JP2018117609A - Green tea beverage containing ground tea leaves - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a packed green tea beverage that contains ground tea leaves and also has a reduced feeling of rough taste from the ground tea leaves.SOLUTION: A packed green tea beverage contains (A) catechin 200-700 ppm and (B) hexanal 2.0-19 ppb and has (C) a turbidity of 0.05-2.0. Preferably, the beverage contains the following amino acids (D1) and (D2), with a weight ratio of (D1) and (D2), (D2)/(D1), of 2.0-6.0: (D1) at least one selected from aspartic acid and glutamic acid and (D2) at least one selected from serine, glycine, threonine, alanine, proline and theanine. More preferably, the beverage further contains (E) linalool 3.5-30 ppb.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

  The present invention relates to a green tea beverage containing ground tea leaves.

  Conventionally, beverages containing a large amount of powder have a problem of feeling powdery and rough when drinking. As countermeasures against such problems, there are methods to improve by processing in the manufacturing process such as emulsification processing and homogenization processing, methods to make substances that cause powderiness finer in advance, and the feeling of roughness is reduced. A method of blending possible components has been practiced.

  For example, in the case of green tea beverages containing powdered green tea leaves such as powdered green tea and pulverized green tea leaves, a method of reducing the graininess of powdered green tea to reduce the feeling of roughness (Patent Document 1, Patent Document 2), particle diameter of 7 μm to 20 μm A method for controlling the particle size and distribution of matcha so that the ratio of the following number of particles is 60% to 90% to reduce the feeling of roughness while maintaining the aroma of matcha (Patent Document 3), theanine and / or Alternatively, a method of reducing the graininess of tea leaf-derived particles contained in a high concentration by adjusting the glutamic acid concentration to a specific range (Patent Document 4), the graininess of powdered green tea and the inclusion of glyceroglycolipids A method for reducing the above (Patent Document 5) and the like has been proposed.

  On the other hand, aliphatic aldehydes such as hexanal are known as flavor inhibitors in foods and beverages (Patent Documents 6 and 7). Patent Document 6 discloses an oolong tea beverage in which hexanal and 2,4-heptadienal exhibiting an oxidative odor and a blue odor that impair the fresh flavor are limited to a predetermined content (20.0 ppb or less, preferably 0 to 10.0 ppb). It is disclosed. Moreover, although there is no description regarding the effect of hexanal, the lady to drink tea which contains hexanal by the density | concentration of 26 ppb is also disclosed (patent document 8). As a method of improving the flavor of foods and drinks using hexanal, it has been proposed to use for reducing acetic acid odor in acetic acid-containing foods and beverages such as vinegar beverages and soups (Patent Document 9).

JP-A-10-234301 WO2004 / 110161 pamphlet JP 2014-68635 A JP 2017-000071 A JP 2014-68636 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-140305 Japanese Patent No. 5955030 Special table 2009-523016 Japanese Patent No. 5368843

  An object of the present invention is to provide a container-packed green tea beverage and a method for producing the same, in which the rough feeling derived from the ground tea leaves is reduced despite containing ground tea leaves.

The present inventors diligently studied to solve the above problems. As a result of studying various ingredients to reduce the feeling of roughness in the blending in order to avoid complicated manufacturing processes, the inclusion of hexanal, which is an aroma component, makes it easy to drink in the mouth when drinking even if crushed tea leaves are included. It has been found that it is difficult to feel a rough feeling, and the present invention has been completed. The present invention is not limited to this, but relates to the following.
(1) The following components (A) and (B):
(A) Catechin 200-700 ppm
(B) Hexanal 2.0-19ppb
And (C) a turbidity of 0.05 to 2.0
Is a green tea beverage packaged in a container.
(2) Further, the following amino acids (D1) and (D2):
(D1) one or more selected from the group consisting of aspartic acid and glutamic acid (D2) containing one or more selected from the group consisting of serine, glycine, threonine, alanine, proline and theanine, (D1) and (D2) The weight ratio ((D2) / (D1)) of the beverage according to (1), which is 2.0 to 6.0.
(3) Further (E) linalool 3.5-30 ppb
The beverage according to (1) or (2).

