JP2009254307A - Coffee product - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a coffee product having improved taste and excellent coffee feeling. <P>SOLUTION: The coffee product is obtained by adding an acidic amino acid and/or a neutral amino acid to a coffee component. The amino acid is preferably one or more kinds selected form the group consisting of valine, leucine and isoleucine, and the added amount thereof is preferably within the range of 0.01-2 times as much as the amount of the coffee component expressed in terms of raw beans. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a coffee product, and aims to improve the taste of the coffee product.

  For coffee products containing coffee extracted from roasted coffee beans, water is removed from the extract by spray drying, freeze drying, etc., so-called instant coffee, the extract is concentrated by vacuum evaporation, freeze concentration, There are so-called coffee extracts concentrated by membrane concentration or the like, coffee beverages that are used for drinking as they are, and coffee confectionery to which these are added for flavoring. Among them, coffee drinks are one of the taste drinks that are widely drunk. In addition to the so-called regular coffee extracted by pouring hot water into the crushed roasted beans, the so-called RTD (Ready-To-Drink) type, in which the coffee extract is added as it is or with sugar or milk components added to the container RTD coffee drinks are widely used because there are coffee drinks that can be carried and easily consumed.

  The taste of coffee products is mainly determined by bitterness, sourness and umami, and in particular, it is bitterness that characterizes the so-called coffee feeling. This taste is most excellent immediately after the coffee extract is extracted, and it is generally known that the taste deteriorates with time. In addition, in an RTD coffee beverage to which a milk component is added, a pH adjuster is added to prevent coagulation of the milk component, but the alkaline taste derived from this pH adjuster may impair the taste of the coffee. In addition, instant coffee and coffee extract are often heated in the process of removing and concentrating moisture, and RTD coffee beverages are subjected to heat sterilization before or after container filling to enable long-term storage. However, such heat treatment may change the pH and increase the acidity or decrease the taste component of the coffee, which may also impair the taste of the coffee.

  In addition, caffeine contained in coffee is known to bring about beneficial effects such as arousal, muscle / fatigue resistance and tranquilization due to its central stimulating effect, but its metabolic function declines. It is also known to have harmful effects, such as insomnia and excessive excitability, for the elderly who are coming, the infants with poor metabolic function or those who are sensitive to irritants. When ingested, there are concerns about the effects on the fetus. For this reason, coffee products from which caffeine has been removed are also commercially available. However, since caffeine is an important taste component of coffee, there is a problem in that coffee products from which caffeine has been removed lose the original taste of coffee. there were.

  In order to improve taste deterioration of such coffee products, for example, it has been proposed that the content of 5-caffeoylquinic acid in chlorogenic acids be within a specific range (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In addition, it has been proposed to prevent deterioration of quality by adding an antioxidant (see, for example, Patent Documents 2 and 3). Furthermore, it has been proposed to replace all or part of the baking soda added to the milky coffee beverage with a strongly basic substance and / or a basic amino acid (see, for example, Patent Document 4).

JP 2007-181406 A JP 62-269642 A JP 2000-354455 A JP 2002-186425 A

  Although the techniques described in these patent documents have a certain effect in improving the taste of coffee products, the so-called coffee feeling is still different from regular coffee, and further improvement in taste is required. Yes.

  Therefore, this invention makes it a subject to solve such a problem which a prior art has, and the objective is to provide the coffee product which was improved in taste and excellent in a coffee feeling.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is a coffee product obtained by adding a neutral amino acid to a coffee component. By adopting such a configuration, the bitterness is reinforced by the neutral amino acid, and it becomes possible to adjust the bitterness of the coffee product and thus the coffee feeling.

  The neutral amino acid used in the coffee product according to the present invention is preferably at least one selected from the group consisting of valine, leucine and isoleucine, also called branched chain amino acid (BCAA).

  Moreover, it is preferable that the addition amount of a neutral amino acid exists in the range of 0.01 to 2 times the green beans conversion amount of coffee.

  Furthermore, it is preferable that a + 50b is in the range of 0.1c to 2.0c, where a is the amount of neutral amino acid added, b is the content of caffeine, and c is the raw coffee equivalent of coffee.

  The coffee product according to the invention may be so-called black coffee (or straight coffee) or a dry powder or concentrate thereof without added sugars and dairy products, but selected from the group consisting of sugars, dairy products and fats and oils One or more of the above may also be included.

