JP5081028B2 - Method for producing purified green tea extract containing non-polymer catechins - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for producing a purified green tea extract containing non-polymer catechins.

  As an effect of catechins, α-amylase activity inhibitory action and the like have been reported (Patent Document 1). In order to express such physiological effects, it is necessary to drink 4 to 5 cups of tea per day for adults. Therefore, catechins can be added to beverages for more easily ingesting large amounts of catechins. A technique for blending at a high concentration has been desired.

  As one of the methods, a method of adding catechins to a beverage in a dissolved state using a water-soluble green tea extract such as a concentrate of green tea extract is used. However, depending on the type of beverage for which catechins are blended at a high concentration, for example, when catechins are added to black tea extracts or carbonated beverages, the ratio of gallate bodies in non-polymer catechins is high, or green tea If gallic acid, oxalic acid or quinic acid derived from the extract remains, the commercial value of the beverage tends to be impaired.

  Furthermore, when non-polymer catechin-containing green tea extract obtained by a production method that does not adjust the gallate content in conventional non-polymer catechins is added, the gallate content in non-polymer catechins is high. There was a problem that the bitterness became stronger.

  As a technique for reducing the gallate content in non-polymer catechins, there is known a method for reducing the gallate content by performing a normal tannase treatment on a green tea extract having a high gallate content to adjust to a specific pH. (Patent Documents 2 to 4). However, when a green tea extract obtained from green tea leaves having a high gallate content in non-polymer catechins is tannase treated by a conventional method and pH is adjusted to produce a beverage, the taste and appearance change. There was a case.

  Thus, the green tea extract contained gallic acid and oxalic acid, which caused unfavorable acidity and taste. For example, Patent Document 5 discloses performing a combination of tannase treatment and anion exchange resin treatment as a method for removing gallic acid. However, if gallic acid is excessively increased by excessive tannase treatment, anion exchange is performed. There was a limit to the reduction of acidity and taste by resin treatment.

In addition, a method for removing oxalic acid and quinic acid in green tea extract using activated carbon or acidic clay has been reported, but simultaneously reducing the gallate content in non-polymer catechins and reducing gallic acid. This was not possible (Patent Documents 6 and 7).
JP-A-3-133828 JP 10-313784 A JP 2004-321105 A JP-A-2005-130809 JP 2007-195458 A JP 2004-149416 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-58208

  An object of the present invention is to provide a non-polymer catechins-containing purified green tea extract having a low content of gallate bodies of non-polymer catechins, which are bitter and astringent components, and suppressing bitterness, sourness, and taste, and production thereof It is providing the method and the container-packed drink which mix | blends the said refined green tea extract.

  As a result of various studies to improve the flavor of a beverage containing a green tea extract, the present inventors have processed gallic acid, oxalic acid and quina acid by treating the green tea extract or its concentrate by combining predetermined steps. A purified green tea extract containing non-polymer catechins in which the acid content is significantly reduced, the content of gallate bodies of non-polymer catechins, which are bitter and astringent ingredients, is low, and the bitterness, sourness and taste are suppressed It was found that it can be obtained.

That is, the present invention
Treating the green tea extract or its concentrate with (A) tannase;
(B) a step of treating with an anion exchange resin;
Provided is a method for producing a non-polymer catechin-containing purified green tea extract, which comprises a step comprising (C1) a step of contacting with activated carbon and acid clay, and / or (C2) a step of contacting with a synthetic adsorbent. It is.

The present invention also provides
(A) Non-polymer catechin concentration is 5.0 to 80.0% by mass,
(B) The gallate content in the non-polymer catechins is 10 to 50% by mass,
(C) The mass ratio [(c) / (a)] of gallic acid and (a) non-polymer catechins is 0.07 or less,
(D) the content of oxalic acid is 0.001 to 1.0 mass%,
(E) The content of quinic acid is 0.001 to 5.0 mass%, and (f) the pH when diluted so that the non-polymer catechin concentration is 130 mg / 100 mL is 4.0 to 7.0.
The present invention provides a purified green tea extract containing non-polymer catechins.
The present invention further provides a packaged beverage comprising the non-polymer catechin-containing purified green tea extract.

  According to the production method of the present invention, gallic acid, oxalic acid, and quinic acid are significantly reduced, so that the content of non-polymer catechins, which are bitter and astringent components, is low, and bitterness, sourness and A non-polymer catechin-containing purified green tea extract in which the taste is suppressed can be easily obtained. Moreover, the container-packed drink with favorable flavor can be provided by mix | blending the said non-polymer catechin containing refined green tea extract.

  In the present invention, (a) non-polymer catechins include catechin, gallocatechin, catechin gallate, non-epi form catechins of gallocatechin gallate (hereinafter also referred to as “non-epi form”), epicatechin, epigallocatechin, epi Catechin gallate and epigallocatechin gallate are epigenetic catechins (hereinafter also referred to as “epi-forms”), and the concentration of non-polymer catechins is defined based on the total amount of the above eight types. .

  Non-polymer catechins include gallate bodies composed of epigallocatechin gallate, gallocatechin gallate, epicatechin gallate and catechin gallate, and non-gallate bodies composed of epigallocatechin, gallocatechin, epicatechin and catechin. Galate bodies, which are ester-type non-polymer catechins, have a strong bitterness and taste. The ratio of gallate bodies of non-polymer catechins in non-polymer catechins (hereinafter also referred to as “gallate body ratio”) is the total mass of these four types of gallate bodies and the sum of the eight non-polymer catechins. It is a numerical value expressed as a percentage of the mass.

  The green tea extract used in the present invention is a genus Camellia, such as C.I. sinensis, C.I. It is obtained from tea leaves made from tea leaves obtained from assamica and Yabuki species or their hybrids. The tea leaves produced can be used as long as they are non-fermented teas, but steamed tea leaves such as ordinary sencha, deep steamed sencha, gyokuro, kabuse tea, tama green tea and bancha are preferred.