  According to the present invention, a container-packed green tea beverage capable of providing a suitable texture and a throat feel despite containing ground tea leaves is obtained. Since this container-packed green tea beverage contains crushed tea leaves, it can fully enjoy the richness and deep taste of the crushed tea leaves.

First, terms used in this specification will be described.
“Turbidity” means the absorbance OD ₆₈₀ at ₆₈₀ nm.
“Tea leaf” means a tea-processed leaf obtained from the genus Camellia (for example, C. sinensis, C. assamica) or the hybrid of those species.

“Crushed tea leaves” means powdered tea leaves such as matcha tea and crushed green tea leaves. It consists of many solid particles insoluble in water with a size distribution, including fibrous ones.
“Tea beverage” means a beverage containing tea leaf extract as the main ingredient, and “green tea beverage” means green tea leaf (sencha, bancha, gyokuro, tencha, kettle roasted tea, etc.) It is a generic name for beverages that contain green tea leaf extract extracted with an aqueous solution containing water and extraction aids.

  “Catechin” refers to unpolymerized monomeric catechins ((+)-catechin (hereinafter “C”), (−)-epicatechin (hereinafter “EC”), (+)-gallocatechin (Hereinafter “GC”), (−)-epigallocatechin (hereinafter “EGC”), (−)-catechin gallate (hereinafter “Cg”), (−)-epicatechin gallate (hereinafter “ECg”) ), (−)-Gallocatechin gallate (hereinafter “GCg”), (−)-epigallocatechin gallate (hereinafter “EGCg”)), and the content of catechins refers to the total amount of these. . Further, among catechins, those having a gallate group (Cg, ECg, GCg, EGCg) are referred to as gallate catechins (also referred to as (a2) in the present specification), and the content of gallate catechins is referred to. Represents the total amount of these gallate-type catechins. Among catechins, those having no gallate group (C, EC, GC, EGC) are referred to as free catechins (also referred to as (a1) in the present specification), and when the content of free catechins is referred to Represents the total amount of these free catechins.

“Mouth” means a feeling and a touch when put in the mouth, and “a refreshing mouth” means a feeling without an unpleasant touch such as a rough feeling.
“Rough feeling” refers to a rough and unpleasant texture.

“Over the throat” means a feeling of being caught in the throat when drunk, and “Good in the throat” means a feeling of not being caught in the throat at all.
“Body” means a rich and deep taste.

“Retro nasal aroma” refers to the scent that comes back from the throat through the nose after swallowing a drink.
“Drinkability” means the capacity of a beverage to be drunk after a single drinking.

In the present specification, “ppb” or “ppm” represents a concentration of mass / volume (w / v).
(Tea drink)
The present invention is directed to a green tea beverage containing a specific amount of (A) catechins and (C) having a turbidity of 0.05 to 2.0. The concentration of catechins contained in the beverage is preferably 200 to 700 ppm, more preferably 250 to 600 ppm, and even more preferably 300 to 500 ppm. Catechins are soluble components, but if the concentration exceeds 700 ppm, a rough feeling derived from catechins may occur. The rough feeling derived from catechins is a rough texture remaining on the tongue and teeth after drinking, and the effect of reducing the rough feeling derived from the ground tea leaves of the present invention described later may be impaired. Moreover, the effect of this invention may not fully be acquired as catechin is less than the lower limit of 200 ppm.

  The type of catechins is not particularly limited, but it is preferable to adjust the concentration of free catechin (a1) to be higher than the concentration of gallate catechin (a2), that is, (a1)> (a2). . More preferably, the ratio [(a2) / (a1) + (a2)] of the free catechin (a1) to the gallate catechin (a2) is 0.25 to 0.50, and more preferably 0.30 to 0.00. Adjust to a ratio of 50. By adjusting to be in the above range, the effect of reducing the rough feeling of the present invention can be expressed more strongly, and a more refreshing mouth feel and throat can be realized. The catechin content in the beverage is measured and quantified by a method using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).

