JP6202818B2 - Beverages containing chlorophylls - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a beverage containing chlorophylls and a method for producing the same. More specifically, the present invention relates to a beverage in which the body feeling of taste is enhanced without changing the design quality intended at the time of beverage development by including a specific amount of chlorophylls in the beverage.

  In recent years, consumers' health consciousness has further increased. In beverages, the number of health benefits and functions is increasing, and the most popular among them is the weight management function. Some products appeal for positive effects such as fat absorption suppression, but many products claim that calories (calorie) contained in the beverage itself are low.

  As such beverages, sugar-free tea beverages such as green tea and oolong tea, fine sugar-type or sugar-free (black) coffee beverages, etc. are popular. Recently, in carbonated drinks and alcoholic drinks, more and more appealing for saccharides zero, sugars zero, calorie off, etc., respectively, are gaining high popularity. In addition to this trend, there is a tendency to shift the consumer's taste preference to a refreshing taste.

  However, beverages characterized by such a low calorie tend to have a light flavor as a quality characteristic due to a small amount of sugar. Therefore, there is a risk that the body feeling of the flavor is insufficient and the consumer's preference may not be met. In addition, such beverages are generally blended with high-intensity sweeteners such as sucralose and acesulfame potassium (also referred to as acesulfame K). It is pointed out that the body feeling tends to be insufficient. Furthermore, when there is less sugar and the flavor is lighter, there is a problem that the effect of masking the defect of flavor caused by the raw material and the production method is reduced, and off-flavor is easily revealed.

  From the background as described above, the importance of a technique that can be used for beverages in general and imparts an appropriate body feeling to beverages is increasing. To date, the following techniques have been proposed as means for enhancing the body feeling of beverages.

  Patent Document 1 describes that the body feeling of sweeteners such as aspartame, sucralose, and acesulfame is improved by mixing amino acids or peptides having a specific sequence having a calcium receptor activating action.

  Patent Document 2 contains a natural sweetener converted liquid sugar, which improves the unique sweetness quality and lack of body feeling of acesulfame potassium, and has the same sweetness quality and body feeling as sugar. In addition, a sweetener composition having a mellow and elegant sweetness is described.

  Patent Document 3 discloses that synthetic high-intensity sweeteners such as acesulfame K, sucralose, and aspartame contain a specific amount of α-glucosylated stevia extract in a specific amount so that the sweetness is thick and the sweetness is lost. It is described to provide a sweetener composition that is good and has little off-taste.

  Patent Document 4 describes that by containing fructooligosaccharides and stevia sweeteners at a specific ratio, the sweetener composition is thick, has good sweetness, and has almost no off-flavors. ing.

Patent Document 5 describes a method for improving the taste of aspartame, which is characterized by using a specific flavor (food fragrance) in combination with aspartame.
Patent Document 6 describes a method of improving sweetness quality by allowing α-glycosylglycyrrhizin to coexist in a specified amount range in a mixed sweetener using a high-sweetness sweetener such as a purified licorice product. Yes.

  Patent Document 7 describes that aspartame and sugar alcohol such as sorbitol are blended at a specific ratio to solve the problem of sweetness characteristics of aspartame that lacks mouse fullness and tends to give post-sweetness. ing.

  Patent Document 8 discloses an aspartame-containing composition that improves the taste quality of aspartame by blending sodium chloride with aspartame at a specific ratio and lowering the sodium chloride concentration, and has a sweetness almost the same as sugar. Or providing food is described.

International Publication WO2008 / 139946A1 JP 2002-142710 A JP 2002-34501 A JP-A-2-283258 JP-A-2-276553 JP-A-1-171454 JP 63-12263 A JP 61-212257 A

  All of these techniques complement the lack of body feeling by blending specific substances where the body feeling is insufficient in the sweetness of various high-intensity sweeteners. However, although most beverages, especially calorie-off type beverages, contain high-intensity sweeteners, some of them do not contain high-intensity sweeteners. It is not applied.

  Further, in the above technique, as a taste substance, in Patent Documents 2 to 7, a different type of sweetener is used, and in Patent Document 8, a low concentration sodium chloride that does not feel salty is used in combination with a high-intensity sweetener. This is a technique for improving the sweetness of high-intensity sweeteners. However, by adding a taste substance, a flavor that was not intended at the time of product development is imparted to the beverage, and there is a risk that the design quality of the beverage will change.

