JP6185121B1 - Method for producing powdered tea composition - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a method for producing a powdered tea composition capable of balancing flavor and solubility in a balanced manner. In a granulation step, a hot air is sent into a fluidized bed granulation apparatus, and a granulation step of spraying an aqueous medium onto a fluidized catechins-containing raw material and optionally a final drying step. The ratio [(A) / (B)] of the temperature [° C.] to the spray rate [mL / min / kg] of the aqueous medium per kg of the catechins-containing raw material (B) is 2.0 [° C./mL/ Min / kg], the concentration of the organic solvent in the aqueous medium is 45% by mass or less, and the total heating time is 0.01 to 9.5 min / kg per kg of the catechin-containing raw material. A method for producing the composition. [Selection figure] None

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for producing a powdered tea composition.

  In recent years, various tea beverages have been put on the market due to diversification of consumer preferences and health-oriented enhancement. One such tea beverage is instant powdered tea that can be easily drunk by simply pouring hot water in a cup or the like without using a teapot or teapot. As such instant powdered tea, for example, a tea extract dried product extracted from tea leaves with water or hot water and dried, and a tea leaf pulverized product such as matcha tea and strawberry tea are known. However, such instant powder tea tends to cause lumps and foaming when dissolved in water or hot water, and its solubility is not sufficient.

  Conventionally, as a powdered tea with improved solubility, for example, tea leaf granules obtained by fluidized bed granulation of tea leaf pulverized material and an angle of repose adjusted to less than 45 degrees (Patent Document 1), 60 to 99 mass% ethanol from green tea A granule (Patent Document 2) obtained by fluidized bed granulation of a green tea water extraction powder using a solvent extract extracted with an aqueous solution as a binder has been proposed.

JP 2010-68741 A JP-T-2005-224142

However, according to the study by the present inventors, a powder obtained by granulating a catechin-containing raw material under the conditions described in the examples of Patent Document 1 (“the product of the present invention” and “comparative product 1”) Although the tea composition was excellent in solubility, it was found to be inferior in flavor. Further, when the catechins-containing raw material was granulated under the conditions described in the example of Patent Document 1 (“Comparative Product 2”), it was found that the obtained powdered tea composition was inferior in particle uniformity. Furthermore, as described in Patent Document 2, when a catechin-containing raw material was granulated using a solvent extract extracted with a high-concentration aqueous ethanol solution as a binder, the obtained powdered tea composition was dissolved in water. It was found that the solubility was poor.
An object of the present invention is to provide a method for stably producing a powdered tea composition having a good balance between flavor and solubility and excellent particle uniformity.

  The present inventors have studied in detail the relationship between the flavor and solubility of the powdered tea composition, but newly found that the flavor can be improved by controlling the heating time, but the solubility is likely to decrease Also found at the same time. And in fluidized-bed granulation, it discovered that the powdered tea composition which can balance flavor and solubility with a good balance was obtained by controlling a heating time in a specific range. In addition, the inventors of the present invention have found that a powdered tea composition having excellent particle uniformity can be stably obtained by controlling the ratio of hot air temperature and spraying speed while controlling the heating time within a specific range. I found it. Furthermore, when a binder contains the organic solvent, it discovered that the solubility of a powdered tea composition could be improved by reducing the organic solvent density | concentration.

That is, the present invention includes a granulation step in which hot air is fed into a fluidized bed granulation apparatus, and an aqueous medium is sprayed onto the fluidized catechins-containing raw material, and optionally a final drying step,
In the granulation step, the ratio [(A) / (B)] of (A) hot air temperature [° C.] and (B) spray rate [mL / min / kg] of aqueous medium per 1 kg of catechin-containing raw material is 2.0 [° C./mL/min/kg] or more, and the concentration of the organic solvent in the aqueous medium is 45% by mass or less,
The total heating time is 0.01 to 9.5 minutes / kg per 1 kg of the catechin-containing raw material.
A method for producing a powdered tea composition is provided.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the manufacturing method of the powdered tea composition which can satisfy | fill both flavor and solubility with good balance and is excellent in the uniformity of particle | grains can be provided. Such a powdered tea composition enables homogeneous product production and provides excellent consumer value.

  The method for producing a powdered tea composition of the present invention includes a granulation step in which hot air is fed into a fluidized bed granulator and an aqueous medium is sprayed onto the catechins-containing raw material in a fluidized state.

(Fluidized bed granulator)
The fluidized bed granulating apparatus is not particularly limited as long as it is usually used for fluidized bed granulation. For example, a granulating tank for storing, granulating, and drying a processing object, and a processing object An apparatus provided with a hot air supply device that supplies hot air that causes the liquid to flow and a spray nozzle for spraying a liquid onto the object to be processed may be used. Examples of such a fluidized bed granulator include, for example, a flow coater (manufactured by Freund Sangyo Co., Ltd.), GPCG-CT series, WST / WSG series, BF series, pulse fluidized bed granulator / dryer, MP series (above, manufactured by POWREC, Inc.) And the like.

(Catechin-containing raw materials)
The catechin-containing raw material may contain a tea leaf pulverized product, a tea extract dried product, or both as appropriate as a catechin source. Especially, it is preferable to contain a tea extraction dried material from a soluble viewpoint to the powder tea composition in water.
Catechin is contained in tea leaves. Tea leaves include, for example, Camellia genus, for example, C. sinensis var. Sinensis (including Yabutaki species), C. sinensis var. Assamica, and tea leaves (Camellia sinensis) selected from those hybrids, and processing methods Can be classified into non-fermented tea leaves, semi-fermented tea leaves, and fermented tea leaves. Examples of non-fermented tea leaves include green tea leaves such as sencha, bancha, strawberry tea, kettle tea, stem tea, stick tea, and bud tea. In addition, examples of the semi-fermented tea leaves include oolong tea leaves such as iron kannon, color species, golden katsura, and wushuiwa tea. Furthermore, examples of fermented tea leaves include black tea leaves such as Darjeeling, Assam and Sri Lanka. Among these, green tea leaves are preferable because they contain abundant catechins. In addition, 1 type, or 2 or more types can be used for a tea leaf. Here, in the present specification, “catechins” means non-gallate bodies such as catechin, gallocatechin, epicatechin and epigallocatechin, and gallate bodies such as catechin gallate, gallocatechin gallate, epicatechin gallate and epigallocatechin gallate. Is a collective term. In the present invention, at least one of the eight catechins may be contained. The content of catechins is defined based on the total amount of the above eight catechins.

The tea leaf pulverized product is not particularly limited as long as it is obtained by pulverizing tea leaves, and examples thereof include matcha tea. The tea leaf pulverized product is obtained by pulverizing tea leaves so that the average particle size (d ₅₀ ) is usually 100 μm or less. The average particle size (d ₅₀ ) of the tea leaf pulverized product is preferably 0.1 μm or more, 1 μm or more is more preferable, 50 μm or less is preferable, and 30 μm or less is more preferable. The range of the average particle diameter (d ₅₀ ) of the tea leaf pulverized product is preferably 0.1 to 100 μm, more preferably 0.1 to ₅₀ μm, and still more preferably 1 to 30 μm. In the present specification, the "average particle diameter (d _50)" means a particle diameter corresponding to 50% of the cumulative distribution curve (d ₅₀₎ when creating a particle size distribution of the sample on a volume basis, Specifically, it can be measured by the method described in Examples below.

  The dried tea extract is a powder obtained by drying a tea extract obtained by extraction from tea leaves, a concentrate of the tea extract or a purified product thereof (hereinafter also referred to as “tea extract etc.”). It is. Examples of the drying method for the tea extract and the like include freeze drying, spray drying and the like. Here, the “tea extract” refers to an extract obtained by extraction from tea leaves with water or a water-soluble organic solvent, which has not been concentrated or purified. As the extraction method, known methods such as kneader extraction, stirring extraction (batch extraction), countercurrent extraction (drip extraction), column extraction and the like can be employed. The “tea extract concentrate” is obtained by removing a part of the solvent from the tea extract to increase the concentration of catechins. For example, JP-A-59-219384 and JP-A-4- It can be produced by the methods described in JP-A-20589, JP-A-5-260907, JP-A-5-306279, and the like. There are various forms such as a solid, an aqueous solution, and a slurry. Commercially available products such as Mitsui Norin Co., Ltd. “Polyphenone”, ITO EN “Teafuran”, Taiyo Kagaku Co., Ltd. “Sunphenon” may be used as the concentrate of the tea extract.

Furthermore, the “purified product of tea extract or concentrate thereof” is a product obtained by purifying a tea extract or concentrate thereof to increase the purity of catechins, for example, the following (i) and (ii) What was obtained by any method or the combination of 2 or more is mentioned.
(I) A method of suspending a tea extract in a mixed solution with water or an organic solvent aqueous solution (for example, an aqueous ethanol solution) and removing the resulting precipitate (for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 2004-147508 and 2004-2004). 149416).
(Ii) A method in which the tea extract is brought into contact with one or more adsorbents selected from activated carbon, acidic clay and activated clay (for example, JP-A-2007-282568).
In the above methods (i) and (ii), the tannase-treated tea extract can be used, or can be tannase-treated after the treatments (i) and (ii). Here, “tannase treatment” refers to bringing a tea extract into contact with an enzyme having tannase activity. In addition, the specific operation method in a tannase process can employ | adopt a well-known method, For example, the method of Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 2004-321105 can be mentioned.

The average particle size (d ₅₀ ) of the dried tea extract can be selected as appropriate. From the viewpoint of granulation efficiency and solubility, it is preferably 5 μm or more, more preferably 10 μm or more, further preferably 15 μm or more, and more preferably 20 μm or more. More preferably, it is preferably 200 μm or less, more preferably 160 μm or less, still more preferably 120 μm or less, and even more preferably 80 μm or less. The average particle size (d ₅₀ ) of the dried tea extract is preferably 5 to 200 μm, more preferably 10 to 160 μm, still more preferably 15 to 120 μm, and still more preferably 20 to 80 μm.

From the viewpoint of flavor, the content of the tea extract dried product or tea leaf pulverized product, or the total content thereof is preferably 15% by mass or more, and 20% by mass or more with respect to the powdered tea composition produced in the present invention. Is more preferably 25% by mass or more, particularly preferably 30% by mass or more, and from the viewpoint of solubility, it is preferably 60% by mass or less, more preferably 55% by mass or less, still more preferably 50% by mass or less. 45% by mass or less is particularly preferable. The range of the content is preferably 15 to 60% by mass, more preferably 20 to 55% by mass, further preferably 25 to 50% by mass, and still more preferably 30 to 45% by mass with respect to the powdered tea composition. %.
Furthermore, the content of the tea extract dried product or tea leaf pulverized product, or the total content thereof, is preferably 15 to 60% by mass, more preferably 20%, based on the catechin-containing raw material, from the viewpoint of granulation efficiency. It is -55 mass%, More preferably, it is 25-50 mass%, Most preferably, it is 30-45 mass%.

(Aqueous medium)
Examples of the aqueous medium include water, an organic solvent aqueous solution, and the like. Among these, water is preferable from the viewpoint of solubility. As the organic solvent in the organic solvent aqueous solution, a water-soluble organic solvent is preferable. Examples of the water-soluble organic solvent include alcohols such as ethanol and methanol, ketones such as acetone, ethers such as tetrahydrofuran and dioxane, and esters such as ethyl acetate. Among these, alcohol is preferable and ethanol is more preferable in consideration of use in foods.
From the viewpoint of solubility, the concentration of the organic solvent in the aqueous medium is 45% by mass or less, more preferably 40% by mass or less, still more preferably 35% by mass or less, and particularly preferably 30% by mass or less. The lower limit of the concentration of the water-soluble organic solvent can be selected as appropriate, but is usually preferably 0% by mass.

(sugar)
In the present invention, either one of the catechins-containing raw material and the aqueous medium may contain sugar, and the catechins-containing raw material preferably contains sugar. In addition, 1 type (s) or 2 or more types can be contained in sugar.
Examples of the sugar include, for example, monosaccharides such as fructose, glucose, tagatose, and arabinose; disaccharides such as lactose, trehalose, maltose, and sucrose; xylooligosaccharides, fructooligosaccharides, galactooligosaccharides, lactose, palatinose, soybean oligosaccharides, Examples include oligosaccharides such as raffinose and isomaltoligosaccharide; polysaccharides such as starch, dextrin, maltodextrin, cyclodextrin, pectin, locust bean gum and the like. Among these, polysaccharides are preferable and cyclodextrins are more preferable from the viewpoints of granulation efficiency, particle uniformity, and suppression of mass generation.

From the viewpoint of compatibility with the green tea flavor, the total content of sugars in the catechins-containing raw material and the aqueous medium is preferably 1% by mass or more, and preferably 10% by mass or more with respect to the powdered tea composition produced in the present invention. Is more preferable, 30% by mass or more is further preferable, 40% by mass or more is further preferable, 50% by mass or more is particularly preferable, 90% by mass or less is preferable, 80% by mass or less is more preferable, and 70% by mass or less. Is more preferable, 65 mass% or less is still more preferable, and 60 mass% or less is still more preferable. The range of the total sugar content in the catechins-containing raw material and the aqueous medium is preferably 1 to 80% by mass, more preferably 20 to 75% by mass, still more preferably 30 to 70% by mass, and still more preferably 40%. It is -70 mass%, Most preferably, it is 50-65 mass%.
Furthermore, when the catechins-containing raw material contains sugar, the content of sugar in the catechins-containing raw material is preferably 1 to 80% by mass, more preferably 20 to 75% by mass, from the viewpoint of granulation efficiency. Preferably it is 30-70 mass%, More preferably, it is 40-70 mass%, Most preferably, it is 50-65 mass%.

(Additive)
At least one of the catechin-containing raw material and the aqueous medium contains, as necessary, an antioxidant, a fragrance, a pigment, an emulsifier, a preservative, a seasoning, a sour agent, an amino acid, a protein, a fruit juice extract, a vegetable extract, a nectar extract, One or more additives such as vegetable oils and fats, organic acids, organic acid salts, inorganic salts, pH adjusters and quality stabilizers can be contained. In addition, 0-30 mass% is preferable from a viewpoint of flavor with respect to the powder tea composition manufactured by this invention, and the total content of the additive in a catechin containing raw material and an aqueous medium is 1-20. % By mass is more preferable, 2 to 15% by mass is still more preferable, and 4 to 10% by mass is even more preferable.
Furthermore, when a catechin containing raw material contains an additive, 0.01-30 mass% is preferable, as for content of the additive in a catechin containing raw material, 1-20 mass% is more preferable, 2-15 mass % Is more preferable, and 4 to 10% by mass is even more preferable.

(Granulation process)
This step is a step in which a catechin-containing raw material is fluidized bed granulated to obtain a granulated product. For example, hot air is sent from below the granulated layer, the catechins-containing raw material is rolled up in the air to be in a fluid state, and an aqueous medium is sprayed there from a spray nozzle. And a catechin containing raw material is aggregated or coat | covered, and a granulated material is obtained when particle | grains grow.

Although air can be used as the hot air blown to fluidize the catechins-containing raw material, an inert gas such as nitrogen or carbon dioxide, or a mixed gas containing an inert gas may be used. When an inert gas or a mixed gas is used as the hot air, alteration due to oxidation can be prevented.
(A) The hot air temperature is preferably 60 ° C. or higher, more preferably 65 ° C. or higher, more preferably 70 ° C. or higher, still more preferably 75 ° C. or higher, from the viewpoint of granulation efficiency and particle uniformity. From a viewpoint, 98 degrees C or less is preferable, 96 degrees C or less is more preferable, 94 degrees C or less is still more preferable, 92 degrees C or less is still more preferable. The range of the hot air temperature is preferably 60 to 98 ° C, more preferably 65 to 96 ° C, still more preferably 70 to 94 ° C, and still more preferably 75 to 92 ° C.

  (B) As a condition for spraying the aqueous medium, the spray speed of the aqueous medium is preferably 1 mL / min / kg or more per 1 kg of the catechin-containing raw material from the viewpoint of granulation efficiency and particle uniformity. Min / kg or more is more preferable, 4 mL / min / kg or more is more preferable, 6 mL / min / kg or more is more preferable, 8 mL / min / kg or more is more preferable, and 60 mL / min / kg or less is preferable, 58 mL / min / kg or less is more preferable, 54 mL / min / kg or less is particularly preferable, and 50 mL / min / kg or less is even more preferable. The range of the spray rate is preferably 1 to 60 mL / min / kg, more preferably 2 to 58 mL / min / kg, still more preferably 4 to 54 mL / min / kg, and even more preferably, per 1 kg of the catechin-containing raw material. Is 6 to 50 mL / min / kg, more preferably 8 to 50 mL / min / kg.

  In the present invention, the ratio [(A) / (B) between (A) the hot air temperature [° C.] and (B) the spray rate [mL / min / kg] of the aqueous medium per 1 kg of the catechins-containing raw material. ] Is controlled to be 2.0 ° C./mL/min/kg or more. When the ratio [(A) / (B)] is 2.0 ° C./mL/min/kg or more, the spray amount of the aqueous medium sprayed to 1 kg of the catechin-containing raw material per unit time is fed. From the balance with the heat energy by the hot air, it is possible to stably perform the granulation step and obtain a granulated product having excellent particle uniformity. The ratio [(A) / (B)] is preferably 2.1 ° C./mL/min/kg or more, more preferably 2.2 ° C./mL/min/kg or more from the viewpoint of particle uniformity. In addition, from the viewpoint of flavor and particle uniformity, 20 ° C./mL/min/kg or less, 15 ° C./mL/min/kg or less is preferable, and 12 ° C./mL/min/kg or less is more preferable. The range of the ratio [(A) / (B)] is preferably 2.0 to 20 ° C./mL/min/kg, more preferably 2.1 to 20 ° C./mL/min/kg, still more preferably It is 2.2-15 degreeC / mL / min / kg, More preferably, it is 2.2-12 degreeC / mL / min / kg.

  The total spray amount of the aqueous medium per 1 kg of the catechin-containing raw material is preferably 0.075 L / kg or more, more preferably 0.08 L / kg or more, from the viewpoint of granulation efficiency and particle uniformity, and 0.085 L / kg. kg or more is more preferable, 0.09 L / kg or more is more preferable, and from the viewpoint of granulation efficiency and particle uniformity, 0.35 L / kg or less is preferable, 0.3 L / kg or less is more preferable, and 0 .25 L / kg or less is more preferable, and 0.15 L / kg or less is even more preferable. The range of the total spray amount of the aqueous medium is preferably 0.075 to 0.35 L / kg, more preferably 0.08 to 0.3 L / kg, still more preferably 0.085 per 1 kg of the catechin-containing raw material. It is -0.25L / kg, More preferably, it is 0.09-0.15L / kg.

  The temperature of the aqueous medium is preferably 10 to 95 ° C., more preferably 20 to 85 ° C., still more preferably 40 to 80 ° C., still more preferably 45 to 75 ° C., and still more preferably 50 from the viewpoint of granulation efficiency. ~ 70 ° C.

The aqueous medium may be supplied continuously or intermittently to the fluidized catechins-containing raw material. Among these, from the viewpoint of promoting granulation and solubility, it is preferable to supply the aqueous medium intermittently and repeat spraying and drying as one cycle.
In the case where the aqueous medium is intermittently supplied and spraying and spray interruption are repeated, granulation can be performed under the following conditions in addition to the above conditions.

From the viewpoint of granulation efficiency, the spray time of the aqueous medium per cycle is preferably 10 seconds / time or more, more preferably 15 seconds / time or more, further preferably 20 seconds / time or more, and 25 seconds / time or more. Even more preferable, 180 seconds / times or less is preferable, 165 seconds / times or less is more preferable, 150 seconds / times or less is further preferable, and 130 seconds / times or less is particularly preferable. The range of the spraying time is preferably 10 to 180 seconds / time, more preferably 15 to 165 seconds / time, further preferably 20 to 150 seconds / time, and still more preferably 25 to 130 seconds / time.
From the viewpoint of granulation efficiency, the spray interruption time per cycle is preferably 1 second / time or more, more preferably 3 seconds / time or more, further preferably 5 seconds / time or more, and particularly preferably 7 seconds / time or more. It is preferably 120 seconds / times or less, more preferably 100 seconds / times or less, still more preferably 80 seconds / times or less, and even more preferably 70 seconds / times or less. The range of the spray interruption time is preferably 1 to 120 seconds / time, more preferably 3 to 100 seconds / time, further preferably 5 to 80 seconds / time, and even more preferably 7 to 70 seconds / time. .
From the viewpoint of granulation efficiency, the ratio of spraying time per cycle to spray interruption time (spray interruption time / spray time) is preferably 0.05 seconds / second or more, more preferably 0.1 seconds / second or more. 0.15 second / second or more is more preferable, 0.3 second / second or more is more preferable, 0.8 second / second or less is preferable, 0.7 second / second or less is more preferable, 0.6 second or less. / Second or less is more preferable, and 0.5 second / second or less is particularly preferable. The range of the ratio (spray interruption time / spray time) is preferably 0.05 to 0.8 seconds / second, more preferably 0.1 to 0.7 seconds / second, and still more preferably 0.15 to 0. .6 seconds / second, more preferably 0.3 to 0.5 seconds / second.
From the viewpoint of granulation efficiency, the amount of the aqueous medium sprayed per cycle is preferably 1 mL / time / kg or more, more preferably 5 mL / time / kg or more, with respect to 1 kg of the catechins-containing raw material. More preferably kg or more, more preferably 15 mL / time / kg or more, more preferably 50 mL / time / kg or less, more preferably 40 mL / time / kg or less, still more preferably 30 mL / time / kg or less, 25 mL / time / Kg or less is even more preferable. The spray amount is preferably 1 to 50 mL / time / kg, more preferably 5 to 40 mL / time / kg, still more preferably 10 to 30 mL / time / kg, and still more preferably 15 to 25 mL / time / kg. kg.

