JP2009131202A - Method for producing alcoholic beverage having flavor of low-sugar beer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an alcoholic beverage having the flavor of a low-sugar beer and having high taste/flavor balance, while suppressing the death ratio of yeast in brewing and to provide a method for producing the beverage. <P>SOLUTION: Provided are a method for producing an alcoholic beverage having the flavor of a low-sugar beer by adding a saccharified liquid, essentially made of a monosaccharide and a disaccharide as a sugar source to a liquid, prior to fermentation and fermenting the liquid, and an alcoholic beverage having the flavor of beer and produced by the production method. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

Field of Invention

  The present invention relates to a method for producing a low-sugar beer-flavored alcoholic beverage.

  Due to the growing interest in lifestyle-related diseases such as metabolic syndrome, the interest in food for prevention and improvement has been increasing year by year, and many beer-flavored alcoholic beverages with reduced calories and sugars are on the market.

  Generally, low-sugar beer-flavored alcoholic beverages are produced by using most of the sugar source in the pre-fermentation solution as an assimilating sugar. However, even in the case of assimilating saccharides, a phenomenon has been observed in which the death rate of yeast during fermentation increases when the ratio of glucose is extremely increased.

  For example, Studies on the uptake and metabolism of wort sugars during brewing fermentations. GG STEWART. MBAA Technical Quarterly, vol. 43 (4) p.265-269 (2006) (Non-patent Document 1) It has been reported that sugar consumption, yeast death rate and ester production change depending on the sugar composition. Specifically, when the glucose content is high, ethyl acetate and isoamyl acetate increase, resulting in an increase in the yeast kill rate after the end of fermentation. That is, it has been pointed out that these phenomena are remarkable when brewing at a high concentration of 16 ° P or higher, and it is necessary to pay attention when brewing using liquid sugar.

  New Enzymes for Brewing: Promozyme, a Debranching Enzyme and SP-249, a Glucanase. T. Olsen., Et al. Journal of American Society of Brewing Chemists, vol.13 (2) p.85-89 (1984) Patent Document 2) describes a method in which most of the saccharides in the pre-fermentation solution are converted to assimilating saccharides by adding a saccharide-degrading enzyme (pullulanase, glucoamylase, isoamylase) in the charging step. In this case, however, most of the assimilating sugar is converted to glucose.

Thus, in the low-sugar beer-flavored alcoholic beverage, the death rate of the yeast is high, and there is a problem that it becomes difficult to reuse the yeast after the fermentation for the next fermentation. Moreover, abnormalities in the metabolism of yeast during fermentation and an increase in the death rate are not satisfactory in terms of the balance between the taste and flavor of the entire beverage due to the leakage of the contents into the fermentation broth.
Studies on the uptake and metabolism of wort sugars during brewing fermentations.GG STEWART.MBAA Technical Quarterly, vol.43 (4) p.265-269 (2006) New Enzymes for Brewing: Promozyme, a Debranching Enzyme and SP-249, a Glucanase.T. Olsen., Et al. Journal of American Society of Brewing Chemists, vol.13 (2) p.85-89 (1984)

  An object of the present invention is to provide a low-sugar beer-flavored alcoholic beverage excellent in balance between taste and flavor and a method for producing the same while suppressing the killing rate of yeast during brewing.

  In the production of beer-flavored alcoholic beverages such as beer and happoshu, the present inventors add assimilable monosaccharides such as glucose and fructose and sucrose, which is an assimilable disaccharide, to the pre-fermentation solution as a sugar source. Has found that while producing low-sugar beer-flavored alcoholic beverages, it can stably produce low-sugar beer-flavored alcoholic beverages with a high balance of taste and flavor while maintaining high yeast activity. The invention has been completed. That is, the present invention is a method for producing a beer-flavored alcoholic beverage, characterized in that fermentation is performed by adding a saccharified solution consisting essentially of a monosaccharide and a disaccharide to a pre-fermentation solution as a sugar source.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, while manufacturing the low sugar beer flavor alcoholic beverage, while maintaining the activity of yeast high, the alcoholic beverage which was excellent in the balance of taste quality and flavor can be provided. That is, the present invention is advantageous in that it promotes the reuse of yeast, contributes to environmental conservation, and contributes to a diet that balances health and palatability.