  From the above, it is extremely difficult to search for materials that can enhance the body feeling of the entire beverage while maintaining the beverage function and flavor quality intended for development (also referred to as “the original design quality of the beverage” in this specification). It is important.

  In view of the circumstances as described above, an object of the present invention is to provide a technique for enhancing the body feeling of taste without changing the original design quality of a beverage.

  As a result of intensive studies on the above problems, the present inventors have surprisingly found that, by adding a very small amount of chlorophylls, which are usually used as pigments, to the beverage without changing the original design quality of the beverage, The inventors have found that the feeling can be enhanced and have completed the present invention.

That is, the present invention is not limited to the following, but includes the following embodiments.
(1) A beverage containing 0.01 to 1000 ppb of chlorophylls and sweet substances relative to a beverage.
(2) The beverage according to (1), wherein the chlorophylls are selected from the group consisting of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, chlorophyll c1, chlorophyll c2, chlorophyll d, chlorophyll f, and mixtures thereof.
(3) The beverage according to (1) or (2), wherein the sweet substance is a sugar and / or a sweetener.
(4) The beverage according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the beverage has a pH of 2.0 to 6.0.
(5) The beverage according to any one of (1) to (4), wherein the sweet substance is selected from the group consisting of sucralose, acesulfame K, aspartame, neotame, glycyrrhizin, stevia and mixtures thereof.
(6) The beverage according to any one of (1) to (5), which is an alcoholic beverage or a non-alcoholic beverage having an alcohol content of 20% or less.
(7) The beverage according to any one of (1) to (6), wherein the calorie is 20 kcal / 100 mL or less.
(8) The beverage according to any one of (1) to (7), wherein the saccharide content is 2.5 g / 100 mL or less.
(9) The beverage according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the sugar content is 2.5 g / 100 mL or less.
(10) A method for producing a beverage, comprising a step of blending a chlorophyll with a sweetener-containing beverage so that the concentration in the beverage is 0.01 to 1000 ppb.
(11) A method for enhancing the body feeling of a beverage by blending a chlorophyll with a sweetener-containing beverage so that the concentration in the beverage is 0.01 to 1000 ppb.

  The present invention can enhance the body feeling of the taste without changing the original design quality of the beverage by blending the sweet substance and a specific amount (0.01 to 1000 ppb) of chlorophyll into the beverage. In particular, in the present invention, since the chlorophylls are almost tasteless and exhibit an effect in a very small amount, the body feeling of the beverage can be enhanced without greatly affecting the original design quality of the beverage.

  Moreover, since it does not increase calorie | heat amount when it mix | blends with calorie-off type drinks, such as saccharides zero and saccharides zero containing a high sweetness degree sweetener, the original function of a drink can be maintained. Furthermore, in alcoholic beverages, the present invention can reduce alcohol irritation.

  The details of the mechanism of the present invention are unclear, and the present invention is not limited to this, but since the taste of the aqueous solution of chlorophylls is hardly perceived, when a trace amount of chlorophylls and a sweet substance are used in combination, both It is presumed to act cooperatively to enhance the body feeling of the beverage due to the sweet substance.

  Thus, according to the present invention, it is possible to enhance the body feeling of the beverage taste while maintaining the original design quality and function of the beverage.

  The beverage of the present invention is characterized by containing specific amounts of chlorophylls and sweet substances. In the beverage of the present invention, by blending a small amount of 0.01 to 1000 ppb chlorophyll with the beverage, the body feeling of the beverage can be enhanced without changing the original design quality of the beverage.

