JP2023097506A - Method for improving flavor of sour component-containing beverage - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a sour component-containing beverage which contains a sour component in large quantities but is easy to drink since irritation of the throat and astringency peculiar to the sour component are alleviated and a mild feeling is imparted thereto.SOLUTION: Hotrienol of less than 0.07-2.0 ppm is added to a beverage with a citric acid acidity of 0.09-2.0%.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a method for improving the flavor of a sour component-containing beverage and a sour component-containing beverage.

Organic acids such as citric acid and L-ascorbic acid (vitamin C) are widely used as a sour component in beverages such as citrus beverages, sports drinks, and foods with function claims. For example, beverages enriched with citric acid or L-ascorbic acid are marketed in various forms with the expectation of health and beauty effects.
When these beverages contain an excessively sour component for enhancing health and beauty effects, the strong sour taste makes them feel bad when swallowed or difficult to drink. As a countermeasure, a method of adding sweetness such as sugar to moderate the strong acidity is generally used, but as another means of solving the problem, a method of adding various ingredients has been proposed. For example, high intensity sweetener (Patent Document 1), sodium succinate or sodium fumarate (Patent Document 2), glutamine (Patent Document 3), a method for masking or alleviating the acidity of citric acid or organic acids, hyaluronic acid (Patent Document 4), and a method of adjusting sourness by adjusting sodium ascorbic acid in a beverage containing vitamin C and lemon juice (Patent Document 5).

On the other hand, Non-Patent Documents 1 to 3 describe that phototrienol is contained in large amounts in black tea and high-grade oolong tea. Further, Patent Document 6 discloses that a flavor component, 3,7-dimethyl-1,5(E),7-octatrien-3-ol (phototrienol), is added to a beverage as a flavoring composition to produce a natural flavor. As a method for imparting a natural aroma, Patent Document 7 discloses a tea beverage containing phototrienol and ascorbic acids, in which phototrienol is retained even after heating.
Furthermore, autonomic nerve regulation effect (Patent Document 8) and sleep improvement effect (Patent Document 9) are disclosed as physiological effects of phototrienol.

JP-A-10-215793 JP 2005-261395 A JP 2011-254804 A JP 2016-123291 A JP 2016-42833 A JP-A-2000-192073 JP 2009-089641 A JP 2019-163248 A International Publication No. 2020/059080 pamphlet

"Chemical Components and Functions of Tea", Kougaku Publishing, January 30, 2002, p49 ACS Symposium Series Vol. 988, 2008 Food Flavor Capter 8, p87-97 J. Agric. Food Chem. 1995, 43, p200-207

The strong sourness of the sourness component makes it difficult to drink and the taste is difficult to drink. To solve the problem, conventional methods such as high-intensity sweeteners, sodium succinate or sodium fumarate, glutamine, and hyaluronic acid are added. In the method, there is a problem that these peculiar tastes affect the taste of the beverage itself. In addition, as a general method, a method of blending a lot of sugar etc. to suppress the sourness and make it easier to drink makes it difficult to feel the intensity of the sourness, but the unpleasant feeling of throat and astringent taste peculiar to sour ingredients. Not only could it not be reduced, but the flavor of the beverage containing the sour component changed, and it was not sufficient to obtain a beverage that suppresses discomfort and retains the flavor of the beverage itself.

Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a sour component-containing beverage that retains the original flavor of the beverage and is easy to drink by alleviating the unpleasant feeling of throat feeling and astringent taste peculiar to the sour component and imparting a mild feeling. to provide beverages.

