JP2023172205A - Beer-taste beverage - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a beer-taste beverage that has an alcohol content of less than 1 v/v% but shows improved drinkability and mildness.SOLUTION: A beer-taste beverage has an alcohol content of less than 1 v/v% and contains nonanal.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

The present invention relates to beer-taste beverages.

Various beverages with enhanced flavor such as richness and mellow taste have been reported so far. As such a drink, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a non-fermented alcohol-taste drink containing γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA).

JP2016-78337A

According to studies by the present inventors, there is still room for improvement in the feel and mildness of beer-taste beverages with an alcohol content of less than 1 v/v%. The present inventors have found that in a beer-taste beverage with an alcohol content of less than 1 v/v%, the feel and mildness of the drink can be improved by including nonanal.

The present invention is based on this knowledge, and aims to provide a beer-taste beverage that has an improved drinking feel and mildness while having an alcohol content of less than 1 v/v%.

The present invention relates to a beer-taste beverage having an alcohol content of less than 1 v/v% and containing nonanal.

Although the beer-taste beverage according to the present invention is a beer-taste beverage with an alcohol content of less than 1 v/v%, since it contains nonanal, it has improved drinking sensation and mildness.

The beer-taste beverage may further contain butyric acid and/or isobutyric acid. By further containing butyric acid and/or isobutyric acid, in addition to further improving the drinking sensation and mildness, off-flavor and aftertaste are reduced.

The beer-taste beverage may have a nonanal content of 0.2 ppb or more. By adjusting the nonanal content within this range, the feel and mildness of the drink can be further improved.

When the beer-taste beverage contains butyric acid, the butyric acid content may be 0.2 ppm or more and 4 ppm or less. By setting the butyric acid within this range, in addition to further improving the feel and mildness of the drink, off-flavor and aftertaste are further reduced.

When the beer-taste beverage contains isobutyric acid, the isobutyric acid content may be 0.2 ppm or more and 4 ppm or less. By controlling isobutyric acid within this range, in addition to further improving the feel and mildness of the drink, off-flavor and aftertaste are further reduced.

The beer-taste beverage may be a fermented beer-taste beverage. By making the fermented beer-taste beverage, not only the feel and mildness of the drink are further improved, but also the off-flavor and aftertaste are further reduced.

The present invention also relates to a method for producing a beer-taste beverage, which includes the steps of adjusting the alcohol content to be less than 1 v/v% and adjusting the nonanal content.

The present invention further relates to a method for improving the drinking sensation and/or mildness of a beer-taste beverage, which includes adjusting the alcohol content to be less than 1 v/v% and adjusting the nonanal content. .

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a beer-taste beverage that has an improved drinking feel and mildness while having an alcohol content of less than 1 v/v%.

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Hereinafter, the form for implementing this invention is demonstrated in detail. Note that the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.

[Beer-taste beverage]
The beer-taste beverage according to the present embodiment has an alcohol content of less than 1 v/v% and contains nonanal.

As used herein, the term "beer-taste beverage" refers to a beverage that has a beer-like flavor. The beer-taste drink according to this embodiment is a beer-taste drink whose alcohol content is less than 1 v/v%. The beer-taste drink according to the present embodiment may be a non-alcoholic beer-taste drink with an alcohol content of 0.00 v/v%, and a low alcoholic drink with an alcohol content of more than 0.00 v/v% and less than 1 v/v%. It may be a beer-taste drink. Note that in this specification, alcohol means ethanol unless otherwise specified.

The alcohol content of the beer-taste beverage according to the present embodiment is not particularly limited as long as it is less than 1 v/v%, and may be, for example, 0.00 v/v% or more and less than 1 v/v%. The alcohol content of the beer-taste drink according to the present embodiment is, for example, 0.005 v/v% or more, 0.01 v/v% or more, 0.05 v/v% or more, 0.1 v/v% or more, 0.2 v /v% or more, 0.3v/v% or more, 0.4v/v% or more, or 0.5v/v% or more. Similarly, the alcohol content of the beer-taste beverage according to the present embodiment is, for example, 0.95 v/v% or less, 0.9 v/v% or less, 0.85 v/v% or less, or 0.8 v/v% or less. It may be.