  The green tea beverage of the present invention contains crushed tea leaves. Turbidity can be used as an index for the content of ground tea leaves, and (C) turbidity in the beverage of the present invention is 0.05 to 2.0, preferably 0.2 to 1.5, more preferably 0. .3 to 1.2, more preferably 0.4 to 1.0.

  In general, in a green tea beverage containing ground tea leaves, the larger the particle size, the stronger the flavor of the product itself, but the greater the feeling of roughness. On the other hand, the smaller the particle size, the smoother the mouthfeel, but the tendency for the flavor to not be felt. The contained particle size of the beverage containing the ground tea leaves of the present invention is preferably from 0.1 to 80 μm, more preferably from 0.2 to 65 μm, still more preferably from 0.5 to 60 μm. Here, the particle diameter of 80 μm or less does not require that all (100%) of the particles be 80 μm or less, and 90% or more, preferably 95% or more of the particles contained in the beverage. The particle diameter of the particles should be 80 μm or less. Further, the content particle size of 0.1 μm or more does not require that all (100%) of the particles be 0.1 μm or more, but 5% or more, preferably 10 of the particles contained in the beverage. % Of the particles may be 0.1 μm or more. Here, the particle size of the crushed tea leaves is a value obtained by measuring the major axis of the particles, and specifically, a value measured by a laser diffraction / scattering particle size distribution measuring device LS 13 320 manufactured by Beckman Coulter.

To adjust the particle size of the ground tea leaves, use a crusher or grinder such as a mill, mixer, homogenizer, line mixer, emulder, milder, chopper, or pulper fisher at the raw material stage or in the liquid state after mixing the raw materials. Can be performed.

As the pulverized tea leaves, one or more pulverized products of green tea such as matcha, sencha, kabusecha, gyokuro, etc., preferably a combination of a plurality of types can be used.
The present invention is characterized in that, in a green tea beverage containing ground tea leaves, a certain amount of (B) Hexanal, which is a scent component, is contained to reduce the feeling of roughness derived from ground tea leaves. Although the mechanism by which hexanal can reduce the rough feeling derived from ground tea leaves is unknown, it is presumed that hexanal, which is an aliphatic aldehyde, adsorbs to the ground tea leaves to smooth the surface of the ground tea leaves. The present inventors have found for the first time to improve the texture by using hexanal, which is known as an aroma component and a flavor-inhibiting substance.

  The (B) hexanal concentration in the beverage of the present invention is 2.0 to 19 ppb, preferably 2.0 to 15 ppb, more preferably 2.0 to 10 ppb. By containing hexanal in this concentration range, a rough tea leaf-derived rough feeling is reduced, and a green tea beverage having a suitable texture and a feeling of throatiness is obtained. In addition, the hexanal density | concentration in a tea drink can be measured using the gas chromatography (GC / MS) with a mass spectrometer.

  Hexanal may be a chemically synthesized product, and the concentration in tea beverages can be adjusted using natural food materials such as essential oils. In addition, you may use the food raw material which contains many of these components. Most preferred is a method using a green tea leaf extract.

Among the green tea beverages of the present invention, in beverages containing relatively large pulverized tea leaves with a particle size of 20 μm or more, not only the feeling of roughness is reduced, but also has the effect that retronasal aroma is enhanced, It becomes a drink that can taste the lingering taste of green tea. Therefore, a beverage adjusted so that 1% or more, preferably 5% or more, of the particles contained in the beverage is 20 μm or more is an example of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
(Other ingredients)
It has been found that the specific amino acid balance in the beverage affects the effect of the present invention.

Generally, green tea beverages include aspartic acid (Asp), glutamic acid (Glu), theanine (Theanine), glycine (Gly), alanine (Ala), serine (Ser), tyrosine (Tyr), threonine (Thr), cysteine ( Cys), methionine (Met), arginine (Arg), lysine (Lys), and proline (Pro) are known to be included. Among these amino acids, the amino acids that contribute to the graininess reduction effect of the present invention are classified into the group consisting of (D1) aspartic acid and glutamic acid, and (D2) the group consisting of serine, glycine, threonine, alanine, proline and theanine. Is an amino acid. (D1) is an acidic amino acid having two carboxyl groups (—COOH), and (D2) is a neutral amino acid or theanine containing no aromatic, sulfur, or branched chain in the side chain.

