JP2022122397A - Coffee beverage and method of producing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a new coffee beverage in which tastes are well balanced.SOLUTION: A coffee beverage contains 400-1000 ppb of pyrrole (A) and 300-1000 ppb of 2-methylfuran (B), in which a ratio of the (A) to the (B) ((A)/(B)) is 0.8-1.6. The coffee beverage may include milk.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a palatable coffee beverage and a method for producing the same.

Coffee beverages containing coffee extracts obtained from roasted coffee beans are consumed all over the world, and have become one of the familiar favorite beverages in Japan.
Various techniques have been developed to enhance palatability by adjusting the components contained in coffee beverages. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a coffee beverage having both a strong and good coffee flavor and a good aftertaste. It is disclosed that Panhard is contained under predetermined conditions. In addition, Patent Document 2 describes a coffee flavor composition having high palatability and longevity, improving aroma and flavor, and masking offensive odor and offensive taste, and foods and drinks containing the same. Further, Patent Document 3 describes a method of adding pyrroles to impart a roasted aroma to food and drink.

JP 2019-146526 A JP 2006-020526 A JP 2019-026565 A

An object of the present invention is to provide a novel coffee beverage with well-balanced taste.

While promoting the development of beverages that meet a wide variety of targets, the present inventor has developed a new beverage that has a better balance of taste such as the strength and balance of coffee feeling, drinking response, bitterness, and sharp aftertaste. thought it needed development.
Then, through intensive research, the present inventor found that the content and content ratio of specific aroma components in coffee beverages, that is, pyrrole and 2-methylfuran, in order to solve the problem, and the problem of the present invention. can be solved. In particular, the present inventors have confirmed that the problems of the present invention can be similarly solved by adjusting the content and content ratio of specific aroma components when the coffee beverage contains milk components, and have made the present invention. completed.

That is, the present invention includes the following aspects.
[1] The pyrrole content (A) is 400 to 1000 ppb, the 2-methylfuran content (B) is 300 to 1000 ppb, and the ratio of (A) to (B) ((A )/(B)) is from 0.8 to 1.6.
[2] The coffee beverage according to [1] above, which further contains milk.
[3] A step of obtaining a coffee extract, wherein the coffee extract has a pyrrole content (A) of 400 to 1000 ppb, a 2-methylfuran content (B) of 300 to 1000 ppb, and (A ) to the (B) ratio ((A) / (B)) is 0.8 to 1.6, and / or pyrrole and / or 2-methylfuran is added to the coffee extract A method for producing a coffee beverage, comprising the step of adding.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can provide a novel coffee beverage with balanced taste.

<Coffee drink>
The present invention is a coffee beverage containing pyrrole and 2-methylfuran (also called aroma components together), wherein the pyrrole content (A) is 400 to 1000 ppb based on the total weight of the beverage. , the 2-methylfuran content (B) is 300 to 1000 ppb, and the ratio ((A)/(B)) of the pyrrole content (A) to the 2-methylfuran content (B) is for coffee beverages, which is between 0.8 and 1.6.
The pyrrole content (A) and 2-methylfuran content (B) in the coffee beverage of the present invention can be adjusted by adding commercially available aroma components (compounds). Alternatively, the content of each aromatic component in the coffee beverage may be adjusted by blending a composition containing these aromatic components (preferably those with known concentrations of the aromatic components) into the coffee beverage. . In addition, for example, food and drink containing these aromatic components (preferably those whose concentration of the aromatic component is known), such as milk, cocoa, chocolate, etc., are added to coffee beverages, so that the content of the aromatic component may be adjusted. Alternatively, the amount of the aromatic component may be adjusted by diluting the coffee extract or the like contained in the coffee beverage.

Moreover, the coffee beverage of the present invention preferably further contains milk. Milk in the present invention contains animal milk components. Examples of animal milk components include cow's milk, goat's milk, sheep's milk and horse's milk, with cow's milk being particularly preferred. Examples of forms of milk components contained in beverages include raw milk, whole milk, skimmed milk, whey, milk protein concentrate, buttermilk powder, sugar-free condensed milk, skimmed and sweetened condensed milk, whole-fat sweetened condensed milk, raw cream, and fermented milk. As the milk, milk reconstituted from powdered milk or concentrated milk can also be used. Moreover, the milk component may be derived from a single type of raw material or from several types of raw materials.

Here, in the present invention, a coffee beverage with a well-balanced taste has “good bitterness”, “feeling to drink” and “good aftertaste” while maintaining “strength of coffee feeling”. Including coffee drinks. The "strength of coffee feeling" in the present invention indicates a feeling that the flavor (coffee-likeness) such as bitterness, sourness, and richness peculiar to coffee can be fully felt. In the present invention, "goodness of bitterness" indicates the sharpness of bitterness and the quality of bitterness itself that remains in the mouth. In addition, the “feeling to drink” in the present invention indicates, for example, a feeling such as a rich, profound feeling or strength when held in the mouth. In addition, the term "good aftertaste" in the present invention indicates the sharpness of the aftertaste remaining after swallowing the beverage and the goodness of the bitter and astringent taste remaining in the mouth.
Hereinafter, each constituent component, physical properties, etc. of the beverage according to the present invention will be described in detail.

・Pyrrole (CAS: 109-97-7)
Pyrrole in the present invention does not include compounds in which a functional group is bonded to pyrrole, pyrrole derivatives, pyrrole derivatives, and the like, which are called pyrroles. Pyrrole in the present invention refers to the compound itself (CAS: 109-97-7).
The pyrrole content (A) in the beverage can be adjusted by adding pyrrole or a flavoring agent containing the pyrrole, as described above. In the beverage of the present invention, the pyrrole content (A) is 400 to 1000 ppb, preferably 450 to 1000 ppb, particularly preferably 450 to 700 ppb. If the content of (A) exceeds 1000 ppb, good bitterness and good aftertaste may be impaired. Similarly, when (A) is less than 400 ppb, the good bitterness and good aftertaste may be impaired, and the strength of the coffee feeling may be impaired, resulting in an unbalanced taste as a coffee beverage. There is also fear. The pyrrole content (A) in the coffee beverage can be measured, for example, under the conditions described in this example.
Pyrrole is known as an aroma component naturally occurring in milk, cocoa, coffee, tea, and the like.

- 2-methylfuran (CAS number: 534-22-5)
The 2-methylfuran content (B) in the beverage can be adjusted by adding 2-methylfuran or a flavoring agent containing the same, as described above. In the beverage of the present invention, the content (B) of 2-methylfuran is 300 to 1000 ppb, preferably 350 to 1000 ppb, particularly preferably 400 to 1000 ppb. If the content of (B) exceeds 1000 ppb, the good bitterness and good aftertaste may be impaired, and the balance of taste as a coffee beverage may be lost. In addition, if (B) is less than 300 ppb, the good bitterness and good aftertaste may be impaired, and the strength of the coffee feeling may be impaired, and the balance of taste as a coffee drink may be lost. . The 2-methylfuran content (B) in the coffee beverage can be measured, for example, under the conditions described in this example. Incidentally, 2-methylfuran is known as an aroma component naturally occurring in coffee, chocolate, cocoa, tea, and the like.

・Ratio of the content of each aromatic component In the beverage of the present invention, the ratio ((A)/(B)) of the pyrrole content (A) to the 2-methylfuran content (B) is 0.8 to 1.6. If the ratio of (A)/(B) exceeds 1.6, the good bitterness and good aftertaste may be impaired, and the balance of taste as a coffee beverage may be lost. Moreover, when the ratio of (A)/(B) is less than 0.8, the good bitterness and good aftertaste may be impaired.

・Coffee extract The coffee extract in the present invention is a liquid containing components derived from coffee beans, for example, a solution obtained by extracting ground roasted beans with water or hot water, or a coffee extract obtained by concentrating the solution. and a liquid obtained by dissolving instant coffee obtained by drying the solution in water or the like.

Coffee beans, which are raw materials for the coffee extract used in the present invention, may be either Arabica or Robusta, and are not particularly limited. For example, the green beans include beans selected from Mexico, Guatemala, Blue Mountain, Crystal Mountain, Costa Rica, Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil Santos, Hawaii Kona, Mocha, Kenya, Kilimanjaro, Mandelin, and Robusta, or these of mixed beans.
In addition, the coffee extract used in the present invention is preferably extracted with 1 L of water for 1 to 100 g, more preferably 20 to 80 g of coffee beans, for example. is preferably Moreover, the extraction time of the coffee extract is preferably 30 to 120 minutes. The extraction method of the coffee extract of the present invention is not particularly limited, and it can be extracted, for example, by a general drip method, immersion method, espresso method, or the like.

Further, in the present invention, the soluble solids content (°) of the coffee beverage can be synonymous with the Brix value. The soluble solids content of the coffee beverage is not particularly limited, but from the viewpoint of ease of adjusting the balance of taste and flavor, for example, it is preferably 1 to 25 ° Bx, and 1 to 12 ° Bx. is more preferable, 1 to 9°Bx is more preferable, and 4 to 9°Bx is particularly preferable. In the present invention, the soluble solid content can be measured, for example, under the conditions described in this example.

Milk solids content When the coffee beverage of the present invention contains milk, the content of milk solids is 6% by mass or less, preferably 5% by mass or less, based on the total mass of the beverage. Preferably, it is 4% by mass or less. In general, when the content of milk solids is simply set to more than 6% by mass in coffee beverages, precipitation and aggregates occur and browning occurs, and preservation stability is maintained in terms of flavor and appearance of the beverage. It becomes difficult to process, and there is a possibility that the product cost increases. Although the lower limit of the content of milk solids is not particularly limited, it is preferably 1% by mass or more from the viewpoint of strengthening the milky feeling.
On the other hand, according to the "Fair Competition Code Concerning Labeling of Drinking Milk", as of 2017, those containing ingredients with a milk solids content of 3.0% or more by weight percentage will be treated as milk beverages. However, since the coffee beverage according to the present embodiment is a beverage made from coffee beans, it is treated as a coffee beverage even if it contains a component with a milk solid content of 3.0% or more by weight percentage. It is assumed that

In addition, the milk fat content in the milk solid content has the function of giving the drink a rich feeling peculiar to milk, and the non-fat milk solid content has the function of giving the taste and sweetness peculiar to milk. and non-fat milk solids can be adjusted accordingly.
The content of milk solids in the beverage can be determined according to calculations based on the raw materials used for production. In addition, the milk solid content of milk and dairy products as raw materials, for example, is based on the Ministerial Ordinance Concerning Ingredient Standards for Milk and Dairy Products (Ministry of Health and Welfare Ordinance No. 52 of 1951) December 2, 2019 It may be a value measured according to the contents of the announcement on the 17th (2019 Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare Ordinance No. 87) revised).

・pH
Although the pH of the coffee beverage according to the present invention is not particularly limited, it is preferably 4.6 to 8.0, particularly preferably 5.0 to 7.0. This is because of the stability of proteins and the like contained in coffee beverages and the good flavor. In addition, in order to adjust pH, you may add a general pH adjuster to a drink.

- Sweetness Sweetness is an index representing the degree of sweetness of a beverage when the sweetness of a beverage containing 1 g of sucrose in 100 g of the beverage is defined as "1". The sweetness of the beverage is calculated by converting the content of each sweetening component into the equivalent amount of sucrose based on the relative ratio of the sweetness of the sweetening component to the sweetness of sucrose 1, and then calculating the total amount contained in the beverage. It is obtained by totaling the sucrose sweetness conversion amount of the sweetening ingredients (including sweetening ingredients derived from fruit juices and extracts).
Also, the sweetness of the coffee beverage as an evaluation of the palatability of the beverage may be 0, may be higher than 0, and may be, for example, 1-15. Further, when the coffee beverage contains milk, its sweetness is, for example, preferably 1 to 15, more preferably 1 to 12, even more preferably 1 to 9, and 3 to 9 is particularly preferred. When the coffee beverage according to the present invention contains milk, if the sweetness is less than 1, it may be difficult to obtain the effect of imparting a chewy texture. On the other hand, if the sweetness exceeds 15, the sharpness of the aftertaste may be difficult to feel and the ease of drinking may decrease. In the present invention, the degree of sweetness is defined, for example, by the method described in Examples below.

The sweetness in the present invention can be adjusted to the above values by using known sweeteners. For example, sugars such as sucrose, glucose, granulated sugar, fructose, lactose, and maltose, high-fructose corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup; low-intensity sweeteners such as xylitol and D-sorbitol; thaumatin, stevia extract, glycyrrhizin High-intensity sweeteners such as disodium acid disodium, acesulfame potassium, sucralose, aspartame, saccharin, neotame, and saccharin sodium are preferably used alone or in combination of two or more. Adjustment with acesulfame potassium, sucralose, and aspartame is particularly preferable from the viewpoint of palatability such as natural sweetness and refreshing acidity required for coffee beverages. Moreover, the sugar content may be adjusted by adding fruit juice, vegetable juice, or the like, which may contain sugar, to the beverage.

・Other additive components In addition, the coffee beverage of the present invention may contain tea extracts (green tea, roasted tea, black tea, etc.), caramel, chocolate, cocoa, and in a range that does not impair the flavor, etc. As an optional acidic component, fruit juices such as citrus fruit juices such as oranges, lemons, and grapefruits, and fruit juices such as grapes, peaches, apples, and bananas may be added as necessary.

Moreover, the coffee beverage according to the present invention may further contain vegetable milk. The vegetable milk is selected from soy milk, almond milk, cashew milk, coconut milk, rice milk and the like. Moreover, the vegetable milk may be used in powder form as well as in liquid form.

In addition, the coffee beverage according to the present invention preferably contains an emulsifier in order to keep the emulsified state well. Emulsifiers that can be used in foods and beverages can be used without particular limitation. gum arabic, lecithin and the like. One emulsifier may be used alone, or two or more may be used in combination.
The blending ratio of the emulsifier in the coffee beverage can be appropriately determined depending on the type of the coffee beverage within a range that does not impair the effects of the present invention. The blending ratio is not particularly limited, but for example, the lower limit is usually 0.0001% by mass and the upper limit is usually 0.5% by mass, based on the total mass of the beverage.

In addition, the coffee beverage according to the present invention may include a liquid or pasty fermented milk food or drink obtained by fermenting a raw material (such as raw milk) using lactic acid bacteria, yeast, or the like.
In addition, the coffee beverage according to the present invention includes sweeteners and flavors not mentioned above, various nutritional components, various plant extracts, coloring agents, which can be generally used as long as the object of the present invention is not impaired. Food additives such as diluents, antioxidants and stabilizers may be included.
The coffee beverage of the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it contains a coffee extract. The water used in the present invention is not particularly limited, and ion-exchanged water can be used, for example.

-Production method The coffee beverage according to the present invention is obtained by blending the coffee extract, each flavor component, and optionally the milk component, and adjusting the content of the flavor component as described above. At that time, for example, the coffee extract may be diluted as appropriate.
In addition, food additives such as sweeteners, flavorings, various nutritional components, various plant extracts, coloring agents, diluents, and antioxidants may be appropriately mixed with the coffee beverage. In the production process of the coffee beverage of the present invention, homogenization treatment and sterilization treatment can be added as appropriate and necessary.
Homogenization treatment can usually be performed using a homogenizer. Homogenization conditions are not particularly limited, and conventional methods can be followed.
The sterilization method is not particularly limited, and methods such as normal plate sterilization, tubular sterilization, retort sterilization, batch sterilization, and autoclave sterilization can be employed.
As a method for filling a container with the coffee beverage of the present invention after sterilization, for example, a method of hot-packing the beverage into the container and cooling the filled container, or cooling the beverage to a temperature suitable for container filling. , by aseptically filling pre-washed and sterilized containers.

-Container The container to be filled with the coffee beverage according to the present invention is not particularly limited. Examples include aluminum pouches and chilled cups.

The present invention will be specifically described below with reference to Examples, but the present invention is not limited to these Examples and may be modified as appropriate without departing from the scope of the present invention.

1. Measurement/analysis/sensory evaluation method The method for measuring or calculating the content value of each component and the sensory evaluation method were as follows.
(1) Analysis conditions for aroma component content 10 mL of a sample to be analyzed was placed in a 20 ml vial, an internal standard was added, and the vial was sealed. After shaking each vial at 50° C. for 5 minutes, SPME fiber (DVB/CAR/PDMS, Stableflex 23Ga (Gray) 50/30 μm: manufactured by SIGMA-ALDRICH) was exposed to the headspace in each vial. . After that, the volatile components were adsorbed on the fiber at 50° C. for 30 minutes, desorbed at the inlet for 5 minutes, and analyzed by GC/MS. A calibration curve was prepared by the standard addition method, and cyclohexanol was used as an internal standard.

[GC/MS analysis conditions]
GC: 7890A manufactured by Agilent Technologies
MS: 5975C manufactured by Agilent Technologies
Column: Agilent Technologies DB-WAX UI 30 m × 0.25 mm, film thickness 0.25 μm
Flow rate: 0.8 ml/min (constant pressure mode)
Injection method: Splitless Carrier gas: He
Inlet temperature: 240°C
Transfer line: 240°C
Oven temperature: 40°C (5min) → 5°C/min → 240°C (0min)
MS conditions: scan mode quantification ion: pyrrole m/z = 67.1,
2-dimethylfuran m/z = 82.1,
Cyclohexanol (internal standard) m/z 57.1

(2) Soluble solid content [°]
Soluble solids concentration was synonymous with Brix value. In the present invention, the soluble solid content concentration can be, for example, the solid content amount measured at 20° C. using the trade name “RX-5000” (manufactured by Atago Co., Ltd.).
(3) pH
The pH was measured using a pH meter.
(4) Milk solid content [% by mass]
The milk solids content can be the milk solids content (measured value) contained in raw materials including liquid milk, and/or the mass of dry dairy raw materials (eg, skimmed milk powder, whole milk powder).
(5) Sweetness Sweetness was obtained by calculating the "sweetness" of each raw material contained in the beverage and summing the values.

(6) Sensory evaluation method Sensory evaluation was performed by five expert panelists in Experiments 1 and 2, for samples at 25 ° C., the "control" of each experimental system was set to "4", which is the reference point. was performed using Evaluation items were five items: “deliciousness”, “strength of coffee feeling”, “good bitterness”, “feeling”, and “good aftertaste”, each of which was evaluated on a seven-grade scale. The final score was rounded off to the second decimal place. Sensory evaluation criteria were 7 points: very good, 6 points: good, 5 points: somewhat good, 4 points: not much different from the control, 3 points: somewhat bad, 2 points: bad, and 1 point: very bad. “Deliciousness” is a comprehensive evaluation of palatability as a coffee beverage, taking into consideration various flavors and tastes. There was not much variability in the ratings of each panelist.
Comprehensive evaluation ○: All five items of “deliciousness”, “strength of coffee feeling”, “good bitterness”, “good aftertaste” and “feeling to drink” are all 4 points (4.0) or higher, and 4 or more items are higher than 4 points Large Comprehensive evaluation ×: Other than that

2. Experiment 1
<Preparation of base liquid A>
Coffee beans with an average L value of 20 were extracted with hot water at 95°C to obtain a coffee extract. Samples were prepared by adding raw materials according to the formulations shown in Table 1 below to the resulting coffee extract.

