves were charged in an extraction column having an inner diameter of 97 mm, and the extract was extracted from the lower part of the column while showering ion exchange water heated to 55 ° C. at a flow rate of 0.49 L / min. Extraction was terminated when 4900 g of extract was obtained, and the solution was cooled to 15 ° C. Extracted twice, mixed with the obtained extract, filtered through a Zeta 50C manufactured by Cuno Co., Ltd., diluted to a non-polymer catechin concentration of 0.18% by mass, and a mixed solution A was obtained. The dissolved oxygen concentration was 6.8 ppm. Nitrogen fine bubbles were discharged into 15 L of the preparation liquid A by a pressure dissolution method using a Nikuni vortex pump M20LD. The preparation liquid was circulated at 9.3 L / min, and nitrogen was sucked at 1.8 L / min. Undissolved nitrogen was removed from the top of the separation tank. The nitrogen dissolution pressure was 0.57 MPa, and the median diameter of the bubbles was 27 μm. After 30 minutes of treatment, the dissolved oxygen concentration was 0.20 ppm. Sodium bicarbonate was added to this blended solution to adjust the pH to 6.3, UHT sterilized at 138 ° C. for 30 seconds, and filled into a 350 mL PET bottle.

Comparative Example 1
The preparation A obtained in Example 1 was adjusted to pH 6.3 with sodium bicarbonate and sterilized and filled under the same conditions as in Example 1.

Example 2
200 g of green tea extract (Polyphenon HG, manufactured by Tokyo Food Techno Co., Ltd.) is dispersed in 800 g of ethanol, 00 g of acid clay and 20 g of activated carbon are added, filtered through No. 2 filter paper and filter paper with a pore size of 0.2 μm, and 200 mL of water is added. A repurified product was obtained by concentration under reduced pressure (non-polymer catechins concentration: 15.3% by mass). This was diluted so that the concentration of the non-polymer catechins was 0.125% by mass to obtain a preparation B. The dissolved oxygen concentration was 7.9 ppm. The dissolved oxygen in the preparation liquid B was reduced under the same conditions as in Example 1. The median diameter of the bubbles was 29 μm. After 30 minutes of treatment, the dissolved oxygen concentration was 0.26 ppm. Sodium bicarbonate was added to this mixed solution to adjust pH to 6.4, and sterilized and filled under the same conditions as in Example 1.

Example 3
2000 g of the preparation liquid B obtained in Example 2 was put in a container having an inner diameter of 97 mm and a height of 500 mm, the inside of the container was decompressed, and the preparation liquid extracted from the lower part was sprayed from the upper part and circulated. The preparation liquid was heated to 60 ° C., and the gauge pressure in the container was adjusted to −0.04 to −0.07 MPa. After 45 minutes treatment, the dissolved oxygen concentration was 0.28 ppm. Sodium bicarbonate was added to this mixed solution to adjust pH to 6.4, and sterilized and filled under the same conditions as in Example 1.

Comparative Example 2
The preparation liquid B obtained in Example 2 was adjusted to pH 6.4 with sodium bicarbonate and sterilized and filled under the same conditions as in Example 1.

Example 4
Using a kneader extractor, 144 g of Sencha leaves were added to 4320 g of ion-exchanged water heated to 65 ° C., and extracted for 5 minutes while stirring. After removing the tea leaves with a metal net, the extract was cooled to 15 ° C. Filter filtration was performed using Zeta 10C manufactured by Cuno Co., Ltd. On the other hand, 100 g of green tea extract (polyphenone HG, manufactured by Tokyo Food Techno Co., Ltd.) was dispersed in 630 g of ethanol, 270 g of water was added dropwise, and then aged for 30 minutes, filtered through No. 2 filter paper and 0.2 μm pore size filter paper, and 200 mL of water. Was added and concentrated under reduced pressure to obtain a repurified product (non-polymer catechin content 23 mass%). 0.6% of this and 0.06% of vitamin C were added to the tea extract to obtain a preparation C in which the concentration of non-polymer catechins was adjusted to 0.18% by mass. The dissolved oxygen concentration was 4.8 ppm. The dissolved oxygen in the preparation liquid C was reduced under the same conditions as in Example 1. The median diameter of the bubbles was 25 μm. After 30 minutes of treatment, the dissolved oxygen concentration was 0.14 ppm. Sodium bicarbonate was added to this mixed solution to adjust pH to 6.4, and sterilized and filled under the same conditions as in Example 1.

Comparative Example 3
Preparation liquid C obtained in Example 3 was adjusted to pH 6.4 with sodium bicarbonate and sterilized and filled under the same conditions as Example 1.
Table 1 shows the physical properties of these filled products.

  As is clear from Table 1, if the dissolved oxygen concentration is adjusted to 0.001 to 1 ppm before sterilization of the beverage, a decrease in the concentration of non-polymer catechins can be remarkably suppressed in the sterilization step.

It is a figure which shows the outline of the dissolved oxygen reduction method by a pressure dissolution method.

Explanation of symbols

11: Compound tank
21: Pump
22: Gas suction line
23: Flow adjustment valve
31: Pressurized dissolution tank
41: Gas-liquid separation tank
42: Undissolved gas purge valve
51: Depressurizing nozzle

Claims (4)

  A method for producing a packaged beverage to be sterilized after adjusting the dissolved oxygen concentration of a beverage containing 0.05 to 0.6 mass% of non-polymer catechins to 0.001 to 1 ppm.   The method for producing a container-packed beverage according to claim 1, wherein the method for adjusting the dissolved oxygen concentration is a method in which nitrogen is pressurized and dissolved in the beverage and then the pressure is reduced to generate bubbles in the beverage.   The method for producing a container-packed beverage according to claim 1, wherein the median diameter of the bubbles is 1 to 200 µm.   The method for producing a container-packed beverage according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the beverage is a green tea beverage.

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