  In order to reduce the feeling of roughness, the weight ratio ((D2) / (D1)) of the content of amino acids classified as (D1) and the content of amino acids classified as (D2) is important. That is, the tea beverage of the present invention is (D1) one or more selected from the group consisting of aspartic acid and glutamic acid, and (D2) one or more selected from the group consisting of serine, glycine, threonine, alanine, proline and theanine. It is preferable that the weight ratio ((D2) / (D1)) of (D1) and (D2) is 2.0 to 6.0. A more preferred weight ratio of (D1) and (D2) is 2.5 to 5.5, and a more preferred weight ratio is 3.0 to 5.0. Here, when referring to the content of (D1), it represents the total amount of amino acids classified in (D1). Moreover, when referring to the content of (D2), it represents the total amount of amino acids classified in (D2).

By adjusting the weight ratio of the amino acids classified as (D1) and (D2) within the above range, the effect of reducing the feeling of roughness can be further enhanced, and even though the tea leaves contain a crushed tea leaf having a large particle size. It is a green tea drink with a refreshing taste and a pleasant throat. A beverage containing all of the two types of amino acids classified as (D1) and the six types of amino acids classified as (D2) is the most preferred beverage.

  The weight ratio of (D1) and (D2) is important for the graininess reduction effect of the present invention, and the content is not particularly limited, but the total amount of amino acid D1 is usually 5 to 60 ppm, preferably 10 to 50 ppm. More preferably, it is 12-40 ppm, and the total amount of amino acid D2 is 20-150 ppm, Preferably it is 30-120 ppm, More preferably, it is 40-100 ppm. Almost pure amino acids are commercially available as food raw materials, and this can be used to adjust the concentration in tea beverages. In addition, you may adjust using the food raw material which contains many of these components. Most preferred is a method using a green tea leaf extract. The most tea extract contains a lot of amino acids, and the ratio of (D1) and (D2) is close to the above range, so it is preferably used.

Moreover, the drink containing the large pulverized tea leaves having a particle size of 20 μm or more is also a preferable embodiment from the viewpoint of enhancing retronasal. In particular, when (E) linalool is contained in addition to (B) hexanal, retronasal is more noticeable. The preferred linalool concentration is 3.5 to 30 ppb, preferably 4.0 to 25 ppb, more preferably 5.0 to 20 ppb, and still more preferably 6.0 to 20 ppb. In addition, the linalool density | concentration in a tea drink can be measured using the gas chromatography (GC / MS) with a mass spectrometer. For linalool, a chemically synthesized product may be used, and the concentration in the tea beverage can be adjusted using natural food materials such as essential oils. In addition, you may use the food raw material which contains many of these components. Most preferred is a method using a green tea leaf extract. An extract of deep-steamed tea containing a large amount of linalool is suitable as the linalool raw material of the present invention. The green tea leaf extract containing a large amount of linalool can be obtained, for example, by the method described in Patent Document 8 (Japanese translations of PCT publication No. 2009-523016).
(Packed green tea beverage)
The beverage of the present invention has a high drinkability and can be drunk in a large amount at a stretch in order to heal thirst, that is, it has the property that it can be drunk without getting tired even if drinking a large amount of tea beverage. Here, the large amount specifically refers to a dose per adult male of 350 mL to 2000 mL, preferably 500 mL to 1000 mL. The beverage of the present invention can be provided in the form of a container-packed beverage having a capacity of 350 mL to 2000 mL, preferably 500 mL to 1000 mL.

  Containers used are molded containers (so-called PET bottles) mainly composed of polyethylene phthalate, metal cans, paper containers combined with metal foils and plastic films, bottles and the like, as in general beverages. A transparent container such as a PET bottle is an example of a preferable container because it can enjoy the appearance of dark turbid tea, which is a feature of the present invention.