A sample of the formulation shown in Table 1 above was filled into cans and subjected to retort sterilization. This canned solution was used as base solution A. The measurement and analysis results of this base liquid A were as shown in Table 2.

<Examples 1 to 8 and Comparative Examples 1 to 8>
The base liquid A obtained above was used as Comparative Example 1 (control). Pyrrole was added to Comparative Example 1 (control) so as to have the compositions shown in Tables 3 and 4 below, and 2-methylfuran was added as necessary to prepare beverages of each example and each comparative example. A sample was made. Sensory evaluation was performed on each of the obtained samples using the sample of Comparative Example 1 as a control. Sensory evaluation results for Comparative Example 1 are shown in Tables 3 and 4.

In Examples 1 to 8, compared to Comparative Example 1, "good taste", "strength of coffee feeling" and "feeling to drink" were maintained or improved, while "good bitterness" and "good aftertaste" were also improved. became.
On the other hand, in Comparative Examples 2, 4, 5, and 7, the “strength of coffee feeling” was improved, but the “deliciousness” and “good aftertaste” were reduced, and the content and the content ratio of the aromatic components were different from those of the coffee beverage. It was confirmed that it contributes to the balance of taste.
From these results, by adjusting the content and content ratio of the specific aroma components (pyrrole and 2-methylfuran) in the present invention, while maintaining the "strength of coffee feeling" and "drinking response", " It was suggested that the goodness of bitterness and the goodness of aftertaste can be improved.

3. Experiment 2
Since a certain amount of pyrrole and 2-methylfuran were already present in the coffee extract in the base liquid A, the effect on the taste of the coffee beverage when the concentration of these aroma components was reduced was confirmed. I did an experiment.
<Preparation of base liquid B>
2. above. A base solution B was prepared by diluting the base solution A obtained in 1. to 0.8-fold concentration. The measured pyrrole content (A) of base solution B was 279 ppb and the measured 2-methylfuran content (B) was 289 ppb.

<Example 9 and Comparative Examples 9 to 13>
The base liquid B obtained above was used as Comparative Example 9 (control). Pyrrole and/or 2-methylfuran were added to Comparative Example 9 (control) so as to have the composition shown in Table 5 below to prepare a beverage sample of each Comparative Example. Sensory evaluation was performed on each of the obtained samples using the sample of Comparative Example 9 as a control. Table 5 shows the sensory evaluation results for Comparative Example 9. In Comparative Example 9, when compared with Comparative Example 1, the strength of the coffee feeling and the bitterness were reduced, but there was no difference in the deliciousness and aftertaste.

In Comparative Examples 10 to 13, compared to Comparative Example 9 (control), the "strength of coffee feeling" was improved, but the "good bitterness" and "good aftertaste" were reduced, and the "deliciousness" was also impaired. was
Focusing on Example 9, even for the base liquid B, which has a lower coffee solid content (soluble solid content) than the base liquid A, the content and the content ratio of the aromatic components are adjusted within the scope of the present invention. Thus, all evaluation items were improved over Comparative Example 9 (control). Therefore, it was suggested that adjustment of the content and ratio of the aroma component of the present invention in the coffee beverage directly affects the sensory evaluation regardless of the coffee solids content in the coffee beverage.
The results of Experiment 2 also support the effect of adjusting the content and content ratio of specific aroma components (pyrrole and 2-methylfuran) in the present invention.

Claims (3)

The pyrrole content (A) is 400 to 1000 ppb, the 2-methylfuran content (B) is 300 to 1000 ppb, and the ratio of (A) to (B) ((A)/( A coffee beverage, wherein B)) is from 0.8 to 1.6. 2. The coffee beverage of Claim 1, further comprising milk. obtaining a coffee extract;
The coffee extract,
The pyrrole content (A) is 400 to 1000 ppb, the 2-methylfuran content (B) is 300 to 1000 ppb, and the ratio of (A) to (B) ((A)/(B)) and/or adding pyrrole and/or 2-methylfuran to the coffee extract.