Detailed description of the invention

  In the present invention, the “beer-flavored alcoholic beverage” refers to an alcoholic beverage having a beer flavor, which is a beverage fermented with yeast using a carbon source, a nitrogen source, water, and the like as raw materials. “Beer-flavored alcoholic beverages” include beer-style fermented beverages that do not use malt as a raw material (for example, beverages classified as “other brewed liquors (effervescent) (1)” under the liquor tax law) and malt as a raw material Beer, sparkling liquor and liqueur (for example, beverages classified as “liqueur (sparkling) (1)” under the liquor tax law).

  The method for producing a beer-flavored alcoholic beverage according to the present invention is characterized in that the saccharified solution added to the pre-fermentation solution consists essentially of monosaccharides and disaccharides. The production method according to the present invention can be used for production of any beer-flavored alcoholic beverage as long as the saccharified solution added to the pre-fermentation solution has the above characteristics.

  In the present invention, “consisting essentially of a monosaccharide and a disaccharide” means that the monosaccharide and the disaccharide constitute a saccharified solution as the main components. That is, even if a small amount (for example, about 4% or less) of other saccharides (for example, glucooligosaccharide) is inevitably contained in the raw material, the main components of the saccharified solution are monosaccharides and disaccharides. This means that the saccharified solution is composed of monosaccharides and disaccharides. For example, a glucose raw material that is a yeast-assimilating monosaccharide may contain impurities such as glucooligosaccharides at a ratio of about 4% or less in the raw material production process. As long as a saccharified solution composed of a sucrose raw material that is a functional disaccharide is used, it corresponds to a “saccharified solution consisting essentially of a monosaccharide and a disaccharide”.

  In the present invention, yeast-assimilating monosaccharides can be used as monosaccharides constituting the saccharified solution, and preferably glucose and / or fructose, more preferably glucose can be used.

  In the present invention, yeast assimilating disaccharides can be used as the disaccharides constituting the saccharified solution, and sucrose can be preferably used.

  The content ratio of monosaccharides and disaccharides in the saccharified solution is about 7: 3 to about 3: 7 from the viewpoints of residual sugar, yeast killing rate, balance of taste and flavor, liquid sugar handling properties, etc. Preferably about 5: 5 to about 3: 7.

  In the present invention, the saccharified solution added to the pre-fermentation solution can have a solid content ratio of about 50 to about 80%. However, from the viewpoint of avoiding microbial contamination and reducing storage costs, It is preferred to use a ratio of at least about 65%, more preferably at least about 75%. In the present invention, monosaccharides and disaccharides may be added to the pre-fermentation solution in a solid state, and such an embodiment also corresponds to “adding a saccharified solution to the pre-fermentation solution as a sugar source”. .

  In the present invention, all (100% by weight) of the sugar source added to the pre-fermentation solution can be used as a saccharified solution. In the present invention, a component other than the saccharified solution (for example, wheat grains other than malt or malt, rice, corn, sugarcane, sugar beet, and other raw materials derived from grains) may be added to the pre-fermentation solution as a sugar source. . When a sugar source other than the saccharified solution is added, at least about 75% by weight, preferably at least about 90% by weight of the sugar source in the pre-fermentation solution is used as a saccharified solution, and the remainder is used as a sugar source other than the saccharified solution. be able to.

  In the production method according to the present invention, a carbon source (sugar source), a nitrogen source (for example, a protein degradation product, a yeast extract), and water are mixed with hops, fragrances, pigments, foaming / foaming improvers, water quality modifiers, and the like. In addition, after preparing a pre-fermentation liquid and boiling the pre-fermentation liquid, fermentation beer yeast can be added and fermented to brew a beer-flavored alcoholic beverage. The obtained beer-flavored alcoholic beverage can be stored at a low temperature after the yeast is removed by the filtration step.

  In the present invention, when a component other than the saccharified solution is used as the sugar source, saccharification may be performed by adding a degrading enzyme such as amylase, pullulanase, or isoamylase as necessary in the pre-fermentation solution preparation process. In this case, first, a sugar source other than the saccharified liquid (for example, grains such as malt and corn starch or raw materials derived from grains) is added to the pre-fermentation liquid, and a saccharide-degrading enzyme is allowed to act so that most of the sugars such as grains After all is converted to glucose, which is a yeast-utilizing monosaccharide, sucrose may be added to obtain a pre-fermentation solution.

