JP5572679B2 - Green beverage and method for producing the same - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a green beverage that maintains a vivid and natural green color even when stored for a long period of time, and that suppresses deterioration in quality over time.

  With recent changes in dietary habits, modern people tend to reduce their vegetable intake. There is a movement to compensate for such vegetable shortages by squeezing vegetables and easily ingesting them as vegetable drinks. In addition, green leafy plants containing chlorophyll such as kale, barley young leaves, wheat young leaves, tomorrow leaves, mulberry young leaves, etc., which are used as raw materials for so-called “green juice” instead of green-yellow vegetables, tend to attract attention as food materials. is there. These green leaf plants are rich in dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals, and are attracting attention as health food materials. Among them, barley young leaves are a typical material, and liquid barley young leaves green juice obtained by finely pulverizing barley young leaves and stems, barley young leaves dry powder obtained by dry-drying barley young leaves and stems as they are, and further squeezed Various forms of green leaf plant-containing foods have been proposed, such as paste-like products obtained by concentrating or dry-powdering, and dried juice powder. However, the dry powder form is good for health because it contains whole dietary fiber, but it takes time and effort to dissolve in water before drinking. In addition, even when dissolved in water, the fiber becomes a rough texture, and there is a problem that it is difficult to drink because the throat is bad. On the other hand, when a green leaf plant is used as a packaged beverage, it can be easily ingested like a vegetable beverage. However, when stored at room temperature, a unique vivid green color cannot be maintained, which is not suitable for commercial sales. There is such a background, and in Patent Document 1, by adjusting the pH after adding metal ions to the green juice, and directly sterilizing, the off-flavor peculiar to the green juice was reduced while maintaining a bright green color. A method for producing containerized green juice is disclosed. However, there is still room for improvement with respect to deterioration over time when it is in the form of a packaged beverage.

JP 2009-165439 A

  Therefore, the present invention is a green beverage that retains a vivid and natural green color even when stored as a packaged beverage for a long period of time, and that suppresses quality deterioration such as a change in flavor caused by time, and its An object is to provide a manufacturing method.

As a result of diligent research to solve the above problems, the present inventors have made a dramatic breakthrough in the case where zinc ions and vitamins are contained alone by coexisting zinc ions and vitamins in a green beverage. The present invention was completed by finding that it has an effect of suppressing deterioration over time.
More specifically, the present invention is as follows.

(1) A green beverage containing a chlorophyll-containing plant, wherein the ratio [V / Zn] of vitamins (V) to zinc (Zn) contained in the beverage is 0.2 to 40 on a mass basis. A green beverage characterized by that.
(2) The green beverage according to 1, wherein the concentration of zinc is higher than 20 ppm and lower than 100 ppm, and the pH is higher than 6.5 and lower than 8.0.
(3) The green beverage according to 1 or 2, wherein the vitamin is a fat-soluble vitamin.
(4) The green beverage according to 3, wherein the fat-soluble vitamin is vitamin E.
(5) The composition according to any one of 1 to 4, further comprising catechin, wherein the ratio [C / Zn] of catechin (C) to zinc (Zn) is 25 or less on a mass basis. Green beverage.
(6) A green beverage containing a chlorophyll-containing plant, wherein the ratio [V / Zn] of vitamins (V) to zinc (Zn) contained in the beverage is 0.2 to 40 on a mass basis. The method for producing a green beverage characterized by adjusting as described above.
(7) The method for producing a green beverage according to 6, wherein the zinc concentration is adjusted to be higher than 20 ppm and lower than 100 ppm, and pH is higher than 6.5 and lower than 8.0.
(8) The method for producing a green beverage according to 6 or 7, wherein the vitamin is a fat-soluble vitamin.
(9) The method for producing a green beverage according to 8, wherein the fat-soluble vitamin is vitamin E.
(10) The catechin is further contained, and the ratio [C / Zn] of catechin (C) to zinc (Zn) is adjusted to be 25 or less on a mass basis, any one of 6 to 9 The manufacturing method of the green-type drink as described in a term.
(11) A method for suppressing deterioration over time of a green beverage containing a chlorophyll-containing plant, wherein the ratio [V / Zn] of vitamins (V) to zinc (Zn) contained in the beverage is set to 0. A method for suppressing deterioration over time of a green beverage characterized by adjusting to 2 to 40.
(12) The method for suppressing deterioration with time of a green beverage according to 11, wherein the zinc concentration is adjusted to be higher than 20 ppm and lower than 100 ppm and the pH is higher than 6.5 and lower than 8.0.
(13) The method for inhibiting deterioration of a green beverage over time according to 11 or 12, wherein the vitamin is a fat-soluble vitamin.
(14) The method for inhibiting deterioration of a green beverage over time according to 13, wherein the fat-soluble vitamin is vitamin E.
(15) Any one of 11 to 14, further comprising catechin, wherein the ratio [C / Zn] of catechin (C) to zinc (Zn) is adjusted to 25 or less on a mass basis. The method for suppressing deterioration over time of the green beverage according to item.