  Furthermore, in the coffee product according to the present invention, the coffee content is preferably decaffeinated. Incidentally, the “decaffeination treatment” referred to herein includes a treatment for reducing the caffeine content of harvested coffee beans by a breeding technique, a genetic recombination technique, etc., a supercritical fluid, water, and a solvent. Examples include, but are not limited to, a process of selectively extracting caffeine from green beans and a process of adsorbing and removing caffeine from the coffee extract with activated carbon and an ion exchange resin.

  In addition, the coffee product according to the present invention is preferably powdered or liquid, and is particularly suitable for coffee beverages.

  “Coffee drink” as used herein means “soft drink with coffee”, “coffee drink” and “coffee” as defined in the fair competition rules for the display of coffee drinks, and dairy products made from coffee beans. And includes “milk beverages” subject to the fair competition rules for the labeling of milk, processed milk and milk beverages.

  When this invention is used for a coffee beverage, the amount of neutral amino acid added is in the range of 0.1 to 3% by mass, and the green beans equivalent of coffee per 100 g of product is 0.1 to 6 g. It is preferable to be in the range and to be heat sterilized.

  According to this invention, it is possible to provide a coffee product with improved taste and excellent coffee feeling by controlling the bitterness with a neutral amino acid.

  Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described. However, the scope of the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.

  The coffee product according to the invention contains a coffee portion. This coffee content can be extracted by bringing hot or water into contact with roasted and ground coffee beans. As the extraction method at this time, any of known extraction methods such as drip, siphon, jet, espresso, boiling, column, etc. may be used, and the extraction temperature and extraction time are not particularly limited. Absent.

  The cultivars of the coffee beans as raw materials are, for example, Arabic, lobster, and reberica, but are not limited thereto. The types of coffee beans are, for example, Kilimanjaro, Kona, Blue Mountain, Mocha, Guatemala, Brazil, Colombia, Mandelin, Toraja, Java, Kenya. Can also be used.

  For roasting coffee beans, direct fire, hot air, far-infrared rays, microwave, charcoal fire, etc. can be used, and the degree (roasting degree) may be any of shallow roast, medium roast, deep roast . The roasted coffee beans are pulverized by a mill or a grinder, and the degree of pulverization may be any of fine grinding, medium grinding, and coarse grinding.

  Typical bitter components in green coffee beans are caffeine and trigonelline. Of these, trigonelline is thermally decomposed by 50 to 80% in the roasting process, and is therefore considered to contribute less to the bitterness of coffee products than caffeine. Moreover, chlorogenic acid is contained in green coffee beans, and products such as quinic acid produced by thermal decomposition in the roasting process are also bitter components in the coffee product. Caffeine is easy to dissolve in water, but chlorogenic acid is difficult to dissolve in water, which may cause turbidity or precipitation of the coffee extract. Furthermore, in the coffee product manufacturing process, it is common to filter the coffee extract to remove fine coffee beans, etc., but the chlorogenic acid that has become insoluble solids in this filtering process is also removed. Will be. Further, when the coffee extract is heat-treated for the purpose of sterilization or the like, chlorogenic acid may be further thermally decomposed to produce quinic acid. Combined with these factors, coffee products, especially coffee drinks, especially RTD coffee drinks, have an unbalanced taste compared to freshly brewed regular coffee, and some of the taste components are removed. It is thought that the taste is deteriorated because the thickness of the taste is lost and the coffee feeling is poor.

  In order to improve such taste deterioration, the coffee product according to the present invention adds a neutral amino acid having a bitter taste. Neutral amino acids have higher thermal and temporal stability than chlorogenic acid, and there is little change in taste even when subjected to heat treatment or long-term storage. In addition, amino acids are approved as food additives and are extremely safe because they are substances originally present in the living body. Furthermore, in recent years, since the functionality of amino acids has attracted attention, it is preferable from the nutritional viewpoint to add amino acids.

  When adding a neutral amino acid to a powdered coffee product, the powdered neutral amino acid may be mixed after the coffee is pulverized, or the neutral amino acid of the liquid coffee product described below may be mixed. The stock solution may be prepared in the same manner as the addition, and the water may be removed therefrom and processed into a powder form. In the case of liquid coffee products, neutral amino acids, for example, crystal powder is dissolved in hot water at 60 ° C. or higher using a mixer, and the neutral amino acid solution is mixed with hot water or water for extracting coffee beans. It may also be mixed with the coffee extract.

