JP2021065109A - Processed tea leaf, tea leaf product and method for producing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide unconventional processed tea leaves and a method for producing the same.SOLUTION: The present invention relates to a method for producing processed tea leaves. Tea leaves are treated for catalyst deactivation and the treated tea leaves are separated into a tea leaf extract part and a non-tea leaf extract part. The non-tea leaf extract part is sorted into a tea leaf solid part and a non-tea leaf solid part. The tea leaf extract part and the tea leaf solid part are mixed. There are also provided processed tea leaves that contain (1) a tea leaf extract part and (2) a tea leaf solid part but do not contain (3) a non-tea leaf solid part.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

The present invention relates to a novel processed tea leaf product obtained by processing raw tea leaves, a processed tea leaf product obtained by further adjusting the flavor of the processed tea leaf product, and a method for producing these.

Green tea has been a favorite drink in Japan for a long time and is one of the widely popular foods. When drinking green tea, purchase commercially available dried green tea leaves, put the required amount in a kyusu, extract with hot water for a predetermined time to obtain an extract of green tea leaves, and pour this into a hot water drink for drinking. It was a typical way to drink.

However, as the times change, consumer needs for green tea are also diversifying. For example, as described above, in the method of obtaining an extract of green tea leaves using a Kyusu and drinking it, the green tea leaves after extraction, that is, the tea leaves must be cleaned up, but there is a need to avoid this trouble. is there. In order to meet this need, we used a paper or nylon packaging material with a handle and dried green tea leaves enclosed (so-called tea bag), and poured hot water only into a kyusu or hot water. There is a method of obtaining an extract of green tea leaves by soaking, and this method is also widely used.

Furthermore, in response to the diversification of drinking scenes, when you want to drink cold green tea in the summer, etc., use water as the extraction solvent and immerse the green tea leaves or tea bags to obtain the extract as so-called water-drained green tea. Methods have also come to be used. However, in conventional tea leaves, they are rubbed and dried repeatedly, and when the tea leaves are tightened and twisted and extracted, the tea leaves first absorb the solvent and swell, and the extraction is started after the twist is untwisted. It took a long time, and it was not in a state where it could be easily made and drunk immediately, and when ice water or the like was used for cooler, the phenomenon became more remarkable, which was inconvenient.

In addition, to meet the needs for convenience in drinking green tea, the extract of green tea leaves is industrially packaged and can be drunk immediately after opening the cap (so-called RTD), or green tea leaves. We have responded by providing green tea leaf liquor for drinking (so-called instant tea), etc., which is obtained by pouring hot water or water into hot water or the like, which is an industrially dried extract of green tea.

In order to meet such diverse market needs, technological developments and improvements have been carried out in various ways. However, on the other hand, the ambition to create new market needs far beyond the scope of the old conventional technology and to significantly improve the flavor, extraction efficiency, and production efficiency because the existing technology can meet the current situation. There are not many attempts.

Most of the green tea in Japan is steamed with steam to inactivate (kill) the oxidase contained in the fresh leaves, and then kneaded in each process such as rough kneading, kneading, medium kneading and fine kneading. It is manufactured through a series of steps of further drying (Non-Patent Document 1).

Shizuoka Prefectural Tea Industry Council, 1988, "New Tea Industry Complete Book", Shizuoka Prefectural Tea Industry Council, p275-276

Conventionally, when green tea leaves are used for packaged beverages, as powdered tea, or when stored as frozen tea leaves, as described above, after the raw tea leaves are blued, they are roughly kneaded, kneaded, medium kneaded and refined. In many cases, dried tea leaves produced through a series of steps of kneading and then drying were used as raw tea leaves.

However, the series of processes of rough kneading, kneading, medium kneading and fine kneading requires fine adjustment according to the type and conditions of raw materials and climatic conditions such as temperature and humidity, so the burden on the practitioner is only heavy. Or, large and complicated manufacturing equipment was required to carry out industrial production.

Further, in the case of producing a packaged beverage using the raw material tea leaves, it is desirable to increase the extraction strength in order to increase the extraction efficiency, but if the extraction intensity becomes excessive, the taste becomes unfavorable. Therefore, there is a certain limit to the components obtained by extracting tea leaves.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an unprecedented processed tea leaf product and a method for producing the same by reviewing the conventional production method in tea leaf processing.
As one aspect thereof, the processed tea leaf product provides, so to speak, "tea without tea leaves" that can be drunk without separating the tea liquor and the tea leaves.
Further, the processed tea leaf product provides various forms of products (processed tea leaf product) by undergoing a flavor adjusting step or the like.