The alcohol content of the beer-taste beverage according to the present embodiment can be determined, for example, by the revised BCOJ Beer Analysis Method (published by the Brewing Association of Japan, edited by the Beer and Sake Brewers Association International Technical Committee [Analysis Committee], revised and expanded in 2013). It can be measured by the method described in 8.3.6 Beer, Alcohol (Alcolyzer Method) and 8.3.7 Headspace GC-FID Method.

The alcohol content of the beer-taste beverage according to the present embodiment may be adjusted within the above range by adding alcohol, or may be adjusted within the above range by removing alcohol from the fermented liquid obtained by brewing. Saccharification (maltose, The above can be achieved by controlling maltotriose production) to obtain a pre-fermentation solution, or by fermenting with yeast with low maltose assimilation ability and/or maltotriose assimilation ability) to obtain a fermentation liquid. The fermentation process may be adjusted within the range, or the fermentation process may be controlled by methods such as stopping the fermentation process midway (lowering the fermentation temperature midway) or fermenting at a low temperature from the beginning of the fermentation process. It may be adjusted by mixing with a post-fermentation liquid having a low alcohol content, or alcohol-free water or carbonated water, or it may be adjusted within the above range by using these in combination. The alcohol to be added is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, distilled alcohol (for example, raw alcohol, spirits, vodka), or fermented liquor obtained by brewing. There is no particular restriction on the method for removing alcohol from the fermented liquor obtained by brewing, and for example, it can be carried out according to conventional methods such as distillation and dialysis.

The nonanal content in the beer-taste beverage according to the present embodiment is not particularly limited, but may be 0.1 ppb or more. From the viewpoint of further improving drinking sensation and mildness, the content may be 0.2 ppb or more, 0.25 ppb or more, 0.5 ppb or more, 1 ppb or more, 2 ppb or more, or 4 ppb or more. Further, the nonanal content in the beer-taste beverage according to the present embodiment may be 20 ppb or less, 10 ppb or less, 4 ppb or less, 2 ppb or less, 1 ppb or less, or 0.5 ppb or less.

The nonanal content in a beer-taste beverage can be measured, for example, by solid phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (SPME-GC-MS method). The nonanal content may be adjusted, for example, by adding nonanal itself or a flavoring agent containing nonanal at any stage of the beer-taste beverage manufacturing process. In addition, it is necessary to adjust the type, amount, and timing of addition of raw materials (e.g., malt, hops, malt extract, rice, corn, starch, liquid sugar, etc.), and the brewing conditions (type of yeast, preparation conditions, fermentation and storage conditions, etc.). The period of time, etc.) may be adjusted.

The beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment may further contain butyric acid and/or isobutyric acid. Butyric acid is a compound also called butanoic acid, and isobutyric acid is a compound also called 2-methylpropanoic acid. When the beer-taste beverage according to the present embodiment contains butyric acid and/or isobutyric acid, the butyric acid or isobutyric acid content in the beer-taste beverage according to the present embodiment is not particularly limited, but for example, if the total amount of the beer-taste beverage is As a standard, it may be 0.1 ppm or more and 10 ppm or less. From the viewpoint of further improving drinking sensation and mildness and reducing off-flavor and aftertaste, the content may be 0.2 ppm or more and 4 ppm or less, 0.3 ppm or more and 3 ppm or less, and 0.4 ppm. The content may be greater than or equal to 2 ppm, or greater than or equal to 0.45 ppm and less than or equal to 1.5 ppm, or may be greater than or equal to 0.5 ppm and less than or equal to 1 ppm.

The butyric acid and/or isobutyric acid content in the beer-taste beverage can be measured, for example, by solid phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (SPME-GC-MS method). The butyric acid and/or isobutyric acid content may be adjusted, for example, by adding butyric acid and/or isobutyric acid itself at any stage of the beer-taste beverage manufacturing process, and flavoring agents containing butyric acid and/or isobutyric acid may be used. It may be adjusted by adding. In addition, it is necessary to adjust the type, amount, and timing of addition of raw materials (e.g., malt, hops, malt extract, rice, corn, starch, liquid sugar, etc.), and the brewing conditions (type of yeast, preparation conditions, fermentation and storage conditions, etc.). The period of time, etc.) may be adjusted.