The present inventors found that by adding phototrienol, it is possible to obtain an easy-to-drink beverage with a mild taste by reducing the unpleasant feeling peculiar to the sour component while maintaining the flavor of the beverage itself. was completed.
That is, the present invention is as follows.
[1] A method for improving the flavor of a sour component-containing beverage having a citric acidity of 0.09 to 2.0%, characterized by adding phototrienol.
[2] A beverage having a citric acidity of 0.09 to 2.0% and containing 0.07 to less than 2.0 ppm of phototrienol.
[3] The beverage according to [2], which contains an organic acid.
[4] The organic acid according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the organic acid is L-ascorbic acid, citric acid, malic acid, tartaric acid, and contains 0.1 to 5.5% by mass of any one or more of them. Beverage.
[5] The beverage according to any one or more of [2] to [4], which has a sweetness of 8 or less.
[6] The beverage according to any one of items 2 to 5, wherein the beverage is a packaged beverage.
[7] A powdered beverage to be mixed with an aqueous medium to drink, wherein the acidity of citric acid at the time of drinking is 0.09 to 2.0%, the amount of phototrienol is 0.7 to less than 1.3 ppm, and the sour component is 1 to 20. A powdered beverage containing saccharides (% by mass).

According to the present invention, by blending phototrienol into a beverage having a citric acidity of 0.09 to 2.0%, the flavor of the sour component-containing beverage can be improved. Specifically, it is possible to alleviate the mushy feeling felt through the throat peculiar to the sour component and the unpleasant feeling of astringent taste, and impart a mild feeling. In addition, since the flavor of the beverage containing the sour component can be retained as it is, the flavor and flavor balance of the beverage itself are not affected.

The present invention will be described in detail below. In the present invention, "ppm" and "%" indicate concentration per mass. In addition, the numerical range of "lower limit to upper limit" means a numerical unit of "more than the lower limit and less than the upper limit" unless otherwise specified.

The method for improving flavor according to the present invention is used for a sour component-containing beverage having a citric acidity of 0.09 to 2.0%, and the flavor of the sour component-containing beverage (for example, , Moderate sourness and refreshment), while reducing the unpleasant feeling of throat feeling and astringent taste (hereinafter also referred to as discomfort) peculiar to sour ingredients, and imparting a mild feeling.

The unpleasant feeling referred to in the present invention is a strong sour taste accompanied by an unpleasant sensation felt when drinking a sour component, specifically a mushy feeling felt through the throat (also referred to as a throat mushy feeling) and an astringent taste. .
The term "mild feeling" as used in the present invention means that discomfort is reduced and the mouthfeel and throat feeling are mild or mellow. Strong or excellent mild feeling means that discomfort is reduced and mild feeling is sufficiently increased.

The sour component-containing beverage in the present invention is a beverage obtained by adding phototrienol to a beverage obtained by adjusting the acidity of citric acid to 0.09 to 2.0%. The beverage of the present invention may be liquid (herein also referred to as liquid beverage) or solid such as powder (herein also referred to as powdered beverage).

The citric acid acidity referred to in the present invention is the percentage of anhydrous citric acid equivalent measured and calculated by neutralization titration method by manual titration or automatic titration according to the measurement method shown in "Japanese Agricultural Standards for Fruit Beverages". means
The beverage of the present invention exhibits the effect of phototrienol in a beverage having a citric acidity of 0.09 to 2.0%. Preferably, the acidity of citric acid is in the range of 0.1 to 1.5%, more preferably 0.5 to 1.0%, to obtain the effect of improving the flavor of phototrienol. Within this range, the addition of phototrienol imparts a mild feeling even to a very sour beverage, making it easier to drink.

The sour component in the sour component-containing beverage of the present invention is specifically an organic acid, and is not particularly limited as long as it is used for food. Examples include L-ascorbic acid, citric acid, and malic acid. , L-tartaric acid, acetic acid, sodium acetate, formic acid, citric acid, succinic acid, D-gluconic acid, gluconolactone, lactic acid, phosphoric acid. L-ascorbic acid, citric acid, malic acid and L-tartaric acid are particularly preferred. Among these organic acids, one type or a mixture of two or more types can be used.
In addition, fruit juices, vegetable juices, and brewed vinegars can also be used as materials containing organic acids. Examples of fruit/vegetable juices, which are materials containing organic acids, include lemon, orange, lime, grapefruit, yuzu, grape, pear, apple, kiwi, pineapple, strawberry, acerola, tomato, and hibiscus. Examples of brewed vinegar include black vinegar, plum vinegar, and apple vinegar. Powder or liquid can be selected for these ingredients depending on the beverage to be blended, and one kind or two or more kinds of these ingredients can be mixed and used.
The amount of the sour component may be adjusted so as to obtain a predetermined citric acidity, and the concentration in the beverage is 0.09 to 5.5% by mass, preferably 0.2 to 2.0% by mass, and 0 .3 to 1.5% by mass is more preferred. Within these ranges, the effect of imparting a mild feeling to the sour component-containing beverage of phototrienol is likely to be manifested while maintaining the refreshment of the sour component.