In the present invention, green tea leaves are separated into a tea leaf extract portion and a non-tea leaf extract portion, and the obtained non-tea leaf extract portion is sorted into a tea leaf solid portion and a non-tea leaf solid portion (also referred to as "tea husk portion"). We propose a method for producing a processed tea leaf product in which the tea leaf extract portion and the tea leaf solid portion are mixed.

The present invention is as follows.
(1) The green tea leaves were separated into a tea leaf extract part and a non-tea leaf extract part, and the obtained non-tea leaf extract part was sorted into a tea leaf solid part and a non-tea leaf solid part. A method for producing processed tea leaves.
(2) A method for producing a processed tea leaf product, which does not include one or more treatments selected from the group consisting of rough kneading, kneading, medium kneading and fine kneading.
(3) Adjust the amount or content ratio of 1 or 2 or more selected from the group consisting of fiber content, protein content, sugar content, catechin content, theanine content and water content in the green tea leaf or its processed product. Manufacturing method of processed tea leaves.
(4) A processed tea leaf product that adjusts the ratio of two combinations selected from the group consisting of fiber content, protein content, sugar content, catechin content, theanine content, and water content in the green tea leaf or its processed product. Production method.
(5) The tea leaf processed product obtained by the method for producing the processed tea leaf product according to any one of 1 to 4 above is further flavor-adjusted to obtain a processed tea leaf product (referred to as "flavor adjusting step"). Manufacturing method for processed tea leaves.
(6) The fifth aspect of the present invention, wherein in the flavor adjusting step, one type of treatment selected from the group consisting of freezing, cooling, concentration, drying, powdering and granulation, or a combination of two or more types of treatments is performed. Manufacturing method of processed tea leaves.
(7) The enzyme of the raw tea leaf is inactivated by killing the green tea leaf (this step is referred to as "enzyme deactivation step").
The obtained enzyme-inactivated tea leaves are crushed (this process is referred to as a "crushing process").
The obtained crushed enzyme-inactivated tea leaves are squeezed and separated into a liquid part (also referred to as "tea leaf extract part") and other non-liquid parts (also referred to as "non-tea leaf extract part") (this step is referred to as "non-tea leaf extract part"). Classification process "),
The non-tea leaf extract portion is sorted into a tea leaf solid portion and a non-tea leaf solid portion (this step is referred to as a "sorting step").
The tea leaf extract portion and the tea leaf solid portion are mixed to obtain a processed tea leaf product (this step is referred to as a "mixing step").
A method for producing a processed tea leaf product.
(8) A processed tea leaf product containing (1) a tea leaf extract portion and (2) a tea leaf solid portion, and (3) not containing a non-tea leaf solid portion.
(9) The processed tea leaf product according to claim 8, which has a water content of 1 to 80% by mass.
(10) A processed tea leaf product obtained by adjusting the flavor of the processed tea leaf product according to 8 or 9 above.
(11) A processed tea leaf product which is any of frozen tea leaves, powdered tea leaves, raw materials for packaged beverages, and additives for tea leaves containing packaging materials.

The present invention also proposes a processed tea leaf product containing (1) a tea leaf extract portion and (2) a tea leaf solid portion and (3) not containing a non-tea leaf solid portion (tea husk portion). We propose a processed tea leaf product obtained by adjusting the flavor of.

According to the method for producing a processed tea leaf product proposed by the present invention, for example, a processed tea leaf product containing (1) a tea leaf extract portion and (2) a tea leaf solid portion and (3) not containing a non-tea leaf solid portion (tea husk portion). Can be obtained, and the above problems can be solved.
Further, the processed tea leaf product that can be produced by the production method proposed by the present invention can be used as it is, or can be used as a processed tea leaf product that has been processed. For example, it can be used as an additive for frozen tea leaves, powdered tea leaves, raw materials for packaged beverages, tea leaves containing packaging materials (tea bag products), and the like.

