JP2017012077A - Cereal tea composition - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cereal tea composition such as instant cereal tea and cereal beverage, having sleep induction effect and relaxation effect even with theanine contained, and a taste improving method thereof as well as a manufacturing method of the cereal tea composition.SOLUTION: A cereal tea composition contains a starch-containing cereal component and is heat sterilization treated. In the cereal tea composition, added is a tea extraction composition having reduced catechins and/or caffeine easily to be a cause of a bitter taste from a tea extraction liquid, content of the caffeine of 1.5% or less and enhanced theanine percentage content. The cereal tea composition contains theanine in a range of 5 to 30 mass%.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

The present invention is a cereal tea composition containing theanine that has a sleep-inducing effect and a relaxing effect and has excellent taste and mouthfeel, and can be provided in the form of a soluble instant cereal tea or in the form of a liquid beverage The present invention relates to a cereal tea composition, a method for improving the taste thereof, and a method for producing a cereal tea composition.

The problem of sleep disorders such as insomnia has become apparent due to the progress of 24-hour society and the increase of stress. Insomnia is a state in which the patient has a strong sense of lack of sleep and is physically, mentally, and socially disturbed, and when this meets diagnostic criteria, it is treated as insomnia as a disease unit. Numerous epidemiological studies on insomnia have been reported. According to the results (prevalence) of major epidemiological studies conducted in Japan, about 20% of men and women over 20 years of age are chronic insomnia. He suffers from difficulty in falling asleep and waking up midway. However, even if sleep is disturbed, proper coping behavior cannot be taken, and there are many cases in which awakening occurs early in the morning due to regular use of sleeping alcohol, so that sufficient sleep cannot be maintained and a vicious cycle occurs. Appropriately dealing with sleep disorders is thought to contribute greatly to improving people's health and improving QOL.

Theanine (L-Theanine) is known as a component having an effect of improving the quality of sleep. Theanine is a kind of amino acid, a derivative of glutamic acid, and one of the umami components of tea. Theanine has also been found to have physiological activities particularly favorable for the elderly, such as a brain function improving action, in addition to physiological activities such as caffeine-induced excitation suppression, blood pressure lowering action, and relaxation action (Patent Document 1). Thru 3).

With regard to caffeine, the need for low caffeine drinks and caffeine zero drinks is increasing due to recent research on the effects on pregnant women and children and increased consumer health awareness. In response to the growing needs of the market, the consumption of cereal tea that does not contain caffeine is increasing, especially the consumption of barley tea.

Regarding the technology focused on the function of theanine, for example, Patent Document 4 discloses a composition for improving sleep that contains theanine, which includes “extended feeling of sleep”, “improvement of falling asleep”, “improvement of dream”, “midway to sleep” It is said that sleep will be improved by “decreasing arousal”. In addition, the preparation of theanine-containing tablets, theanine-containing candy, theanine-containing blueberry beverage, and theanine-containing grapefruit beverage is disclosed as a method for easily taking theanine orally. Furthermore, it is said that the composition for improving sleep is preferably used as a food and drink, and can be combined with green tea, Tochu tea, oolong tea, strawberry tea and the like.

Patent Document 5 discloses a combination of caffeine-less coffee and theanine. By combining theanine and coffee excluding caffeine, the α-wave enhancement effect, which is the effect of theanine, is significantly increased and relaxed. It is disclosed that there is an effect.

Furthermore, Patent Document 6 discloses a relaxed feeling improving composition containing corn, brown rice, hatomugi and the like that do not contain caffeine, and a technique for adding theanine thereto.

JP 08-73350 A JP 2000-229854 A JP 2001-48797 A JP-A-2005-289948 JP 2004-105003 A JP 2013-159573 A

Humans are said to sweat about 200 ml during sleep, and are particularly encouraged to take water before sleep because they sweat a lot to reduce body temperature during sleep. However, if a beverage containing caffeine is consumed before going to bed in the evening, sleep onset tends to be hindered by the awakening action of caffeine, and the sleeping time tends to be shortened. In addition, caffeine is known to reduce sleep, and also has a diuretic effect, leading to waking up during the night. For this reason, it is not desirable to consume beverages containing caffeine such as coffee and green tea after dinner.
Although the technique disclosed in Patent Document 4 discloses that a sleep-improving composition containing theanine is taken with green tea or the like before sleep, there is a possibility that a preferable sleep-improving effect may not be achieved by ingestion of caffeine. .