The phototrienol in the present invention is a monoterpene alcohol compound with CAS registration number 20053-88-7 represented by the chemical formula C10H16O. Phototrienol has an asymmetric carbon at the 3-position and is 3R-(-)-3,7-dimethyl-1,5(E),7-trien-3-ol (hereinafter referred to as 3R-(-) form.) and 3S-(+)-3,7-dimethyl-1,5(E),7-trien-3-ol (hereinafter referred to as 3S-(+) form) exist in the present invention. The phototrienol used in may be a 3R-(-) form, a 3S-(+) form, a mixture thereof, or a racemic mixture.

The phototrienol of the present invention may be extracted from natural products such as fermented tea, may be chemically totally synthesized, or may be obtained by chemically treating an extract from natural products such as fermented tea. It may be semi-synthetic. In the case of an extract from a natural product, the extract containing phototrienol can be used as it is or after being subjected to an operation such as concentration. It can be used as an isolated and purified product or as a fraction containing other components.
The obtained phototrienol or the fraction containing phototrienol can be appropriately formulated according to the purpose and used for flavor improvement. Compositions containing phototrienol may also contain an organic solvent such as ethanol. In addition, food-acceptable stabilizers and the like may be blended. Furthermore, the preservability can also be improved by freezing and preserving after lowering the oxygen concentration in the air by nitrogen substitution or the like.
The form of phototrienol to be added to the beverage in the present invention may be powder, granule, or liquid. When added to a liquid beverage, the phototrienol undiluted solution is dissolved in ethanol and then appropriately dissolved in water to form an aqueous solution. is preferred. When added to a powdered beverage, it may be in the form of powder, granules, or liquid, with powder being particularly preferred. In the case of a powder form, an excipient that can be used as food may be selected, and dextrin and lactose can be exemplified.

In the beverage of the present invention, the amount of phototrienol added is 0.07 to less than 2.0 ppm, preferably 0.1 to 1.5 ppm, more preferably 0.4 to 1.3 ppm at the time of drinking. Within this range, in a beverage having a citric acidity of 0.09 to 2.0%, it is possible to obtain a beverage having a mild feeling by reducing the discomfort of the sour component. If the amount of phototrienol is less than 0.07 ppm, an unpleasant sour taste remains and it is difficult to swallow. On the other hand, if the amount is 2.0 ppm or more, only the bluish scent, which is the unique flavor of phototrienol, will stand out, and the balance of the flavor of the beverage itself will be lost, which is not preferable.
For liquid beverages, phototrienol may be blended so that the concentration falls within the above range at the time of drinking, and when diluted for drinking, phototrienol may be blended according to the dilution concentration. As for the method of adding phototrienol, a method used for ordinary liquid beverages may be used.
In powdered beverages, the amount of phototrienol added is 0.07 to less than 2.0 ppm, preferably 0.1 to 1.5 ppm, and 0.07 to less than 2.0 ppm after dissolving in an aqueous solvent such as 10 to 15 times the amount of water. 4 to 1.3 ppm is more preferred. Any method may be used for mixing the phototrienol of the present invention into the powdered beverage as long as it is a method that allows the powder to be mixed evenly with other powders. Examples thereof include stirring and mixing using a ribbon mixer, tumbling mixing using a container blender, fluidized bed granulation, and the like, but it is possible to appropriately select known methods suitable for producing the instant powdered beverage of the present invention. Yes, but not limited to these.

The phototrienol added as described above in the present invention can be dissolved in an aqueous medium to an appropriate concentration, and the content in the powder can be measured by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. is. When the amount of phototrienol added in the present invention within the effective range described above was measured by gas chromatography mass spectrometry, the amount detected was 1 ppb to 20000 ppb.
A specific example of the analysis method will be shown in Examples below.