  In addition, beverages containing large crushed tea leaves with a particle size of 20 μm or more have the characteristic of being able to feel retronasal aroma strongly, so drink with a mouth directly on a narrow opening such as a PET bottle. Suitable for packing into such containers.

A container having a narrow opening means a container having an opening serving as a drinking mouth of 1200 mm ² or less, preferably 1000 mm ² or less, more preferably 900 mm ² or less, and particularly preferably 800 mm ² or less. As such a beverage container with a narrow opening, a PET bottle or bottle can with a cap (φ28 mm, φ38 mm), a partial open-end can lid such as a pull tab type or a steion tab type that opens only a part of the lid Aluminum cans and steel cans with paper, paper packs with straws, chilled cups with straws.
Usually, when a beverage is packed in a container with a narrow opening such as a PET bottle or a bottle can, the scent from the surface of the beverage is higher than when a container with a wide opening such as a cup is used. Although it is difficult to enter directly into the nose, the scent tends to be weak, but the beverage of the present invention can be used to brew tea drinks brewed in a teapot even when packed in a narrow opening container. You can feel the fresh scent of green tea as if you were drinking it.

EXAMPLES Hereinafter, although an Example is shown and the detail of this invention is demonstrated concretely, this invention is not limited to this.
(Quantification method of aroma components in beverages)
The concentration (ppb) of hexanal and linalool in the beverage (sample solution) was measured by the following method.

10 ml of the sample solution was added to a vial (capacity 20 ml), 3 g of NaCl was added, and the solution was introduced into GCMS (manufactured by Agilent) by the MVM (Multi Volatile Method) method using MPS manufactured by Gester. Analysis was performed under the following conditions.
-Equipment: GC: GC7890B manufactured by Agilent Technologies
MS: 5977A made by Agilent Technologies
HS: Gestel MPS,
Tube: Tenax TA, Carbon bx1000
・ Column: HP-INNOWAX 60m x 0.25mmi.d. Df = 0.25μm
・ Quantitative ions: hexanal 56.0m / z, linalool 93m / z
・ Temperature condition 40 ℃ (4min) ～ 5 ℃ / min ～ 260 ℃
・ Carrier gas flow rate He 1.5ml / min ・ Injection method: Splitless ・ Ion source temperature 260 ℃
(Quantitative method of catechin concentration)
The sample tea beverage was subjected to HPLC analysis after the solid content was removed with a membrane filter (pore size 0.45 μm, Juji Field Co., Ltd., water-based unsterilized 13A):
・ HPLC equipment: TOSOH HPLC system LC8020 modelII
・ Column: TSKgel ODS80T sQA (4.6mm × 150mm)
-Column temperature: 40 ° C
Mobile phase A: water-acetonitrile-trifluoroacetic acid (90: 10: 0.05)
Mobile phase B: water-acetonitrile-trifluoroacetic acid (20: 80: 0.05)
・ Detection: UV275nm
・ Injection volume: 20μL
-Flow rate: 1 mL / min.
・ Gradient program:
Time (min)% A% B
0 100 0
5 92 8
11 90 10
21 90 10
22 0 100
29 0 100
30 100 0
-Standard substances: catechin, epicatechin, gallocatechin, epigallocatechin, catechin gallate, epicatechin gallate, gallocatechin gallate and epigallocatechin gallate (Kurita High Purity Reagent)
(Quantification method of amino acid concentration)
The amino acid concentration (ppm) in the beverage was measured using HPLC by the following method:
HPLC apparatus: Waters amino acid analyzer 2695
Column: AccQ-Tag column (3.9 mm x 150 mm)
-Column temperature: 40 ° C
-Mobile phase A: AccQ-TagA (pH 5.8)
-Mobile phase B: Acetonitrile-Mobile bed C: Water / methanol = 9/1
・ Detection: EX250nm EM395nm Gain100
・ Injection volume: 5μL
・ Gradient program:
Time (min) Flow rate (ml / min)% A% B% C
0 1 100 0 0
1 1 99 1 0
16 1 97 3 0
25 1 94 6 0
35 1 86 14 0
40 1 86 14 0
50 1 82 18 0
51 1 0 60 40
54 1 100 0 0
75 1 0 60 40
110 0 0 60 40
-Standard substance: amino acid (aspartic acid, glutamic acid, serine, glycine, threonine, alanine, proline, theanine)
The amino acids measured by the above method are classified into (D1) a group consisting of aspartic acid and glutamic acid and (D2) a group consisting of serine, glycine, threonine, alanine, proline and theanine, and (D1) and (D2 ) Weight ratio ((D2) / (D1)). Here, when referring to the content of (D1), it represents the total amount of amino acids classified in (D1). Moreover, when referring to the content of (D2), it represents the total amount of amino acids classified in (D2).
1. Preparation of ground tea leaf-containing liquid Matcha tea produced by grinding tea with a stone mill is suspended in about 20 times the amount of water, this suspension is treated with a high-pressure homogenizer at a pressure of 10 MPa, and then centrifuged (6000 rpm, 10 minutes). ) To remove coarse ground tea to obtain a ground tea leaf suspension having an average particle diameter of 20 μm or less. Furthermore, 20 parts by weight of crushed sencha (including particles of 20 μm or more) was added thereto to prepare a crushed tea leaf-containing liquid having an average particle size of 20 μm (crushed tea leaf-containing liquid B). 2. Preparation of Green Tea Leaf Extract as Base for Tea Beverage 30 parts by weight of water was used as an extraction solvent with respect to the dry weight of sencha leaves. After extraction with 60 ° C water for 5 minutes, the tea leaves are separated, and further centrifuged (6000 rpm, 10 minutes) to remove solid components such as coarse ground tea tissue and tea particles. Obtained (green tea leaf extract A).
3. Evaluation The following tea drinks were drunk and evaluated by three professional panelists (the evaluation was determined after discussion).

