JP2024062767A - Low-concentration hydrogen cyanide plum wine or plum wine-containing beverage - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] The object of the present invention is to reduce the concentration of hydrogen cyanide in plum wine or plum wine-containing beverages. [Solution] Plum fruits are treated at high temperature and high pressure and then immersed in a liquid containing alcohol. [Selected Figure] None

Description

The present invention relates to plum wine or plum wine-containing beverages with a low concentration of hydrogen cyanide, and a method for producing the same.

Umeshu is a drink made by adding plums to alcoholic beverages such as shochu, and is classified as a liqueur under the Liquor Tax Act. Umeshu has traditionally been made at home, and in recent years, breweries have begun to produce and sell various types of umeshu.

In recent years, various studies have been conducted on the production method of plum wine. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a method of producing plum wine with a low content of ethyl carbamate by heating plum fruits in a hot water bath and then immersing them in an alcoholic solution.

JP 2008-306973 A

Plums contain cyanogenic glycosides, which can produce hydrogen cyanide. As a result, umeshu and beverages containing umeshu contain hydrogen cyanide. Hydrogen cyanide does not have any effect on the human body at the level found in regular umeshu, but it is preferable to reduce the amount.

The objective of the present invention is to reduce the hydrogen cyanide concentration in plum wine or plum wine-containing beverages.

As a result of extensive investigation, the present inventors have discovered the following.
When plums were heat-treated and then immersed in a liquid containing alcohol, the hydrogen cyanide concentration in the resulting plum wine could be reduced. However, even if the heating temperature and time were increased, there was a limit to how much the hydrogen cyanide concentration in the plum wine could be reduced. Therefore, when the heat treatment was carried out under pressure, the hydrogen cyanide concentration in the plum wine could be efficiently reduced.

The present invention relates to, but is not limited to, the following:
(1) Plum wine or plum wine-containing beverage having a hydrogen cyanide concentration of 4 ppm or less, calculated as 100% alcohol.
(2) A beverage according to (1) or (2), characterized in that no flavoring is added. (3) A method for producing plum wine or a plum wine-containing beverage,
Providing plum fruits or parts thereof;
The method comprises the steps of: treating the plum fruit or a part thereof at a temperature of 100° C. or higher and a pressure of more than 0.1 MPa to obtain a heat-treated product; and immersing the heat-treated product in a liquid containing alcohol.
(4) The method according to (3), wherein the heat treatment is carried out at a temperature of 110 to 140° C. and a pressure of more than 0.1 MPa and not more than 0.4 MPa.

Since the concentration of hydrogen cyanide in the plum wine or plum wine-containing beverage of the present invention is low, these are extremely preferable from the standpoint of safety.
By using the manufacturing method of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the hydrogen cyanide concentration in the resulting umeshu or umeshu-containing beverage. Moreover, this method does not require a long time for heat treatment. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the energy required for production and reduce production costs. In addition, it is possible to prevent deterioration of umeshu that may occur due to long-term heating.

The plum wine or plum wine-containing beverage of the present invention and related methods are described below.
Unless otherwise specified, "ppm" as used herein means ppm by weight/volume (w/v), which is synonymous with "mg/L."

Additionally, the term "alcohol" as used herein means ethanol unless otherwise specified.
(Umeshu and beverages containing umeshu)
The term "umeshu" as used in this specification refers to a beverage obtained by soaking raw plum fruits such as green plums or aged plums or parts thereof (including seeds) in a liquid containing alcohol such as shochu and extracting the ingredients.

As used herein, the term "umeshu-containing beverage" refers to a beverage that contains umeshu. A typical example of a umeshu-containing beverage is a beverage obtained by diluting umeshu with water or carbonated water.

The content of plum wine in the plum wine-containing beverage is preferably 1 to 99 v/v%, more preferably 5 to 99 v/v%, more preferably 10 to 99 v/v%, more preferably 20 to 99%.

The concentration of hydrogen cyanide in the plum wine or plum wine-containing beverage of the present invention is very low, and is 14 ppm or less, preferably 13 ppm or less, preferably 12 ppm or less, more preferably 10 ppm or less, more preferably 9 ppm or less, more preferably less than 8 ppm, more preferably 7 ppm or less, more preferably 6 ppm or less, more preferably 5 ppm or less, more preferably 4 ppm or less, more preferably 3 ppm or less, more preferably 2 ppm or less, calculated as 100% alcohol.