  The timing for adding the saccharified solution or the saccharide to be added in the solid state as the saccharified solution may be any of at the start of saccharification, at the end of saccharification, at the start of boiling, and during the preparation step.

  The beer-flavored alcoholic beverage obtained by the production method according to the present invention has an excellent balance of taste and flavor despite being low in sugar (the amount of sugar remaining after fermentation is about 1.2 g / 100 ml or less). . In addition, the beer-flavored alcoholic beverage obtained by the production method according to the present invention has an excellent body feeling, and even if the alcohol content of the beer-flavored alcoholic beverage according to the present invention is about 2 to about 3%, A sufficient body feeling equal to or higher than the alcohol content (about 4 to about 5%) of the beer can be obtained.

  The present invention will be specifically described by the following examples, but the present invention is not limited to these examples.

Example 1: Manufacture of beer-flavored alcoholic beverages without malt using a pre-fermentation solution with a different sugar composition A pre- fermentation solution was prepared according to the composition described in Table 1, and then 10 to 10-18 ° C. Main fermentation (bottom fermentation) was performed for days, and yeast was removed from the obtained fermentation broth by filtration to produce a beer-flavored alcoholic beverage that did not use malt.

  The pre-fermentation liquid of composition 1 was a control, and liquid sugar having a predetermined sugar composition was added. The pre-fermentation solutions having compositions 2 to 6 are glucose (assimilable monosaccharide), fructose (assimilable monosaccharide), sucrose (assimilable disaccharide), maltose (assimilable disaccharide), and maltotriose, respectively. (Assimilating trisaccharide) was added.

Table 2 shows the analysis results and sensory evaluation results of the obtained beer-style fermented alcoholic beverages.

  The residual sugar in the pre-fermentation solution to which glucose, fructose, sucrose, or maltose was added was 1.2 g / 100 ml or less, but the residual sugar in the pre-fermentation solution to which maltotriose was added was 1.2 g / 100 ml. It was over. The death rate of yeast increased with the pre-fermentation solution to which glucose or fructose was added, and the results as described in Non-Patent Document 1 were obtained. On the other hand, when assimilable disaccharides or trisaccharides such as sucrose, maltose, or maltotriose were added, the death rate decreased.

  By the way, when the residual sugar is lowered, it becomes a so-called “bad” alcoholic beverage that lacks the flavor and body feeling and lacks the balance of taste. To supplement it, enhancement of esters and organic acids can be considered. It has been found that the addition of glucose or fructose has the effect of enhancing the ester represented by isoamyl acetate and the organic acid represented by acetic acid, and the addition of sucrose has the same effect as glucose. That is, it has been clarified that sucrose has a function of reducing the death rate of yeast and a function of enhancing esters and organic acids. In sensory evaluation, it was found that sucrose significantly improved the balance between taste and flavor.

  Here, the result of investigating the behavior during fermentation of sucrose is shown in FIG. Although sucrose exists as a disaccharide at the early stage of fermentation, it has been found that it is decomposed into glucose and fructose at an early stage by yeast invertase activity and acid degradation, and is quickly assimilated into yeast. This characteristic is considered to be the reason why the death rate of yeast is kept low and organic acids typified by esters and acetic acid are enhanced.

  The result of investigating the sugar consumption speed of the assimilating monosaccharide and the assimilating disaccharide is shown in FIG. Compared to maltose, which is the same disaccharide, sucrose has been found to be suitable for the production of an efficient low-sugar beer-flavored alcoholic beverage with a high sugar consumption speed.

Example 2: Production of a beer-flavored alcoholic beverage without malt using a pre-fermentation solution in which the ratio of glucose and sucrose was changed. The main fermentation (bottom surface fermentation) was carried out for 10 days, and the yeast was removed from the resulting fermentation broth by filtration to produce a beer-flavored alcoholic beverage that did not use malt.