  The green tea extract used in the present invention is extracted from green tea leaves using water. As an extraction method of the green tea extract, a normal green tea extraction method can be adopted, and examples thereof include kneader extraction, stirring extraction, drip extraction, and column extraction. The temperature of water when extracting from green tea leaves is preferably 70 to 100 (boiling water) ° C., more preferably 80 to 100 (boiling water) ° C. from the viewpoint of increasing the extraction efficiency of non-polymer catechins. The amount of water at the time of extraction from the green tea leaves is preferably 5 to 60 times by mass, more preferably 5 to 40 times by mass with respect to the green tea leaves. The extraction time from green tea leaves is preferably 1 to 60 minutes, more preferably 1 to 40 minutes, and still more preferably 1 to 30 minutes. By setting it as such extraction conditions, the elution of non-polymer catechins is sufficient, and the isomerization reaction due to thermal denaturation of non-polymer catechins can be prevented.

  The concentrate of the green tea extract of the present invention is obtained by concentrating the above-described green tea extract. For example, JP-A-59-219384, JP-A-4-20589, JP-A-5-260907, What was prepared by the method illustrated in detail in Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 5-306279, Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 2003-304811, Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 2003-219800, etc. may be used, melt | dissolving in water. Examples of commercially available concentrates of green tea extract include Mitsui Norin Co., Ltd. “Polyphenone”, ITO EN Co., Ltd. “Theafuran”, Taiyo Kagaku Co., Ltd. “Sunphenon” and the like. These concentrates of green tea extracts contain 5-40% by weight of non-polymer catechins. The form of the green tea extract concentrate here includes various forms such as a solid, an aqueous solution, and a slurry.

  In the production method of the present invention, first, a green tea extract or a concentrate thereof (hereinafter referred to as “green tea extract or the like”) is treated with (A) tannase. Thereby, a gallate body rate can be reduced. The tannase used here should just have the activity which hydrolyzes the gallate body of non-polymer catechin. Specifically, tannase obtained by culturing tannase-producing bacteria such as Aspergillus, Penicillium, Rhizopus and the like can be used. Of these, those derived from Aspergillus oryzae are particularly preferred. As commercial products of enzymes having tannase activity, pectinase PL Amano (manufactured by Amano Enzyme), hemicellulase amano 90 (manufactured by Amano Enzyme), tannase KTFH (manufactured by Kikkoman) and the like can be used.

  The tannase used in the present invention preferably has an enzyme activity of 500 to 100,000 U / g. When it is 500 U / g or more, the tannase can be treated within a time that causes no industrial problems. The reaction system can be controlled to be 000 U / g or less. Here, 1 Unit represents the amount of enzyme that hydrolyzes 1 micromole of an ester bond contained in tannic acid in water at 30 ° C. That is, having tannase activity has activity to decompose tannin, and any enzyme can be used as long as it has this activity.

  In the tannase treatment, tannase is preferably added to the non-polymer catechins in the green tea extract or the like in a range of 0.5 to 10% by mass, more preferably 1.0 to 10% by mass. is there. The tannase treatment temperature is preferably 15 to 40 ° C., more preferably 20 to 30 ° C. at which enzyme activity is obtained, and is maintained until the gallate body ratio reaches 10 to 50% by mass. The pH (25 ° C.) at the time of tannase treatment is preferably 4-6, more preferably 4.5-6, particularly preferably 5-6, from which enzyme activity can be obtained. Thereafter, the temperature is raised to 45 ° C. to 95 ° C., preferably 75 ° C. to 95 ° C. as soon as possible, and the reaction is stopped by deactivating tannase. By the deactivation treatment of the tannase, a subsequent decrease in the gallate body ratio can be prevented, and a non-polymer catechin-containing green tea extract having the desired gallate body ratio can be obtained.

  When terminating the tannase reaction, it is necessary to deactivate the enzyme activity. The deactivation conditions are about 70 to 90 ° C., more preferably 80 to 90 ° C., for several tens of seconds to 20 minutes, which is a temperature at which epimerization of non-polymer catechins in the green tea extract does not occur. By setting the temperature to 70 ° C. or higher, the enzyme can be sufficiently deactivated and the reaction can be stopped more reliably, so that the gallate content in the non-polymer catechins can be easily adjusted to a desired value. In addition, the enzyme activity can be sufficiently deactivated by setting the retention time to several tens of seconds or more after reaching the predetermined deactivation temperature, and by setting the retention time to 20 minutes or less, the non-polymer catechins Epimerization can be suppressed. As a deactivation method of the enzyme reaction, a method of heating in a continuous manner such as a batch type or a plate type heat exchanger can be adopted. In addition, after the inactivation of the tannase treatment, the green tea extract can be clarified by an operation such as centrifugation.

Next, the green tea extract or the like after the tannase treatment is treated with (B) an anion exchange resin.
Examples of the anion exchange resin used in the present invention include those based on styrene-divinylbenzene or acrylic acid. The anion exchange resin must have anion exchange ability and be insoluble in the green tea extract or the like, and its form may be appropriately selected for use. , Spherical, fibrous, membrane, or other forms. Moreover, although both a strong basic ion exchange resin and a weak basic ion exchange resin can be used, it is preferable to select what becomes acidic, such as a green tea extract, after flowing through. Furthermore, the shape of the resin matrix such as a gel type, a porous type, and a high porous type can be selected as appropriate. Specifically, Diaion SA series (strongly basic gel type: SA10A, 11A, 12A, 20A, 21A, etc., manufactured by Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation), PA series (strongly basic porous type: PA306, 308, 312, 316) , 318, 406, 408, 412, 416, 418, etc., manufactured by Mitsubishi Chemical Co., Ltd.), WA series (weakly basic acrylic type: WA10, 11, strong basic high porous type: WA20, 21, 30, etc., Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation) And Amberlite / IRA series (IRA-400, 410, 900, 93ZU, etc., manufactured by Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation). Of these, a strongly basic gel-type anion exchange resin is particularly preferred from the viewpoint of the recovery rate of non-polymer catechins and the reduction rate of gallic acid.