Here, "100% alcohol equivalent" refers to the amount of hydrogen cyanide per a certain amount of alcohol contained in a beverage sample, such as plum wine or a beverage containing plum wine, and is calculated using the following formula.

(Hydrogen cyanide concentration converted to 100% alcohol)
= (hydrogen cyanide concentration in beverage sample)/(alcohol content in beverage sample (v/v%)) x 100
The concentration of hydrogen cyanide in a beverage may be measured by any known method, for example, the method shown in the examples described below.

The ume liquor or ume liquor-containing beverage of the present invention also preferably contains the components that ume liquor normally contains. In a preferred embodiment, the ume liquor or ume liquor-containing beverage contains 0.5 to 100 ppm of benzaldehyde.

(alcohol)
The ume liquor or ume liquor-containing beverage of the present invention contains alcohol. The alcohol content of the ume liquor or ume liquor-containing beverage is preferably 1.0 to 30 v/v%, more preferably 3.0 to 25.0 v/v%, and more preferably 5.0 to 22 v/v%.

In this specification, the alcohol content of a beverage can be measured by any known method, for example, by a vibration density meter. Specifically, a sample is prepared by removing carbon dioxide from the beverage using filtration or ultrasound, and the sample is then distilled over a direct flame. The density of the resulting distillate is measured at 15°C, and the alcohol content can be calculated by conversion using "Table 2: Conversion table of alcohol content, density (15°C) and specific gravity (15/15°C)," which is an appendix to the National Tax Agency's prescribed analytical method (National Tax Agency Ordinance No. 6 of 2007, revised June 22, 2007).

(Other ingredients)
The plum wine or plum wine-containing beverage of the present invention may further contain additives that are usually added to beverages, such as sugars, flavorings, vitamins, colorants, antioxidants, preservatives, seasonings, acidulants, extracts, pH adjusters, quality stabilizers, etc., so long as they do not impair the inherent unique taste of the plum wine and do not impair the effects of the present invention. The plum wine-containing beverage may also contain carbon dioxide.

(Packaged beverages)
The plum wine or plum wine-containing beverage of the present invention may be provided in a container, which may be, but is not limited to, a metal container such as a can, a plastic bottle, a paper pack, a glass bottle, a pouch, or the like.

(Production method)
The method for producing plum wine or plum wine-containing beverage of the present invention is not particularly limited, but typically includes the steps of preparing plum fruit or a part thereof, heat-treating the plum fruit or a part thereof to obtain a heat-treated product, and immersing the heat-treated product in a liquid containing alcohol.

The plum varieties of the plum fruits used as raw materials in the present invention are not particularly limited as long as they are generally used in the production of plum wine, and examples include Nankou plum, Shirakaga plum, Ryukyo small plum, Koshu small plum, Tsuyuakane, Uguisujuku, Suiko, Kaga Jizo, Hachiro, Mineharu, Purple Queen, Kino Takara, Minabe 21, NK14, Daidai Takara, Purple Nankou, You Jack, Maezawa small plum, Kairyo Uchida, Yoshimura small plum, Shinshu Bungo, Takada plum, Shinpeitayu, Tamaorihime, Natsumidori, Fukutayu, Beni no Mai, Hanakami, Kojo, Tsukisekai, Umego, etc. The ripeness of the fruit is not particularly limited, and it may be immature green plum or fully ripe plum.

The plum fruit or a part thereof used as the raw material is at least one selected from the group consisting of the plum peel (exocarp), flesh (mesocarp), seeds, stone (endocarp), and kernel. Therefore, in the present invention, all parts of the plum fruit, i.e., the whole fruit, may be used, or only plum parts such as the peel, flesh, and seeds (stone and kernel) may be used. Alternatively, two or more of these parts may be used in combination. Note that the plum fruit or a part thereof may or may not contain the kernel, but since the kernel contains cyanogenic glycosides that serve as a source of hydrogen cyanide, the present invention is more useful when the plum fruit contains the kernel.