  Neutral amino acids that can be used are glycine having an alkyl chain, alanine, valine, leucine and isoleucine, serine and threonine having a hydroxy group, cysteine and methionine having a sulfur group, asparagine and glutamine having an amide group, and proline having an imino group. , Phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan with aromatic groups. Among them, glycine having an alkyl chain, alanine, valine, leucine and isoleucine are preferable, and valine, leucine and isoleucine are particularly preferable.

  The amount of neutral amino acid added is in the range of 0.01 to 2 times the amount of coffee equivalent to raw beans, depending on the type of coffee beans, roasting degree, extraction conditions, taste required for the final product, etc. Can be changed as appropriate. That is, in the coffee product according to the present invention, it is preferable to add 0.01 to 2 grams of neutral amino acid to 1 gram of raw coffee equivalent. If the amount of neutral amino acid added is less than 0.01 gram per 1 gram of coffee beans, the effect of improving taste with neutral amino acids may not be sufficiently obtained, while this exceeds 2 grams. This is because the taste derived from the neutral amino acid is superior to the taste derived from the coffee component, and the coffee feeling may be impaired.

  The bitterness intensity of caffeine is significantly higher than that of neutral amino acids. For this reason, if the sum of the caffeine content and the added amount of neutral amino acids is not within an appropriate range, the taste may be impaired. From this point of view, it is preferable that a + 50b is 0.1c to 1.0c, where a is the amount of amino acid added, b is the content of caffeine, and c is the raw coffee equivalent of the coffee. If a + 50b is less than 0.1c, the bitterness of the product may be insufficient and the coffee feeling may be lowered. If this exceeds 1.0c, the bitterness of the product is too strong to be suitable for eating or drinking. Because there is a fear.

  The coffee product according to the invention can include not only the black type, but also any of sugars, dairy products, fats or combinations thereof. In general, adding any of saccharides, dairy products, and oils and fats reduces the coffee feeling of the product, so in conventional coffee products, if it is necessary to compensate for the decrease in coffee feeling, the coffee content is increased or flavoring Or was added. Moreover, it was difficult to reinforce the bitterness. On the other hand, in the present invention, by appropriately adding a neutral amino acid, it is possible to reinforce the bitterness and thereby improve the coffee feeling, and the degree of freedom in designing the taste of the product is widened.

  In addition, the present invention is suitable for coffee that has been decaffeinated. Caffeine is one of the main taste components of coffee, and when it is removed, the original taste of coffee is diminished. In addition, when the coffee extract is decaffeinated, other taste components other than caffeine may be removed, which also impairs the taste of coffee. In this invention, it is possible to compensate for the taste reduced by the decaffeination treatment by appropriately adding neutral amino acids.

  Moreover, this invention can be used suitably for a powdery coffee product. Powdering is generally performed by spray drying or freeze-drying a coffee extract or a coffee extract obtained by concentrating the coffee extract, and this is accompanied by a heat treatment from the viewpoint of processing efficiency. It is known that taste changes. On the other hand, in the coffee product according to the present invention, since the bitterness is reinforced by the neutral amino acid, which has less change in taste due to heat compared to the coffee content, there is little deterioration in taste even when powdered.

  Furthermore, the present invention can be suitably used for liquid coffee products. As a liquid coffee product, there is a coffee extract obtained by concentrating a coffee extract, and this concentration is practically accompanied by heat treatment from the viewpoint of processing efficiency. As described above, the taste of coffee changes due to the influence of this heat, but the coffee product according to the present invention can suppress the deterioration of taste. Moreover, in liquid coffee products, taste may be deteriorated by filtration, oxidation of components, and crystallization. However, in the coffee products of the present invention, such influence is less likely to suppress taste deterioration. be able to. In particular, it is preferable to use a coffee drink for direct drinking. In this case, a secondary effect that an amino acid can be replenished can also be obtained. The coffee drink here may be a milk drink having a milk solid content of 3.0% by mass or more. Furthermore, when producing this coffee beverage, a neutral amino acid may be added to the coffee extract, and the powdered coffee product or concentrated liquid coffee product according to the present invention as described above is reduced or reduced. It may be diluted.

