JP2014124157A - Coffee drink - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a novel coffee drink containing sugar content of which pH stability is not reduced even when replacing sugar with starch sugar other than sugar as the sugar content, diversification of flavors is expected, the replacement ratio with starch sugar other than sugar can be set high.SOLUTION: There is provided a coffee drink stored in a closed vessel and containing reductive sugar content. Sugar and millet or millet are essential as the sugar content. A percentage content of the millet in the total amount of sugar and the millet is 10% or more, further preferably 15 to 45%.

Description

  The present invention relates to a novel coffee beverage that is stored in a closed container and substitutes part or all of sugar with a candy, and particularly relates to an invention suitable for a hot type coffee beverage.

  In the following description, “part” indicating the blending unit and “%” indicating the concentration are mass units unless otherwise specified. In addition, “pH stability during storage” means that the container is filled in a sealed container and is kept warm after sterilization by heating.

  Coffee beverages, represented by canned coffee, are products that have significant sales throughout the year. A wide variety of hot and cold coffee beverages with sweeteners added such as fine sugar black, fine milk, sweetened black, sweetened milk, and cafe au lait are on the market.

  As the sweetener, sugar has been used for a long time from the viewpoint of high quality sweetness and flavor, and is still mainstream, but is relatively expensive.

  For this reason, in recent years, the use of high-intensity sweeteners has become widespread, but it is insufficient to obtain a high-quality sweetness and flavor. Moreover, like sugar, it is powdery and inferior in formulaability compared to liquid. Further, it is desirable that the high-intensity sweetener is as little as possible or not used from the current health-oriented viewpoint. For this reason, it is conceivable to use a liquid sugar component (starch sugar) as a sweetener.

  Examples of liquid sugars include fructose glucose liquid sugar (isomerized sugar) and syrup.

  However, coffee beverages are often supplied as so-called hot beverages that are kept warm for a long time in vending machines or the like.

  For this reason, in the case of saccharides containing a large amount of reducing sugars such as isomerized sugar and water candy, the pH is lowered during the heat insulation storage due to the decomposition and oxidation of the sugar during the heat preservation storage, and the flavor cannot be maintained. In particular, when milk components such as milk are included, precipitation of milk components occurs. For these reasons, it has been considered that the replacement rate of reducing sugar with respect to sugar cannot be increased. (See Patent Document 1, paragraph 0042)

  In fact, we are not familiar with the prior art literature and known examples where it has been proposed to use starch syrup as a partial substitute for sugar in coffee beverages.

  There are no such prior art documents and known examples in addition to the above-mentioned reason that the reducing sugar lowers the pH during heat storage, in addition to 1) high temperature heat resistant anaerobic bacteria and heat resistant There are acidophilic guay alcohol-producing bacteria that cannot be sterilized by heat sterilization such as general-purpose retort treatment.2) In order to sterilize such bacteria, it is necessary to use a filter. Possible reasons include that the viscosity is too high and filter sterilization is difficult.

JP-A-9-205990 (paragraph 0042)

  In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a coffee beverage having a novel structure in which sugar is contained in a coffee beverage containing sugar, and a part or all of the sugar is replaced with starch syrup.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present inventors have intensively studied focusing on candy, which is a liquid sugar, and as a result, came up with a coffee drink having the following constitution.

  A coffee beverage stored in a hermetically sealed container and containing sugar, wherein the sugar contains sugar and syrup or syrup.

  The present invention states that, "substituting syrup with some or all of sugar does not cause a significant decrease in pH stability during heat storage, and conversely, when the syrup content in sugar is within a predetermined range, It is based on the knowledge (discovery) that “there is no high-temperature heat-resistant anaerobic bacteria or heat-resistant acidophilic guay alcohol-producing bacteria in the candy.” is there.

  That is, as described above, starch sugars such as starch syrups have been reduced in pH due to thermal decomposition / oxidation during heat-retaining storage as well as during retort heating, and anaerobic spoilage due to residual heat-resistant bacteria ( It was thought that there was a risk of acidity. For this reason, it has been hesitant to use it as a sugar substitute sugar in coffee beverages that have high flavor (taste) quality requirements, especially coffee beverages that are supposed to be kept hot and supplied hot.