[Comparative Examples 1-6]
Six types of tea beverages having different turbidities were prepared by adding the crushed tea leaf-containing liquid B at various ratios to the green tea extract A (mixing ratios are listed in Tables 1 to 5). Or, the unit in the table of the ground tea leaf-containing liquid is g / L). 500 mL each was filled into a PET bottle to obtain a container-packed green tea beverage. According to visual observation, Comparative Example 1 to which no powdered tea leaves were added was not turbid, and Comparative Examples 2 to 6 were tea beverages having turbidity. About these tea drinks, the rough feeling was evaluated by using Comparative Example 1 without turbidity as a control.
<Evaluation criteria>
◎: Does not feel rough (same as control)
◯: Feels a little rough. ×: Feels rough. As is clear from Table 1, when the hexanal concentration is 0.6 to 0.7 ppb, the rough feeling derived from powdered tea leaves cannot be reduced. It was a bad drink.

[Examples 1 to 4, Comparative Examples 7 to 8]
Commercially available hexanal (manufactured by Kanto Chemical Co., Ltd .; Model No. 07126-30) was added to Comparative Examples 1 to 6 and 500 mL each was filled into a PET bottle to obtain a container-packed green tea beverage having a hexanal concentration of 2.0 ppb. According to visual observation, Comparative Example 7 to which no powdered tea leaves were added was not turbid, and Examples 1 to 4 and Comparative Example 8 were turbid tea beverages. About these tea drinks, the rough feeling was evaluated by making Comparative Example 7 without turbidity a control. In beverages containing powdered tea leaves with a turbidity of 0.2 to 2.0, the rough feeling derived from the powdered tea leaves can be reduced by containing 2.0 ppb of hexanal, and it has a refreshing throat. It was a beverage to have. In particular, the tea beverage having a turbidity of 0.40 to 0.80 has a reduced feeling of roughness and is at the same level as the control. On the other hand, when the turbidity was 2.5, the effect of reducing the feeling of roughness with hexanal was not sufficient, and the drink was poor in throat. Moreover, about the drink of Examples 1-4, when I put a mouth directly on a PET bottle and drunk, it had a rich retro nasal aroma and was able to taste the lingering scent of tea until after drinking.