  The green beverage of the present invention and the method for producing the same have a vivid and natural green color even when stored for a long time as a green beverage, and have a green color in which deterioration in flavor and quality over time is suppressed Beverages can be provided.

In the present invention, the green beverage is a beverage having a green liquid color as a whole by including a chlorophyll-containing plant, and having a greenness (−a / b) of 0.29 or more, which can, It includes container-packed beverages that are filled and distributed in commonly used containers such as paper and plastic bottles.
1. Chlorophyll-containing plant The chlorophyll-containing plant used as a raw material in the green beverage of the present invention and the method for producing the same is mainly green leaves such as kale, young barley leaf, young wheat leaf, tomorrow leaf, mulberry young leaf, spinach, morohaya, mecha cabbage, etc. It is a edible vegetable. Preferred are barley young leaves, spinach, moloheiya, mecabe and kale, and most preferred barley young leaves and kale. One or more of these may be used in combination. These raw materials may be used as they are, but preferably after edible parts such as leaves and stems are dried as they are and then pulverized by a mechanical method such as a mill and a mortar, A paste-like product obtained by squeezing an edible part such as a leaf part or a stem part, and concentrating or drying to powder, a squeezed dry powder or the like can be dissolved in a solvent such as water and used. From the viewpoint of dispersibility, a dry powder having a particle size of 70 μm or less crushed by a jet mill or the like having a particle size of 90% or more, preferably a dry powder having a particle size of 50 μm or less being 90% or more may be used. The addition amount of the chlorophyll-containing plant in the green beverage of the present invention is 0.5 to 10.0% by weight, preferably 0.6 to 5.0% by weight, more preferably 0.8 to 3.0% by weight. is there. Among these, the content of barley young leaves is at least 0.5 to 2.0% by weight, preferably 0.7 to 1.6% by weight. This is because, within this range, the expected nutritional components can be sufficiently ingested, and it is also favorable from the viewpoint of taste and green retention.

2. Zinc The green beverage of the present invention and the method for producing the same are characterized in that zinc and vitamins coexist in the beverage. By adding zinc, it becomes possible to maintain the vivid and natural green color of the green beverage. A similar effect can be obtained when copper is added, but it is not preferable because it exhibits an excessively bright green color and gives an artificial impression to consumers. Zinc may be added alone, but is preferably added in the form of a water-soluble salt such as gluconate, sulfate, zinc chloride, citrate, etc. Among them, zinc gluconate and zinc sulfate are used. It is preferable.
The addition amount is more than 20 ppm in terms of ion amount and not more than 100 ppm. Preferably it is 21-90 ppm, More preferably, it is 30-80 ppm, Most preferably, it is 40-70 ppm. Within this range, it is possible to maintain a natural green color and quality, although it is vivid and unique to green beverages, without affecting the flavor of the beverage itself. The addition of zinc is not particularly problematic as long as the green beverage is filled into the container, but the bright green color unique to the green beverage can be maintained by adding it at an early stage.

3. Vitamins The present inventors have made synergistically good deterioration-inhibiting effect over time, green retention effect and quality by making zinc and vitamins coexist in a green beverage, compared to the case where each is added alone. It has been found that a retention effect is obtained.
The vitamins in the present invention include all those used as vitamin preparations regardless of whether they are water-soluble or oil-soluble, natural or synthetic. Examples of natural water-soluble vitamins include vitamins B1, B2, B3, B6, B12, niacin, pantothenic acid, biotin, folic acid, lipoic acid, inositol, vitamin C, vitamin P, and the like. Examples of the fat-soluble vitamin (oil-soluble vitamin) include vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E, vitamin K, and the like. In addition, these vitamins may be synthesized, and the vitamins contained in the beverage may be single or a plurality of the above vitamins may be contained. Preferred vitamins added to the beverage of the present invention Is a fat-soluble vitamin. More preferably, when vitamin A and / or vitamin E, and most preferably vitamin E coexists with zinc, the green color retention effect and the quality deterioration preventing effect with time are most exhibited.
In addition, in order to produce the synergistic effect with zinc, the content (ppm) of the vitamins in the green beverage needs to contain vitamins at a specific ratio with respect to the amount of zinc ions. Vitamin content (V) ratio ([V / Zn]) to zinc ion content (Zn) is 0.2 to 40, preferably 0.3 to 32, more preferably 1 to 20, most preferably on a mass basis. When it is contained in a ratio of 1.5 to 9, it becomes possible to exert a synergistic effect of zinc and vitamins.