Hereinafter, an example of the embodiment of the present invention will be described. However, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to one example of the following embodiments.

<Processed tea leaves / processed tea leaves>
The processed tea leaf product in the present invention contains (1) a tea leaf extract portion (also referred to as a "liquid portion") and (2) a tea leaf solid portion (also referred to as a "solid portion"), and (3) a non-tea leaf solid portion (3) a non-tea leaf solid portion (also referred to as a "solid portion"). It does not contain tea leaves).
Further, the processed tea leaf product in the present invention preferably has a water content of 1 to 80% by mass, more preferably 20 to 80% by mass, and more preferably 30 to 80% by mass.
Further, the processed tea leaf product in the present invention refers to a product obtained by adjusting the flavor of the processed tea leaf product.

The "processed tea leaf product" in the present invention is a product obtained by artificially processing the plucked raw tea leaves, and preferably comprises only the components derived from the raw tea leaves.
The "tea leaf extract portion" refers to a liquid portion obtained by artificially processing raw tea leaves that have been steamed and heat-treated, and the "non-tea leaf extract portion" refers to a non-liquid portion obtained by performing the above-mentioned processing treatment. To say. Such artificial processing is not particularly limited as long as the "tea leaf extract portion" and the "tea leaf solid portion" can be separated, and examples thereof include a juice squeezing step.
Further, the "non-tea leaf extract portion" is artificially processed to be sorted into a "tea leaf solid portion" (soluble solid portion) and a "non-tea leaf solid portion" (tea husk portion). Here, the "tea leaf solid part" (soluble solid part) means a drinkable substance containing a soluble solid content, and the "non-tea leaf solid part" (tea husk part) contains an insoluble solid content (dietary fiber). It is not suitable for drinking as it is.
The "processed tea leaf product" in the present invention comprises a portion of tea leaves that is suitable for drinking, that is, a "tea leaf extract portion" and a "tea leaf solid portion" (soluble solid portion), and is not suitable for drinking as it is. It does not contain the "non-tea leaf solid part" (tea husk part).

<Manufacturing method of processed tea leaves>
In the processed tea leaf product of the present invention, the green tea leaves are separated into a tea leaf extract portion and a non-tea leaf extract portion, and the obtained non-tea leaf extract portion is sorted into a tea leaf solid portion and a non-tea leaf solid portion (tea husk portion). It can be obtained by mixing the tea leaf extract portion and the tea leaf solid portion.
At this time, a specific method for separating the green tea leaves into a tea leaf extract portion and a non-tea leaf extract portion, and a specific method for selecting the obtained non-tea leaf extract portion into a tea leaf solid portion and a non-tea leaf solid portion (tea husk portion). The specific method for mixing the tea leaf extract portion and the tea leaf solid portion is not particularly limited as long as the processed tea leaf product of the present invention can be obtained.

Further, the processed tea leaf product in the present invention is selected from the group consisting of rough kneading, kneading, medium kneading and fine kneading from the viewpoint of shortening the processing time and maintaining the quality by reducing the heat history (cumulative heat damage in the processing stage). It can be obtained by a manufacturing method that does not include one or more treatments.

Further, in the production of the processed tea leaf product in the present invention, the fiber content, protein content, sugar content, catechin content, theanine content and water content in the green tea leaf or the processed product thereof are used. It is also possible to adjust the amount or content ratio of 1 or 2 or more selected from the group.
Such component adjustment can be adjusted using each component as an index when performing the essential treatment in the production of the processed tea leaf product in the present invention, or an additional adjustment step can be provided in addition to the essential treatment. Above all, from the viewpoint of shortening the processing time and maintaining the quality by reducing the heat history (cumulative heat damage in the processing stage), it is preferable to adjust each component as an index when performing the essential processing in the production of the processed tea leaf product. ..

In addition, the ratio of two combinations selected from the group consisting of fiber content, protein content, sugar content, catechin content, theanine content, and water content in the green tea leaf or its processed product, that is, fiber content and protein content. , Fiber content, protein amount, saccharide amount, catechin amount, theanine amount, which are different from the above, with respect to one amount or content ratio selected from the group consisting of sugar amount, catechin amount, theanine amount, and water content. The ratio of one amount or content ratio selected from the group consisting of water content may be adjusted.

As a specific example of the above amount or content ratio, or the above ratio, the content of dietary fiber and the content ratio of dietary fiber to protein (dietary fiber) based on the characteristic that the processed tea leaf product in the present invention does not contain a tea husk portion. / Protein), content ratio of dietary fiber and sugar (dietary fiber / sugar), content ratio of dietary fiber and catechins (dietary fiber / catechins), content ratio of dietary fiber and theanin (dietary fiber / theanin) , Dietary fiber and water content ratio (dietary fiber / water) and the like.

Further, for example, the processed tea leaf product in the present invention has a protein content, a dietary fiber-protein content ratio (dietary fiber / protein), and a dietary fiber-sugar content ratio (dietary fiber / sugar content ratio) based on the feature that the heat history is small. Dietary fiber / sugar), content ratio of dietary fiber to catechins (dietary fiber / catechins), content ratio of dietary fiber to theanin (dietary fiber / theanin), content ratio of dietary fiber to water (dietary fiber / water) ) And so on.

<One aspect of the manufacturing method>
As a specific embodiment of the production of the processed tea leaf product in the present invention, for example, the enzyme of the raw tea leaf is inactivated by killing the green tea leaf (this step is referred to as "enzyme deactivation step"). The enzyme-inactivated tea leaves are crushed (this process is called "crushing process"), and the obtained crushed enzyme-inactivated tea leaves are squeezed to make a liquid part (also called "tea leaf extract part") and other non-liquid parts. Separated into parts (also referred to as "non-tea leaf extract part") (this step is also referred to as "classification step"), and the non-tea leaf extract part was sorted into a tea leaf solid part and a non-tea leaf solid part (tea husk part) ( This step is also referred to as a “sorting step”), and a method of mixing the tea leaf extract portion and the tea leaf solid portion to obtain a processed tea leaf product (this step is referred to as a “mixing step”) can be mentioned.

In addition, in this invention, a "process" does not have to be performed in a series of production lines, and may be intermittent, and at that time, time may be taken, equipment may be changed, or a place may be changed. It may be performed intermittently.

(Raw tea leaves)
The above-mentioned "raw tea leaves" and "raw tea leaves" refer to tea leaves that have not been subjected to enzyme deactivation treatment (blue killing).

The tea to be picked does not limit the variety, cultivation method and picking time. For example, undercover tea leaves that have been covered and cultivated for a certain period of time before harvesting may be used, or tea leaves that are not covered and cultivated may be used. It is also possible to use first tea, second tea, third tea, fourth tea, autumn / winter bancha, and the like.
It is also possible to use a combination of two or more types of tea leaves having different tea varieties, tea cultivation methods, picking times, and the like.

The plucked tea leaves consist of a tea leaf stem portion and a tea leaf non-stem portion. Usually, 2 to 5 tea leaves are bound to one stem.
The tea leaf stem part is a stem and a petiole, and the tea leaf non-stem part is a part other than the tea leaf stem part.

(Enzyme deactivation process)
In the enzyme deactivation step, the raw tea leaves may be heated to inactivate the enzyme to obtain the enzyme deactivated tea leaves, and the method may be a method currently known or developed in the future.
For example, in addition to steaming heat treatment and roasting steaming treatment with a steam locomotive, hot air drying that generates steam, direct fire heating such as roasting in a kettle, and hot air killing by applying hot air can be mentioned. It is also possible to combine these. For example, after steaming heat treatment with a steam locomotive, hot air killing by applying hot air may be performed.

(Crushing process)
In the crushing step, the enzyme-inactivated tea leaves may be crushed to obtain crushed enzyme-inactivated tea leaves.
Here, crushing means making tea leaves into a finer state, and specific means include each treatment such as cutting, cutting, and squeezing, and even if these are performed alone, Two or more of these treatments may be combined and carried out.
As a specific method of crushing, for example, a cutting process using a fresh leaf cutter, a food processor, a slicer, a minced machine, a rotor van, a CTC machine, etc., or a crusher such as a stone mill, a ball mill, a jet mill, a pin mill, or an air flow type crusher is used. Then, a method of pulverizing by a known method can be mentioned.
Further, if necessary, fine pulverization may be performed using a high-pressure homogenizer, a planetary ball mill, a vibrating ball mill, an ultrasonic ball mill, a colloid mill, or the like.

(Classification processing)
In the classification treatment step, the crushed enzyme-inactivated tea leaves are squeezed and separated into a liquid part (tea leaf extract part) and other non-liquid parts (non-tea leaf extract part).
At this time, of the crushed enzyme-inactivated tea leaves squeezed and separated into solid and liquid, the liquid part is called the tea leaf extract part, and the other non-liquid part is called the non-tea leaf extract part or the tea leaf fiber part.

Here, solid-liquid separation refers to the liquid part (tea leaf extract part) and other non-liquid parts by artificially processing the result obtained by squeezing the crushed enzyme-inactivated tea leaves. Separation into (non-tea leaf extract part) (also called classification treatment).
Further, the classification treatment means a treatment for separating the tea leaf extract portion and the other non-tea leaf extract portion.

The specific method of solid-liquid separation is not particularly limited. For example, various squeezing treatments and extraction treatments can be mentioned.
Specific examples of the classification method include squeezing, squeezing, filtering, centrifuging, sedimentation classification, and mechanical classification.
These treatments may be carried out alone or in combination of two or more of these treatments.

(Sorting process)
In the sorting step, the non-tea leaf extract portion is sorted into a tea leaf solid portion and a non-tea leaf solid portion (tea husk portion) (also referred to as “sorting treatment”).
Here, the solid part of tea leaves means a drinkable one containing soluble solids, and the non-solid part of tea leaves (tea husks) means one containing insoluble solids (dietary fiber) and not suitable for drinking as it is. ..
The specific method of the sorting treatment is not particularly limited as long as the non-tea leaf extract portion can be sorted into the tea leaf solid portion and the non-tea leaf solid portion (tea husk portion), but for example, various juice squeezing treatments and extractions are performed. Treatment, filtration, specific gravity sorting, mechanical classification, straining, etc. can be mentioned.

(Mixing process)
In the next mixing step, the tea leaf extract portion obtained in the classification step and the tea leaf solid portion obtained in the sorting step are mixed to obtain a processed tea leaf product.
The tea leaf extract portion obtained in the classification step may be completely mixed or a part thereof may be mixed.
Further, all the solid tea leaves obtained in the sorting step may be mixed, or a part thereof may be mixed.

(Other processing processes)
As long as the processed tea leaf product of the present invention can be obtained, the production method thereof is not particularly limited, but it is coarse from the viewpoint of shortening the processing time and maintaining the quality by reducing the heat history (cumulative heat damage in the processing stage). It is preferable not to include one or more treatments selected from the group consisting of kneading, kneading, medium kneading and fine kneading.

(Ingredient adjustment)
In the present invention, it can be understood as a method of adjusting the components by focusing on various components contained in the tea leaves. This method can be suitably used from the viewpoint of quality stability of the processed tea leaf product. Examples of such a component include an amount or content ratio of 1 or 2 or more selected from the group consisting of fiber content, protein content, sugar content, catechin content, theanine content, and water content.
For example, a processed tea leaf product can be prepared by adjusting one or more selected from the group consisting of fiber content, protein content, sugar content, catechin content, theanine content, and water content in the green tea leaf or its processed product. It can also be produced, or the ratio of two combinations selected from the group consisting of fiber content, protein content, sugar content, catechin content, theanine content, and water content in green tea leaves or processed products thereof is adjusted. You can also.

(Processed tea leaves as a product)
The processed tea leaf product obtained by the above production method is different from the raw tea leaf and the processed tea leaf product obtained by the prior art in that the non-solid portion (tea husk portion) is removed, in terms of its components and components.
The water content of the processed tea leaf product may be 1 to 80% by mass.

<Processed tea leaves>
The processed tea leaf product in the present invention, for example, the processed tea leaf product obtained by the above-mentioned production method, can be provided as a product as it is, but by further adjusting the flavor (flavor adjusting step), it can be closer to the final product. A certain processed tea leaf product can be obtained.
Here, the method of adjusting the flavor is to add temperature treatment, that is, to combine one type of treatment selected from the group consisting of freezing, cooling, concentration, drying, powdering and granulation, or two or more types of temperature treatment. It may be the one.

Next, specific embodiments of the processed tea leaf products will be illustrated below. However, the present invention is not limited to the specific aspects described below.