[Examples 5 to 12, Comparative Examples 9 to 18]
Further, hexanal was added to obtain a container-packed green tea beverage with hexanal concentrations of 10 ppb, 18 ppb and 20 ppb. According to visual observation, Comparative Examples 9, 11 and 1 with no powdered tea leaves added
3 had no turbidity, and the beverage added with powdered tea leaves was a turbid tea beverage. About these tea drinks, the rough feeling was evaluated by using Table 9 for Comparative Example 9, Table 4 for Comparative Example 11, and Table 5 for Comparative Example 13 as controls. The results are shown in Tables 3-5.

  In beverages containing powdered tea leaves having a turbidity of 0.2 to 2.0, it was possible to reduce the rough feeling derived from powdered tea leaves by containing hexanal at a concentration of 10 ppb or 18 ppb. Beverages containing hexanal at a concentration of 10 ppb have a much less rough feel in tea beverages with turbidity of 0.40 to 0.80, and have the same level of mouthfeel and throat as the controls (Comparative Examples 9 and 11). Met. On the other hand, when the turbidity was 2.5, although there was an effect of reducing the feeling of roughness with hexanal, the feeling of roughness due to the addition of powdered tea leaves was further increased, and the beverage was difficult to drink. The beverage containing hexanal at a concentration of 20 ppb did not show the effect of reducing the roughness regardless of the turbidity.

[Example 13]
A commercially available linalool was added to the drink of the Example, and the container-packed green tea drink of hexanal 2ppb, linalool 6ppb, and turbidity 0.4 was obtained. Despite containing a high concentration of ground tea leaves, it was a tea drink with a refreshing mouthfeel and no gritty feeling at all. When drinking directly from a PET bottle, it had a rich retro nasal aroma and was able to taste the scent of tea until after drinking. This retronasal aroma was stronger than Example 2.
[Example 14]
A packaged green tea beverage was produced by the following method. Green tea leaf extract and crushed tea leaf suspension were used as raw materials for green tea beverages. The green tea leaf extract was prepared by extracting 8 g of hexanal-containing tea leaves with hot water at 70 ° C. for 5 minutes, followed by solid-liquid separation using a centrifuge. The ground tea leaf-containing liquid was prepared in the same manner as that used in Example 1. The green tea leaf extract and the crushed tea leaf-containing liquid were mixed at an arbitrary ratio to produce a green tea beverage having a turbidity of 0.49 and a hexanal of 3.2 ppb.

  About the obtained tea drink, while analyzing catechins and amino acids, the flavor was evaluated. The total amount of catechins was 440 ppm. Of these, the free catechin (a1) was 270 ppm, the gallate catechin (a2) was 170 ppm, and the ratio [(a2) / (a1) + (a2)] was 0.39. Table 6 shows the amino acid analysis results. The values in the table are ppm.

  This tea beverage was a green tea beverage capable of producing a suitable texture and a throat feel despite containing high levels of ground tea leaves. Since the crushed tea leaves are contained at a high concentration, the richness and deep taste of the crushed tea leaves can be fully enjoyed, and all three panelists evaluated the taste as never before. From the above, a tea beverage having a catechin concentration of 200 to 700 ppm and a weight ratio of (D1) to (D2) ((D2) / (D1)) of 2.0 to 6.0 is suitable for the present invention. It was suggested that this is one of the embodiments.

[Example 15, Comparative Examples 19-20]
Here, another crushed tea leaf-containing liquid was newly prepared.
The matcha tea produced by grinding a green tea with a stone mill is suspended in about 20 times the amount of water, this suspension is treated with a high-pressure homogenizer at a pressure of 10 MPa, and then centrifuged (6000 rpm, 10 minutes) to obtain a coarse particle. The ground tea was removed to obtain a ground tea leaf suspension having an average particle size of 20 μm or less. Further, 20 parts by weight of crushed green tea (including particles of 20 μm or more) was added thereto to prepare a ground tea leaf-containing liquid having an average particle size of 80 μm (ground tea leaf-containing liquid D).