4). pH
In the green beverage of the present invention, the final product has a pH of more than 6.5 and less than 8.0. And By adjusting to this range, even if zinc is contained at a relatively high concentration, the original flavor of the green beverage can be maintained without causing acidity or salty taste. The quality is stabilized by adjusting to preferably 6.6 to 7.9, more preferably 6.8 to 7.7, and even more preferably 6.9 to 7.6, and a vivid green color unique to green beverages Can be held more stably. The pH can be adjusted based on a general method such as adding sodium bicarbonate.

5. Catechin The green beverage of the present invention preferably contains green tea. Usually, when green tea is contained in a green beverage, the liquid color becomes dark green, which is not preferable in appearance. However, since the present invention maintains a vivid and natural green color due to the synergistic action of zinc and vitamins, the green color can be maintained even when a certain amount of green tea is contained. Furthermore, the action of useful components such as catechin contained in green tea also has an effect of preventing liquid color deterioration and quality deterioration. The green tea can be used by dissolving it in a powder such as a mill and a mortar, or by dissolving green tea, green tea concentrate or purified green tea in a solvent such as water. From the viewpoint of dispersibility, a particle size of 70 μm or less may be 90% or more, and preferably a particle size of 50 μm or less may be 90% or more. The added amount of green tea in the green beverage of the present invention is 8 to 25 times the amount of zinc (Zn) in terms of mass ([C / Zn] = 8 to 25) in terms of catechin amount (C) (ppm). Preferably, 10 to 14 times the amount is added. Within this range, it is possible to obtain a green beverage in which deterioration over time is further suppressed while maintaining the vivid green color unique to the green beverage.
The amount of catechin added in the green beverage of the present invention is 10 to 1000 ppm, preferably 20 to 800 ppm, more preferably 30 to 600 ppm, and most preferably 40 to 500 ppm.

6). Sterilization method The green beverage of the present invention and the production method thereof need to be produced under the sterilization conditions defined in the Food Sanitation Law in order to distribute the beverage as a packaged beverage. The sterilization method includes indirect sterilization such as retort sterilization and direct sterilization in which high-temperature steam is sealed in the beverage. The sterilization method of the green beverage in the present invention is direct sterilization. Direct sterilization is a method that is rarely used for vegetable beverages, but has the advantage that the heat history can be shorter than indirect sterilization. When direct sterilization is carried out at 140 to 160 ° C., preferably 140 to 150 ° C. for 1 to 60 seconds, preferably 2 to 30 seconds, the odors peculiar to chlorophyll-containing plants can be sufficiently reduced while sterilizing.

7). Greenness The color of a green beverage is vivid, but is preferably natural green. In the green beverage of the present invention, the green color of the liquid color can be represented by -a / b. a and b are the values of the color tone (L, a, b), and a green beverage can be measured using commercially available general equipment. -A / b indicates that the closer to 1, the brighter the green color. However, -a / b does not necessarily correlate with the green color of a green beverage preferable as a product. This is because an excessively bright green color gives a consumer an artificial impression and is difficult to accept. Accordingly, in the green beverage of the present invention, the green color is evaluated visually with -a / b and a panel. In -a / b, an acceptable range that can be said to be “natural green” without giving an artificial impression is 0.29 to 0.80, preferably 0.33 to 0.75.

  In the green beverage of the present invention and the production method thereof, milk beverages such as milk, soy milk beverages, fruit juice / fruit beverages, coffee beverages, oolong tea beverages, green tea beverages, tea beverages, barley tea beverages, vegetable beverages, millet tea beverages, etc. By combining with other beverages, it is possible to provide a wide range of beverages. For example, it can also be suitably added to carbonated beverages, beverages containing fruit extracts, juices containing vegetable extracts, near water, sports beverages, diet beverages, etc., which are soft drinks. In addition, a form in which an insoluble compound such as a fine powder of tea leaves is intentionally suspended may be used according to consumer preference. Furthermore, when taking into account the portability and storage stability of the ingredient, it is a powdered beverage containing the relevant ingredient, or a food that can be drunk by leaching by the user's own operation. You can also.