  From the viewpoint of flavor and granulation efficiency, the granulation process time is preferably 1 minute or more, more preferably 2 minutes or more, further preferably 3 minutes or more, particularly preferably 3.5 minutes or more, and 45 minutes or less. Preferably, it is 40 minutes or less, more preferably 35 minutes or less, and even more preferably 30 minutes or less. The range of the granulation process time is preferably 1 to 45 minutes, more preferably 2 to 40 minutes, still more preferably 3 to 35 minutes, and even more preferably 3.5 to 30 minutes.

(Final drying process)
After the granulation step, a final drying step can be performed to reduce the water activity of the granulated product. The final drying step can be performed arbitrarily, but can be an indispensable step when it is desirable to further reduce the water activity of the powdered tea composition to suppress microbial growth at a high level.
Drying may be carried out by continuously supplying hot air from the fluidized bed granulator after completion of the granulation step. Moreover, as a drying method which takes out a granulated material from a granulation tank and may use for drying, freeze drying, spray drying, etc. can be mentioned, for example.
From the viewpoint of granulation efficiency, the hot air temperature is preferably 65 ° C or higher, more preferably 70 ° C or higher, further preferably 75 ° C or higher, more preferably 80 ° C or higher, more preferably 98 ° C or lower, and 96 ° C or lower. More preferably, it is 94 ° C. or lower, more preferably 92 ° C. or lower. The range of the hot air temperature is preferably 65 to 98 ° C, more preferably 70 to 95 ° C, still more preferably 75 to 93 ° C, and still more preferably 80 to 90 ° C.

  The total heating time is 0.01 to 9.5 minutes / kg per 1 kg of the catechin-containing raw material, but 0.05 minutes / kg or more is more preferable from the viewpoint of flavor and solubility, and 0.08 minutes / kg. The above is more preferable, 0.1 min / kg or more is particularly preferable, 7.5 min / kg or less is preferable, 5.5 min / kg or less is more preferable, 3.5 min / kg or less is more preferable, More preferably 2.6 minutes / kg or less. The range of the total heating time is preferably 0.01 to 3 minutes / kg, more preferably 0.05 to 2.8 minutes / kg, further preferably 0.08 to 2.2. 7 minutes / kg, more preferably 0.1 to 2.6 minutes / kg. As used herein, “total heating time” refers to the sum of the granulation process time and the final drying process time.

Thus, although a powdered tea composition can be manufactured, the powdered tea composition obtained by the manufacturing method of this invention can have the following characteristics.
(1) The powdered tea composition has an average particle size (d ₅₀ ) of preferably 70 μm or more, more preferably 80 μm or more, still more preferably 85 μm or more, particularly preferably 90 μm or more, from the viewpoints of flavor and solubility. And it is preferably 250 μm or less, more preferably 200 μm or less, further preferably 175 μm or less, and particularly preferably 150 μm or less. The average particle diameter (d ₅₀ ) is preferably in the range of 70 to 250 μm, more preferably 80 to 200 μm, still more preferably 85 to 175 μm, and still more preferably 90 to 150 μm.
(2) tea powder _{compositions,} the ratio of _{d 10} and _{d 90 (d 90 / d 10} ) is from taste and solubility point of view, preferably 1 or more, more preferably 2 or more, more preferably 3 or more 4 or more is particularly preferred, and from the viewpoint of homogeneous production, 40 or less is preferred, 20 or less is more preferred, 9 or less is more preferred, 8 or less is even more preferred, and 7 or less is particularly preferred. The range of the ratio (d ₉₀ / d ₁₀ ) is preferably 1 to 40, more preferably 2 to 20, still more preferably 3 to 9, particularly more preferably 4 to 8, and still more preferably 4 to 7. is there. Here, in this specification, “d ₁₀ ” means a particle diameter (d ₁₀ ) corresponding to 10% of the integrated distribution curve when the particle size distribution of the sample is created on a volume basis, and “d ₉₀ ”. Means the particle diameter (d ₉₀ ) corresponding to 90% of the integrated distribution curve when the particle size distribution of the sample is created on a volume basis.
(3) The powdered tea composition has a loose bulk density of preferably 0.22 kg / L or more, more preferably 0.23 kg / L or more, and further 0.24 kg / L or more from the viewpoints of solubility and filling accuracy. Preferably, 0.26 kg / L or more is more preferable, and 0.45 kg / L or less is preferable, 0.40 kg / L or less is more preferable, 0.37 kg / L or less is further preferable, and 0.35 kg / L or less is preferable. Even more preferred. The range of the loose bulk density is preferably 0.22 to 0.45 kg / L, more preferably 0.23 to 0.40 kg / L, still more preferably 0.24 to 0.37 kg / L, and even more preferably. Is 0.26 to 0.35 kg / L. Here, “relaxed bulk density” in the present specification is a measured value derived by weighing a sample after filling a predetermined capacity cup, and the packing density in a state where the powder is naturally dropped. (Citation: Introduction of new products "Introduction of new powder tester PT-X", pulverized, Hosokawa Micron Corporation, No. 55 (2012)). For example, it can be measured by the method described in the examples below.
(4) The content of the catechins in the powdered tea composition is preferably 6.5% by mass or more, more preferably 7.0% by mass or more, further preferably 8.0% by mass or more, and 9.0% by mass. The above is particularly preferable, and 15.5% by mass or less is preferable, 15.0% by mass or less is more preferable, 14.0% by mass or less is further preferable, and 13.0% by mass or less is particularly preferable. The range of the content of such catechins is preferably 6.5 to 15.5% by mass, more preferably 7.0 to 15.0% by mass, still more preferably 8.0 to 14.0% by mass, especially Preferably it is 9.0-13.0 mass%.

  As a product form of the powdered tea composition of the present invention, for example, a bottle is packed in a container, and when drinking, a cup is measured with a spoon or the like, or is subdivided for each cup. be able to. Especially, from the point which can enjoy the effect of this invention, what was subdivided for every cup is preferable, for example, what was stick-wrapped and what was pillow-wrapped can be mentioned.

1. Analysis of catechins A sample dissolved and diluted with pure water was used for a packed column (L-column TM ODS, 4.6 mmφ × for an octadecyl group-introduced liquid chromatograph using a high performance liquid chromatograph (model SCL-10AVP) manufactured by Shimadzu Corporation. 250 mm: manufactured by the Chemical Substance Evaluation Research Organization), and measured by a gradient method at a column temperature of 35 ° C. The mobile phase A solution is a distilled aqueous solution containing 0.1 mol / L of acetic acid, the B solution is an acetonitrile solution containing 0.1 mol / L of acetic acid, the flow rate is 1 mL / min, the sample injection amount is 10 μL, and the UV detector wavelength is The measurement was performed under the condition of 280 nm. The gradient conditions are as follows.

Concentration gradient condition (volume%)
Time Liquid A concentration Liquid B concentration 0 min 97% 3%
5 minutes 97% 3%
37 minutes 80% 20%
43 minutes 80% 20%
43.5 minutes 0% 100%
48.5 minutes 0% 100%
49 minutes 97% 3%
60 minutes 97% 3%

2. Measurement of average particle diameter (d ₅₀ ), ratio (d ₉₀ / d ₁₀ ) Particle size distribution of powder tea composition, dried tea extract or tea leaf pulverized product using dry particle size distribution measuring device (LS13-320) manufactured by Beckman Coulter Was made on a volume basis. Then, a particle diameter (d ₅₀ ) corresponding to 50% of the integrated distribution curve was obtained. In the powdered tea composition, the ratio (d ₉₀ / d) is calculated from the particle diameter (d ₁₀ ) corresponding to 10% of the cumulative distribution curve and the particle diameter (d ₉₀ ) corresponding to 90% of the cumulative distribution curve. ₁₀ ) was determined and used as an index of particle uniformity.

3. Measurement of loosening density A powder tea composition having a capacity of about 50 mL was naturally dropped on a 100 mL measuring cylinder, and the volume and mass of the sample in the measuring cylinder were measured. The value obtained by dividing the measured mass by the capacity was taken as the loose bulk density.

4). Sensory evaluation and solubility evaluation (1) Preparation of sample The powdered tea composition was passed through a 12-mesh sieve and separated into an upper and lower sieve.

(2) Sensory evaluation After 3 g of the sorted sieving sample was dissolved in 200 mL of water at 90 ° C. to prepare a beverage, three professional panelists drank it and evaluated its flavor. After that, the final score was determined by consultation.

Flavor Evaluation Criteria The flavor was evaluated in the following five levels.

A: Deterioration odor is quite weak and fragrance like green tea is quite strong B: Deterioration odor is weak and fragrance like green tea is strong C: Deterioration odor is slightly weak and fragrance like green tea is slightly strong D: Strong odor like green tea Is weak E: Deterioration odor is quite strong, and aroma like green tea is quite weak

(3) Evaluation of solubility 3 g of the sieving sample collected in the preparation step was added to 200 mL of 20 ° C. water in a stirred state, and the state stirred for 1 minute was visually evaluated according to the following criteria.

Evaluation criteria of solubility A: Clear B: Unnecessary material remains slightly C: Unnecessary material remains D: Insoluble material remains E: Precipitate exists, insoluble material remains Have

Production Example 1
Production of dried tea extract 400 g of green tea leaf was added to 10 kg of hot water heated to 90 ° C., and extracted for 5 minutes with gentle stirring. After extraction, filtration was performed with No. 2 filter paper, and the filtrate was quickly cooled to room temperature. The green tea extract was centrifuged, concentrated under reduced pressure, and then freeze-dried to obtain a dried tea extract. The content of catechins in the dried tea extract was 36.9% by mass. The average particle diameter (d ₅₀ ) was 53.1 μm.

Production Example 2
Production of catechins-containing raw materials The ingredients shown in Table 1 were blended to produce catechins-containing raw materials.

Example 1
After 3 kg of catechin-containing raw material is put into a granulator (Flow coater FLO5: manufactured by Freund Sangyo), hot air at 85 ° C. is blown into the apparatus at a flow rate of 2.5 m ³ / min to fluidize the catechin-containing raw material. I let you. Then, after spraying water at a rate of 100 mL / min for 30 seconds (50 mL), granulation with an operation of drying for 30 seconds as one cycle (60 seconds, spraying time / drying time = 1.00 seconds / second), Repeatedly until the total spray amount of water reached 200 mL, a powdered tea composition was obtained. The obtained powdered tea composition was analyzed and evaluated. The results are shown in Table 2.

Example 2
A powdered tea composition was obtained in the same manner as in Example 4 except that granulation was repeated until the total spray amount of water reached 400 mL. The obtained powdered tea composition was analyzed and evaluated. The results are shown in Table 2.

Example 3
A powdered tea composition was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1 except that granulation was repeated until the total spray amount of water reached 600 mL. The obtained powdered tea composition was analyzed and evaluated. The results are shown in Table 2.

Example 4
A powdered tea composition was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1, except that granulation was repeated until the total spray amount of water reached 1200 mL. The obtained powdered tea composition was analyzed and evaluated. The results are shown in Table 2.