The beverage of the present invention has a citric acidity of 0.09 to 2.0% and a sweetness of 6 or less at the time of drinking, and contains phototrienol at a concentration of 0.07 to less than 2.0 ppm at the time of drinking. As a result, the unpleasantness of the sour component is suppressed, the mildness is increased, and the beverage becomes palatable.
The sweetness of the beverage of the present invention is preferably 1 or more and 8 or less, more preferably 2 or more and 6 or less. Within this range, in a beverage containing a sour component and having a citric acidity of 0.09 to 2.0%, the effect of imparting a mild feeling by phototrienol can be expressed while maintaining the flavor of the beverage itself. On the other hand, if the degree of sweetness exceeds 8, only the sweetness will stand out and the flavor of the sour component-containing beverage will change.

The sweetness in the present invention is an index representing the sweetness of a beverage, with the sweetness of 1 g of sucrose contained in 100 g of the beverage at the time of drinking being defined as "1." The sweetness of the beverage is calculated based on the relative ratio of the sweetness of each sweetening component to the sweetness of sucrose 1, converted to the equivalent amount of sucrose, and then all the sweetness contained in the beverage. It is obtained by totaling the sucrose sweetness conversion amount of the ingredients (including sweetening ingredients derived from fruit juices, extracts, etc.). The sweetness of saccharides, low-sweetness sweeteners, and high-sweetness sweeteners when the sweetness of sucrose is 1 is given by Kenji Maehashi, Basic Knowledge of Sweetness, Jokyo (2011) No. 106, No. 12. No., p818-825 (https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jbrewsocjapan/106/12/106_818/_pdf). According to this, for example, glucose 0.64-0.74, fructose 1.15-1.73, sucrose 1.0, lactose 0.15, acesulfame K 200, sucralose 600, aspartame 200.
Sweeteners used in the present invention include, for example, sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, glucose, galactose, mannose, fructose, lactose, sucrose, maltose, glycogen and starch. Examples of high-intensity sweeteners that can be used include acesulfame K, sucralose, aspartame, and stevia. Moreover, you may mix and use these sweeteners.

Fruit juice can be added to the beverage of the present invention.
Fruit juice can be blended so that the acidity of citric acid is 0.09 to 2.0%, and powdered or liquid fruit juice can be appropriately used according to the beverage such as powdered fruit juice and concentrated fruit juice. . For example, lemon, orange, lime, grapefruit, yuzu, peach, grape, pear, apple, kiwi, pineapple, mango, strawberry, etc., and mixtures of two or more thereof may be used.

The beverage of the present invention can contain coloring agents, nutritional supplements, polyphenols, amino acids, antioxidants, and the like, which are usually blended in beverages, as long as the desired effects of the present invention are not impaired.
In the case of powdered beverages, additives such as silicon dioxide, fine silicon dioxide, or tricalcium phosphate can be used as fluidity improvers.

The beverage in the present invention can be liquid or powder.
The liquid beverage of the present invention can be a packaged beverage (so-called RTD beverage) that can be drunk as it is, or a portion type that is diluted with water, hot water, or carbonated water. The powdered beverage may be in the form of powder or granules dissolved in an aqueous medium such as cold water, hot water, or carbonated water and then diluted, or may be in the form of tablets formed by molding the powder into lumps.
The powdered beverage of the present invention contains sugars in addition to the sour component and powdered fruit juice. From the viewpoint of flavor, saccharides preferably contain 50% by weight or more, preferably 60% by weight or more, of the entire powdered beverage. The upper limit is preferably 98% by weight. . Here, sugars include monosaccharides such as glucose and fructose, disaccharides such as sucrose, maltose and lactose, water-soluble components exhibiting sweetness such as granulated sugar, palatinose, trehalose, oligosaccharides and sugar alcohols.
In addition, the sour component of the powdered beverage of the present invention is preferably blended in an amount of 1.0% by weight or more and 20.0% by weight or less, particularly 5.0% by weight or more to 15.0% by weight, based on the powdered beverage. .