In addition, Patent Documents 4 to 6 disclose a technique for ingesting theanine before sleep to improve the quality of sleep. However, when trying to ingest a high concentration of theanine together with a beverage, the poor tongue separation characteristic of theanine is disclosed. And unpleasant aftertaste. In addition, it is desirable to drink at a temperature that is not too hot and not too cold to sleep before sleeping, in order to prevent extreme changes in body temperature, but the taste of theanine becomes more unpleasant in such a temperature range and should be taken. There is a problem that becomes difficult.
Grain tea such as barley tea is a beverage that has a taste that can be easily consumed even before sleep and that is easy for adults and children to drink. The above-mentioned problems caused by the inclusion of theanine were very serious problems, especially when they are delicate and provided as instant products.
For this reason, the amount of theanine to be contained must be meticulously prepared so that it is easy to drink and has excellent taste and mouthfeel. Despite being widely demanded by consumers, it has not been provided to date.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a cereal tea composition such as instant cereal tea and cereal tea drink, which has a hypnotic effect and a relaxing effect, while having theanine content and is excellent in taste and taste, and improvement in the taste thereof. It is to provide a method as well as a method for producing a cereal tea composition.

As a result of intensive studies to solve the above problems, the present inventors use a cereal tea raw material containing starch, and in a cereal tea composition having a heat sterilization step, the theanine content within a predetermined range. It has been found that the above-mentioned problems can be solved by adjusting.
Also, instead of simply adding an isolated preparation of theanine, as a source of theanine, a specific component that tends to cause bitterness is removed from the tea extract, and a tea extract composition with an increased theanine content ratio is added, It has been found that the above-described effect becomes more remarkable by securing a theanine concentration at which a bioactive function can be expected.
According to the present invention, the synergistic effect of the tea extract composition and the umami and sweet ingredients of the cereal tea beverage has little bitterness and balance between sweetness and fragrance while exhibiting the hypnotic and relaxing effects of theanine. A grain tea composition that is excellent in taste, excellent in taste even at a temperature that is neither too hot nor too cold, and excellent in taste even when containing a large amount of theanine can be obtained.
More specifically, the present invention is as follows.

The present invention is a cereal tea composition containing a starch-containing cereal component and heat-sterilized, wherein the cereal tea composition contains theanine in a range of 5 to 30% by mass. Tea composition.

As the supply source of theanine, a dried product of tea extract liquid in which catechins and / or caffeine are reduced by contact with an adsorbent is used, and the dried product of the tea extract solution is the grain tea composition. It is desirable that the theanine content is added in a range of 5 to 30% by mass.

The mass ratio [(A) / (B)] of (A) theanine and (B) monosaccharide in the beverage is preferably 10-50.

The starch content of the raw grain of the grain tea composition beverage is preferably 60% or more.

Further, the content of caffeine is desirably 1.5% or less.

Further, the detection intensity ratio [(C) / (D)] of (C) cyclic ketone and (D) phenols is preferably 2.5 to 10.0.

The mass ratio [(B) / (E)] of (B) monosaccharide and (E) disaccharide is preferably 0.5 or less.

Further, the detection intensity ratio [(F) / (D)] of (F) pyrazines and (D) phenols is desirably 2.0 to 4.5.

Further, it is preferable that the grain is at least one of barley and haat and is roasted.

The cereal tea composition may be instant cereal tea made of a soluble solid.

The said cereal tea composition can also be made into the cereal tea drink containing this.
At this time, the cereal tea beverage preferably contains the cereal tea composition in a range of 0.28 to 3.4 wt%.

A method for improving the taste of a cereal tea composition containing a starch-containing cereal component and subjected to heat sterilization treatment, wherein the cereal tea composition is adjusted to contain theanine in a range of 5 to 30% by mass. It is the taste improvement method of the grain tea composition characterized by the above-mentioned.