Comparative Example 1
After charging 3 kg of catechin-containing raw material into a granulator (flow coater FLO5: manufactured by Freund Industries), hot air at 60 ° C. was blown into the apparatus at a flow rate of 2.5 m ³ / min to flow the catechin powder-containing raw material. Made it. Then, after spraying water at a rate of 60 mL / min for 30 seconds (30 mL), granulation with an operation of drying for 30 seconds as one cycle (60 seconds, spraying time / drying time = 1.00 seconds / second), This was repeated until the total spray amount of water reached 800 mL. Then, the powdered tea composition was obtained by blowing 60 degreeC hot air for 4 minutes, without granulating. The obtained powdered tea composition was analyzed and evaluated. The results are shown in Table 2.

Comparative Example 2
After putting 1.5 kg of catechin-containing raw material into a granulator (flow coater FLO5: manufactured by Freund Corporation), hot air at 86 ° C. was blown into the apparatus at an air volume of 2.5 m ³ / min, and the catechin powder-containing raw material was Fluidized. Then, after spraying water at a rate of 100 mL / min for 30 seconds (50 mL), granulation with an operation of drying for 15 seconds as one cycle (45 seconds, spraying time / drying time = 0.5 seconds / second), This was repeated until the total spray amount of water reached 200 mL. Then, the powdered tea composition was obtained by blowing 86 degreeC hot air for 2 minutes, without granulating. The obtained powdered tea composition was analyzed and evaluated. The results are shown in Table 3.

Comparative Example 3
After charging 3 kg of catechin-containing raw material into a granulator (flow coater FLO5: manufactured by Freund Sangyo), hot air at 64 ° C. was blown into the apparatus at a flow rate of 2.5 m ³ / min to flow the catechin powder-containing raw material. Made it. Thereafter, the operation of spraying water at a rate of 100 mL / min for 30 seconds (50 mL) and then drying for 7.5 seconds is defined as one cycle (37.5 seconds, spraying time / drying time = 0.25 seconds / second). Granulation was repeated until the total spray amount of water reached 300 mL. Then, the powdered tea composition was obtained by blowing 64 degreeC hot air for 2 minutes, without granulating. The obtained powdered tea composition was analyzed and evaluated. The results are shown in Table 3.

Example 5
In Comparative Example 3, a powdered tea composition was obtained by the same operation as in Comparative Example 3, except that the hot air temperature was changed to 76 ° C. The obtained powdered tea composition was analyzed and evaluated. The results are shown in Table 3.

Example 6
In Comparative Example 3, a powdered tea composition was obtained by the same operation as in Comparative Example 3, except that the hot air temperature was changed to 82 ° C. The obtained powdered tea composition was analyzed and evaluated. The results are shown in Table 3.

Example 7
In Comparative Example 3, a powdered tea composition was obtained in the same manner as in Comparative Example 3, except that the hot air temperature was changed to 89 ° C. The obtained powdered tea composition was analyzed and evaluated. The results are shown in Table 3.

Example 8
In Comparative Example 3, a powdered tea composition was obtained in the same manner as in Comparative Example 3, except that the hot air temperature was changed to 99 ° C. The obtained powdered tea composition was analyzed and evaluated. The results are shown in Table 3.

Example 9
After charging 3 kg of catechin-containing raw material into a granulator (flow coater FLO5: manufactured by Freund Sangyo), hot air at 76 ° C. was blown into the apparatus at a flow rate of 2.5 m ³ / min to flow the catechin powder-containing raw material. Made it. Thereafter, the operation of spraying water at a rate of 100 mL / min for 30 seconds (50 mL) and then drying for 7.5 seconds is defined as one cycle (37.5 seconds, spraying time / drying time = 0.25 seconds / second). Granulation was repeated until the total spray amount of water reached 300 mL. Then, the powdered tea composition was obtained by blowing 76 degreeC hot air for 2 minutes, without granulating. The obtained powdered tea composition was analyzed and evaluated. The results are shown in Table 4.

Example 10
In Example 9, a powdered tea composition was obtained in the same manner as in Example 9, except that the hot air temperature was changed to 74 ° C. and a 30% by mass ethanol aqueous solution was sprayed. The obtained powdered tea composition was analyzed and evaluated. The results are shown in Table 4.

Example 11
In Example 9, a powdered tea composition was obtained in the same manner as in Example 9, except that the hot air temperature was changed to 73 ° C. and a 39 mass% ethanol aqueous solution was sprayed. The obtained powdered tea composition was analyzed and evaluated. The results are shown in Table 4.

Example 12
A powdered tea composition was obtained in the same manner as in Example 9, except that the hot air temperature was changed to 74 ° C. and water was sprayed at a rate of 60 mL / min in Example 9. The obtained powdered tea composition was analyzed and evaluated. The results are shown in Table 4.

Comparative Example 4
In Example 12, a powdered tea composition was obtained in the same manner as in Example 12, except that a 50% by mass aqueous ethanol solution was used. The obtained powdered tea composition was analyzed and evaluated. The results are shown in Table 4.

Example 13
After charging 3 kg of catechin-containing raw material into a granulator (flow coater FLO5: manufactured by Freund Industries), hot air at 89 ° C. was blown into the apparatus at a flow rate of 2.5 m ³ / min to flow the catechin powder-containing raw material. Made it. Thereafter, water at 60 ° C. was continuously sprayed for 3 minutes (300 mL) at a rate of 100 mL / min. Then, 2953 g of a powdered tea composition was obtained by blowing hot air at 89 ° C. for 2 minutes without granulation. The obtained powdered tea composition was analyzed and evaluated. The results are shown in Table 5.