  In the coffee beverage according to the present invention, the addition amount of the neutral amino acid is within the range of 0.1 to 3% by mass depending on the type of coffee beans, the roasting degree, the extraction conditions, the taste required for the final product, and the like. It can be changed as appropriate. However, if the added amount of the amino acid is less than 0.1% by mass, the effect of improving the taste due to the addition of the amino acid may not be sufficiently obtained. There is a possibility that the taste derived from the sexual amino acid is superior and the coffee feeling is impaired.

  Moreover, in the coffee drink according to this invention, it is preferable that the coffee part per 100g of products exists in the range of 0.1-6g in terms of green beans. The coffee beverage according to the present invention has an increased coffee feeling due to the addition of neutral amino acids, so the content of coffee can be kept low compared to ordinary coffee beverages, but if the coffee content is less than 0.1 g, The taste derived from the amino acid is superior to the taste derived from the coffee component, which is not preferable. On the other hand, if the coffee content exceeds 6 g, the concentration is not suitable for beverages, and it is not preferable from the viewpoint of cost. Similarly, it is preferable from a viewpoint of taste, drinking, and cost to make caffeine content into the range of 0.002-0.2 mass%.

  Furthermore, this invention is suitable for coffee beverages that have been heat sterilized. The heat sterilization may be sterilization before packaging or sterilization after packaging. By heat sterilization treatment, chlorogenic acid, etc. is denatured or decomposed and taste changes before heating, but this change is predicted in advance to adjust the balance of coffee and neutral amino acid addition amount If it does, the fall of the taste of a product can be prevented.

  Note that the above description shows only a part of the embodiment of the present invention, and these configurations can be combined with each other or various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. .

  Next, a trial evaluation of a coffee beverage according to the present invention will be given below.

(Black type coffee drink)
To a coffee extract obtained by extracting 40 g of roasted coffee beans with 90 ° C. pure water, 0.5 g of sodium bicarbonate was added to adjust the pH to obtain a sample solution. Pure water was added to this sample solution to prepare a total amount of 1000 g, and after filling this into a 190 g can, retort sterilization was performed to obtain a coffee beverage of Comparative Example 1. Moreover, each amount of amino acid shown in Table 1 was added to this sample solution, and pure water was further added to prepare a total amount of 1000 g. After filling this into a 190 g can, retort sterilization was performed, and Examples 1 to 5 were performed. Got a coffee drink.

  The coffee beverages of Comparative Example 1 and Examples 1 to 5 had a coffee content (raw bean equivalent value) per 100 g of 5 g and a caffeine content of 0.04% by mass.

  Each coffee beverage prepared in this manner was subjected to sensory evaluation on bitterness and coffee feeling by a plurality of evaluation panelists. Evaluation is 0 when the score of Comparative Example 1 is 0 and the taste to be evaluated is strong, 2 is particularly strong, -1 is weak, and is particularly weak Was -2. Table 1 shows the average score of all panelists.

  As is apparent from the evaluation results, the coffee beverages of Examples 1 to 4 are improved in both bitterness and coffee feeling compared to the coffee beverage of Comparative Example 1, and the overall taste is improved. I understand that.

(Sweetened coffee beverage)
To a coffee extract obtained by extracting 40 g of roasted coffee beans with 90 ° C. pure water, 0.5 g of sodium bicarbonate was added to adjust the pH, and 45 g of sugar was added to obtain a sample solution. Pure water was added to this sample solution to prepare a total amount of 1000 g, and after filling this into a 190 g can, retort sterilization was performed to obtain a coffee beverage of Comparative Example 2. In addition, each amount of amino acid shown in Table 2 was added to this sample solution, and pure water was further added to prepare a total amount of 1000 g. After filling this into a 190 g can, retort sterilization was performed, and Examples 5 to 10 Got a coffee drink.

  The coffee beverages of Comparative Example 2 and Examples 5 to 10 had a coffee content per 100 g (raw bean equivalent value) of 5 g and a caffeine content of 0.04% by mass.

  Each coffee beverage prepared in this way was evaluated in the same manner as a black type coffee beverage. Table 2 shows the average score of all panelists.

  As is clear from the evaluation results, the coffee beverages of Examples 5 to 10 are improved in both bitterness and coffee feeling as compared with the coffee beverage of Comparative Example 2, and the overall taste is improved. I understand that.