Containers for packaged beverages include plastic bottles such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), metal cans such as steel and aluminum, bottles, and paper containers. Among them, a beverage filled in a transparent container such as a PET bottle is preferable. The filling of the beverage into the container and the sterilization treatment can be performed by a conventional method.
These require a sterilization process by heat treatment and hygienic container filling. The sterilization is performed under the sterilization conditions stipulated in the Food Sanitation Act, and as the packaging container, a plastic bottle such as a PET bottle, a can, a bottle, or a paper pack may be used, and hot pack filling or aseptic filling may be performed depending on the container. When the beverage of the present invention is used as a liquid beverage, organic acid, phototrienol, and other auxiliary materials are blended so that each component has a predetermined concentration, and it is manufactured by sterilizing and filling the container as described above. can be done.

The packaging form of the powdered beverage may be a method of taking out the drinkable amount from the bulk packaging container with a spoon or the like, but it is preferable to individually wrap a single cup with stick packaging or three-sided seal packaging from the viewpoint of quality maintenance. . As a packaging material, a laminated product combining a resin material and an aluminum foil is preferable in terms of maintaining quality. When the beverage of the present invention is made into a powdered beverage, a sour component, a material containing phototrienol, and other auxiliary materials are mixed so that the content of the ingredients becomes a predetermined concentration in the drinking state, and if necessary, granulated. It can be produced by filling the packaging material described above. It is also possible to use powdered beverages packed in a large capacity such as aluminum bags in cup-type vending machines, dispensers, and the like.

The beverage of the present invention can be used as, for example, a functionally labeled food to which the functionality of phototrienol described in Patent Documents 8 and 9 is added.

EXAMPLES Hereinafter, the present invention will be described more specifically with reference to Examples. However, the present invention is not limited to these examples.

<Method for analyzing phototrienol>
The beverage obtained in the present invention is diluted appropriately, 10 mL of the diluted solution and 3 g of sodium chloride are placed in a 20 mL vial, and cycloheptanol (manufactured by Tokyo Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.) is used as an internal standard substance so that the final concentration is 50 ppb. added. This sample liquid was subjected to GC/MS analysis using a Solid Phase Micro Extraction (SPME) method under the following conditions. The ratio of the peak area of phototrienol to the peak area of the internal standard substance was used for the evaluation.
<SPME-GC/MS conditions>
GC: TRACE GC ULTRA (manufactured by Thermo Fisher Scientific)
MS: TSQ QUANTUM XLS (manufactured by Thermo Fisher Scientific)
SPME fiber: 50/30 μm Divinylbenzene/Carboxen/Polydimethylsiloxane Stableflex
Extraction: 60° C., 30 minutes Column: SUPELCO WAX10 (0.25 mm ID×60 m×0.25 μm, manufactured by Sigma-Aldrich)
Oven program: Hold at 40°C for 2 minutes, then heat up to 100°C at 3°C/min, heat up to 200°C at 5°C/min, heat up to 240°C at 8°C/min, heat at 240°C for 8 Carrier gas held for minutes: Helium (100 kPa, constant pressure)
Injector: split (split flow 10 mL/min), 240°C
Ionization: Electron ionization Ionization voltage: 70 eV
Measurement mode: Scan monitoring Ion: Phototrienol; m/z=71

<Method for measuring citric acid acidity>
Citric acid acidity was measured using an automatic potentiometric titrator AT-710 (manufactured by Kyoto Electronics Industry Co., Ltd.). The measurement was performed according to the manual attached to the device, the measurement sample was appropriately diluted so that the titration amount with 0.1N-NaOH was 1 to 10 mL, and the neutralization end point was pH 8.1. Automatic titration was performed with 0.1N-NaOH. . From this titration amount, the citric acid conversion amount per mass of the sample was calculated as mass%, and this was taken as the citric acid acidity.