  In the present invention, as a means for treating the green tea extract or the like with an anion exchange resin, the anion exchange resin is added to the green tea extract or the like, stirred and adsorbed, and then recovered by filtration. Alternatively, a column method in which adsorption treatment is carried out by continuous treatment using a column filled with an anion exchange resin can be adopted, but continuous use of the column in terms of recovery rate of non-polymer catechins, reduction rate of gallic acid, and productivity. A processing method is preferred. The amount of the anion exchange resin used is preferably 1.0 to 20.0% by volume, more preferably 2.0 to 16% with respect to the green tea extract or the like from the viewpoint of the adsorption efficiency of the non-polymer catechins. It is preferably 0.0 vol%, particularly 5.0 to 14.0 vol%.

The column filled with the anion exchange resin is preliminarily supplied with SV (space velocity) = 1 to 20 [h ⁻¹ ] and a flow rate of 1 to 5 [v / v] per anion exchange resin filling volume. It is preferable to perform washing to remove raw material monomers of the anion exchange resin, other impurities, and the like. Thereby, the adsorption ability of organic acids, such as a gallic acid, can be improved.

The conditions for passing green tea extract or the like through a column filled with an anion exchange resin are SV (space velocity) = 0.5 to 20 [h ⁻¹ ] and the anion exchange resin is packed. It is preferable that the liquid flow rate is 0.5 to 20 [v / v] per volume, and further, the liquid flow rate is SV = 1 to 15 [h ⁻¹ ] and the volume per anion exchange resin is filled. A flow rate of 1 to 15 [v / v], particularly a flow rate of SV = 5 to 12 [h ⁻¹ ], and a flow rate of 5 to 12 [v / v] per anion-exchange resin filling volume. A liquid amount is preferred. By setting it as the said liquid permeation | transmission conditions, the recovery rate of non-polymer catechins and the reduction efficiency of gallic acid, oxalic acid, and quinic acid can be improved.

After passing through green tea extract, etc., ions with SV (space velocity) = 1 to 20 [h ⁻¹ ] and 1 to 20 [v / v] per anion exchange resin filling volume. It is preferable to wash the column filled with the anion exchange resin by passing exchange water or the like and collect all the passing solution.

  (A) Although a non-gallate body and gallic acid are produced from a gallate body of non-polymerized catechins by tannase treatment by an enzymatic hydrolysis reaction, gallic acid has a taste and a sour taste. In the present invention, it can be reduced by (B) anion exchange resin treatment step.

Next, the green tea extract or the like after being treated with the anion exchange resin is treated by any one or more of the following steps.
(C1) Step of contacting with activated carbon and acid clay (C2) Step of contacting with synthetic adsorbent That is, after subjecting green tea extract or the like to steps (A) and (B), steps (C1) and (C2) Or, it is attached to the steps (C1) and (C2). When the steps (C1) and (C2) are combined, even if the step (C2) is performed after the step (C1), the step (C2) is followed by the step (C2). C1) may be performed. In the present invention, by applying the step (C2) after the steps (A) and (B), gallic acid, oxalic acid and quinic acid are further reduced, so that the sourness and the astringency are more reliably suppressed. A green tea extract containing polymer catechins can be obtained.

In the step (C1), the order of bringing the green tea extract into contact with activated carbon and acid clay is not particularly limited.
(1) A method in which a green tea extract or the like is dispersed or dissolved in water or an organic solvent aqueous solution and then contacted with activated carbon and acidic clay.
(2) A method in which activated carbon and acid clay are dispersed in water or an aqueous organic solvent solution and then contacted with a green tea extract or the like,
(3) Contact green tea extract etc. with water or organic solvent aqueous solution in the presence of acidic clay, then contact with activated carbon, or contact green tea extract etc. with water or organic solvent aqueous solution in the presence of activated carbon And then contacting with acid clay,
Among them, the method (1) or (3) is preferable. In addition, you may transfer to the next process, after putting a filtration process between each process in the method of (1)-(3), and filtering.

  The organic solvent used in the step (C1) is preferably a water-soluble organic solvent, and examples thereof include alcohols such as methanol and ethanol, ketones such as acetone, and esters such as ethyl acetate. In consideration of use, alcohols, particularly ethanol, is preferred. Examples of water include ion-exchanged water, distilled water, tap water, natural water, and the like, and ion-exchanged water is particularly preferable from the viewpoint of taste.

  The mass ratio of the organic solvent to water in the organic solvent aqueous solution is preferably 99/1 to 10/90, more preferably 97/3 to 65/35, still more preferably 95/5 to 65/35, and particularly preferably 95. / 5-70 / 30.

  The ratio of the green tea extract and the like to the water or organic solvent aqueous solution is 10 to 40 parts by weight, particularly 10 to 30 parts by weight of the green tea extract or the like (in terms of dry weight) with respect to 100 parts by weight of the water or organic solvent aqueous solution. Addition and treatment are preferable in that green tea extract and the like can be treated efficiently.

Examples of the activated carbon used for the contact treatment include ZN-50 (manufactured by Hokuetsu Carbon Co., Ltd.), Kuraray Coal GLC, Kuraray Coal PK-D, Kuraray Coal PW-D (manufactured by Kuraray Chemical Co., Ltd.), white birch AW50, white birch A, Commercial products such as Shirasagi M and Shirasagi C (manufactured by Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited) can be used. The pore volume of the activated carbon is preferably 0.01 to 0.8 mL / g, particularly preferably 0.1 to 0.8 mL / g. The specific surface area is preferably in the range of 800 to 1600 m ² / g, particularly 900 to 1500 m ² / g. These physical property values are values based on the nitrogen adsorption method.