The beer-taste drink according to this embodiment may be a fermented drink (beer-taste fermented drink) or a non-fermented drink (beer-taste non-fermented drink). Fermented beverages are produced through fermentation using yeast or the like. Non-fermented beverages are those produced without fermentation using yeast or the like. Note that non-fermented beverages also include beer-taste beverages that are produced by blending alcohol (for example, raw alcohol, spirits, distilled alcohol such as vodka) without fermentation using yeast or the like.

The beer-taste beverage according to the present embodiment may contain barley raw material as a raw material, or may not contain barley raw material as a raw material. In this specification, the wheat raw material refers to wheat or wheat processed products. Examples of wheat include barley, wheat, rye, oats, oats, pigeons, and oats. Examples of processed wheat products include wheat extract, malt, and malt extract. Barley extract is obtained by extracting barley extract containing sugar and nitrogen from barley. Malt is obtained by germinating wheat. Malt extract is obtained by extracting an extract containing sugar and nitrogen from malt.

The beer-taste beverage according to the present embodiment may contain, as a raw material, a raw material other than barley, or may not contain a raw material other than barley. Raw materials other than barley may be, for example, grains such as corn, rice, and corn; potatoes such as potatoes and sweet potatoes; plant materials such as legumes such as soybeans and peas; and sugars such as starch, grits, and liquid sugar. It may be a quality raw material (saccharide).

The beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment may contain hops as a raw material, or may not contain hops as a raw material. Hops include, for example, dried hops, hop pellets, and hop extracts, and also include processed hop products such as raw hops, hexahops, tetrahops, and isolized hop extracts.

The beer-taste beverage according to the present embodiment may have a malt ratio (ratio of malt to raw materials other than water and hops) of 0% by mass or more and 100% by mass or less. The malt ratio is 10% by mass or more, 20% by mass or more, 30% by mass or more, 40% by mass or more, 50% by mass or more, 60% by mass or more, 65% by mass or more, 66% by mass or more, 67% by mass or more, 70% by mass or more. It may be at least 80% by mass, at least 90% by mass, at least 95% by mass, at least 99% by mass, or at least 100% by mass. Moreover, the malt ratio may be less than 100 mass%, 95 mass% or less, 90 mass% or less, 80 mass% or less, 70 mass% or less, 60 mass% or less, or 50 mass% or less.

The beer-taste beverage according to the present embodiment includes bittering agents, coloring agents, sweeteners, high-intensity sweeteners, antioxidants, acidulants, flavoring agents, etc., which are usually added to beverages, within a range that does not impair the effects of the present invention. It may also contain other raw materials such as salts. In addition to the above-mentioned hops, examples of bittering agents include iso-α acids, caffeine, gentian extract, peptides, theobromine, naringin, bittern extract, mugwort extract, cinchona extract, and the like. Examples of the coloring agent include caramel color, gardenia color, fruit juice color, vegetable color, and synthetic color. Examples of sweeteners include high-fructose corn syrup, glucose, galactose, mannose, fructose, lactose, sucrose, maltose, glycogen, and starch. Examples of high-intensity sweeteners include neotame, acesulfame K, sucralose, saccharin, sodium saccharin, disodium glycyrrhizinate, cyclamate, dultin, stevia, glycyrrhizin, thaumatin, monellin, aspartame, and alitame. Examples of antioxidants include vitamin C, vitamin E, and polyphenols. Examples of acidulants include phosphoric acid, lactic acid, DL-malic acid, citric acid, adipic acid, trisodium citrate, glucono delta-lactone, gluconic acid, potassium gluconate, sodium gluconate, succinic acid, monosuccinic acid. Sodium, disodium succinate, sodium acetate, DL-tartaric acid, L-tartaric acid, sodium DL-tartrate, sodium L-tartrate, sodium lactate, glacial acetic acid, fumaric acid, monosodium fumarate, sodium DL-malate. I can do it. Examples of the salts include common salt, acidic potassium phosphate, acidic calcium phosphate, ammonium phosphate, magnesium sulfate, calcium sulfate, potassium metabisulfite, calcium chloride, magnesium chloride, potassium nitrate, and ammonium sulfate.