The conditions for the heat treatment of plum fruit are a temperature of 100°C or higher and a pressure of more than 0.1 MPa. The temperature is preferably 100 to 140°C, preferably 100 to 135°C, more preferably 110 to 135°C, more preferably 115 to 135°C. The pressure is preferably higher than 0.1 MPa and not higher than 0.4 MPa, more preferably 0.11 to 0.4 MPa, more preferably 0.11 to 0.313 MPa, more preferably 0.143 to 0.313 MPa, more preferably 0.169 to 0.313 MPa. Preferred examples of the heat treatment conditions are a temperature of 110 to 140°C and a pressure of more than 0.1 MPa and not more than 0.4 MPa, a temperature of 110 to 135°C and a pressure of 0.143 MPa to 0.313 MPa, a temperature of 115 to 135°C and a pressure of 0.169 to 0.313 MPa, or a temperature of 100 to 135°C and a pressure of 0.26 to 0.313 MPa. Here, the temperature is the temperature at the center of the plum fruit. To carry out such heat treatment, for example, an autoclave, a high-pressure steam sterilizer, a retort kettle, or a similar device can be used.

The heat treatment time is not particularly limited, but is preferably 20 minutes to 5 hours, more preferably 40 minutes to 5 hours, more preferably 50 minutes to 3 hours, and more preferably 60 minutes to 2 hours.

Therefore, examples of preferred heat treatment conditions are a temperature of 115 to 135°C and a pressure of 0.169 to 0.313 MPa, or a temperature of 100 to 135°C and a pressure of 0.26 to 0.313 MPa, and a heat treatment time of 20 minutes to 5 hours.

Next, the heat-treated product is immersed in a liquid containing alcohol. In the immersion process, the components of the plum are extracted into the liquid.
The soaking step may be carried out using methods and conditions known in the plum wine industry. For example, the heat-treated plum fruit may be subjected to the soaking step as is, or may be cut and then subjected to the soaking step. The alcohol-containing liquid used in the soaking step usually contains water as well as alcohol. In one example, the liquid contains distilled liquor, and thus contains alcohol. The distilled liquor is not limited by its raw material or production method. Examples of the distilled liquor include whiskey, brandy, spirits (e.g., vodka, rum, tequila, gin, aquavit), neutral spirits, liqueurs, and shochu. Preferably, the distilled liquor is whiskey, brandy, or neutral spirits.

The ethanol concentration of the alcohol-containing liquid is, for example, 15 to 80 v/v %, more preferably 25 to 70 v/v %, and more preferably 40 to 70 v/v %.
A typical immersion temperature is room temperature (about 25° C.), and a typical immersion time is from 1 to 12 months, for example, about 1 to 3 months.

The alcohol-containing liquid may contain sugars, for example, sucrose, glucose, fructose, etc., either alone or in combination.
After soaking, the plums are removed by a known method such as vibrating sieve or filtration, and the mixture is concentrated or diluted as necessary. Water or carbonated water can be used for dilution. Additional ingredients are then added as necessary to obtain plum wine or a plum wine-containing beverage.

(Additional steps)
When producing plum wine and plum wine-containing beverages, additional steps may be performed as long as they do not adversely affect the effects of the invention. For example, a step of packaging them in containers may be performed.

On the other hand, if unheated plum fruits or parts thereof are subjected to a soaking process, the concentration of hydrogen cyanide increases, so the manufacturing method of the present invention should not additionally include a step of subjecting unheated plum fruits or parts thereof to a soaking process.

(Numerical range)
For clarity, any numerical range expressed herein by a lower limit and an upper limit, i.e., "from lower limit to upper limit," is inclusive of the lower limit and the upper limit. This also applies to numerical ranges defined by only an upper limit or lower limit.

The present invention will be described below based on test examples, but the present invention is not limited to these test examples.
(Test Example 1) Investigation of Heat Treatment Conditions The conditions of the heat treatment carried out before the soaking process of the plum fruits, particularly the temperature, time and pressure, were investigated.

First, fresh whole plums (variety: Nanko plum) were thoroughly washed with water and the surface was dried. Then, 440 g of the fruit was placed in a stainless steel container, 352 mL of water was added, and the fruit was heated. For experiments 1 to 4, a pot filled with water was placed on an induction heater and heated to each treatment temperature, the fruit was placed in the pot, and heated without pressure (0.1 MPa). For experiments 5 to 12, the fruit was placed in a high-pressure steam sterilizer (model: HVE-50LB) manufactured by Hirayama Seisakusho Co., Ltd. with an internal capacity of 54.247 L, and heated under various pressures (pressures higher than 0.1 MPa). Since pressure was applied by steam generated by heating, the theoretical value of pressure was calculated based on the heating temperature. Next, the heated plum fruit and 209 g of granulated sugar were placed in 407 mL of a 65% alcohol-containing liquid and soaked at room temperature for 3 months. The plum fruit was then removed by filtration to obtain plum wine.