  Activated carbon is added in an amount of 0.5 to 8 parts by mass, particularly 0.5 to 3 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of water or an organic solvent aqueous solution. This is preferable.

The acid clay used for the contact treatment contains SiO ₂ , Al ₂ O ₃ , Fe ₂ O ₃ , CaO, MgO, etc. as general chemical components, but the SiO ₂ / Al ₂ O ₃ ratio is What is 3-12, especially 4-9 is preferable. Further, Fe ₂ O ₃ 2 to 5 wt%, the CaO 0 to 1.5 wt%, preferably from compositions containing MgO 1 to 7% by weight.

The specific surface area of the acid clay is preferably 50 to 350 m ² / g, and the pH (5 mass% suspension) is preferably 2.5 to 8, particularly preferably 3.6 to 7. For example, as the acid clay, a commercially available product such as Mizuka Ace # 600 (manufactured by Mizusawa Chemical Co., Ltd.) can be used.

  Moreover, the ratio of the activated carbon and the acid clay is preferably 1 to 10 with respect to the activated carbon 1 by mass ratio, and is preferably activated carbon: acid clay = 1: 1 to 1: 6.

  The acid clay is preferably added in an amount of 2.5 to 25 parts by mass, particularly 2.5 to 15 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of water or an organic solvent aqueous solution. If the added amount of acid clay is 2.5 parts by mass or more, the purification efficiency of green tea extract and the like is good, and if it is 25 parts by mass or less, there are manufacturing problems such as cake resistance in the filtration step. Absent.

  It is preferable to provide an aging time of about 10 to 180 minutes for the contact treatment, and these treatments can be carried out at 10 to 60 ° C., more preferably 10 to 50 ° C., particularly preferably 10 to 40 ° C.

  The temperature when separating activated carbon or the like from water or an organic solvent aqueous solution is preferably -15 to 78 ° C, more preferably -5 to 40 ° C. Within this temperature range, the separability is good. As a separation method, a known technique can be applied. For example, separation may be performed by passing through a column packed with a granular substance such as activated carbon, in addition to a so-called filter separation or centrifugation.

  The synthetic adsorbent used in the step (C2) is preferably an insoluble three-dimensional cross-linked polymer having substantially no functional group such as an ion exchange group. Specifically, the ion exchange capacity is 1 meq / It is preferable to use one less than g. As such a synthetic adsorbent, for example, Amberlite XAD4, XAD16HP, XAD1180, XAD2000 (supplier: Rohm & Haas, USA), Diaion HP20, HP21 (Mitsubishi Chemical Co., Ltd.), Sepabeads SP850, SP825, SP700, Styrenics such as SP70 (manufactured by Mitsubishi Chemical), VPOC1062 (manufactured by Bayer); modified styrenes having a strong adsorption power by nucleating bromine atoms such as sepa beads SP205, SP206, SP207 (manufactured by Mitsubishi Chemical); Methacrylic type such as Ion HP1MG, HP2MG (Mitsubishi Chemical Co., Ltd.); Phenol type such as Amberlite XAD761 (Rohm and Haas); Acrylic type such as Amberlite XAD7HP (Rohm and Haas); TOYOPEARL, HW-40C (east A commercially available product such as a dextran type such as SEPHADEX or LH-20 (Pharmacia) can be used.

  The synthetic adsorbent preferably has a styrenic, methacrylic, acrylic or polyvinyl type matrix, and is particularly preferably a styrene type from the viewpoint of separability between non-polymer catechins and caffeine.

  In the present invention, as a means for adsorbing the green tea extract or the like on the synthetic adsorbent, the synthetic adsorbent is added to the green tea extract or the like, stirred and adsorbed, and then the synthetic adsorbent is recovered by filtration operation, or A column method in which adsorption treatment is performed by continuous treatment using a column filled with a synthetic adsorbent can be employed, but a continuous treatment method using a column is preferred from the viewpoint of productivity. Although the usage-amount of a synthetic adsorbent can be suitably selected according to the kind of green tea extract etc. to be used, it is about 200 mass% or less with respect to mass (dry mass) of a green tea extract etc.

The column packed with the synthetic adsorbent has an SV (space velocity) = 0.5 to 10 [h ⁻¹ ] in advance, and a liquid flow rate of 2 to 10 [v / v] per packed volume of the synthetic adsorbent. It is preferable to wash with a 95% by mass aqueous ethanol solution to remove the raw material monomer of the synthetic adsorbent and other impurities. Then, SV = 0.5 to 10 [h ⁻¹ ], and water washing is performed at a flow rate of 1 to 60 [v / v] per filled volume of the synthetic adsorbent, ethanol is removed to contain the synthetic adsorbent. The adsorption ability of non-polymer catechins can be improved by replacing the liquid with an aqueous system.

The conditions for passing green tea extract or the like through the column filled with the synthetic adsorbent are: SV (space velocity) = 0.5-10 [h ⁻¹ ], liquid permeation speed, 0 per synthetic adsorbent filling volume. It is preferable that the flow rate is 5 to 20 [v / v], and the flow rate is SV = 0.5 to 5 [h ^-1 ] and 1 to 1 per anion exchange resin filling volume. A flow rate of 15 [v / v], particularly a flow rate of SV = 1 to 3 [h ⁻¹ ], and a flow rate of 2 to 7 [v / v] per filled volume of anion exchange resin. It is preferable that By setting it as the said liquid flow conditions, the adsorption capacity to the synthetic adsorbent of non-polymer catechin can be improved.