The bitterness value (BU) of the beer-taste beverage according to the present embodiment may be, for example, 0.0 or more and 50.0 or less. The BU of the beer-taste beverage according to the present embodiment may be, for example, 40.0 or less, 30.0 or less, 20.0 or less, or 15.0 or less, 1.0 or more, 2.0 or more, 3 It may be greater than or equal to .0, greater than or equal to 4.0, greater than or equal to 5.0, or greater than or equal to 10.0. The bitterness value of beer-taste beverages is determined, for example, by the ``8.15 Bitterness Value'' of the Revised BCOJ Beer Analysis Method (Published by the Brewing Association of Japan, edited by the International Technical Committee [Analysis Committee] of the Beer Brewers Association, revised and expanded in 2013). It can be measured by the method described in ``. The bitterness value can be appropriately set within the above range, for example, by adjusting the type and amount of raw materials used.

The beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment may be non-foaming or foamable. Here, non-foaming means that the gas pressure at 20°C is less than 0.049 MPa (0.5 kg/cm ² ), and foaming means that the gas pressure at 20° C. is less than 0.049 MPa (0.5 kg/cm 2 ). 5kg/cm ² ) or more. In the case of foaming, the upper limit of the gas pressure may be about 0.294 MPa (3.0 kg/cm ² ).

The beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment can be provided in a container. The container may be anything that can be airtight, and so-called can containers or barrel containers made of metal (such as aluminum or steel) can be used. Further, the container may be a glass container, a plastic bottle container, a paper container, a pouch container, or the like. The capacity of the container is not particularly limited, and any currently available container can be used. Note that it is preferable to use a metal container because it can completely block gas, moisture, and light and maintain stable quality at room temperature for a long period of time.

[Method for producing beer-taste beverage]
The beer-taste beverage according to the present embodiment can be produced by a method including a step of adjusting the alcohol content to be less than 1 v/v% and a step of adjusting the nonanal content. The production method can be carried out according to conventional methods except for the step of adjusting the alcohol content to be less than 1 v/v% and the step of adjusting the nonanal content.

The beer-taste beverage according to the present embodiment may be produced by, for example, mixing raw materials to produce a beer-taste beverage (method by blending), or may be produced by fermentation with yeast or the like (method by brewing). Method).

The manufacturing method (formulation method) according to one embodiment includes, for example, a blending step of blending water, nonanal, and, if necessary, butyric acid, isobutyric acid, alcohol, and/or other raw materials into a raw material tank.

The manufacturing method according to the present embodiment includes a filtration step of filtering a mixed liquid obtained by mixing each component in a blending step, a first sterilization step of sterilizing the filtrate filtered in the filtration step, and a first sterilization step. A filling process in which the sterilized filtrate sterilized in the process is filled into a container such as a bottle, can, or PET bottle, and a second sterilization process in which the filtrate filled in the container in the filling process is sterilized together with the container. May contain.

In the blending step, the components may be mixed while being stirred using a stirrer or the like so that each component is well mixed. Further, the filtration step can be performed using, for example, a common filter or strainer. The first sterilization step may be performed by plate sterilization from the viewpoint of processing speed, etc., and is applicable without being limited to this as long as a similar treatment can be performed. The filling process may be performed in a clean room maintained at a level of cleanliness that is normally performed in the manufacture of beverages. The second sterilization step can be performed by heating the filtrate together with the container at a predetermined temperature and for a predetermined time. The first or second sterilization step may be a non-heating sterilization step. Examples of non-heating sterilization processes include ultraviolet (UV) sterilization. It is also possible to perform non-sterile filling without performing a sterilization process. Furthermore, in the case of producing a sparkling beverage, carbonation may be performed between the first sterilization step and the filling step, for example.

A manufacturing method (brewing method) in another embodiment includes, for example, a preparation step and a fermentation step.

In the preparation step, a pre-fermentation liquid is obtained using raw materials and preparation water (water used in the preparation step). That is, the preparation process is a process of preparing a pre-fermentation liquid used for fermentation. The preparation process includes a saccharification process to produce mash from raw materials and water, a filtration process to obtain a sugar-containing liquid by filtering the mash, a boiling process to boil the sugar-containing liquid, a removal process to remove solids from the raw liquid, A cooling step of cooling the raw material liquid may be included in this order.