  The technical idea of the present invention can be applied not only to hot type coffee beverages but also to tea and other hot beverages that require a predetermined sweetness, and the configuration is as follows.

  A hot beverage stored in a hermetically sealed container and containing a sugar content, wherein sugar and syrup or syrup are essential as the sugar content.

  Hereinafter, modes for carrying out the present invention will be described. Hereinafter, “%” indicating the composition means “% by mass” unless otherwise specified. Here, retort sterilization using an autoclave will be described as an example of heat sterilization, but heat sterilization is not limited to retort sterilization. For example, heat sterilization (200 ° C. or higher) using a jet cooker or the like can be used.

  The coffee beverage of the present invention is stored in a hermetically sealed container, and in a coffee beverage containing sugar, sugar and syrup or syrup are essential as the sugar.

  Examples of the closed container include cans (aluminum or stainless steel), bottles (glass), PET bottles, carton packs, heat resistant bags, and the like.

  The content of candy in the total composition of the coffee beverage is preferably 0.05 to 3%, more preferably 0.1 to 2.5%, and even more preferably 0.5 to 2.5%.

  If the content of starch syrup is low, it will be difficult to reduce the cost based on the relative amount of sugar used. In addition, diversification of flavor that is not possible in the past can be expected by adding syrup.

  Further, in the total amount of sugar and syrup, the lower limit of the content of syrup is preferably 10% or more, more preferably 15% or more. If the content of the starch candy is too low, as in the case described above, it is difficult to reduce the cost based on the relative amount of sugar used.

  And in the prescription which does not contain a high sweetness degree sweetener, the content rate of the candy in the total amount of sugar and a candy is 15-45%, Furthermore, 15-30% is desirable. If the content of the starch candy is out of the above range, it is difficult to obtain the effect of improving the pH stability during storage (see Tables 1 and 2). Within this range, the pH drop after storage for a long period after retort sterilization is smaller than that of sugar alone (see Tables 1 and 2). That is, the pH stability (thermal stability) is improved against the common sense of those skilled in the art, compared to the case of sugar alone.

  In a prescription containing a high-intensity sweetener, the content of starch syrup in the total amount of sugar and starch syrup is usually more than 45%.

  Even with 100% water candy in the total amount of sugar and candy, that is, candy candy alone, the pH stability during storage is almost the same as with sugar only (see Tables 3 and 4). As a result, the replacement ratio of starch syrup with respect to sugar can be made much higher than in the case of reducing sugar which has been considered desirable in the past (around 30% or less: paragraph 42 of Patent Document 1), and there is also a cost effect.

  As the “water candy”, it is usually desirable to use high-maltose syrup, malto-oligosaccharide syrup, or isomalt-oligosaccharide-containing syrup, which are enzyme-saccharified syrup, which is cost-effective and relatively low in viscosity. Of these, high maltose syrup with a maltose content of 65 to 85% is particularly desirable.

  In addition, the present inventors have confirmed that the hymaltose syrup used in the examples is not contaminated with Clostridium thermoaceticum (a thermostable thermophilic anaerobe) or Alicyclobacillus Acidoterrestris (a thermostable acidophilic guaia alcohol-producing bacterium). doing. For this reason, filter sterilization is not inevitable. However, when long-term storage (for example, more than 2 months) is assumed, it is desirable to disinfect the filter.

  As the sterilization filter, a filter having a filtration accuracy (pore size) of 0.2 to 0.8 μm, preferably 0.2 to 0.5 μm, can be used as appropriate from commercially available liquid sterilization filters. Examples of the material for the filter include polyethersulfone, polysulfone, polyester, and glass fiber.

  Here, candy candy has a very high viscosity at room temperature, so the temperature of candy candy is usually raised to 50 ° C or higher and below the heat sterilization temperature, adjusted to a viscosity that can pass through a sterilization filter, and passed through the filter. Let

  Although the heat-resistant bacteria can be removed to some extent by ultraviolet irradiation, the bactericidal effect is insufficient.

  In addition to the sugar and starch syrup, as various sugars, various starch sugars, monosaccharides, disaccharides (reducing and non-reducing), and oligosaccharides are added as long as they do not affect the functions and effects of the present invention. be able to.

  Furthermore, when a fine sugar type having a low sugar content is used, a small amount of a high-sweetness sweetener is added as appropriate in addition to the above sugars in order to adjust the sweetness. Examples of the high-intensity sweetener include acesulfame potassium (AK), sucralose (SL), stevia, and the like.

  Next, the manufacturing method of the said coffee drink can be performed by a conventional method. A part of Patent Document 1 (paragraphs 0011 to 0014) is cited below while appropriately making edit changes.

  A coffee extract, which is one of the raw materials for coffee beverages, is obtained by extracting roasted coffee beans.

  Although the kind of roasted coffee beans is not particularly limited, for example, Brazil, Colombia, Tanzania or mocha. One or more kinds of roasted coffee beans can be blended and used.

  The roasted coffee beans are roasted in the same manner as ordinary coffee drinks. Roasted coffee beans become increasingly colored when roasted strongly, becoming more brown and black and finally ashing. It is also known that bitterness increases as roasting deepens regardless of the brand name. Thus, roasting has the most impact on taste and is one of the important indicators in blend design and quality control along with the blend.

  The L value (bright value) is used as an index representing the degree of roasting. The L value is a value obtained by measuring the brightness of roasted coffee beans with a color difference meter. The deeper the roasted coffee beans, the lower the value, and the stronger the bitterness of the coffee beverage. Conversely, the shallower the roast, the higher the L value and the stronger the acidity. In order to reproduce the full-fledged flavor of regular coffee, the roasted coffee beans preferably have an L value in the range of 16-20.

  The method for extracting roasted coffee beans is not particularly limited, and for example, extraction with hot water. This is the end of citation of Cited Document 1.

  A milk component is appropriately added to the coffee extract. The milk component is not particularly limited. Specific examples include raw milk, cow milk, concentrated milk, skim milk, partially skim milk, skim milk powder, full fat milk powder, and fresh cream.

  And the said sugar and syrup which are sweeteners, and also the said high sweetness degree sweetener are suitably added to the said coffee extract.

  Finally, purified water is added to adjust the coffee concentration so that the concentration of the coffee extract is about 60%.

  In addition, the fall of pH in a coffee drink influences the flavor of coffee, and when the milk component is not contained, the lower limit of the pH is about 5.5. And when it contains a milk component, the minimum of pH is set to about 6 from the viewpoint which does not isolate | separate a milk component (patent document 1 paragraph 0018).

  And pH falls by retort sterilization. For this reason, coffee beverages are usually adjusted slightly higher than around 6.8 in anticipation of pH reduction due to retort sterilization and further during the heat preservation storage ("FFI Journal"). 216, No. 3 ”published by FFI Journal Editorial Committee, 2011, p276).

  That is, in the prescription not containing milk components, the pH before retort sterilization is 0.01 to 0.1 (preferably 0.02 to 0.06) higher than that of the conventional setting value (Comparative Examples 1 and 3), and 55 ° C. after retort sterilization. After storage in an atmosphere for 2 months, the pH is adjusted to 5.3 or higher, preferably 5.5 or higher. If the pH is too low, the coffee flavor may be adversely affected.

  Moreover, in the prescription containing milk components, the pH before retort sterilization is set to 0.01 to 0.1 (preferably 0.03 to 0.07) higher than the conventional set value (Comparative Examples 2 and 4), and after retort sterilization, the atmosphere at 55 ° C After storage for 2 months, the pH is adjusted to 5.8 or higher, preferably pH 6.0 or higher. If the pH is too low, precipitation of milk components may occur.

Sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO ₃ ) is usually used for pH adjustment in each of the above cases, but if it is added too much, the flavor may be impaired.

  EXAMPLES Hereinafter, although this invention is demonstrated concretely based on an Example, this invention is not limited to these Examples.

In addition, the chemical | medical agent used in the Example is as follows.
Coffee extract ... Unsweetened coffee (Nescafe Excella Unsweetened)
Hydrangea ... Hymaltose syrup ... "Hymaltose M70-75" (abbreviated as "HM70" in the table) manufactured by Nippon Cornstarch Co., Ltd., moisture: 24.5%, maltose content: 70%

(1) Comparative Example 1, Examples 1 and 2
Four coffee beverages each having the formulation shown in Table 1 were prepared, and the pH before retort sterilization was adjusted to the indicated value. And after filling and sealing each glass bottle (200 mL), retort sterilization was performed under the conditions of 121 ° C. × 20 minutes using an autoclave (AC). The container-containing coffee drink prepared in this way was kept warm at 55 ° C. At the time of preparation, the pH was measured using a pH meter (manufactured by HORIBA, Ltd.) immediately after retorting and during storage for 1 week, 2 weeks, and 2 months.

  From Table 1 showing the results, the pH reduction range due to retort sterilization is larger in Examples 1 and 2 than Comparative Example 1, but the reduction range after 2 months in storage is clearly small. I understand. That is, in the total amount of sugar and starch syrup, when the content of starch syrup is 15 to 45%, it is proved that the pH stability during storage is excellent compared to sugar 100%.

(2) Comparative Example 2, Examples 3 and 4
Each mixture of the formulation shown in Table 2 was prepared, and four bottle samples of each comparative example and example were prepared in the same manner as (1) above. And similarly, the time-dependent pH in heat storage was measured with the pH before and after retort sterilization.
From Table 2 showing the results, the pH reduction range due to retort sterilization is larger in Examples 3 and 4 than in Comparative Example 2, but the reduction range after 2 months in storage is clearly small. I understand. That is, in the total amount of sugar and starch syrup, when the content of starch syrup is 15 to 45%, it is proved that the pH stability during storage is excellent compared to sugar 100%.

(3) Comparative Example 3, Examples 5 and 6
Each mixture of the formulation shown in Table 3 was prepared, and four bottle samples of each comparative example and example were prepared in the same manner as (1) above. And similarly, the time-dependent pH in heat storage was measured with the pH before and after retort sterilization.
Table 3 showing the results shows that the pH drop due to retort sterilization is larger in Examples 5 and 6 than Comparative Example 3, but the drop after two months during storage is almost unchanged. I understand. That is, it is proved that the pH stability does not change much even if the content of the starch syrup exceeds 45% in the total amount of sugar and syrup.

(4) Comparative Example 4, Examples 7 and 8
Each mixture of the formulation shown in Table 4 was prepared, and four bottle samples of each comparative example and example were prepared in the same manner as (1) above. And similarly, the time-dependent pH in heat storage was measured with the pH before and after retort sterilization.
From Table 4 showing the results, the pH reduction range due to retort sterilization is larger in Examples 5 and 6 than Comparative Example 3, but the reduction range after 2 months during storage is only slightly smaller. is there. That is, it is proved that the pH stability does not change much even if the content of the starch syrup is 45% or more in the total amount of sugar and syrup.

Claims (11)

  A coffee beverage stored in a hermetically sealed container and containing sugar, wherein the sugar contains sugar and syrup or syrup.   The coffee beverage according to claim 1, wherein the content of candy in the total composition of the coffee beverage is 0.05 to 3.0%.   The coffee beverage according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the content of the starch syrup in the total amount of sugar and syrup is 10% by mass or more.   4. The coffee drink according to claim 3, wherein the content of starch syrup in the total amount of sugar and starch syrup is 15 to 45% by mass in a prescription not containing a high-intensity sweetener.   4. The coffee beverage according to claim 3, wherein the content of starch syrup in the total amount of sugar and starch syrup is more than 45% by mass in a prescription containing a high-intensity sweetener.   A milk component-free prescription, the pH before heat sterilization is 0.01-0.1 higher than that of the conventional setting, and after heat sterilization, maintained at 55 ° C for 2 months and maintained at pH 5.3 or higher The coffee drink according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the coffee drink is adjusted to be able to be performed.   Prescription containing milk components, the pH before heat sterilization is 0.01-0.1 higher than that of the conventional setting, and after heat sterilization, maintained at pH 5.8 or higher after 2 months storage at 55 ° C atmosphere The coffee drink according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the coffee drink is adjusted to be able to be performed.   The coffee beverage according to claim 1, wherein the coffee beverage is a hot type that is kept warm.   The coffee drink according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the candy is sterilized by a filter.   A hot beverage stored in a hermetically sealed container and containing a sugar content, wherein sugar and syrup or syrup are essential as the sugar content.   The hot drink according to claim 10, wherein the candy is sterilized by a filter.