Chlorophylls The beverage of the present invention contains chlorophylls. Chlorophylls, also called chlorophyll, are chemical substances that have the role of absorbing light energy in the light reaction of photosynthesis. Chlorophylls have a basic structure in which a long-chain alcohol called phytol is ester-bonded to tetrapyrrole, which is a ring structure composed of four pyrroles. Naturally occurring chlorophylls generally have a structure in which a metal such as magnesium is coordinated to the center of a tetrapyrrole ring. The substance from which this metal is removed and replaced with two hydrogens is called pheophytin. In the present specification, chlorophyll and pheophytin are collectively referred to as chlorophylls. Chlorophylls are distinguished by the type of tetrapyrrole ring and the substituent to which they are attached, and are assigned alphabets in the order they are discovered. Specifically, chlorophyll _{a (C 55 H 72 O 5} N 4 M), chlorophyll _{b (C 55 H 70 O 6} N 4 M), chlorophyll _{c1 (C 35 H 30 O 5} N 4 M), chlorophyll c2 ( C ₃₅ H ₂₈ O ₅ N ₄ M), chlorophyll d (C ₅₄ H ₇₀ O ₆ N ₄ M), chlorophyll f (C ₅₅ H ₇₀ O ₆ N ₄ M), etc. are known (M is the central metal) means). The chlorophylls that can be used in the present invention may be any of the above chlorophylls or a mixture thereof, but chlorophyll a or chlorophyll b can be preferably used, and chlorophyll a can be more preferably used. The central metal (M) is preferably Mg.

  As the chlorophylls, commercially available chlorophyll preparations can be suitably used. Specifically, chlorophyll a manufactured by Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd. can be used. The production method and origin of chlorophylls are not particularly limited. However, since chlorophylls are chlorophylls in plants, the extract obtained by extracting the plants into a suitable solvent should be added to beverages as chlorophyll extracts. Can do.

  In the present invention, the amount of chlorophylls to be blended in the beverage is represented by the sum of chlorophyll and pheophytin, which is a molecular modification product thereof, and is 0.01 to 1000 ppb (μg / L), preferably 0.03 to 700 ppb. 0.05 to 500 ppb (μg / L) is more preferable, and 0.05 to 100 ppb (μg / L) is more preferable. When the amount of chlorophylls is less than 0.01 ppb, the effect of enhancing body feeling is not sufficient even when used in combination with sweet substances, while when the amount of chlorophylls exceeds 1000 ppb, an unintended flavor is imparted to the beverage. There is a fear. Moreover, since chlorophylls have a strong color derived from the tetrapyrrole ring in the structure and many appear green, there is a risk of adding an unintended color tone to the beverage when the chlorophyll exceeds 500 ppb. Therefore, it is not preferable.

The method for adding chlorophylls to the beverage and the addition timing thereof are not particularly limited, and can be added at any timing during the production process, and the addition method can be a known method.
Chlorophylls contained in beverages can be analyzed or quantified by known methods. For example, the method of Ishihara et al. Is known as an analysis method of chlorophylls (Masahiko Ishihara et al. “Analysis of chlorophylls using high performance liquid chromatography” October 2001, http: // www. Kanhoku. Or .jp / presentation / presen 01.pdf: as of December 2011), the amount of chlorophylls can also be quantified using this method in the present invention. For example, HPLC can be performed using an appropriate mobile phase, and chlorophylls can be quantified with a fluorescence detector. For example, chlorophylls can be analyzed under the following conditions.
Mobile phase: A mixture of methanol and acetone (methanol: acetone = 80: 20)
・ Model: CLASS-LC10 (manufactured by Shimadzu Corporation)
Column: Inertsil ODS-2 (4.6 × 150 mm, 5 μm, manufactured by GL Sciences)
-Column temperature: 35 ° C
・ Injection volume: 10μL
・ Flow rate: 0.8mL / min
Detection: Fluorescence detector (excitation and measurement wavelengths are 430 nm and 670 nm for chlorophyll a, 410 nm and 670 nm for chlorophyll b, 410 nm and 655 nm for pheophytin a, 410 nm and 660 nm for pheophytin b)
-Chlorophyll standard solution: For chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b, 10 mg of a commercially available standard product was adjusted by dissolving in 50 mL of acetone, and its concentration was measured using an absorptiometric method (three-wavelength method) assuming that there was no interference. Correct with the following formula.

Chlorophyll a (mg / L) = Absorptiometric method (mg / L) × 0.7072
Chlorophyll b (mg / L) = Absorptiometric method (mg / L) × 0.8012
-Pheophytin standard solution: 0.1 mol of 1 mol / L hydrochloric acid was added to 10 mL of each of the above chlorophyll standard solutions, allowed to stand for 5 minutes, and then the same amount of 1 mol / L aqueous ammonia solution was added for adjustment. After the addition, the resulting ammonium chloride is filtered through a solvent resistant filter (0.45 μm). The concentration is calculated by correcting the change in mass due to Mg desorption and dilution due to the addition of HCl and aqueous ammonia with the following formula.