The saccharification process includes a step of adjusting the temperature to 50 to 76°C and maintaining the temperature after charging the raw materials and water. In this step, the temperature is maintained at 50 to 76° C. for, for example, 1 to 200 minutes. As a result, for example, saccharification of the raw material progresses or soluble components are eluted, resulting in a mash containing components necessary for yeast metabolism. The mash obtained in the saccharification process is filtered in the filtration process to become a sugar-containing liquid.

In the boiling step, the sugar-containing liquid is boiled to obtain a boiled liquid (sugar-containing liquid after boiling). The sugar-containing liquid is one that contains components that can be fermented with alcohol by yeast. Examples of the sugar-containing liquid include wort and syrup. Wort is an unfermented liquid obtained through saccharification of the above-mentioned barley raw materials. Wort is produced, for example, through a process of mixing raw materials such as the above-mentioned barley raw materials and water, a process of saccharifying a liquid containing raw materials and water using a conventional method to obtain a saccharified liquid, and a process of filtering the saccharified liquid. Obtainable.

In the boiling step, hops may be added to the raw material liquid. As the hops to be added, for example, dried hops, hop pellets, and hop extracts can be used. The hops may be processed hop products such as low hops, hexahops, tetrahops, and isolized hop extracts.

In the removal step, the solid content in the boiled liquid is removed to obtain a purified liquid. The removal step can be performed, for example, by precipitating insoluble solids contained in the boiled liquid. Examples of the solid content include thermal coagulation produced in the boiling process, hop dregs when hops are added in the boiling process, and the like. The removal step may be performed in a whirlpool. In the cooling step, the purified liquid is cooled to a temperature that allows fermentation by yeast to obtain a pre-fermentation liquid. In the removal step, the above-mentioned hops may be added to the boiled liquid.

In the production method according to one embodiment, an enzyme agent may be used as necessary. By selecting an appropriate enzyme such as α-glucosidase or glucoamylase and adjusting the amount and timing of addition, the proportion of assimilable sugars can be adjusted, allowing for control of alcohol production during the fermentation process. Alcohol concentration can be easily adjusted.

The fermentation process is a process in which the pre-fermentation liquid is fermented with yeast. Through the fermentation process, a post-fermentation liquid is obtained by fermenting the pre-fermentation liquid with yeast. In the fermentation process, alcoholic fermentation is performed by yeast. More specifically, a pre-fermentation liquid is inoculated with yeast and fermented to obtain a post-fermentation liquid containing alcohol produced by the yeast.

The yeast used in the fermentation process may be a normal brewer's yeast, or may be a yeast with a low alcohol production ability (for example, a yeast with a low maltose assimilation ability and/or a low maltotriose assimilation ability). By using yeast with low alcohol-producing ability, alcohol production during the fermentation process can be suppressed, and the alcohol content can be easily adjusted.

The manufacturing method according to this embodiment may further include an alcohol content adjustment step. The alcohol content adjustment step is a process of adjusting the alcohol content within the above range. Since the beer-taste beverage according to the present embodiment has a low alcohol content, it is fermented by, for example, a method of controlling the activity of β-amylase through saccharification conditions, or a method of appropriately using an appropriate enzyme agent such as α-glucosidase or glucoamylase. The alcohol content may be adjusted by obtaining a preliquid, reducing the fermentation period in the fermentation process, or suppressing the production of alcohol by using yeast with low alcohol production ability. The fermentation process can be controlled by methods such as stopping the fermentation process midway (lowering the fermentation temperature midway through) or fermenting at a low temperature from the beginning of the fermentation process, or fermentation can be carried out in the same way as beer-flavored drinks such as regular beer. After the alcohol is produced, the alcohol content may be adjusted by removing or reducing the alcohol. The method for removing or reducing alcohol is not particularly limited, and can be carried out according to conventional methods such as distillation, dialysis, and dilution.

The production method according to the present embodiment may include a step of aging and cooling the fermented liquid and a step of filtering the fermented liquid as post-fermentation steps after the fermentation step. By performing the filtration step, insoluble solids, yeast, etc. can be removed from the fermented liquid.