  Ingredients that can be added to beverages as antioxidants, antioxidants, fragrances, various esters, organic acids, organic acid salts, inorganic acids, inorganic acid salts, inorganic salts, pigments, emulsifiers, preservatives, seasonings Additives such as sweeteners, acidulants, fruit juice extracts, vegetable extracts, nectar extracts, pH adjusters, and quality stabilizers may be used alone or in combination.

  When a beverage is made into a packaged beverage, the container used is a molded container (so-called PET bottle) mainly composed of polyethylene terephthalate, a metal can, a paper container combined with a metal foil or a plastic film, as with a general beverage. It can be provided in the usual form such as a bottle. The term “packaged beverage” as used herein means a beverage that can be drunk without dilution.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited to the following examples.

(Preliminary test: Relationship between zinc addition concentration and pH)
A preliminary test was conducted to clarify the relationship between the amount of zinc to be added and pH.
Fresh barley leaves were harvested, dried and pulverized with a jet mill to obtain barley young leaves having a particle size of 43 μm or less and 90% or more. Barley young leaf powder was added at a ratio of 0.9% by weight to 100 g of water. Thereafter, zinc gluconate was added at the concentration (ppm) described in Table 1 in terms of zinc ion, and by adding sodium hydrogen carbonate, the final product pH was adjusted to 6.5 to 8.0. A sample was made. These samples were filled in a can and heat-treated at 121 ° C. for 10 minutes.

  These samples were stored at 45 ° C. for one week, and 10 panelists evaluated these samples from the viewpoints of appearance and flavor, and the overall evaluation was ◎: extremely good, ○: good, Δ: appearance or flavor. There was a problem in any of the cases, and x: the appearance and flavor were problematic. The most frequent evaluations and comments are shown in Table 1. As shown in Table 1, it is believed that the pH is above 6.5 and preferably below 8.0. Moreover, it is thought that it is preferable that the amount of zinc added exceeds 20 ppm.

(Test Example 1: Green and quality retention effect of zinc and vitamins)
Fresh barley leaves were harvested, dried and pulverized with a jet mill to obtain barley young leaves having a particle size of 43 m or less and 90% or more. Barley young leaf powder was added at a ratio of 0.9% by weight to 100 g of water. Thereafter, zinc gluconate and vitamins (V) (vitamin P was used in the concentration of Enju extract (rutin)) at the concentrations shown in Table 1, and further by adding sodium hydrogen carbonate, their final products A sample was prepared by adjusting the pH to 7.0. These samples were filled in a can and heat-treated at 121 ° C. for 10 minutes.

The color tone immediately after production of these samples (-a / b) and the color tone after storage for 1 week at 45 ° C. were measured using a color difference meter (Nippon Denshoku Industries Co., Ltd., SE2000) as reflected light. , A value and b value were measured.
The results are shown in Table 1. Moreover, about the sample after 1 week storage at 45 degreeC, 20 panelists evaluated based on the following evaluation methods, and described most evaluation. The results are shown in Table 2.

<Evaluation>
Color tone: 3: Good, 2: Normal, 1: Troubled quality: 3: Good, 2: Normal, 1: Troubled taste: 3: Good, 2: Normal, 1: Troublesome Overall evaluation: A: Very good, ○: Good, △: Color tone or quality problem, ×: Color tone or quality problem

  Compared to Comparative Example 1 in which both zinc and vitamins were not added, Comparative Example 2 in which only zinc was added maintained the green color after accelerated deterioration, but still decreased by -12 / a or more by 0.12 or more. In addition, the quality, flavor, and the like have also caused problems in quality, and cannot be said to be a preferable beverage. From the above, it was difficult to retain the dye over time when only zinc was added. On the other hand, Examples 1 to 4 to which zinc and vitamins were added maintained a good green color even after accelerated deterioration treatment, and maintained other good quality. In particular, green beverages to which vitamin A or E was added were in a good state with little change in color tone and reduced precipitation. However, Vitamin E is considered to be most suitable for use in combination with zinc, because the panelists commented that vitamin A had a slight flavor unique to vitamin A at the above-mentioned addition amount.

(Test Example 2: Green and quality retention effect of zinc and vitamin E)
According to the production method and evaluation method of Test Example 1, the ratio of the vitamin content (V) to the suitable zinc ion amount (Zn) ([V / Zn]). Formulation and evaluation are shown in Table 3.