<Sensory evaluation method>
Evaluation in the sensory evaluation was carried out by five expert panelists who were trained in identifying flavors and offensive odors and identifying their concentrations. The scores of the 5 panelists were averaged.
Among the items to be evaluated, the sour taste unpleasantness was evaluated by evaluating the throat feeling (bad feeling when passing through the throat) and the astringent taste. If the throat feeling and astringent taste were strong, they were evaluated as + direction, and if they were weak, they were evaluated as - direction, and scored.
In addition, sensory evaluation was performed according to the evaluation criteria in Table 2 for the mild sour taste. A test example to which no aromatic component (such as phototrienol) was added was used as a control, and if the mildness of sourness was the same as the control, it was evaluated as 0, if it became stronger, it was evaluated as + direction, and if it became weaker, it was evaluated as - direction, and scored.
In addition, we summarized the comments of the evaluation panelists and extracted representative comments.

<Test Example 1> Flavor evaluation of L-ascorbic acid First, flavor evaluation of L-ascorbic acid was performed. L-ascorbic acid (manufactured by DSM) was added to ion-exchanged water at room temperature to a predetermined concentration, and sensory evaluation was performed according to the criteria in Table 1.
As a result, as shown in Table 3, when the drinking concentration of L-ascorbic acid is 0.25 to 1.0% (citric acid acidity of 0.09% or more), the throat feeling and astringent taste derived from L-ascorbic acid An unpleasant taste was confirmed.

<Test Example 2> Flavor evaluation when sugar is blended Next, in an aqueous solution prepared so that the concentration of L-ascorbic acid at the time of drinking is 1.0% (citric acid acidity 0.36%), sweetness of 0 to 10 The sensory evaluation was carried out according to the criteria shown in Table 1 when granulated sugar was added so as to give 0.0. Table 4 shows the sensory evaluation results. Moreover, phototrienol was added to these, and the mildness and discomfort were evaluated according to the criteria shown in Tables 1 and 2.
As shown in Table 4, it was confirmed that, within the sweetness range of ordinary liquid and powdered beverages, the addition of sweetness (sugar) alone did not ameliorate unpleasant sensations (tingling sensation in the throat and astringent taste). At a sweetness level of 10.0, although the throat feeling and astringent taste were less noticeable, they remained slightly, and were too sweet to be suitable as a beverage.
When phototrienol (liquid perfume containing 1% phototrienol (ethanol solution)) was added to Comparative Examples 2-1 to 2-4 at concentrations shown in Table 4 (Test Examples 2-1 to 2-4), the results were higher than those without phototrienol. It was found that the discomfort can be suppressed and the mild feeling increases. In particular, when the sweetness was in the range of 2 to 8, a refreshing sour flavor could be maintained as it was, and a beverage with a sufficiently sour flavor was obtained. The mild sour taste was evaluated according to the criteria shown in Table 2 using Comparative Examples 2-1 to 2-5 as controls.

<Test Example 3> Confirmation of effect by type of aroma component For linalool and geraniol, which are typical terpene-based aroma components to which phototrienol, whose flavor improving effect was confirmed in Test Example 2, were used, mild feeling imparting effect and discomfort ( The effect of suppressing throat irritation and astringent taste was comparatively evaluated.
A liquid perfume containing 1% phototrienol is added to an aqueous solution prepared so that L-ascorbic acid has a concentration of 1.0% (citric acid acidity 0.36%) at the time of drinking, so that the concentration of aroma components at the time of drinking is 0.4 ppm. (Ethanol solution), linalool liquid fragrance (manufactured by Tokyo Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.), 40 ppm of geraniol liquid fragrance (manufactured by Tokyo Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.) was added, and sensory evaluation was performed according to the standards in Tables 1 and 2. The mild feeling was evaluated using Comparative Example 3, which did not contain any aromatic component, as a control. Table 5 shows the results.
As a result, as shown in Table 5, among the added aroma components, phototrienol was found to be superior to other aroma components in the effect of mildening the sour taste derived from L-ascorbic acid and the effect of suppressing discomfort. . In addition, it was confirmed that the aroma of linalool and geraniol, which are similar in structure to phototrienol, changes the flavor of the beverage when the aroma comes to the fore. On the other hand, when phototrienol was added, the flavor of the beverage itself, in this case, the refreshing flavor of the sour component was maintained, while the discomfort was suppressed and a mild feeling was imparted. In other words, it was confirmed that the effects of the present invention confirmed for phototrienol are peculiar to phototrienol.