In the production method according to the present embodiment, as another post-fermentation step, the post-fermentation liquid (or the post-fermentation liquid after the filtration process) may be heated (sterilized) or the like.

In the production method according to the present embodiment, the content of nonanal, butyric acid, and/or isobutyric acid is determined by, for example, the raw materials used in the preparation process (e.g., malt, hops, malt extract, rice, corn, starch, liquid sugar, etc.) adjusting the type, amount used, timing of addition, etc., adjusting the brewing conditions (type of yeast, preparation conditions, period of fermentation and storage, etc.), and adding nonanal, butyric acid, and/or isobutyric acid itself to the post-fermentation liquid. The above-mentioned range can be adjusted by adding a flavoring agent containing nonanal, butyric acid, and/or isobutyric acid to the post-fermentation liquid. The content of nonanal, butyric acid, and/or isobutyric acid may be adjusted within the above range by using nonanal, butyric acid, and/or isobutyric acid itself as a raw material.

[Method for improving the feel and/or mildness of beer-taste beverages]
The beer-taste beverage according to the present embodiment has excellent drinking texture and mildness. Therefore, the present invention is regarded as a method for improving the drinking sensation and/or mildness of beer-taste beverages, which includes adjusting the alcohol content to be less than 1 v/v% and adjusting the nonanal content. You can also do that. Furthermore, the above method including adjusting the butyric acid and/or isobutyric acid content is also a method for reducing the feel and/or mildness of beer-taste beverages, and/or off-flavors and/or aftertastes. can. As specific aspects of the method, each of the aspects described above can be applied without particular limitation.

EXAMPLES Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail based on Examples, but the present invention is not limited to the following Examples.

[Test Example 1: Production and evaluation of carbonated water-based beverage]
Carbonated water of Test Examples 1-2 to 1-6 and Test Examples 2-1 to 2-9 was prepared by adding nonanal, butyric acid, and isobutyric acid to the carbonated water at the contents shown in Tables 1 and 2. A base drink was produced. For comparison, a carbonated water-based beverage of Reference Example 1-1 that does not contain nonanal was also produced.

(sensory evaluation)
For the carbonated water-based beverages of Reference Example 1-1 and Test Examples 1-2 to 1-6, evaluation items of "drinkability", "off flavor", "miscellaneous aftertaste", and "mildness" A sensory evaluation was conducted. Similarly, the carbonated water-based beverages of Test Examples 2-1 to 2-9 were subjected to sensory evaluation on the evaluation items of "drinking response", "off-flavor", "miscellaneous aftertaste", and "mildness". was carried out. The sensory evaluation was carried out by four selected panelists with discerning ability. All evaluation items were evaluated on a five-point scale from 1 to 5, and the average value was taken as the evaluation score. For each evaluation item, the carbonated water-based beverage of Reference Example 1-1 was given a score of 1 point, and other carbonated water-based beverages were evaluated based on this score.

Regarding "drinking response," the higher the score, the stronger the favorable drinking response. "Off-flavor" indicates that the higher the score, the stronger the unfavorable off-flavor is felt. Regarding "off-taste aftertaste", the higher the score, the stronger the unpleasant aftertaste is felt. "Mildness" indicates that the higher the rating, the stronger the desirable mildness. The results are shown in Tables 1 and 2.

As shown in Table 1, carbonated water-based beverages containing nonanal (Test Examples 1-2 to 1-6) have a better drinking feel compared to carbonated water-based beverages that do not contain nonanal (Reference Example 1-1). The evaluation of the taste and mildness improved, and the taste and mildness were excellent.

As shown in Table 2, carbonated water-based beverages that further contain butyric acid in addition to nonanal (Test Examples 2-2 to 2-5) are different from carbonated water-based beverages that do not contain butyric acid (Test Example 2-1). In comparison, the evaluation of the drinking texture and mildness was improved, and the drinking texture and mildness were more excellent. In addition, the evaluation of the off-flavor and aftertaste was lower, and the off-flavor and aftertaste was lower. Similar results were obtained with carbonated water-based beverages (Test Examples 2-6 to 2-8) that further contained isobutyric acid in addition to nonanal. Furthermore, the carbonated water-based beverage containing butyric acid and isobutyric acid in addition to nonanal (Test Example 2-9) had even better evaluations of its feel and mildness; was. In addition, the evaluation of the off-flavor and aftertaste was further reduced, and the off-flavor and aftertaste were further reduced.