(Frozen tea leaves)
Frozen tea leaves can be mentioned as an example of processed tea leaf products. By freezing the processed tea leaf product, it is possible to obtain frozen tea leaves in which the water contained in the processed tea leaf product is frozen.

In recent years, the technology and market for frozen distribution have been developed, and various types of frozen foods are distributed. Such a distribution mode by freezing is suitable for distribution of vegetables and fruits because it can be stored for a certain period of time and is advantageous in maintaining freshness.

As for tea, there was an aspect in which a packaged green tea beverage was frozen and sold as it was in a container. However, there has never been a frozen tea leaf as it is. It is probable that the tea leaves contained a part containing a large amount of fiber, which corresponds to the tea leaves, and therefore the tea leaves could not be drunk even if they were frozen as they were.

For example, if frozen tea leaves are added with a solvent and placed in a my bottle or the like and dissolved naturally or artificially, a high freshness is maintained, but the above-mentioned tea husk problems do not occur, which is an unprecedented green tea. Can be enjoyed.

(Green tea extract powder)
An example of a processed tea leaf product is green tea extract powder. By drying the processed tea leaves, the water contained in the processed tea leaves evaporates to obtain green tea extract powder as dried tea leaves.

In recent years, the market for green tea powder (powdered tea), so-called instant tea, has continued to grow due to its ease of handling, and various products have been put on the market. Conventionally, the green tea powder on the market is steamed with steam to inactivate (blue-kill) the oxidizing enzyme contained in the fresh leaves, and then coarsely kneaded and kneaded, as described above in the item of the prior art. It is usual to use tea leaves produced through a series of steps of kneading, kneading, and further drying in each step of kneading and steaming as a raw material. However, as a result, a considerable amount of heat is applied in the tea leaf manufacturing process (the heat history is high), so that not only the improvement in the quality of the green tea powder reaches a plateau, but also the quality may be impaired in some cases.

Since the green tea extract powder is obtained by drying the processed tea leaf product obtained by the above-mentioned production method of the processed tea leaf product, as described above, there is little damage due to heat in the production stage (the heat history is low), so that the green tea extract powder is used. The quality of the powder is dramatically improved.

Furthermore, when producing existing instant tea, for example, dextrin or the like is often used as a binder to bind the tea granules. On the other hand, the green tea extract powder can be prepared by adding dextrin or the like, but in the above-mentioned flavor adjustment treatment, a natural binder derived from tea leaves (for example, a protein derived from tea leaf cells) is used. Therefore, it is possible to prepare "green tea extract powder" by reducing the amount of the binder used or not using it at all.

(Ingredients for packaged beverages)
An example of a processed tea leaf product is a raw material for a packaged beverage. The green tea extract powder can be used as a raw material for a packaged beverage (RTD) (referred to as a “raw material for a packaged beverage”).

Since the raw material for the packaged beverage is a processed tea leaf product obtained by the processed tea leaf product manufacturing method and dried, as described above, there is little heat damage in the manufacturing stage (the heat history is low), so that the heat treatment is performed. Even if it is subjected to a beverage-making process containing the above, the heat history of the process as a whole does not increase excessively.

The green tea extract powder as a raw material for a packaged beverage is lighter and easier to handle than the liquid form, and is therefore extremely suitable for transportation from a tea leaf processing plant to a beverage conversion plant. Logistics in Japan is becoming a social problem due to labor shortages, but improving logistics efficiency without degrading quality is desirable from the viewpoint of cost reduction and environmental load reduction. Furthermore, the raw material for the packaged beverage enables the production of the packaged green tea beverage even in a beverage factory having limited equipment.

Packaged green tea beverages are generally manufactured using a so-called large "kyusu" called a kneader, but such equipment specialized in the production of packaged green tea beverages is installed in every factory. I'm not. However, as a raw material for a packaged beverage, even in a factory without such a device, it is basically possible to produce a packaged beverage simply by dissolving the powder in a solvent, so that the production efficiency is improved. It greatly contributes to.