Pheophytin a (mg / L) = Chlorophyll a × 0.9750 ÷ 1.02
Pheophytin b (mg / L) = Chlorophyll b × 0.9754 ÷ 1.02.
Sweet substance The beverage of the present invention contains a sweet substance. In the present invention, the sweetness substance and a small amount of chlorophyll act cooperatively to enhance the body feeling of the entire beverage.

  The sweet substance is not limited as long as it is a substance that can be used in beverages and can induce sensual sweetness to humans. For example, sweeteners, flavors, and the like can be used. Particularly preferred sweet substances in the present invention include sweeteners such as sugars and high-intensity sweeteners, and the sweet substances can be used alone or in combination of two or more. These sweet substances may be natural sweet substances or artificial sweet substances, and may be brought in from ingredients used in beverages, or separately blended in beverages. It may be a thing.

  Examples of sugars include disaccharides such as sugar (sucrose) and maltose, monosaccharides such as glucose and fructose, oligosaccharides, sugar alcohols such as sorbitol, xylitol, and maltitol. Fructose can be preferably used. Also, high fructose liquid sugar, fructose glucose liquid sugar, glucose fructose liquid sugar, honey, sugarcane juice (brown molasses), rakan fruit powder, rakan fruit extract, licorice powder, licorice extract and other plant extracts, maple syrup, molasses It is also possible to add sugars to beverages in the form of (molasses), syrup, etc.

In the present invention, a sweetener such as a high-intensity sweetener can be used as the sweet substance, and a high-intensity sweetener can be mentioned as a preferred sweetener.
The high-intensity sweetener in the present specification refers to a natural sweetener and a synthetic sweetener having a sweetness stronger than that of sucrose, and is not particularly limited as long as it is blended in foods and beverages. Such high-intensity sweeteners include peptide sweeteners such as aspartame, aritem, neotame, glycyrrhizin and the like; glycoside sweeteners such as stevia sweetener (stevia extract and stevia are enzymatically treated to add glucose Enzyme-treated Stevia and Stevia's sweetest ingredients including rebaudioside A), licorice extract, etc .; sucrose derivatives such as sucralose, etc .; synthetic sweeteners such as acesulfame K, saccharin, neohesperidin -Dihydrochalcone etc. are mentioned, These 1 type (s) or 2 or more types can be used suitably. High-intensity sweeteners have a very strong sweetness compared to sucrose, but may have a problem that a sweetness or an unpleasant taste different from sucrose is felt. For example, it has been pointed out that sucralose and aspartame tend to have a sweet aftertaste and a lack of body feeling. It has been pointed out that acesulfame K is bitter.

  When a high-intensity sweetener is blended with the beverage of the present invention, in addition to the above-described excellent effects, unfavorable presentations such as a residual sweetness, bitterness and savoryness resulting from the high-intensity sweetener as described above. The taste can be improved. In other words, an excellent beverage with an enhanced body taste without changing the original design quality of the beverage and improved unpleasant taste such as a residual sweetness, bitterness and savory taste caused by high-intensity sweeteners. Can be obtained.

  The amount of the sweetening substance to be blended in the beverage of the present invention may be appropriately determined according to the sweetness of the sweetening substance and the intended design quality of the beverage, and can be, for example, 0.01 to 1 g / L. 0.02-0.5 g / L is more preferable, and 0.03-0.4 g / L is more preferable. When a high-intensity sweetener is blended in the beverage of the present invention, the concentration of the high-intensity sweetener may be determined as appropriate according to the intended design quality of the beverage. -0.05 w / v%, 0.001-0.04 w / v% is more preferable, and 0.005-0.03 w / v% is more preferable. Moreover, when a high sweetness degree sweetener is sucralose, it is preferable that it is 0.0001-0.02 w / v% in the drink of this invention, and it is 0.001-0.015 w / v%. Is more preferable, and 0.005-0.01 w / v% is still more preferable. When the high-intensity sweetener is acesulfame K, it is preferably 0.0005 to 0.034 w / v%, preferably 0.005 to 0.03 w / v% in the beverage of the present invention. More preferably, it is 0.01-0.025 w / v%.

The density | concentration of the sweet substance in a drink can be measured by well-known methods, such as HPLC method. For example, sucralose and acesulfame K can be analyzed and quantified under the following conditions.
(Sucralose)
・ Column: Zorbax eclipse plus C18
Mobile phase: 5 mM ammonium acetate aqueous solution / 5 mM ammonium acetate in acetonitrile (ACN) solution mixture (the ratio of the two is changed from 5/95 to 40/60 in 15 minutes)
・ Flow rate: 0.2 ml / min
・ Temperature: 40 ℃
・ Detector: Mass detector (tandem mass: MS / MS, ESI (-), m / z 395 → 359)
・ Injection volume: 1μL
(Acesulfame K)
・ Column: Cadenza CD-C-18
・ Mobile phase: ACN / 10mM ammonium formate (13/87)
・ Flow rate: 1.0mL / min
・ Temperature: 37 ℃
・ Detector: UV detector (210nm)
・ Injection volume: 1μL
Beverage pH
By adjusting the pH of the beverage of the present invention to a specific range, the effect of the present invention can be perceived more clearly. Although the mechanism is unknown, it is speculated that the acidity in the acidic region may reduce the residual feeling of the sweetness of the aftertaste and make it possible to perceive the effects of the present invention more clearly. That is, if the sweetness persistence is prolonged, the body feeling seems to be gradually attenuated, but if the sweetness residual feeling is rapidly reduced, the body feeling is also felt to be rapidly attenuated. Therefore, the body feeling rises and decays within a short time, and it is estimated that the body feeling is felt relatively stronger. The preferred pH range of the present invention is preferably 2.0 to 6.0, more preferably 2.1 to 5.0, and even more preferably 2.3 to 3.7. As a method for adjusting the pH, a known technique may be used. For example, an organic acid such as citric acid, malic acid or tartaric acid or a salt thereof may be added to the beverage.

Alcohol Although the present invention can be applied to non-alcoholic beverages, it can be suitably applied to alcoholic beverages. In this specification, unless otherwise specified, alcohol means ethyl alcohol (ethanol). Further, the alcohol content refers to the volume% of alcohol in the aqueous alcohol solution.

  When alcohol is blended with the beverage of the present invention to make an alcoholic beverage, in addition to the excellent effects described above, the irritation caused by the alcohol can be reduced. In other words, the present invention can provide an excellent alcoholic beverage with enhanced taste body feeling and reduced alcohol stimulation without changing the original design quality of the beverage.

  The kind of alcohol that can be used in the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it is drunk as a normal alcoholic beverage. Distilled liquors such as whiskey, vodka, rum, shochu and spirits, brewed liquors such as sake, wine and beer, and mixed liquors such as liqueurs can be used. A single type of alcohol may be used, or a plurality of types of alcohol may be used for the purpose of changing the flavor characteristics of the extract.

  As alcohol concentration of the alcohol which can be mix | blended by this invention, 1 to 20% is preferable, 1 to 15% is more preferable, and 1 to 10% is still more preferable. The alcoholic beverage in such a range is often added with a sweetening substance, and according to the present invention, the undesirable taste caused by the sweetening substance is improved and the body feeling of the alcoholic beverage is effectively enhanced. Is possible. Moreover, since the taste and irritation | stimulation by alcohol become dominant and it becomes difficult to perceive the effect of this invention when alcohol content becomes high, the above-mentioned alcohol concentration is preferable.

The alcohol content in the present invention can be measured by the method described in the National Tax Agency Predetermined Analysis Method (Heisei 19 National Tax Agency Instruction No. 6, revised on June 22, 2007). Specifically, it can measure with the following method about what added saccharides, such as sucrose, and what has not added.
(In the case of samples not added with sugars such as sucrose)
Samples 100-150 mL are accurately taken at 15 ° C. using volumetric flasks. This is transferred to a 300-500 mL flask, each of the volumetric flasks is washed twice with 15 mL of water, and the cleaning solution is also transferred into the flask. Perform direct-fire distillation using the volumetric flask used for sample collection as the receiver. After 70% or more of the sample is distilled, add water to the distillate and return to the original volume at 15 ° C. A sample.
(For samples added with sugars such as sucrose)
An analytical sample is prepared by steam distillation. That is, 100 to 150 mL of sample is accurately collected at 15 ° C. using a volumetric flask. This is transferred to a 500 mL double flask, each of the volumetric flasks is washed twice with 15 mL of water, and the cleaning solution is also transferred into the flask. Steam distillation is performed using the volumetric flask used for collecting the sample as a receiver, and after 98% or more of the collected amount is distilled, water is added to the distillate to return to the original volume at 15 ° C. And

  The density at 15 ° C. of the analysis sample prepared as described above was measured with a vibration densitometer, and “Table 2 Alcohol content and density (15 ° C.) and specific gravity (15/15), which is an appendix to the National Tax Agency prescribed analysis method. The alcohol content can be obtained by conversion using the “° C.) conversion table”. For example, as a vibration type density meter, a vibration type density meter DA-310 manufactured by Kyoto Electronics Industry Co., Ltd. can be used.

Calorie-off type beverage The present invention can be suitably applied to beverages such as so-called calorie off. The indications such as “Sugar Zero, No Sugar, Calorie Off” are based on the nutrition labeling standards stipulated by the Health Promotion Law. For example, the indication “No Sugar” is a saccharide (monosaccharide) contained in a beverage. Or the amount of disaccharides that are not sugar alcohols) is given to those less than 0.5 g per 100 g of beverage.

  Since such products are subject to severe restrictions on the amount of ingredients that can be blended, the beverage as a whole has a thin taste and tends to lack thickness, body feeling and taste, but according to the present invention, The body feeling of such beverages can be effectively enhanced.

  In the present invention, the calories (calorie), sugars and sugars of the beverage can be measured by known methods. In this case, it can be calculated in accordance with the method prescribed in “Analytical Methods for Nutritional Components, etc. in Nutrition Labeling Standards” published in connection with the Health Promotion Law. You can also ask.

  In the present invention, in the case of a calorie off type beverage, the calorie is preferably 20 kcal / 100 mL or less, more preferably 10 kcal / 100 mL or less, and still more preferably less than 5 kcal / 100 mL. In particular, when it is less than 5 kcal / 100 mL, display such as calorie zero can be performed. When the beverage of the present invention is an alcoholic beverage, the calories due to raw materials other than alcohol are preferably 20 kcal / 100 mL or less, more preferably 10 kcal / 100 mL or less, and less than 5 kcal / 100 mL. Is more preferable.

  In the present invention, in the case of a sugar off-type beverage, the sugar contained in the beverage is preferably 2.5 g / 100 mL or less, more preferably 1 g / 100 mL or less, and less than 0.5 g / 100 mL. More preferably. In particular, when it is less than 0.5 g / 100 mL, display such as saccharide zero can be performed. Here, the term “saccharide” refers to a monosaccharide or disaccharide that is not a sugar alcohol.

  In the present invention, in the case of a sugar off-type beverage, the sugar contained in the beverage is preferably 2.5 g / 100 mL or less, more preferably 1 g / 100 mL or less, and less than 0.5 g / 100 mL. More preferably. In particular, when it is less than 0.5 g / 100 mL, it is possible to display such as zero carbohydrate. Here, “sugar” is calculated by excluding protein, lipid, dietary fiber, ash, and water content from beverages.

  In the beverage of the present invention, in addition to the components described above, materials known to be added to beverages can be appropriately blended. Examples of such materials include fruit juices, fruits, fats and oils, surfactants, flavorings such as fragrances and flavorings, various extracts, essential oils (essential oils), electrolytes, etc., and these may be used alone or in combination. Can be used.

From the production method also another aspect of the beverage, the present invention is a method for producing a beverage. That is, this invention is a manufacturing method of a drink including the process of mix | blending chlorophylls so that the density | concentration in a drink may be 0.01-1000ppb with respect to the drink containing a sweet substance.

  The beverage of the present invention can be produced by blending raw materials using a known method. If necessary, steps such as sterilization and container filling can be appropriately provided. In a preferred embodiment, the beverage of the present invention can be a container-packed beverage, and can be a sterilized container-packed beverage. For example, a sterilized container-packed beverage can be produced by filling the container with the beverage composition and then performing heat sterilization such as retort sterilization, or by sterilizing the beverage composition and filling the container.