[Test Example 2: Production and evaluation of beer-taste beverage]
Spirits with an alcohol content of 65.5 v/v%, nonanal, butyric acid, and isobutyric acid were added to a non-alcoholic beer base liquid obtained by mixing fructose glucose corn syrup, lactic acid, isoα acid, caramel color, and carbonated water. Beer-taste beverages of Test Examples 3-2 to 3-3 were produced by adding the ingredients at the contents shown in 3. In addition, malt (malt ratio 51%), hops, rice, corn, and starch are used as raw materials to obtain wort according to a conventional method, and then yeast with low maltose assimilation ability is added to the obtained wort. Fermentation was performed to produce a beer-taste beverage of Test Example 3-4. Furthermore, a beer-taste beverage of Test Example 3-5 was produced in the same manner as Test Example 3-4 except that malt (malt ratio 100%) and hops were used as raw materials. The beer-taste drinks of Test Examples 3-4 and 3-5 were manufactured by adjusting the alcohol content shown in Table 3, and nonanal, butyric acid, and isobutyric acid were measured using the SPME-GC-MS method. As a result, the contents were as shown in Table 3. In addition, for comparison, a beer-taste beverage of Reference Example 3-1 containing no alcohol, nonanal, butyric acid, and isobutyric acid was produced.

(sensory evaluation)
Sensory evaluation of the beer-taste beverages of Reference Example 3-1 and Test Examples 3-2 to 3-5 on the evaluation items of "drinkability", "off-flavor", "miscellaneous aftertaste", and "mildness". was carried out. The sensory evaluation was carried out by four selected panelists with discerning ability. All evaluation items were evaluated on a five-point scale from 1 to 5, and the average value was taken as the evaluation score. The explanation for each evaluation item is as described in Test Example 1. For each evaluation item, the carbonated water-based beverage of Reference Example 1-1 was given a score of 1 point, and the beer-taste beverages of Reference Example 3-1 and Test Examples 3-2 to 3-5 were evaluated based on this score. did. The results are shown in Table 3.

As shown in Table 3, among the beer-taste beverages, the beer-taste beverage containing nonanal, butyric acid, and isobutyric acid was highly rated for its feel and mildness, and was excellent in its feel and mildness. In addition, beer-taste drinks with an alcohol content of 0.5 v/v% or 0.7 v/v% (Test Examples 3-3 to 3-5) are different from beer-taste drinks that do not contain alcohol (Test Example 3-3-5). It was rated higher in terms of feel and mildness than 2), and was superior in terms of feel and mildness. Furthermore, the evaluation of off-flavor and aftertaste was also lower than that of beer-taste beverages that did not contain alcohol, and the off-flavor and aftertaste were lower. The beer-taste beverages produced by the brewing method (Test Examples 3-4 and 3-5) had better texture and mildness compared to the beer-taste beverages produced by the blending method (Test Example 3-3). It was rated even higher in terms of flavor, and the drinkability and mildness were even better. In addition, the evaluation of the off-flavor and aftertaste was further reduced, and the off-flavor and aftertaste were further reduced.

Claims (8)

A beer-taste beverage having an alcohol content of less than 1 v/v% and containing nonanal. The beer-taste beverage according to claim 1, further containing butyric acid and/or isobutyric acid. The beer-taste beverage according to claim 1, wherein the nonanal content is 0.2 ppb or more. The beer-taste beverage according to claim 2, wherein when it contains butyric acid, the butyric acid content is 0.2 ppm or more and 4 ppm or less. The beer-taste beverage according to claim 2, wherein when containing isobutyric acid, the isobutyric acid content is 0.2 ppm or more and 4 ppm or less. The beer-taste beverage according to claim 1, which is a beer-taste fermented beverage. A method for producing a beer-taste beverage, comprising the steps of adjusting the alcohol content to be less than 1 v/v%, and adjusting the nonanal content. A method for improving the feel and/or mildness of a beer-taste beverage, the method comprising adjusting the alcohol content to be less than 1 v/v% and adjusting the nonanal content.