Next, after passing green tea extract and the like, non-polymer catechins are eluted with an organic solvent aqueous solution. As the organic solvent aqueous solution, a mixed system of a water-soluble organic solvent and water is used. Examples of the water-soluble organic solvent are the same as those described above. Among them, alcohols are preferable, and ethanol is particularly preferable from the viewpoint of use in foods and drinks. The ratio of the water-soluble organic solvent to water is preferably 99/1 to 10/90, more preferably 50/50 to 5/95, still more preferably 40/70 to 10/90, and particularly preferably 20/80 to 15/85. It is preferable from the viewpoint of the recovery rate of non-polymer catechins.
Then, it is preferable to contact with activated carbon. The activated carbon is preferably added in an amount of 0.001 to 8 parts by mass, particularly 0.001 to 3 parts by mass, with respect to 100 parts by mass of water or an organic solvent aqueous solution, from the viewpoint of purification efficiency of caffeine such as a green tea extract.

In this way, the non-polymer catechins-containing purified green tea extract of the present invention is obtained, and the form thereof may be any of solid, liquid and slurry.
Such a non-polymer catechins-containing purified green tea extract has the requirements (a) to (f);
(A) Non-polymer catechin concentration is 5.0 to 80.0% by mass (more preferably 35 to 80% by mass, still more preferably 40 to 80% by mass, particularly preferably 45 to 80% by mass).
(B) The gallate content in the non-polymer catechins is 10 to 50% by mass (more preferably 15 to 40% by mass, particularly preferably 20 to 35% by mass),
(C) The mass ratio [(c) / (a)] of gallic acid and (a) non-polymer catechins is 0.07 or less (more preferably 0.06 or less, particularly preferably 0.05 or less). ,
(D) The content of oxalic acid is 0.001 to 1.0 mass% (more preferably 0.001 to 0.5 mass%, particularly preferably 0.001 to 0.1 mass%).
(E) The content of quinic acid is 0.001 to 5.0 mass% (more preferably 0.001 to 1.0 mass%, particularly preferably 0.001 to 0.6 mass%).
(F) pH (25 ° C.) when diluted so that the concentration of non-polymer catechins becomes 130 mg / 100 mL is 4.0 to 7.0 (more preferably 4.2 to 6.5, still more preferably 5 0.0 to 6.5, particularly preferably 5.0 to 6.0)
It satisfies. As a result, a purified green tea extract containing a high concentration of non-polymer catechins, having a low content of non-polymer catechins gallate, and sufficiently suppressing bitterness, sourness and sour taste. it can.

  The non-polymer catechins-containing purified green tea extract obtained by the production method of the present invention has a recovery rate of non-polymer catechins of 50% by mass or more (particularly preferably 52% by mass or more), and the residual rate of oxalic acid Is 50% by mass or less (more preferably 30% by mass or less, more preferably 10% by mass or less, particularly preferably 5% by mass or less), and the residual ratio of quinic acid is 50% by mass or less (more preferably 35% by mass). Hereinafter, it is more preferably 25% by mass or less, and particularly preferably 15% by mass or less. Here, the recovery rate of non-polymer catechins refers to the non-polymer catechins-containing purified green tea extract obtained by the above production method with respect to the mass of non-polymer catechins contained in the raw material green tea extract or the like The ratio of the mass of non-polymer catechins in the oxalic acid and the residual ratio of quinic acid is obtained by the above production method with respect to the mass of oxalic acid or quinic acid contained in the raw material green tea extract or the like. The ratio of the mass of oxalic acid or quinic acid in the obtained non-polymer catechins-containing purified green tea extract.

  The content mass ratio [(g) / (a)] of (a) non-polymer catechins and (g) caffeine is preferably 0.0001 to 0.16, more preferably 0.001 to 0. .15, more preferably 0.02 to 0.14, particularly preferably 0.05 to 0.13. When the ratio of caffeine to non-polymer catechins is 0.0001 or more, a flavor balance can be maintained when blended in a beverage. Moreover, the stability of a drink will become favorable as the ratio is 0.16 or less.

  The container-packed beverage of the present invention is a blend of the above-mentioned non-polymer catechins-containing purified green tea extract, but the non-polymer catechins-containing purified green tea extract is further blended with a tea extract or a non-tea beverage. Thus, the concentration of non-polymer catechins can be adjusted. Tea extracts include tea extracts obtained from non-fermented green tea, semi-fermented tea (eg, oolong tea) or fermented tea (eg, black tea), and the tea extract may be a concentrate or a purified product. May be. Examples of non-tea beverages include carbonated beverages that are soft drinks, beverages containing fruit extracts, juices containing vegetable extracts, near water, sports beverages, and diet beverages.

  The container-packed beverage of the present invention preferably contains 0.05 to 0.5 mass% of non-polymer catechins, more preferably 0.07 to 0.4 mass%, still more preferably 0.08. It is -0.3 mass%, Most preferably, it is 0.09-0.2 mass%. If the non-polymer catechins are within this range, a large amount of non-polymer catechins can be easily ingested, and the physiological effect of the non-polymer catechins can be expected. Moreover, when the non-polymer catechin content is 0.05% by mass or more, the flavor stability is good, and when it is 0.5% by mass or less, the taste is good.

  Further, if the content of the non-polymer catechin gallate in the packaged beverage is in the range of 10 to 50% by mass, further 10 to 40% by mass, and particularly 15 to 35% by mass, the aftertaste will be improved. preferable.

  In the packaged beverage of the present invention, carbohydrates obtained from nature, glycerols, sugar alcohols, and artificial sweeteners can be used as sweeteners. These sweeteners are preferably contained in a total of 0.01 to 20% by mass, further 0.01 to 15% by mass, and particularly 0.02 to 10% by mass in the packaged beverage of the present invention.

  The carbohydrate used in the packaged beverage of the present invention is preferably a non-reducing saccharide or sugar alcohol in order to improve the storage stability of non-polymer catechins and obtain an optimal sweetness, and these may be used in combination. it can.