A method for producing a cereal tea composition comprising a starch-containing cereal component and heat-sterilized, wherein the cereal tea composition is adjusted to contain 5 to 30% by mass of theanine. It is the manufacturing method of the grain tea composition characterized.

Cereal tea compositions, such as instant cereal tea and cereal tea beverages, which have the effect of sleeping or relaxing, and contain theanine with excellent taste and taste even when they contain a large amount of theanine, and their taste improvement A method as well as a method for producing a cereal tea composition can be provided.

Hereinafter, although embodiment of this invention is described, this invention is not limited to the following embodiment.
In the present invention, the cereal tea composition refers to those that can be taken orally regardless of whether they are in solid or liquid form and can take forms such as instant cereal tea and cereal tea beverage.
In the present invention, instant cereal tea is a powder in a dry state produced mainly through three steps of extraction, concentration, and drying as in general instant beverages, and an appropriate amount of hot water or water is poured. It means food that can be drunk as a cereal tea beverage when dissolved. In general, a liquid that can be poured and poured with hot water or the like may be expressed as instant cereal tea.

Grain tea in the present invention is a grain containing starch, i.e. brown rice, wheat, barley, corn, black beans, soybeans, buckwheat, amaranth, quinoa, and the like, extracted with a suitable amount of hot water or water, It means a beverage that has been dissolved. These cereals do not contain caffeine, making them ideal drinks before going to bed or when you want to relax. Any one of these raw materials may be used, or a plurality of raw materials may be mixed and used. These dried products, extracts, processed products and the like can also be used.

The grain tea composition of the present invention is not particularly limited, but leaves and stems of tea tree (Camellia sinensis var. Sinensis, Camellia sinensis var. Assamica, or hybrids thereof) in addition to the above-mentioned grain as a raw material. Tea leaves, mozuku, licorice, lotus, perilla, pine, psyllium, rosemary, mulberry, gymnema, ketsumeishi, kelp, ganoderma, bear moth, cocoon, sesame, safflower, ashitaba, chense, guava, aloe, tochu, It may be obtained by using leaves, stems, roots and the like of various plants such as dokudami, chicory, evening primrose and loquat. However, in order not to impede the hypnotic effect and relaxation effect of theanine, it is desirable to use one with low elution of caffeine or to reduce the content of raw materials containing caffeine, and further, it does not contain caffeine It is desirable to use together.

In the present invention, theanine is a derivative of glutamic acid contained in green tea or the like. For example, L-glutamic acid-γ-ethylamide (L-theanine), L-glutamic acid-γ-methylamide, D-glutamic acid-γ-ethylamide (D- Theanine), L- or D-glutamic acid-γ-alkylamide, such as D-glutamic acid-γ-methylamide, derivatives containing L- or D-glutamic acid-γ-alkylamide in the basic structure (for example, L- or D-glutamic acid- γ-alkylamide glycoside, etc.).

In the present invention, the theanine can be added with a pure preparation, but it is preferably derived from tea.
Moreover, a tea extract composition can be used as the source of theanine. The tea extract composition is obtained by concentrating and drying a tea extract from which catechins and / or caffeine have been removed by contact with an adsorbent.
Specifically, first, dried tea leaves (such as crude tea) are immersed in an organic solvent in which theanine such as water or ethanol is soluble to obtain a leachate. Next, the obtained leachate is brought into contact with an adsorbent capable of adsorbing catechin and caffeine (for example, synthetic adsorbent such as polyvinylpolypyrrolidone (PVPP) and styrene-divinylbenzene copolymer, activated carbon) to cause catechin and / or cafe. A tea extract excluding inn is obtained. The contact with the adsorbent can be selected from known means such as passing through a column filled with the adsorbent. Then, the obtained tea extract is concentrated and dried to obtain a tea extract composition. Concentration and drying may be carried out using well-known means. As the concentration means, for example, vacuum concentration, freeze concentration, reverse osmosis membrane concentration, etc. can be adopted. As drying means, hot air drying, vacuum drying, freeze drying, spray drying, etc. Etc. can be adopted.