  As a result, in Comparative Example 3 in which only vitamin E was added without adding zinc, -a / b after accelerated deterioration decreased by 0.3 or more, and the liquid color rapidly deteriorated. From the above, it can be seen that pigment retention is difficult even when only vitamin E is added. On the other hand, the Example 5-7 which added zinc and vitamin E had the outstanding pigment | dye holding effect. Examples 5 and 6 maintained good conditions in flavor and other qualities, but in Example 7, the panelists commented that a slight flavor characteristic of vitamin E was felt at the above-mentioned addition amount. Therefore, the ratio [V / Zn] was considered to be appropriate with an upper limit of about 30 to 40.

(Test Example 3: Catechin amount, green color, and quality retention effect)
According to the production method and evaluation method of Test Example 1, the optimum blend of barley young leaves, zinc, vitamin E and green tea was examined. As the green tea, matcha having a particle size of 32 μm or less and 90% or more was used. The total catechin concentration was measured by operating a high performance liquid chromatogram (HPLC) under the following conditions and quantifying it by a calibration curve method.
Column: “Xbridge shield RP18 φ3.5 × 150mm” manufactured by waters
Column temperature: 40 ° C
Mobile phase: Phase A water
: Phase B acetonitrile
: C phase 1% phosphoric acid
Flow rate: 0.5 mL / min
Injection volume: 5 μL
Detection: "UV detector UV230nm" manufactured by waters
The formulation and evaluation are shown in Table 4.

  As a result, the green beverage to which green tea was added had a color tone and quality comparable to that of the green beverage to which no green tea was added. This was more remarkable when the zinc content was 40 ppm or more. The panelists also commented that the addition of green tea imparted a bitter taste to the original flavor derived from chlorophyll-containing plants, tightening the taste as a whole and favoring it. From the above results, it is considered that the green tea content can be converted into the amount of catechin and added up to about 25 times the amount of zinc ([C / Zn] ≦ 25).

  Even when a green beverage containing a chlorophyll-containing plant is stored as a packaged beverage for a long period of time, the present invention retains a natural green color, and changes in flavor that occur over time It is possible to provide a green beverage in which quality deterioration is suppressed.

Claims (6)

The edible part of the chlorophyll-containing plant is dried and then pulverized by a mechanical technique, the edible part of the chlorophyll-containing plant is squeezed and concentrated or dried into a powder and / or A green beverage containing a chlorophyll-containing plant in which dried juice powder is dissolved in a solvent, containing vitamin E and 20 ppm and less than 100 ppm of zinc (Zn), and having a pH of more than 6.5 and less than 8.0 And the ratio [V / Zn] of vitamins (V) to zinc (Zn) contained in the beverage is 0.2 to 40 on a mass basis. The green beverage according to claim 1, further comprising catechin, wherein the ratio [C / Zn] of catechin (C) to zinc (Zn) is 25 or less on a mass basis. The edible part of the chlorophyll-containing plant is dried and then pulverized by a mechanical technique, the edible part of the chlorophyll-containing plant is squeezed and concentrated or dried into a powder and / or A method for producing a green beverage containing a chlorophyll-containing plant in which a dried juice powder is dissolved in a solvent, the step of containing vitamin E and zinc exceeding 20 ppm and less than 100 ppm (Zn),
The step of adjusting the pH to more than 6.5 and less than 8.0, and the ratio [V / Zn] of vitamins (V) to zinc (Zn) contained in the beverage is 0.2 to The manufacturing method of the green-type drink characterized by including the process adjusted so that it may become 40. The green color according to claim 3, further comprising a step of adjusting the ratio [C / Zn] of catechin (C) to zinc (Zn) to be 25 or less on a mass basis, further comprising catechin. Method for producing a beverage. The edible part of the chlorophyll-containing plant is dried and then pulverized by a mechanical technique, the edible part of the chlorophyll-containing plant is squeezed and concentrated or dried into a powder and / or A method for producing a green beverage containing a chlorophyll-containing plant in which a dried juice powder is dissolved in a solvent, the step of containing vitamin E and zinc exceeding 20 ppm and less than 100 ppm (Zn),
The step of adjusting the pH to more than 6.5 and less than 8.0, and the ratio [V / Zn] of vitamins (V) to zinc (Zn) contained in the beverage is 0.2 to 40. A method for suppressing deterioration over time of a green beverage, comprising a step of adjusting to 40. The green according to claim 5, further comprising a step of adjusting the ratio [C / Zn] of catechin (C) to zinc (Zn) so as to be 25 or less on a mass basis, further containing catechin. Method for suppressing deterioration of aging beverage over time.