Example 14
In Example 13, after spraying water for 30 seconds (50 mL), the operation of interrupting spraying for 7.5 seconds is 1 cycle (37.5 seconds, spray interruption time / spray time = 0.25 seconds / second). A powdered tea composition was obtained in the same manner as in Example 13, except that the granulation was repeated until the total spray amount of water reached 300 mL. The obtained powdered tea composition was analyzed and evaluated. The results are shown in Table 5.

Example 15
In Example 13, the operation of spraying water for 30 seconds (50 mL) and then interrupting the spraying for 22.5 seconds is one cycle (52.5 seconds, spray interruption time / spray time = 0.75 seconds / second). A powdered tea composition was obtained in the same manner as in Example 13, except that the granulation was repeated until the total spray amount of water reached 300 mL. The obtained powdered tea composition was analyzed and evaluated. The results are shown in Table 5.

Example 16
After charging 3 kg of catechin-containing raw material into a granulator (flow coater FLO5: manufactured by Freund Industries), hot air at 89 ° C. was blown into the apparatus at a flow rate of 2.5 m ³ / min to flow the catechin powder-containing raw material. Made it. Then, after spraying water at a rate of 100 mL / min for 30 seconds (50 mL), granulation with an operation of drying for 15 seconds as one cycle (45 seconds, spraying time / drying time = 0.5 seconds / second), This was repeated until the total spray amount of water reached 400 mL. Then, without granulating, a powdered tea composition was obtained by blowing hot air at 89 ° C. for 2 minutes. The obtained powdered tea composition was analyzed and evaluated. The results are shown in Table 6.

Example 17
After 95 kg of catechins-containing raw material is put into a granulator (Flow coater FLO5: manufactured by Freund Sangyo), hot air at 90 ° C. is blown into the apparatus at a flow rate of 2.5 m ³ / min to flow the catechin powder-containing raw material. Made it. Then, after spraying water at a rate of 100 mL / min for 60 seconds (1583 mL), granulation with an operation of drying for 30 seconds as one cycle (90 seconds, spraying time / drying time = 0.5 seconds / second), It repeated until the total spray amount of water became 9.5L. Then, the powdered tea composition was obtained by blowing 90 degreeC hot air for 4 minutes, without granulating. The obtained powdered tea composition was analyzed and evaluated. The results are shown in Table 6.

Example 18
After 190 kg of catechin-containing raw material is put into a granulator (Flow coater FLO5: manufactured by Freund Sangyo), hot air at 90 ° C. is blown into the apparatus at a flow rate of 2.5 m ³ / min to flow the catechin powder-containing raw material. Made it. Then, after spraying water at a rate of 100 mL / min for 120 seconds (3167 mL), granulation with an operation of drying for 60 seconds as one cycle (180 seconds, spraying time / drying time = 0.5 seconds / second), It repeated until the total spray amount of water became 19L. Then, the powder tea composition was obtained by blowing 90 degreeC hot air for 8 minutes, without granulating. The obtained powdered tea composition was analyzed and evaluated. The results are shown in Table 6.

  From Table 2, for the catechins-containing raw material in a fluidized state, in addition to the heating time, by controlling the ratio of the hot air temperature and the spray rate within a specific range, respectively, and fluidized bed granulation, the flavor and solubility It can be seen that a powdered tea composition can be obtained in which both are well balanced. Moreover, it can be seen from Table 3 that a powdered tea composition having excellent particle uniformity can be stably obtained by controlling the ratio of the hot air temperature and the spray rate while controlling the heating time within a specific range. Furthermore, it can be seen from Table 4 that when the binder contains an organic solvent, the solubility of the powdered tea composition can be improved by reducing the concentration of the organic solvent. From Tables 5 and 6, if the heating time and the ratio of the hot air temperature and the spray rate are controlled, the flavor and solubility are balanced in balance even if other conditions are different, and the uniformity of the particles. It can be seen that a powdered tea composition excellent in the above can be obtained.

Claims (8)

Feeding hot air into the fluidized layer granulator comprises a granulation step及beauty final drying step of spraying the aqueous medium catechins-containing raw material in a fluidized state,
In the granulation step, the ratio [(A) / (B)] of (A) hot air temperature [° C.] and (B) spray rate [mL / min / kg] of aqueous medium per 1 kg of catechin-containing raw material is 2.0-20 [° C./mL/min/kg ],
The concentration of the organic solvent in the aqueous medium is 45% by mass or less,
The total heating time is 0.01 to 9.5 minutes / kg per 1 kg of the catechin-containing raw material.
A method for producing a powdered tea composition.   The method for producing a powdered tea composition according to claim 1, wherein the total spray amount of the aqueous medium is 0.075 to 0.35 L / kg per kg of the catechin-containing raw material.   The manufacturing method of the powder tea composition of Claim 1 or 2 whose hot air temperature is 60 degreeC or more.   The method for producing a powder tea composition according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein at least one of the catechin-containing raw material and the aqueous medium contains sugar.   The method for producing a powdered tea composition according to claim 4, wherein the catechin-containing raw material contains sugar, and the content of sugar in the catechin-containing raw material is 30 to 80% by mass.   The manufacturing method of the powdered tea composition of any one of Claims 1-5 whose aqueous medium is water.   The manufacturing method of the powdered tea composition of any one of Claims 1-6 in which a catechin containing raw material contains a tea extraction dried material as a catechins source.   The manufacturing method of the powdered tea composition of Claim 7 whose content of the tea extraction dried material in a catechins containing raw material is 15-60 mass%.