In addition, in order to obtain instant cereal tea that exhibits a sleeping effect and a relaxing effect, it is preferable to reduce caffeine in the tea extract composition as much as possible. For example, in the above adsorption step, caffeine is selectively selected from the tea extract. It can be reduced by a well-known means such as passing through a column using an adsorbent adsorbed on (for example, Kieselgul A manufactured by Merck). Further, in order to increase the content of theanine, other components such as tannin may be further removed in the same manner as gallate catechin and caffeine.
The above-described treatment removes the strong bitterness that affects the taste of instant cereal tea, but the physiologically active function of theanine (such as the dormancy effect), and components such as catechins remaining other than theanine Can improve the taste of instant cereal tea.

As described above, in the cereal tea composition of the present invention, it is desirable to add the above tea extract composition as a source of theanine. However, when theanine is added as an isolate, L-theanine of theanine is Since it is also approved as a food additive and can be easily obtained, it is desirable to use L-theanine in the present invention.
However, considering the taste of instant cereal tea and the like, it is desirable that theanine is supplied only by the tea extract composition.

In the present invention, the monosaccharide refers to glucose and fructose, and the mass of the monosaccharide refers to the sum of these masses.

In the present invention, disaccharide refers to scroll and maltose, and the mass of the disaccharide refers to the sum of these masses.

In the present invention, the cyclic ketone refers to maltol (3-hydroxy-2-methyl-4-pyrone) and furaneol (3-hydroxy-2,5-dimethyl-4 (5H) -furanone), and the detection intensity of the cyclic ketone is The sum of these detected intensities.

In the present invention, phenols refer to guaiacol (2-methoxyphenol), 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol, 4-vinylphenol, and vanillin, and the detection intensity of phenols refers to the sum of these detection intensities.

In the present invention, pyrazines refer to methylpyrazine, 2,5-dimethylpyrazine, ethylpyrazine, 3-ethyl-2,5-dimethylpyrazine, and the detection intensity of pyrazines refers to the sum of these detection intensities.

The cereal tea composition of the present invention is produced by adjusting the content of monosaccharides, disaccharides, cyclic ketones, phenols, pyrazines, and caffeine using raw materials that can have desired values. be able to. For example, when producing instant cereal tea (barley tea) using barley or hato barley (hereinafter referred to as raw wheat), each content of monosaccharides, disaccharides, cyclic ketones, phenols, and pyrazines is a plurality of roasting It can be produced by appropriately blending and preparing roasted raw material wheat (hereinafter, roasted wheat) and its leachate. In addition, when it is desired to increase the content of disaccharides in instant cereal tea, it is only necessary to increase the ratio of raw wheat having a high content to the amount of wheat used, and to weaken the roasting conditions of raw wheat. Conversely, when it is desired to reduce the amount of disaccharides, the roasting conditions for raw wheat should be strengthened and the extraction conditions for roasted wheat should be weakened.
In addition, since the raw grain contains starch, the sugar composition can also be adjusted by adjusting the heating time and temperature in the heat sterilization step in the production process of the grain tea composition.
In addition, aromatic ketones such as cyclic ketones, phenols, and pyrazines have different fluctuations due to roasting. For example, pyrazines increase greatly as roasting increases, and cyclic ketones increase with roasting. However, the ratio is less than pyrazines. In addition, phenols decrease when the roasting strength is increased. These ratios can be arbitrarily adjusted by adjusting the roasting strength of the grains or mixing grains having different roasting strengths.

The monosaccharides, disaccharides, cyclic ketones, phenols, and pyrazines of the cereal tea composition can be adjusted by adding auxiliary materials for adjusting the content of each component when preparing instant cereal tea. However, in order not to lose the inherent sweetness and aroma of cereal tea, the use of auxiliary ingredients should be avoided as much as possible, and it is preferable not to use them if possible.

When the cereal tea composition of the present invention is instant cereal tea, the production process is composed of three steps of extraction, concentration, and drying, as in the case of general instant beverages, and is specifically as follows.
(Extraction process)
The extraction conditions of the raw material grains when preparing the cereal tea are appropriately selected according to the type of the raw material grains, the type of the extractor, etc. For example, the extraction liquid temperature is 80 to 99 ° C., and the extraction time is 30 to 60 minutes. Extract with Examples of the extracted water include, but are not limited to, natural water, tap water, distilled water, and deep sea water. Moreover, the form of the raw material grain at the time of extraction is not specifically limited, For example, forms, such as a hole (round grain) and a split, can be mentioned. The raw material grain used for the production of the extract is not limited to its varieties, production areas, cultivation methods, processing methods, etc., as long as it is a grain such as brown rice, wheat, barley, corn, black beans, soybeans, buckwheat, amaranth, quinoa, Can be targeted. Moreover, these grains may be used alone or in combination of two or more kinds.