In addition, a green tea leaf extract was newly prepared as a base for tea beverages.
A sencha leaf different from the above was used, and 30 parts by weight of water relative to the dry weight of the sencha leaf was used as an extraction solvent. After extraction with 60 ° C water for 5 minutes, the tea leaves are separated, and further centrifuged (6000 rpm, 10 minutes) to remove solid components such as coarse ground tea tissue and tea particles. Obtained (green tea leaf extract C).

Three kinds of tea beverages having different turbidities were prepared by adding the crushed tea leaf-containing liquid D at various ratios to the green tea extract C (mixing ratios are shown in Table 7). Commercially available hexanal (Kanto Chemical Co., Inc .; Model No. 07126-30) was added and 500 mL each was filled into a PET bottle, and the hexanal concentration was 10.
A 0ppb packaged green tea beverage was obtained. Visually, Comparative Example 19 with no added powdered tea leaves had no turbidity, and Example 15 and Comparative Example 20 were turbid tea beverages. These tea drinks were drunk, and the rough feeling was evaluated using Comparative Example 19 without turbidity as a control.

  Also in this example, in a beverage containing powdered tea leaves having a turbidity of 0.4, the feeling of roughness derived from powdered tea leaves is reduced by containing hexanal at a concentration of 10 ppb, which is the same level as the control (Comparative Example 19). Met.

[Example 16, comparative examples 21 to 22]
Three types of tea beverages having different turbidities were prepared by adding the crushed tea leaf-containing liquid D to the green tea extract A at various ratios (the blending ratio is shown in Table 8). Commercially available hexanal was added and 500 mL each was filled into a PET bottle to obtain a packaged green tea beverage having a hexanal concentration of 10.0 ppb. According to visual observation, Comparative Example 21 to which no powdered tea leaves were added was not turbid, and Example 16 and Comparative Example 22 were tea beverages having turbidity. About these tea drinks, it was drunk by three special panelists, and the rough feeling was evaluated by using Comparative Example 21 with no turbidity as a control (the evaluation was determined after discussion).

  Also in this example, in a beverage containing powdered tea leaves with a turbidity of 0.4, the feeling of roughness derived from powdered tea leaves is reduced by containing hexanal at a concentration of 10 ppb, which is the same level as the control (Comparative Example 21). Met.

[Examples 17 to 19]
The green tea extract A was added with the ground tea leaf-containing liquid B to prepare a tea beverage having a turbidity of 2 (the blending ratio is shown in Table 9). Add commercially available linalool and hexanal to make 500 mL each of PE
Filled in a T-bottle, a container-packed green tea beverage having a linalool concentration and a hexanal concentration as shown in Table 9 was obtained. Visually, all examples were cloudy. These tea drinks were drunk by three specialized panelists, and Example 17 with no turbidity was evaluated as a control. It was 3.5 ppb when the amount of linalool of Example 17 was measured by the method already described.

  In this example, by adding linalool at a concentration within a preferable range in addition to hexanal, the rough feeling derived from the powdered tea leaves was reduced and was at the same level as the control (Example 17). This suggests that not only turbidity and hexanal but also linalool is suitably adjusted to provide a preferred aspect of the present invention.

Claims (3)

The following components (A) and (B):
(A) Catechin 200-700 ppm
(B) Hexanal 2.0-19ppb
And (C) a turbidity of 0.05 to 2.0
Is a green tea beverage packaged in a container. Furthermore, the following amino acids (D1) and (D2):
(D1) one or more selected from the group consisting of aspartic acid and glutamic acid (D2) containing one or more selected from the group consisting of serine, glycine, threonine, alanine, proline and theanine, (D1) and (D2) The beverage according to claim 1, wherein the weight ratio ((D2) / (D1)) is 2.0 to 6.0. Furthermore (E) linalool 3.5-30ppb
The beverage according to claim 1 or 2, comprising: