JP2013201952A - Method for producing herb extract, method for producing functional beverage, method for masking salty taste, and functional beverage - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for producing a herb extract that is a substance derived from a natural product and that can provide a functional beverage capable of improving taste by masking salty taste and being excellent in flavor balance, a method for producing a functional beverage using the herb extract, a method for masking the salty taste of a beverage using the herb extract, and a functional beverage.SOLUTION: This method for producing a herb extract for use in a functional beverage containing at least one kind of mineral component selected from the group consisting of calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium includes: a process of soaking herbs in hot water for moistening; a process of steam-distilling the moistened herbs obtained in the process to obtain a distillate; a process of extracting the steam-distilled herbs with hot water to obtain an extract liquid, and a process of mixing the distillate with the extract liquid to obtain a herb extract.

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for producing a herb extract, a method for producing a functional beverage, a salty masking method, and a functional beverage.

  As for beverages, flavor, especially taste and aroma are important, so that flavor components (fragrance components and taste components) obtained from raw fruits and tea leaves are added to the beverage separately. .

Patent Document 1 discloses a fruit juice beverage in which an oil component obtained by pressing from a citrus peel is added as an antioxidant.
Patent Document 2 discloses a fruit beverage produced using a flavor-enriched concentrated fruit juice obtained by mixing an aroma component contained in a fruit pulp with the concentrated fruit juice of the fruit.

JP2003-102421A JP 2009-11246 A

  On the other hand, during exercise and in summer when sweating is active, many mineral components are discharged from the body along with sweat, so functions such as sports drinks that can replenish mineral components in addition to hydration Sexual beverages are being developed. Such a functional beverage is preferred for a refreshing flavor, has a flavor of citrus fruits such as lemon and grapefruit, and is blended with mineral components such as sodium and calcium.

  However, since the added mineral component makes the consumer feel salty, it is necessary to mask the unpleasant saltiness derived from the mineral and improve the taste. In addition, from the viewpoint of consumer's natural orientation and safety, salty taste can be obtained only from substances derived from natural products without using artificially produced flavor ingredients (food additives such as fragrances, sweeteners, and bitters). There was a need for a masked beverage.

The citrus oil component described in Patent Document 1 is not sufficient for masking salty taste and improving taste, and there is room for improvement.
Moreover, in the method of adding concentrated fruit juice with enhanced aroma, such as the method described in Patent Document 2, the titer is weak and a predetermined addition amount is required. Moreover, when lemon juice is used for such concentrated fruit juice, acidity may be strong, and food additives such as acidulant (pH adjuster) may be used to adjust the acidity.

The present invention can be described below.
[1] A method for producing a herb extract (herb extract) used in a functional beverage containing at least one mineral component selected from the group consisting of calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium,
A process of steam-distilling herbs to obtain a distillate,
Extracting the herbs after steam distillation with warm water to obtain an extract;
Mixing the distillate and the extract to obtain a herb extract;
A method for producing a herb extract.

[2] The method for producing a herb extract according to [1], which does not include a step of adding an artificially produced flavor component.

[3] Steam-distilling the herbs to obtain a distillate;
Extracting the herbs after steam distillation with warm water to obtain an extract;
Mixing the distillate and the extract to obtain a herb extract;
Mixing and stirring at least one mineral component selected from the group consisting of calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium, the herb extract and water;
A method for producing a functional beverage, comprising:

[4] The method for producing a functional beverage according to [3], wherein the step of mixing and stirring does not include a step of adding an artificially produced flavor component.

[5] The step of mixing and stirring includes the step of adding the mineral component such that the mineral component is contained in an amount of 100 mg or more and 2000 mg or less in 1 L of the beverage obtained, according to [3] or [4]. Method for producing a functional beverage.

[6] The step of mixing and stirring includes a step of adding the herb extract so that the herb extract is contained in 0.001 g or more and 0.1 g or less in terms of solid content in the obtained beverage 1L. 3] thru | or the manufacturing method of the functional drink in any one of [5].

[7] A salty taste masking method for beverages, wherein a herb extract is added to a functional beverage containing at least one mineral component selected from the group consisting of calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium.

[8] The salty taste masking method according to [7], wherein 1 L of the functional beverage contains 100 mg or more and 2000 mg or less of the mineral component.

[9] The salty taste masking method according to [7] or [8], wherein 1 L of the functional beverage is added so that the herb extract is contained in an amount of 0.005 g to 0.1 g in terms of solid content.

[10] A functional beverage comprising at least one mineral component selected from the group consisting of calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium, and a herb extract.

[11] The functional beverage according to [10], which does not contain an artificially produced flavor component.

[12] The functional beverage according to [10] or [11], wherein 1 L of the functional beverage contains 100 mg or more and 2000 mg or less of the mineral component.

[13] The functional beverage according to any one of [10] to [12], wherein 1 L of the functional beverage contains 0.005 g or more and 0.1 g or less of the herb extract in terms of solid content.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it is a substance derived from a natural product, can improve the taste by masking salty taste, and can provide the manufacturing method of the herb extract which can provide the functional drink excellent in flavor balance. Furthermore, the manufacturing method of a functional drink including the manufacturing process of such a herb extract, the salty taste masking method of a drink using this herb extract, and a functional drink can be provided.

The present invention will be specifically described below.
The herb extract of this invention is used for the functional drink containing a mineral component, and is obtained by the following process.

(1) Steam distillation of herbs to obtain a distillate (2) Extraction of the herbs after steam distillation in step (1) with warm water to obtain an extract (3) Obtained in step (1) Step of mixing the obtained distillate and the extract obtained in step (2) Each step will be described in turn.

Process (1)
The herbs are steam distilled to obtain a distillate. By steam distillation, a refreshing and gorgeous flavor component contained in herbs can be obtained efficiently.
Herbs can include lemon grass, lemon balm, lemon verbena, lemon myrtle, thyme, rosemary, balm mint, lavender, peppermint, yarrow, orange flower, elder flower, rose, german chamomile or jasmine. Two or more types can be used in combination. Preferably, lemon grass can be used.

Step (2)
Next, the herb after steam distillation is extracted with warm water to obtain an extract.
By this process, a flavor component and a taste component that could not be extracted by the steam distillation in the step (1) can be obtained, and a component (flavor component) that improves the taste by masking the salty taste is obtained by a simple operation. Can do.

  The temperature of warm water that can be used for extraction is appropriately selected depending on the type of herb, but is 5 ° C. or higher and 100 ° C. or lower, preferably 30 ° C. or higher and 90 ° C. or lower. The extraction time and the amount of warm water are also appropriately selected according to the type and amount of herbs.

Process (3)
Finally, the distillate obtained in step (1) and the extract obtained in step (2) are mixed, and if necessary, concentration and purification steps are performed to obtain a herb extract. it can. This herb extract contains a flavor component and a taste component, and is obtained in an aqueous solution or dispersion state.

According to the method for producing a herb extract having such steps, a herb extract having the following effects can be obtained efficiently.
・ Natural product-derived material with excellent safety.
-The salty taste derived from a mineral component can be masked and the taste of a functional drink can be improved.
-A functional beverage excellent in flavor balance can be provided.

  The functional beverage of the present invention comprises a mineral component and the herb extract obtained as described above as essential components. By including this herb extract, the salty taste derived from the mineral component can be masked to improve the taste. Furthermore, since the herb extract has a pH of about 4 to 6, the influence on the sourness is small, and it is not necessary to use a food additive such as a pH adjuster for the purpose of improving the taste even at a predetermined addition amount. Thus, the functional beverage of the present invention is superior in safety because it is not necessary to add a food additive such as a fragrance or a pH adjuster in order to impart and improve the flavor.

  As a mineral component, calcium, magnesium, potassium, or sodium can be mentioned, and it can use 1 type or in combination of 2 or more types. Preferred are sodium and calcium.

  The functional beverage of the present invention can be obtained by mixing and stirring a herb extract, a mineral component, and water, and can contain saccharides, citric acid, amino acids, vitamins and the like as necessary. The functional beverage of the present invention uses a herb extract and can be made transparent or translucent without turbidity. Other components can be added within a range that does not affect the transparency of the functional beverage.

  The method for producing a functional beverage of the present invention is not particularly limited as long as necessary components can be mixed and stirred with water or the like to obtain a uniform beverage. However, each component can be added in the form of an aqueous solution in advance.

  The functional beverage of the present invention thus obtained contains a mineral component in an amount of 100 mg to 2000 mg, preferably 100 mg to 1000 mg, more preferably 500 mg to 1000 mg in 1 L. By including the mineral component in the above amount, the mineral component can be efficiently supplied to the human body.

  Furthermore, the functional beverage of the present invention contains 0.005 g or more and 0.1 g or less, preferably 0.01 g or more and 0.1 g or less, more preferably 0.01 g or more, of herb extract in terms of solid content in 1 L. In an amount of 0.05 g or less. By including the herb extract in the above-mentioned amount, the salty taste can be masked more effectively and the taste can be improved.

By containing the mineral component and the herb extract in the above amounts, the taste can be improved by masking the salty taste, and is suitable as a mineral supplement drink such as a functional drink excellent in flavor balance, particularly a sports drink. Can be used. In addition, the addition amount range of a mineral component and a herb extract can be combined suitably.
The functional drink of the present invention can be used as a sports drink, a carbonated drink, an amino acid supplement drink, a nutritional supplement drink, a near water, an alcoholic drink, and the like.

EXAMPLES The present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited to these examples.
In addition, the drink obtained in the Example was evaluated with the following method.

(Salt taste reduction effect)
Four testers sampled and evaluated at the average score of the following evaluation.
4: I don't mind the salty taste.
3: Although the salty taste is slightly worrisome, it can fully tolerate.
2: Although saltiness was worrisome, it was the range which can be accept | permitted.
1: A salty taste is felt and cannot be tolerated.

(Flavor balance)
4 testers tasted and evaluated according to the following criteria. Two or more ○ are evaluated as “○”, less than two are evaluated as “△”, and those without ○ are “×”. It was evaluated.
○: Good △: Normal ×: Bad

[Experiment 1]
Fructose-glucose liquid sugar and anhydrous citric acid are blended as shown in Table 1, and sodium chloride is added to a sodium concentration of 500 mg / L so that the total amount becomes 1 L (soluble solid content 3.9). , PH 3.0) was determined as Experimental Example 1.
The evaluation results of the obtained beverage are shown in Table 1.

[Experimental Examples 2 to 10]
A beverage was produced in the same manner as in Experimental Example 1 except that the composition shown in Table 1 was used. For Experimental Examples 5 to 10, sodium chloride was added so that the sodium concentration was 1000 mg / L.
A distillate obtained by steam-distilling lemongrass with steam at 100 ° C. and an extract obtained by performing extraction with hot water at 85 ° C. after steam distillation were mixed, and the extract obtained by concentration and purification was mixed. Lemongrass extract was used. Lemongrass extract uses soluble solids of 1.0 ± 0.1 ° (wt%), pH 5.3 ± 0.5, and lemon flavor is extracted and prepared using only lemon as the base material. The fragrance that was used was used. Further, the concentrated transparent lemon juice was added so as to have the same citric acidity (g / 100 ml) as in Experimental Example 1.
The evaluation results of the obtained beverage are shown in Table 1.

  As is clear from the results in Table 1, a beverage containing a mineral component and a herb extract can improve taste by masking salty taste without using food additives, and also in balance of flavor. It was excellent. Moreover, it was confirmed that the drink which contains a mineral component and a herb extract in a predetermined quantity in 1L of drinks has the effect of replenishing minerals and is particularly excellent in the above effects.

Claims (13)

A method for producing a herbal extract used in a functional beverage containing at least one mineral component selected from the group consisting of calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium,
A process of steam-distilling herbs to obtain a distillate,
Extracting the herbs after steam distillation with warm water to obtain an extract;
Mixing the distillate and the extract to obtain a herb extract;
A method for producing a herb extract.   The manufacturing method of the herb extract of Claim 1 which does not include the process of adding the flavor component manufactured artificially. A process of steam-distilling herbs to obtain a distillate,
Extracting the herbs after steam distillation with warm water to obtain an extract;
Mixing the distillate and the extract to obtain a herb extract;
Mixing and stirring at least one mineral component selected from the group consisting of calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium, the herb extract and water;
A method for producing a functional beverage, comprising:   The method for producing a functional beverage according to claim 3, wherein the step of mixing and stirring does not include a step of adding an artificially produced flavor component.   The functional step according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the step of mixing and stirring includes a step of adding the mineral component such that the mineral component is contained in an amount of 100 mg or more and 2000 mg or less in 1 L of the beverage obtained. Production method.   The step of mixing and stirring includes a step of adding the herb extract so that the herb extract is contained in 0.001 g or more and 0.1 g or less in terms of solid content in 1 L of the beverage obtained. The method for producing a functional beverage according to any one of 5.   A salty taste masking method for beverages, wherein a herb extract is added to a functional beverage containing at least one mineral component selected from the group consisting of calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium.   The salty taste masking method according to claim 7, wherein 100 mg or more and 2000 mg or less of the mineral component is contained in 1 L of functional beverage.   The salty taste masking method according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the herb extract is added so that 0.005 g or more and 0.1 g or less in terms of solid content is contained in 1 L of functional beverage.   A functional beverage comprising at least one mineral component selected from the group consisting of calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium, and a herb extract.   The functional drink of Claim 10 which does not contain the flavor component manufactured artificially.   The functional drink of Claim 10 or 11 which contains 100 mg or more and 2000 mg or less of the said mineral component in 1L of functional drinks.   The functional drink as described in any one of Claims 10 thru | or 12 which contains 0.005 g or more and 0.1 g or less of said herb extract in conversion of solid content in 1L of functional drinks.