  The pre-fermentation liquid of composition 1 was a control, and liquid sugar having a predetermined sugar composition was added. Each of the pre-fermentation liquids having compositions 7 to 11 was added with liquid sugar in which the content ratio of glucose and sucrose was changed. A liquid sugar in which glucose and fructose were mixed at a certain ratio was added to the pre-fermentation liquid having composition 12.

Table 4 shows the analysis results and sensory evaluation results of the obtained beer-flavored alcoholic beverages.

  The death rate of yeast is 17%, 7%, 5%, 6%, 7% when the ratio of glucose to sucrose is 10: 0, 7: 3, 5: 5, 3: 7, and 0:10, respectively. It was found that the higher the ratio of sucrose, the lower the death rate of yeast and the better the balance between taste and flavor.

  Comparing the results of the pre-fermentation solution of composition 5 and the pre-fermentation solution of composition 7, crystallization of liquid sugar is prevented in both cases, and the use of sucrose improves the killing rate of yeast and improves the taste.・ It was found that the flavor balance was good.

  Moreover, the liquid sugar used for the composition 7 and the composition 11 was completely crystallized after storage at 30 ° C. for 10 days. In a normal brewing process, a stored liquid sugar is appropriately used to prepare a pre-fermentation liquid, but liquid sugar crystallized during storage cannot be used as a pre-fermentation liquid. Therefore, from the viewpoint of avoiding liquid sugar crystallization, the mixing ratio of glucose and sucrose is preferably adjusted within the range of about 3: 7 to about 7: 3.

  In general, liquid sugar can be prevented from crystallizing by reducing the concentration. However, if the liquid sugar is stored at a low concentration, the liquid sugar is more likely to be contaminated by microorganisms. Therefore, the volume increases, and the storage cost is increased. In addition, liquid sugar is easier to handle in transportation, weighing, mixing, and the like than solid sugar. That is, liquid sugar that can be stored at a high concentration is extremely advantageous from the viewpoints of avoiding microbial contamination, reducing storage costs, and ease of handling.

Example 3: Production of beer-flavored alcoholic beverage (malted liquor) using malt with different ratios of glucose and sucrose According to the composition described in Table 5, the pre-fermentation solution (malt ratio is 10% of the total raw material Then, main fermentation (bottom fermentation) was performed at 10 to 18 ° C. for 10 days, and yeast was removed from the obtained fermentation broth by filtration to produce a beer-flavored alcoholic beverage using malt. The analysis results and sensory evaluation results of the obtained beer-flavored alcoholic beverages were as described in Table 5.

  As shown in Table 5, by using liquid sugar in which sucrose is mixed at a ratio of 5: 5 compared to liquid sugar containing only fructose, the mortality of yeast after fermentation can be reduced while reducing residual sugar. It has been found that the balance between taste quality and flavor can be greatly improved.

It is the figure which showed the utilization condition of sucrose at the time of fermenting using the pre-fermentation liquid which added sucrose. It is the figure which showed the sugar digestion speed by the yeast of assimilation monosaccharide and assimilation disaccharide.

Claims (9)

  A method for producing a beer-flavored alcoholic beverage, characterized in that a saccharified solution consisting essentially of a monosaccharide and a disaccharide is added as a sugar source to a pre-fermentation solution for fermentation.   The production method according to claim 1, wherein the monosaccharide is a yeast-assimilating monosaccharide, and the disaccharide is a yeast-assimilating disaccharide.   The production method according to claim 1, wherein the monosaccharide is glucose and / or fructose, and the disaccharide is sucrose.   The production method according to claim 1, wherein the monosaccharide is glucose and the disaccharide is sucrose.   The manufacturing method as described in any one of Claims 1-4 whose content ratio of the monosaccharide and disaccharide in a saccharified liquid is about 7: 3 to about 3: 7.   The production method according to claim 5, wherein the carbohydrate remaining after fermentation is about 1.2 g / 100 ml or less.   The manufacturing method as described in any one of Claims 1-6 in which the sugar source added to a pre-fermentation liquid consists only of saccharified liquid.   The production method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein at least about 90% by weight of the sugar source added to the pre-fermentation solution is a saccharified solution.   The beer flavor alcoholic beverage manufactured by the manufacturing method as described in any one of Claims 1-8.

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