The amount of extracted water is preferably 3 to 50 times the amount of raw material grains. The raw grain extract is extracted from the raw grain under the above conditions, and then the raw grain leachate is filtered using a cartridge filter, flannel filter cloth, filter plate, filter paper, filter press or a filter press combined with a filter aid, or centrifugal separation. It can be obtained by solid-liquid separation by the method and removing raw material grains and particles.

(Concentration process)
The raw material extract may be concentrated as necessary. As the concentration method, for example, a well-known concentration method such as vacuum concentration, freeze concentration, reverse osmosis membrane concentration or the like can be employed.

(Drying process)
Examples of the drying means include known methods such as hot air drying, vacuum drying, freeze drying, spray drying, etc. Among them, it is preferable to employ freeze drying and spray drying with little loss of aroma components during drying.
In addition, you may dry, after adding an excipient | filler so that it may melt | dissolve easily with water. As the excipient, soluble starch such as dextrin and saccharide such as lactose can be used, but dextrin is preferably used from the viewpoint of immediate solubility. In addition to tea extract compositions, refined theanine products, crude products, extract extracts, etc., supplementary ingredients to adjust monosaccharides, disaccharides, cyclic ketones, phenols, pyrazines, etc. as necessary You may dry from.

Moreover, you may pass through the following process as needed.
(Granulation process)
You may granulate the raw material extract pulverized through the drying process as needed. Examples of the granulation method include well-known methods such as fluidized bed granulation, dry compression pulverization granulation, extrusion granulation, and pulverization granulation. Among them, fluidized bed granulation with excellent solubility in water and hot water. It is preferable to employ grains.
If theanine, monosaccharides, disaccharides, cyclic ketones, phenols, pyrazines are not adjusted in the drying process, or if the adjustment is insufficient, tea extract composition, refined theanine product, crude product In addition to the extracted extract, auxiliary materials for adjusting monosaccharides, disaccharides, cyclic ketones, phenols, pyrazines and the like may be added and mixed in a powder blender, and granulated as necessary.

In the present invention, the content of theanine is 5 to 30% by mass on a dry basis, preferably 5 to 25% by mass, and more preferably 5.0 to 20.0% by mass.

In this invention, mass ratio [(A) / (B)] of (A) theanine and (B) monosaccharide is 10-50, Preferably it is 12-35, More preferably, it is 15-25.

In the present invention, the content of caffeine is 1.5% by mass or less, preferably 1.0% by mass or less, more preferably 0.1% or less on a dry basis.

In the present invention, the detection intensity ratio [(C) / (D)] of (C) cyclic ketone and (D) phenol is 2.5 to 10.0, preferably 3.0 to 8.0, More preferably, it is 4.0-6.0.

In the present invention, the mass ratio [(B) / (E)] of (B) monosaccharide and (E) disaccharide is 0.5 or less, preferably 0.1 to 0.4, and more preferably 0. .2 to 0.3.

In the present invention, the detection intensity ratio [(F) / (D)] of (F) pyrazines and (D) phenols is 2.0 to 4.5, preferably 2.3 to 4.3, More preferably, it is 3.0-4.2.

In the present invention, dextrin is preferably added not only as an excipient at the time of granulation described above but also to improve the poor touch (particularly, feeling of roughness) due to theanine addition. The addition amount of dextrin is 10-70 mass% in content, Preferably it is 30-60 mass%, More preferably, it is 40-55 mass%.

In the present invention, the instant cereal tea beverage dissolves instant cereal tea with water having a mass of 30 to 350 times (weight / weight) compared to the instant cereal tea, and preferably has a mass of 50 to 250 times (weight). / Weight) of water, more preferably 60 to 100 times the weight (weight / weight) of water.

Although the Example of this invention is described as an example when the grain tea composition is an instant grain tea, a claim is not limited to this Example.