  The container-packed beverage of the present invention can contain sodium ions. As the sodium ion, in addition to the salt used in the present invention, a readily available sodium salt such as sodium chloride, sodium carbonate, sodium hydrogen carbonate and a mixture thereof may be blended, or added fruit juice or tea. Those derived from ingredients are also included. In order to obtain an optimum salty taste, the sodium ion content in the packaged beverage of the present invention is preferably 0.0001 to 0.05% by mass, more preferably 0.002 to 0.04% by mass, and still more preferably. It is 0.003-0.02 mass%.

  The packaged beverage of the present invention can contain potassium ions. As potassium ions, in addition to the salts used in the present invention, potassium salts such as potassium chloride, potassium carbonate, potassium sulfate, potassium hydrogen carbonate, potassium sorbate and the like or a mixture thereof may be added or added. Also included are fruit juice or tea components. The potassium ion concentration is preferably 0.0001 to 0.05% by mass, more preferably 0.0005 to 0.01% by mass, in order to obtain an optimal salty taste. More preferably, it is 0.001-0.005 mass%.

  The packaged beverage of the present invention contains at least one kind selected from citric acid, gluconic acid, tartaric acid, lactic acid, fumaric acid, malic acid, phosphoric acid, ascorbic acid and salts thereof as a sour agent, but is polybasic In the case of an acid, it may be in the form of an anhydride. Among these acids, citric acid and phosphoric acid are preferable for obtaining an optimal acidity. Examples of the salts include salts with inorganic bases and salts with organic bases. Examples of the salt with an inorganic base include alkali metal salts and ammonium salts. These acidulants are contained in the packaged beverage of the present invention in a total of 0.01 to 1.0% by mass, further 0.1 to 0.4% by mass, and particularly 0.1 to 0.3% by mass. preferable.

  In the container-packed beverage of the present invention, the pH is adjusted to 5.1 or less from the viewpoint of the balance between sourness and bitterness and storage stability, preferably 5.0 or less, particularly preferably 4.5 or less. . The lower limit of the pH is preferably 2,5, more preferably 2.8, particularly 3.0. That is, when the pH is 2.5 or more, the amount of non-polymer catechins is maintained during long-term storage. Further, when the pH is 5.1 or less, stability can be maintained even during long-term storage. It is preferable to adjust the pH within the above range with ascorbic acid or a salt thereof, citric acid, or the like, whereby a beverage that can be stored for a long time and has an appropriate acidity is obtained.

  In the packaged beverage of the present invention, cyclodextrin can be used in combination in order to suppress the bitter taste of non-polymer catechins. Examples of the cyclodextrin include α-cyclodextrin, β-cyclodextrin, and γ-cyclodextrin.

  In addition to tea-derived components, antioxidants, various esters, pigments, emulsifiers, preservatives, seasonings, vegetable extracts, nectar extracts, quality stabilizers, etc. are added to the packaged beverage of the present invention. You may mix | blend an agent individually or in combination.

  The container-packed drink of this invention is good also as a non-carbonated drink by palatability. Further, by making a carbonated beverage having an appropriate foaming property with carbon dioxide gas, the bitterness of non-polymer catechins can be suppressed, and a soft feeling and a refreshing feeling can be continuously imparted.

  Moreover, the container-packed drink of this invention can also be provided as a functional drink. Here, the functional beverage refers to a health functional food, and this health functional food includes foods for specified health and nutritional functional foods defined by Japan. Here, the food for specified health refers to a food that can indicate that a specific purpose of health can be expected, for example, promotion of lipid combustion and enhancement of lipid metabolism. In addition, functional nutritional food is a food that can indicate the function of the nutritional component when the amount of nutritional component included in the daily intake standard amount conforms to the national and national standards for upper and lower limits. is there.

  The calorie of the packaged beverage of the present invention is calculated at 4 kcal per gram for glucose, fructose and sucrose contained in 100 mL of beverage, and 0 Kcal per gram for erythritol. Here, the packaged beverage of the present invention preferably has a low calorie of 40 kcal / 240 mL or less, more preferably 1 to 30 kcal / 240 mL, and particularly preferably 2 to 20 kcal / 240 mL.

  Containers that can be used in the container-packed beverages of the present invention are provided in ordinary forms such as molded containers mainly composed of polyethylene terephthalate (so-called PET bottles), metal cans, paper containers combined with metal foil or plastic film, bottles, etc. can do. The term “packaged beverage” as used herein means a beverage that can be drunk without dilution.

  Moreover, the container-packed drink of this invention can be manufactured on the sterilization conditions prescribed | regulated to the food hygiene law, for example, when it can heat-sterilize after filling a container like a metal can. For PET bottles and paper containers that cannot be sterilized by retort, sterilize under the same conditions as above, for example, after sterilizing at high temperature and short time with a plate heat exchanger, etc. The method can be adopted. Moreover, you may mix | blend another component with the filled container under aseptic conditions. Furthermore, after sterilization by heating under acidic conditions, the pH can be returned to neutrality under aseptic conditions, or after sterilization by heating under neutral conditions, the pH can be returned to acidic conditions under aseptic conditions.

Measurement of non-polymer catechins, gallic acid and caffeine Filtered with a membrane filter (0.8 μm), then diluted with distilled water, a high performance liquid chromatograph (model SCL-10AVP) manufactured by Shimadzu Corporation was used. A packed column for octadecyl group-introduced liquid chromatograph, L-column TM ODS (4.6 mmφ × 250 mm: manufactured by Chemical Substance Evaluation Research Organization) was attached, and measurement was performed at a column temperature of 35 ° C. by a gradient method. The mobile phase A solution was a distilled aqueous solution containing 0.1 mol / L of acetic acid, the B solution was an acetonitrile solution containing 0.1 moL / L of acetic acid, the sample injection amount was 20 μL, and the UV detector wavelength was 280 nm. .