<Test Example 4> Amount of phototrienol added L-ascorbic acid was added to an aqueous solution prepared so that the concentration of L-ascorbic acid at the time of drinking was 1.0% (acidity of citric acid 0.36%). 40 to 200 ppm of a 1% phototrienol-containing liquid perfume (ethanol solution) was added so as to obtain .0 ppm, and sensory evaluation was carried out according to the criteria shown in Table 2. Mild feeling was evaluated using Comparative Example 4, which did not contain any aromatic component, as a control. Discomfort (throat rash, astringent taste) was described in the comments.
As a result, as shown in Table 6, the effect of suppressing discomfort derived from L-ascorbic acid and the effect of imparting a mild feeling were confirmed at a phototrienol concentration of 0.4 to 2.0 ppm at the time of drinking. In particular, when the concentration of phototrienol is 0.40 to 1.6 ppm, the fragrance of phototrienol is difficult to perceive, so it was confirmed that a mild feeling can be imparted without affecting the flavor of the beverage itself.

<Test Example 5> Confirmation of the effect of each sour component (L-ascorbic acid, citric acid, tartaric acid, malic acid) L-ascorbic acid, citric acid (Fuso Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.), malic acid (Iwata Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.) (manufactured by Iwata Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.) and tartaric acid (manufactured by Iwata Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.) with drinking concentrations of 1.0%, 0.36%, 0.38% and 0.43% (all citric acid acidity at drinking 0.36%) 40 ppm of a 1% phototrienol-containing liquid fragrance (ethanol solution) was added so that the concentration of phototrienol at the time of drinking was 0.4 ppm, and sensory evaluation was carried out according to the criteria in Table 2.
For the sensory evaluation, Comparative Examples 5-1 to 5-4 to which no phototrienol was added were evaluated as controls. Discomfort (throat rash, astringent taste) was described in the comments.
As a result, as shown in Table 7, phototrienol has the effect of mildening the sour taste and reducing the unpleasantness of not only L-ascorbic acid but also citric acid, malic acid, and tartaric acid, which are typical organic acids. An inhibitory effect was confirmed. From these results, it was confirmed that the present invention is effective against the sourness of organic acids in general.

<Test Example 6> Confirmation of the effect of phototrienol with citric acid acidity of 0.1 to 0.4% 40 ppm of a 1% phototrienol-containing liquid fragrance (ethanol solution) was added to the aqueous solution prepared as above so that the concentration of phototrienol at the time of drinking was 0.4 ppm.
For the sensory evaluation, comparative examples 6-1 to 6-4 to which no aromatic component was added were evaluated as controls. Discomfort (throat rash, astringent taste) was described in the comments.
As a result, as shown in Table 8, it was confirmed that phototrienol had the effect of mildening the acidity derived from citric acid at a citric acid concentration of 0.1 to 0.4% at the time of drinking.

<Test Example 7> Influence of sweetening component In order to verify the effect of adding a sweetening component and further increasing the sourness, L-ascorbic acid was added so that the acidity of citric acid at the time of drinking was 0.4 to 2.0%. Granulated sugar and a sweetener are added to an aqueous solution prepared with an acid concentration of 1.1 to 5.5% and a citric acid concentration of 0.4 to 2.0% so that the sweetness is as shown in Tables 9 to 11. Formulations ("Rebaudio ACK350" manufactured by Morita Chemical Industry Co., Ltd. (sweetness 200, acesulfame K 65%, stevia extract 35%), "Sunsweet SA-5050" manufactured by San-Eigen FFI Co., Ltd. (sweetness 200 , Acesulfame K 45%, Sucralose 15%) was added, and 40 ppm of 1% phototrienol-containing liquid fragrance (ethanol solution) was added to each aqueous solution so that the concentration of phototrienol at the time of drinking was 0.4 ppm. A sensory evaluation was performed.
For the sensory evaluation, Comparative Examples 7-1 to 7-17 to which no phototrienol was added were evaluated as controls.
As a result, as shown in Tables 9 and 10, L-ascorbic acid aqueous solution with citric acid acidity of 0.4 to 2.0% in the range of sweetness 2 to 8, and citric acid acidity of 0.4 to 2.0% In the aqueous citric acid solution, it was confirmed that phototrienol had the effect of mildening the acidity.
Further, as shown in Table 11, a similar effect was confirmed with an L-ascorbic acid aqueous solution having a citric acid acidity of 0.36% to which a sweetener preparation was added so as to give a sweetness of 6.0.