As a control, whole plum fruits were subjected to the same soaking process as above without being heat-treated to obtain plum wine.
The alcohol content of the resulting plum wine was approximately 19.5 v/v%. The resulting plum wine was analyzed to measure the hydrogen cyanide concentration, and the concentration calculated as 100% alcohol was calculated. The analysis method is as follows.

Measurement method for hydrogen cyanide concentration: An alkali was added to the sample plum wine to inactivate the hydrolytic enzyme derived from the plum contained in the sample, and then steam distillation was performed, and the liberated hydrogen cyanide was collected in an alkaline solution. Next, a pyridine pyrazolone reagent was added to the resulting solution to develop color, and the concentration of hydrogen cyanide was quantified by colorimetry.

The various conditions and results of each experiment are shown below. The pressures shown are theoretical values.

Compared to the control, the hydrogen cyanide concentration in the plum wine in Experiments 1 to 4, in which the temperature was increased, was lower. And, extending the heating time further reduced the hydrogen cyanide concentration, but there was a limit to how much it could be reduced. When the heating time was long, for example in Experiment No. 2, which was heated for 420 minutes, the fruity plum aroma was almost completely lost. On the other hand, in Experiment 8, which was heated and heated, although there was a certain degree of cooked flavor, it had the taste and complexity of plum wine, and was excellent in terms of aroma.

Next, in Experiments 5 to 8, pressure was applied during the heat treatment. As a result, the hydrogen cyanide concentration decreased significantly. This tendency intensified as the pressure increased.
The heat treatment time was varied in Experiments 9 to 12. The longer the heat treatment time, the stronger the effect of reducing the hydrogen cyanide concentration, but increasing the temperature and pressure was able to compensate for the weakening of the effect of reducing the hydrogen cyanide concentration that accompanied the decrease in temperature.

(Test Example 2) Effects of pressure and temperature Using the same raw materials as in Test Example 1, plum wine was produced in accordance with Test Example 1, except that a heating and warming equipment different from that in Test Example 1 was used. The amount of plum fruit used was 440 g, and the amount of 65% alcohol-containing liquid was 407 mL. The heating and pressurizing equipment used was an autoclave with an internal capacity of about 50 L, and processing was performed at a pressure corresponding to the processing temperature.

The experimental conditions and hydrogen cyanide concentrations are shown in the table below. The pressures shown are actual measured values.

Comparing the results of Experiment 13 with Experiment 3 in Test Example 1, it becomes clearer that pressurization reduces the hydrogen cyanide concentration.
In addition, the higher the temperature and pressure, the lower the hydrogen cyanide concentration, and in Experiment 17, the hydrogen cyanide concentration was very low.

(Test Example 3) Reproduction Plum wine was obtained by carrying out the heating treatment process and the soaking process in the same manner as in Test Example 2, except that a heating and warming equipment different from that in Test Example 2 was used. The raw plum fruit and alcohol-containing liquid were the same as those in Test Examples 1 and 2. The amount of plum fruit used was 440 g, and the amount of 65% alcohol-containing liquid was 407 mL. The pressurizing equipment used was a retort equipment with a capacity of 390 L, and the pressure could be adjusted using steam.

The experimental conditions and hydrogen cyanide concentrations are shown in the table below. The pressures shown are actual measured values.

In this test example, the effects of heat and pressure were also clearly evident.

Claims (4)

Plum wine or plum wine-containing beverages with a hydrogen cyanide concentration of 4 ppm or less calculated as 100% alcohol. The beverage according to claim 1, characterized in that no flavoring is added. A method for producing plum wine or a plum wine-containing beverage,
Providing plum fruits or parts thereof;
The method comprises the steps of: treating the plum fruit or a part thereof at a temperature of 100° C. or higher and a pressure of more than 0.1 MPa to obtain a heat-treated product; and immersing the heat-treated product in a liquid containing alcohol. The manufacturing method according to claim 3, in which the heat treatment is carried out at a temperature of 110 to 140°C and a pressure of more than 0.1 MPa and not more than 0.4 MPa.