<Production of roasted wheat>
First, the following roasted wheat 1-4 was produced. The L value was measured with a color difference meter (Nippon Denshoku SE-2000) manufactured by Nippon Denshoku Industries Co., Ltd.

(Roasted wheat 1)
A steam spray treatment is applied to Canadian Rojo barley so that the water content is about 25% by weight, and it is put into a rotating drum type medium roasting kiln. went. Thereafter, water is sprayed in a shower form at a rate of 0.17 L / min to rapidly cool the product to a temperature of 165 ° C., followed by secondary roasting at 290 ° C. for 90 seconds, followed by cooling It moved to the conveyor of the apparatus, adjusted the speed of the cooling fan and the conveyor so that the product temperature of the wheat stayed in the temperature range of 80 to 140 ° C. for 47 seconds, cooled slowly, and crushed to produce roasted wheat 1 . The roasted wheat 1 had an L value of 28.
(Roasted wheat 2)
Canadian Rojo barley was put into a small hot air roaster at an exhaust temperature of 225 ° C., and after 15 minutes, discharged at a product temperature of 245 ° C. and pulverized to obtain roasted wheat 2. The roasted wheat 2 had an L value of 26.

(Roasted wheat 3)
Canadian Rojo barley was put into a small hot-air roaster at an exhaust temperature of 285 ° C., and after 15 minutes, discharged at a product temperature of 294 ° C. and crushed to obtain roasted wheat 3. The roasted wheat 3 had an L value of 21.

(Roasted wheat 4)
Domestic Rojo barley was put into a small hot-air roaster at an exhaust temperature of 205 ° C., and after 15 minutes, discharged at a product temperature of 230 ° C. and pulverized to obtain roasted wheat 4. The roasted wheat 4 had an L value of 28.

(Dried tea extract with reduced caffeine)
In this example, a dried product of tea extract with reduced caffeine used as a theanine source was prepared by the following procedure.
2kg of green tea rough tea (from Kyushu, Nibancha) was poured into 30L of hot water at 90 ° C and held for 25 minutes, followed by solid-liquid separation with a metal mesh and clarification by centrifugation to extract 26.7kg of green tea A liquid was obtained. 5 mL of SEPABEADS SP207 (Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation) was filled in a glass column, replaced with ion-exchanged water, and the extract was passed through to collect the passing solution. The recovered liquid thus obtained was concentrated under reduced pressure and spray-dried to obtain 335 g of “caffeine-reduced tea extract composition”. The theanine content of this composition was 12.5%, and caffeine was not detected.

For the determination of theanine, monosaccharide, and disaccharide, the materials were appropriately dissolved in water and analyzed by a known method by HPLC.

The aroma component was measured by GC-MS (Gas Chromatograph Mass Spectrometer ((Agilent Technologies 5973N)). The sample was pretreated.
Details of the analysis conditions are shown below.

(GC-MS conditions)
・ Column: DB-WAX 30m × 0.25mm × 0.25μm
Oven temperature: 40 ° C. (1 min) -10 ° C./min-240° C. (4 min)
・ Injection port: 20 ° C.-12 ° C./sec-250° C., solvent vent mode (liner filled with TeanaxTA)
-Carrier gas: 1.5 mL / min (helium)
(Dynamic headspace conditions)
Sample amount: 100 μL
Adsorption: Heated to 80 ° C. and 30 min at 100 mL / min of nitrogen gas
-Filler: TenaxTA (40 ° C)
Desorption: 30 ° C.-720 ° C./min-240° C. (4 min)

Each fragrance component in Table 2 and Table 4 shows the relative area with respect to the internal standard substance (0.002% cyclohexanol 5 μL) as the peak intensity, and the area value of each component is specified by the following mass value. Done and calculated.
Cyclohexanol m / z 82
Methylpyrazine m / z 94
2,5-dimethylpyrazine m / z 108
Ethylpyrazine m / z 107
3-ethyl-2,5-dimethylpyrazine m / z 135
Maltol m / z 126
Furaneol m / z128
Guaiacol m / z 126
Methoxyvinylphenol m / z 150
Vinylphenol m / z 120
Vanillin m / z 152