Measurement of oxalic acid and quinic acid A column: IonPacAS4A-SC, 4 × 250 mm was attached to an ion chromatograph manufactured by Nippon Dionex, and connected to a suppressor ASRS-ULTRA (manufactured by Dionex). . The mobile phase was 1.8 mmoL / L, Na ₂ CO ₃ /1.7 mmoL / L, NaHCO ₃ was flowed at 1.0 mL / min, and the sample injection volume was 25 μL. An electric conductivity meter was used as a detector.

Evaluation of flavor About the container-packed drink obtained by each Example and the comparative example, the drinking test was done by five panelists.

  Production examples of green tea extract are shown in Production Examples 1 and 2 and Comparative Examples 1 and 2, and production examples of purified green tea extract using the green tea extract of Comparative Examples 1 and 2 as raw materials are shown in Examples 1 and 2. .

Production Example 1
Manufacture of “Non-polymer catechins-containing green tea extract 1” To 600 g of green tea leaves (Kenya, large-leaf type), 9,000 g of hot water at 88 ° C. was added and extracted with stirring for 30 minutes, followed by coarse filtration with a 100 mesh wire net. Thereafter, in order to remove the fine powder of the extract, centrifugation operation was performed to obtain 7,360 g of “green tea extract”. Subsequently, a portion of 5,405 g of the green tea extract was concentrated and freeze-dried to obtain 100 g of “non-polymer catechin-containing green tea extract 1”. Table 1 shows the physical properties of “Non-polymer catechins-containing green tea extract 1”.

Production Example 2
Manufacture of “Non-polymer catechins-containing green tea extract 2” The same procedure as for non-polymer catechins-containing green tea extract 1 was performed to obtain a green tea extract, and then a portion of 5,405 g of the green tea extract was stainless steel container And 5% by weight aqueous sodium bicarbonate solution was added to adjust the pH to 5.5. Next, under stirring conditions of 22 ° C. and 150 r / min, Kikkoman tannase KTFH (Industrial Grade, 500 U / g or more) was added to ion-exchanged water at a concentration of 430 ppm with respect to the green tea extract. The enzymatic reaction was terminated when the temperature dropped to 4.24. Next, the stainless steel container was immersed in a 95 ° C. warm bath, kept at 90 ° C. for 10 minutes to completely deactivate the enzyme activity, cooled to 25 ° C., concentrated, freeze-dried, and “non-polymer catechins” 100 g of green tea extract 2 "was obtained. The physical properties of “Non-polymer catechins-containing green tea extract 2” are shown in Table 1.

Comparative Example 1
Production of “Non-polymer catechin-containing green tea extract 3” 311 g of anion exchange resin SA-10A (trimethylammonium type, manufactured by Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation) on a stainless steel column (inner diameter 24 mm × height 1150 mm, volume 516 mL) ( 457 mL). Next, 516.0 g of ion-exchanged water was passed through the column at SV = 10 (h ⁻¹ ), and the permeated water was discarded. Next, 5,405 g of green tea extract after tannase treatment obtained by the same operation as “Non-polymer catechin-containing green tea extract 2” (11.8 [v / v] per anion-exchange resin filling volume) Was passed through the column at SV = 10 (h ⁻¹ ), and then 5,000 g of ion-exchanged water was passed through the column at SV = 10 (h ⁻¹ ), and all of the passing solution was recovered. The recovered liquid was concentrated and freeze-dried to obtain 82.5 g of “non-polymer catechins-containing green tea extract 3”. Table 1 shows the physical properties of “Non-polymer catechins-containing green tea extract 3”.

Comparative Example 2
Production of “Non-polymer catechins-containing green tea extract 4” In the production of “Non-polymer catechins-containing green tea extract 2”, “non-polymer catechins-containing green tea extract 3” was performed without deactivating tannase. The same anion exchange resin as in Example 1 was used to obtain “non-polymer catechins-containing tea extract 4”. Table 1 shows the physical properties of "Non-polymer catechins-containing green tea extract 4".

Example 1
Production of “Purified Green Tea Extract 1 Containing Non-polymer Catechins” 82.5 g of a lyophilized product of “green tea extract 3 containing non-polymer catechins” is 95% by mass under stirring conditions at 25 ° C. and 200 r / min. The suspension was suspended in 900 g of an ethanol aqueous solution, 20 g of activated carbon (Kuraray Coal GLC, manufactured by Kuraray Chemical Co., Ltd.) and 50 g of acid clay (Mizuka Ace # 600, manufactured by Mizusawa Chemical Co., Ltd.) were added, and stirring was continued for about 10 minutes. And stirring processing for about 30 minutes was continued with 25 degreeC. Subsequently, activated carbon, acid clay, and precipitate were filtered with No. 2 filter paper, and then re-filtered with a 0.2 μm membrane filter. Finally, 200 g of ion-exchanged water was added to the filtrate, ethanol was distilled off at 40 ° C. and 3.3 kPa, concentrated under reduced pressure, and lyophilized to obtain “Non-polymer catechins-containing purified green tea extract 1”. Table 1 shows the physical properties of “purified green tea extract 1 containing non-polymer catechins”.