(Cafe au lait type coffee drink)
To a coffee extract obtained by extracting 20 g of roasted coffee beans with 90 ° C. pure water, 1 g of baking soda is added to adjust the pH, 70 g of sugar, 230 g of milk and 1.5 g of emulsifier are added, and a sample solution Got. Pure water was added to this sample solution to prepare a total amount of 1000 g, and this was filled in a 190 g can, and then retort sterilized to obtain a coffee beverage of Comparative Example 3. In addition, each amount of amino acid shown in Table 3 was added to this sample solution, and pure water was further added to prepare a total amount of 1000 g. After filling this into a 190 g can, retort sterilization was performed, and Examples 11-16 Got a coffee drink.

  In the coffee beverages of Comparative Example 3 and Examples 11 to 16, the coffee content per 100 g (raw bean equivalent value) was 2.5 g, and the caffeine content was 0.02% by mass.

  Each coffee beverage prepared in this way was evaluated in the same manner as a black type coffee beverage. Table 3 shows the average score of all panelists.

  As is clear from the evaluation results, the coffee beverages of Examples 11 to 16 are improved in both bitterness and coffee feeling as compared with the coffee beverage of Comparative Example 3, and the overall taste is improved. I understand that.

(Powdered coffee products)
Leucine 1.32 g, isoleucine 0.66 g, and valine 0.66 g were added to 12 g of instant coffee, and pure water was further added to adjust the total amount to 1000 g to obtain a coffee beverage of Example 17. Further, 15 g of the same instant coffee as used in Example 17 was added with pure water to prepare a total amount of 1000 g to obtain a coffee drink of Comparative Example 4.

  Each coffee beverage prepared in this way was evaluated in the same manner as a black type coffee beverage. Table 4 shows the average score of all panelists.

  As is apparent from the evaluation results, the coffee beverage of Example 17 improved both the bitterness and the coffee feeling, although the coffee component of the coffee component of Comparative Example 4 had a smaller amount of coffee component equivalent to green beans. It can be seen that the overall taste is improved.

(Dedecaffeinated coffee products)
To 12 g of decaffeinated instant coffee, 1.32 g of leucine, 0.66 g of isoleucine and 0.66 g of valine are added, and pure water is added to prepare a total amount of 1000 g to obtain a coffee beverage of Example 18. It was. Moreover, pure water was added to 15 g of the same instant coffee as used in Example 18 to prepare a total amount of 1000 g to obtain a coffee drink of Comparative Example 5.

  Each coffee beverage prepared in this way was evaluated in the same manner as a black type coffee beverage. Table 5 shows the average score of all panelists.

  As is apparent from the evaluation results, the coffee beverage of Example 18 improved both the bitterness and the coffee feeling despite the fact that the coffee component of the coffee beverage of Example 18 had a smaller amount of raw coffee equivalent of the coffee component. It can be seen that the overall taste is improved.

  As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a coffee product with improved taste and excellent coffee feeling.

Claims (13)

  A coffee product made by adding neutral amino acids to coffee.   The coffee product according to claim 1, wherein the neutral amino acid is one or more selected from the group consisting of valine, leucine and isoleucine.   The coffee product according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the amount of the neutral amino acid added is in the range of 0.01 to 2 times the raw coffee equivalent of the coffee.   The a + 50b is in the range of 0.1c to 2.0c, where a is the addition amount of the neutral amino acid, b is the content of caffeine, and c is the raw coffee equivalent of the coffee. 4. The coffee product according to any one of 3.   The coffee product according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising at least one selected from the group consisting of sugars, dairy products and fats and oils.   The coffee product according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the coffee content is decaffeinated.   The coffee product according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the coffee product is in a powder form.   The coffee product according to claim 1, wherein the coffee product is liquid.   The coffee product of claim 8, wherein the coffee product is a coffee beverage.   The coffee product according to claim 9, wherein the addition amount of the neutral amino acid is within a range of 0.1 to 3% by mass.   The coffee product according to claim 9 or 10, wherein a green beans equivalent amount of the coffee per 100 g of the product is in a range of 0.1 to 6 g.   The coffee product according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein the content of caffeine is in the range of 0.002 to 0.2 mass%.   The coffee product according to any one of claims 9 to 12, which has been heat sterilized.