<Sensory evaluation>
The sensory evaluation was performed by five panelists. After thoroughly mixing each sample (instant barley tea), 3.5 g was put into a tea bowl, dissolved in 100 cc hot water (55 ° C.) and drunk. Compared with the comparative example, the score was scored as follows, focusing on “barley tea-specific aroma”, “strength of tongue separation”, and “natural taste and sweetness”. As a result, the score with a large number of evaluations was adopted as the evaluation score. In addition, when the number of evaluations was the same, the middle point of the evaluation was adopted as the evaluation score. Comprehensive evaluation is performed with the total value of each evaluation point, −6 to −3 points are “×”, −2 to 0 points are “△”, 1 to 3 points are “◯”, and 4 to 6 points are “◎”. It was.

(1) Example 1: Sensory test based on theanine concentration <Preparation of sample>
Sample preparation was performed using theanine refined product (Suntheanine: Taiyo Kagaku Co., Ltd.). Specifically, it is as follows.
Extract 1: 130 g of roasted wheat with 1,000 ml of hot water at 90 ° C. for 30 minutes, then add water to adjust the water temperature to 55 ° C., add roasted wheat 2:60 g and roasted wheat 3:10 g Held for 40 minutes. The obtained extraction stock solution was filtered through a stainless mesh (20 mesh, 80 mesh, 235 mesh), clarified by centrifugation, and then concentrated to Brix 20 with a reverse osmosis membrane. Dextrin and theanine refined product were added to the concentrate and spray dried to obtain a sample. The theanine refined product was blended so that the theanine content would be the ratio shown in Table 2. About dextrin, it mixed suitably, adjusting so that the yield of each sample might become the same quantity.

＊環状ケトン、フェノール類、ピラジン類は、分析時の内部標準物質に対する相対ピーク強度を示すため、単位は記さない。

* Units are not shown for cyclic ketones, phenols, and pyrazines because they show relative peak intensities relative to the internal standard at the time of analysis.

(Discussion)
In Comparative Sample 1, wheat was not suitable for drinking because the unique fragrance was blurred and the tongue was poor. On the other hand, in the example samples 1 to 4 having a theanine content of 30% or less, both the taste and aroma may be good. In particular, in the example samples 1 to 3, both the aroma and sweetness of barley tea are naturally felt, and it is easy to drink refreshingly. Evaluation was obtained.
From the above results, when theanine is added to instant cereal tea, the content of theanine is preferably 30% or less, and the ratio of theanine to monosaccharide (theanine / monosaccharide) is preferably 50 or less. I understood.
In addition, although a good result was obtained even at 5.0% which is the lower limit of the theanine content, if the theanine content is further reduced, the physiologically active function of theanine itself cannot be expected, In the present invention, the lower limit value of the theanine content is set to 5.0% or more.

(2) Example 2: When a dried product of green tea extract is used as the theanine supply source <Sample preparation: Example samples 5 to 9>
The roasted wheat 1, the roasted wheat 2, and the roasted wheat 3 were blended as follows and adjusted as follows.
The roasted wheat 1 was extracted with 1,000 ml of hot water at 90 ° C. for 30 minutes, then added with water to adjust the water temperature to 55 ° C., and the roasted wheat 2 and roasted wheat 3 were added and held for 40 minutes. The obtained extraction stock solution was filtered through a stainless mesh (20 mesh, 80 mesh, 235 mesh), clarified by centrifugation, concentrated with a reverse osmosis membrane, and adjusted to Brix20. To 300 g of the concentrated solution, 56 g of dextrin, 10 g of a caffeine-reduced tea extract composition, and 20.8 g of a theanine preparation (Suntheanine manufactured by Taiyo Kagaku Co., Ltd.) were added and spray-dried to obtain 146 g of a sample.

<Adjustment of Example Sample 10>
200 g of roasted wheat 4 (L value after pulverization = 28) was held in 9 times amount of hot water at 55 ° C. for 60 minutes. The obtained extraction stock solution was filtered through a stainless mesh (20 mesh, 80 mesh, 235 mesh), clarified by centrifugation, and then concentrated to Brix 20 with a reverse osmosis membrane. 10 g of a caffeine-reduced tea extract composition and 20.8 g of a theanine preparation (Suntheanine manufactured by Taiyo Kagaku Co., Ltd.) were added to 580 g of the concentrated liquid, followed by spray drying to obtain 146 g of Comparative Example.