In view of these circumstances, the raw material for packaged beverages can be used to produce packaged green tea beverages at beverage factories in countries other than Japan. Beverage factories in overseas countries do not have kneaders, so if the conventional idea is to manufacture packaged green tea beverages at factories in overseas countries, new equipment must be installed. However, the raw material for packaged beverages is also characteristic in that it enables the production of packaged green tea beverages at factories in overseas countries without such equipment. Furthermore, it is fairly easy to transport green tea raw materials prepared in Japan to factories in overseas countries if they are in powder form. The raw material for a packaged beverage may be used as it is or as a raw material for a packaged beverage, and it is more preferable to carry out a burning treatment before making the beverage into a beverage because the flavor is imparted.

(Additives for tea leaves with packaging materials)
An example of a processed tea leaf product is an additive for tea leaves containing a packaging material.
The processed tea leaves that have been heat-dried can be used as an additive for tea leaves containing packaging materials (tea bag tea) (referred to as "additives for tea leaves containing packaging materials").

As described in the prior art, tea leaves containing packaging materials (tea bag tea) are widely used as simple products because they save the trouble of processing tea leaves. However, tea leaves containing packaging materials are often not sufficiently extracted in terms of taste and light blue because the extraction time is extremely limited. Various proposals have been made to solve such problems, and one of them is to improve the extractability of tea leaves by making holes in the surface of the packaging material (Design Registration No. 163802). , Design Registration No. 1633057).

The additive for tea leaves containing a packaging material can be blended with the tea leaves together with the tea leaves as an additive for the tea leaves containing the packaging material, for example. As a result, when the tea leaves containing the packaging material are immersed in the solvent, the extraction proceeds from the tea leaves, and at the same time, the processed tea leaf product of the present invention as an additive is separately eluted, so that the taste and light blue of the tea extract are improved. To do. At this time, the material and shape of the tea leaves to be enclosed in the packaging material and the packaging material are not particularly limited.

Claims (11)

The green tea leaves are separated into a tea leaf extract part and a non-tea leaf extract part.
The obtained non-tea leaf extract portion was sorted into a tea leaf solid portion and a non-tea leaf solid portion.
A method for producing a processed tea leaf product, in which the tea leaf extract portion and the tea leaf solid portion are mixed. A method for producing a processed tea leaf product, which does not include one or more treatments selected from the group consisting of rough kneading, kneading, medium kneading and fine kneading. Production of processed tea leaves by adjusting the content of 1 or 2 or more selected from the group consisting of fiber content, protein content, sugar content, catechin content, theanine content and water content in the green tea leaf or its processed product. Method. A method for producing a processed tea leaf product, which adjusts the ratio of two combinations selected from the group consisting of fiber content, protein content, sugar content, catechin content, theanine content, and water content in the green tea leaf or its processed product. The tea leaf processed product obtained by the method for producing a processed tea leaf product according to any one of claims 1 to 4 is further flavor-adjusted to obtain a processed tea leaf product (referred to as a "flavor adjusting step"). How to manufacture the product. The tea leaf processing according to claim 5, wherein in the flavor adjusting step, one treatment selected from the group consisting of freezing, cooling, concentration, drying, powdering and granulation, or a treatment combining two or more treatments is performed. How to manufacture the product. By killing the raw tea leaves, the enzyme of the raw tea leaves is inactivated (this step is referred to as "enzyme deactivation step").
The obtained enzyme-inactivated tea leaves are crushed (this process is referred to as a "crushing process").
Squeeze the obtained crushed enzyme inactivated tea leaves and
The liquid part (also referred to as "tea leaf extract part") and the other non-liquid part (also referred to as "non-tea leaf extract part") are separated (this step is also referred to as "classification step").
The non-tea leaf extract portion is sorted into a tea leaf solid portion and a non-tea leaf solid portion (this step is referred to as a "sorting step").
The tea leaf extract portion and the tea leaf solid portion are mixed to obtain a processed tea leaf product (this step is referred to as a "mixing step").
A method for producing a processed tea leaf product. A processed tea leaf product containing (1) a tea leaf extract portion and (2) a tea leaf solid portion, and (3) not containing a non-tea leaf solid portion. The processed tea leaf product according to claim 8, wherein the water content is 1 to 80% by mass. A processed tea leaf product obtained by adjusting the flavor of the processed tea leaf product according to claim 8 or 9. A processed tea leaf product that is one of frozen tea leaves, powdered tea leaves, raw materials for packaged beverages, and tea leaf additives containing packaging materials.