Example 2
Production of “Purified Green Tea Extract 2 Containing Non-polymer Catechins” 85 g of lyophilized product of “Green Tea Extract 3 containing non-polymer catechins” was dissolved in 8,415 g of ion-exchanged water with stirring at 25 ° C. for 30 minutes (Tannase Treatment and anion exchange resin treatment solution). A stainless steel column 1 (inner diameter 110 mm × height 230 mm, volume 2,185 mL) was filled with 2,048 mL of synthetic adsorbent SP-70 (manufactured by Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation). 8,200 g of tannase treatment and anion exchange resin treatment liquid (4 [v / v] per packed volume of the synthetic adsorbent) were passed through the column 1 at SV = 1 (h ⁻¹ ), and the permeate was discarded. After washing with water, 10,240 mL (5 times the volume of the synthetic adsorbent) was passed through a 20% by mass ethanol aqueous solution at SV = 1 (h ⁻¹ ) to obtain “resin-treated product 1” (pH 4.58). It was. Next, 8.5 g of granular activated carbon Taiho SGP (manufactured by Phutamura Scientific Co., Ltd.) was packed in a stainless steel column 2 (inner diameter 22 mm × height 145 mm, volume 55.1 mL), and “resin-treated product 1” was SV = 20 (h ^-1 ) was passed through column 2. Subsequently, concentration treatment and freeze-drying were performed to obtain “purified green tea extract 2 containing non-polymer catechins”. The physical properties of "Non-polymer catechins-containing purified green tea extract 2" are shown in Table 1.

  Examples of blending of the purified green tea extract obtained in Examples 1 and 2 into beverages are shown in Examples 3-6, and examples of blending of the green tea extract obtained in Comparative Examples 1 and 2 into beverages are Comparative Examples 3-6. Shown in

Example 3
Manufacture of packaged beverages 5.0 g of "Non-polymer catechins-containing purified green tea extract 1", 2.2 g of "Non-polymer catechins-containing green tea extract 2", 0.3 g of anhydrous citric acid, 10 mass 5.7 g of sodium bicarbonate water was dissolved. Next, 46.6 g of anhydrous crystalline fructose, 7.5 g of erythritol, 0.5 g of L-ascorbic acid, and 0.5 g of green tea flavor were added to make the total amount 1,000 g. After blending, it was UHT sterilized and filled into a PET bottle. Table 2 shows the composition and flavor evaluation results of this container-packed green tea beverage.

Example 4
Manufacture of packaged beverages 8.5 g of “purified green tea extract 1 containing non-polymer catechins”, 0.5 g of a concentrate of commercially available black tea extract and 0.3 g of anhydrous citric acid, 10% by weight sodium bicarbonate water 7 g was dissolved. Next, 46.6 g of anhydrous crystalline fructose, 7.5 g of erythritol, 0.5 g of L-ascorbic acid, and 0.1 g of black tea flavor were added to make the total amount 1,000 g. After blending, it was UHT sterilized and filled into a PET bottle. Table 2 shows the composition and flavor evaluation results of this packaged black tea beverage.

Example 5
Production of container-packed beverage: 8.5 g of “purified green tea extract 1 containing non-polymer catechins” and 1.0 g of anhydrous citric acid and 5.7 g of 10 mass% sodium bicarbonate water were dissolved. Next, 46.6 g of anhydrous crystalline fructose, 7.5 g of erythritol, 0.5 g of L-ascorbic acid, and 1.0 g of lemon lime flavor were added to make the total amount 1,000 g. After blending, it was UHT sterilized and filled into a PET bottle. Table 2 shows the composition and flavor evaluation results of this container-packed non-tea beverage.

Example 6
Production of Containerized Beverage A containerized green tea beverage was produced in the same manner as in Example 3 except that 3.9 g of “non-polymer catechins-containing purified green tea extract 2” was used. Table 2 shows the composition and flavor evaluation results of this container-packed non-tea beverage.

Comparative Example 3
Production of Containerized Beverage A packaged green tea beverage was produced in the same manner as in Example 3 except that 10.0 g of “non-polymer catechin-containing green tea extract 3” was used. Table 3 shows the composition and flavor evaluation of this container-packed green tea beverage.

Comparative Example 4
Production of Containerized Beverage A containerized green tea beverage was produced in the same manner as in Example 3 except that 10.6 g of “non-polymer catechin-containing green tea extract 4” was used. Table 3 shows the composition and flavor evaluation of this container-packed green tea beverage.

Comparative Example 5
Production of Containerized Beverage A containerized black tea beverage was produced in the same manner as in Example 4 except that 18.1 g of “non-polymer catechins-containing green tea extract 4” was used. Table 3 shows the composition and flavor evaluation of this packaged black tea beverage.

Comparative Example 6
Production of container-packed beverage A container-packed non-tea beverage was produced in the same manner as in Example 5 except that 18.1 g of "non-polymer catechins-containing green tea extract 4" was used. Table 3 shows the composition and flavor evaluation of this non-tea-packed beverage.

  From the comparison between Examples 3-6 and Comparative Examples 3-6, the packaged beverage containing the non-polymer catechin-containing purified green tea extract of the present invention contains a high concentration of non-polymer catechins and has a bitter and astringent taste. Low gallate content of non-polymer catechins, which are components, and low content of gallic acid, oxalic acid and quinic acid, so it has a good balance between bitterness and sourness and is easy to drink without taste It is clear that it is a beverage.

Claims (4)

(A) Non-polymer catechin concentration is 5.0 to 80.0% by mass,
(B) The gallate content in the non-polymer catechins is 10 to 50% by mass,
(C) The mass ratio [(c) / (a)] of gallic acid and (a) non-polymer catechins is 0.07 or less,
(D) the content of oxalic acid is 0.001 to 1.0 mass%,
(E) The content of quinic acid is 0.001 to 5.0% by mass, and (f) the pH when diluted to a non-polymer catechin concentration of 130 mg / 100 mL is 4.0 to 7.0.
A purified green tea extract containing non-polymer catechins. (G) caffeine (a) non-polymer-containing mass ratio of catechins [(g) / (a)] is from 0.0001 to 0.16, the non-polymer catechins of claim 1 Symbol placement Contains purified green tea extract. By blending the claims 1 or 2 Symbol placement of non-polymer catechins contained purified green tea extract, packaged beverage. The container-packed drink of Claim 3 whose non-polymer catechin density | concentration is 0.05-0.5 mass%.