The sensory evaluation results for each of the above samples are shown below.

＊環状ケトン、フェノール類、ピラジン類は、分析時の内部標準物質に対する相対ピーク強度を示すため、単位は記さない。

* Units are not shown for cyclic ketones, phenols, and pyrazines because they show relative peak intensities relative to the internal standard at the time of analysis.

(Discussion)
Example Sample 10 in which the ratio of theanine / monosaccharide was less than 10 had a weak aroma peculiar to barley tea, and the result was that the taste of theanine was added to the sweetness of barley tea and the tongue separation was slightly stronger. In addition, Example Sample 5 in which the ratio of cyclic ketone / phenols exceeded 10.0 also had a weak aroma specific to barley tea and a strong taste of theanine. In contrast, Example Samples 6 to 9 felt the fragrant and sweet scent of barley tea, and also felt the natural sweetness of barley tea, making it difficult to feel the taste of theanine. In addition, the addition of dextrin gave a refreshing taste with a good sense of sweetness and umami separation from the tongue. In particular, Example Samples 7 and 8 were highly evaluated.

From the above results, when increasing the theanine content of instant cereal tea, the ratio of monosaccharide to theanine, cyclic ketone, phenolic with chemical-like fragrance, pyrazines with fragrant fragrance, exhibiting a sweet scent It became clear that it was necessary to pay attention to. Moreover, it became clear that it is necessary to pay attention to each ratio for theanine, monosaccharide, and disaccharide.

According to the present invention, a cereal tea composition having a main sleep effect and a relaxing effect, excellent in the balance of bitterness, sweetness, and fragrance, excellent in taste even at a temperature not too hot and not too cold, and its taste An improvement method and a manufacturing method thereof can be provided. Moreover, even if it contains a large amount of theanine, it is possible to provide a cereal tea composition that is excellent in drinking feeling with good tongue separation, a method for improving the taste thereof, and a method for producing the same.

Claims (14)

A cereal tea composition comprising a starch-containing cereal component and heat-sterilized,
The said cereal tea composition contains theanine in 5-30 mass%, The cereal tea composition characterized by the above-mentioned. As the source of theanine, a dried product of a tea extract with reduced catechins and / or caffeine in contact with an adsorbent is used, and the dried product of the tea extract is contained in the grain tea composition. The cereal tea composition according to claim 1, wherein the theanine content is added so as to be in the range of 5 to 30% by mass. The cereal tea composition according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the mass ratio [(A) / (B)] of (A) theanine and (B) monosaccharide in the beverage is 10-50. . The grain tea composition according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the starch content of the raw grain of the grain tea composition beverage is 60% or more. The cereal tea composition according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the content of caffeine is 1.5% or less. 6. The detection intensity ratio [(C) / (D)] of (C) cyclic ketone and (D) phenols is 2.5 to 10.0. A cereal tea composition according to claim 1. The grain ratio according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the mass ratio [(B) / (E)] of (B) monosaccharide and (E) disaccharide is 0.5 or less. Tea composition. 8. The detection intensity ratio [(F) / (D)] of (F) pyrazines and (D) phenols is 2.0 to 4.5. 8. A cereal tea composition according to claim 1. 9. The cereal tea composition according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the cereal is at least one of barley and haat and is roasted. The cereal tea according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the cereal tea composition is an instant cereal tea made of a soluble solid. A cereal tea beverage comprising the cereal tea composition. The cereal tea beverage contains the cereal tea composition in a range of 0.28 to 3.4 wt%. A method for improving the taste of a cereal tea composition containing a starch-containing cereal component and subjected to heat sterilization treatment, wherein the cereal tea composition is adjusted to contain theanine in a range of 5 to 30% by mass. A method for improving the taste of a cereal tea composition. A method for producing a cereal tea composition comprising a starch-containing cereal component and heat-sterilized, wherein the cereal tea composition is adjusted to contain 5 to 30% by mass of theanine. A method for producing a cereal tea composition.