<Test Example 8> Production example of beverage with added fruit juice In order to verify the effect when fruit juice is added, liquid concentrated lemon juice (6 times concentrated ) (manufactured by Kako Co., Ltd.) and concentrated apple juice (manufactured by Andre) were added so that the concentration of fruit juice at the time of drinking was 5.0%. 40 ppm of a 1% phototrienol-containing liquid perfume (ethanol solution) was added, and sensory evaluation was carried out according to the criteria in Table 2. Citric acid acidity indicates the value at the time of drinking.
For the sensory evaluation, Comparative Examples 8-1 and 8-2 to which no aromatic component was added were evaluated as controls.
As a result, as shown in Table 12, it was confirmed that phototrienol had the effect of mildening the acidity even when the fruit juice was added. Moreover, it was confirmed that the addition of phototrienol imparted a mild feeling while maintaining the flavor of the beverage itself.

In addition, in order to verify the effect of adding fruit juice to powdered beverages, granulated sugar was added to an aqueous solution with an L-ascorbic acid concentration of 1.0% at a drinking concentration of 6.0% (sweetness 6.0). In addition, when drinking powdered lemon juice (manufactured by Takasago International Corporation), powdered apple juice (manufactured by Ogawa Koryo Co., Ltd.), and powdered peach juice (manufactured by Koken Food & Flavor Co., Ltd.), the juice concentration is 0.1 %, and 100 ppm of a phototrienol-containing powdered fragrance (perfume composition with a phototrienol content of 0.13%) is added so that the phototrienol concentration becomes 0.13 ppm at the time of drinking. A sensory evaluation was performed. The mild feeling was evaluated using Comparative Examples 8-3 to 8-5, to which no aromatic component was added, as controls. Citric acid acidity indicates the value at the time of drinking.
As a result, as shown in Table 13, even when fruit juice was added, phototrienol was confirmed to have the effect of weakening the discomfort derived from L-ascorbic acid and imparting a mild feeling.

<Test Example 9> Production Example of Powdered Beverage A powdered beverage containing L-ascorbic acid and sugar (C & Lemon manufactured by Mitsui Norin Co., Ltd.) was added with a phototrienol-containing powdered flavor (fragrance composition with a phototrienol content of 0.13%). It mixed so that it might become 14 compounding amounts, and obtained the powdered drink. The sensory evaluation was carried out in the same manner as in Test Example 8 using Comparative Example 9 as a control. As a result, it was confirmed that 0.07 ppm or more of phototrienol weakened the mushy feeling in the throat and the astringent taste, and imparted a mild feeling.

From the above results, the method of the present invention was able to confirm the effect of improving the flavor of the sour component-containing beverage, and it was possible to obtain an easy-to-drink beverage with reduced discomfort and a mild feeling without impairing the flavor of the beverage itself. .

Claims (7)

A method for improving the flavor of a sour component-containing beverage having a citric acidity of 0.09 to 2.0%, characterized by adding phototrienol. A beverage having a citric acidity of 0.09 to 2.0% and containing 0.07 to less than 2.0 ppm of phototrienol. 3. Beverage according to claim 2, characterized in that it contains an organic acid. The beverage according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the organic acid is L-ascorbic acid, citric acid, malic acid, tartaric acid, and contains 0.1 to 5.5% by mass of any one or more of them. The beverage according to any one of claims 2 to 4, which has a sweetness of 8 or less. The beverage according to any one or more of claims 2 to 5, wherein the beverage is a packaged beverage. In a powdered beverage to be mixed with an aqueous medium and drunk, the acidity of citric acid at the time of drinking is 0.09 to 2.0%, the phototrienol is 0.7 to less than 1.3 ppm, the sour component is 1 to 20% by mass, A powdered drink containing sugar.