  Containers for container-packed beverages are not particularly limited, but usually beverages such as plastic containers such as plastic bottles, paper containers such as paper packs, glass containers such as glass bottles, metal containers such as aluminum cans and steel cans, aluminum pouches, etc. Any container that can be used in the composition can be used. For example, in the case of a metal container-packed beverage such as a can, a predetermined amount of the beverage composition of the present invention is filled in the container, and retort sterilization (for example, 1.2 mmHg, 121 ° C., 7 minutes) can be performed. When it is set as a PET bottle, a paper pack, a bottled drink, a can drink, and a pouch drink, for example, FP or UHT sterilization held at 90 to 130 ° C. for 1 to several tens of seconds can be performed to fill a predetermined amount. When the beverage composition of the present invention is used as a container-packed beverage, either a hot pack filling method or an aseptic filling method can be used.

Beverage quality improving method From another viewpoint, the present invention can be understood as a method of enhancing the body feeling of a beverage. That is, the present invention is a method for enhancing the body feeling of a beverage by blending a chlorophyll with a beverage containing a sweet substance so that the concentration in the beverage is 0.01 to 1000 ppb.

  Hereinafter, although the content of the present invention is explained in detail, referring to the example of the present invention, the present invention is not limited to the following example. Unless otherwise specified, numerical ranges in this specification are described as including the end points, and concentrations and the like are based on weight.

Example 1: Effect of enhancing body feeling by adding chlorophylls A chlorophyll a (made by Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd.) as a chlorophyll was added to pure water at a predetermined concentration to prepare a beverage composition. The beverage composition has a pH of about 5.4 and contains no sugars, so the calories are zero. The concentration of chlorophylls added to pure water was set at 8 levels of 0.01 / 0.05 / 0.1 / 1/10/100/500/1000 ppb.

  About the drink composition prepared in this way, the change of taste and the enhancement effect of a body feeling were investigated. Using a sample to which no chlorophylls were added as a control (ctr), sensory evaluation was conducted by four expert panelists on two items of taste and body feeling with respect to the control. As for the difference in taste with respect to the control, 2 points for the taste that does not differ from the control, 2 points for the control, 2 points for the slightly different but within the acceptable range, 3 points for the apparently clear and outside the acceptable range 4 points, 5 points that are strongly different. In addition, regarding the body feeling of taste, 2 points were given for the same level as the control, 3 points for slightly strong items, 4 points for slightly strong items, and 5 points for strong items.

  Table 1 shows the evaluation results. It was revealed that the aqueous solution to which chlorophylls were added over a wide range of chlorophyll concentrations of 0.01 to 1000 ppb showed no difference in taste from the chlorophyll-free sample (control). Moreover, even when chlorophylls were added to pure water, an effect of slightly enhancing body feeling was observed at 1000 ppb, but a body feeling enhancing effect was hardly observed at a concentration lower than that.

Example 2: To an aqueous solution in which fructose-glucose liquid sugar was added to 60 g / L as a fructose-glucose liquid sugar sweetener, chlorophyll a (manufactured by Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd.) as an chlorophyll was 0.01 / A beverage composition was prepared by adding 0.05 / 0.1 / 1/10/100/500/1000 ppb. The beverage composition has a pH of about 5.5 and calories of about 18 kcal / 100 mL.

Using a sample to which chlorophylls were not added as a control, sensory evaluation was performed on two items of difference in taste from the control and enhancement of body feeling.
The sensory evaluation was conducted by 4 expert panelists, with the control as a reference (2 points), 3 points slightly different from the control, 4 points different, and 5 points strongly different. In addition, regarding the body feeling of taste, 2 points were given for the same level as the control, 3 points for slightly strong items, 4 points for strong items, and 5 points for clearly strong items.

  Table 2 shows the evaluation results. It was found that when the chlorophyll concentration was 0.01 ppb or more, the body feeling was enhanced as compared with the control. On the other hand, when the chlorophyll concentration was 10 ppb or more, a difference in taste from the control was observed. From the above, it has been clarified that when the chlorophyll concentration is 0.01 ppb or more and less than 10 ppb, there is an effect of enhancing the body feeling of the taste without changing the flavor in the presence of a sweet substance.

Example 3: To an aqueous solution in which sucralose was added to a concentration of 0.05 g / L as a sucralose sweet substance, chlorophyll a (manufactured by Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd.) as a chlorophyll has a concentration of 0.01 to 1000 ppb. To prepare a beverage composition. The beverage composition has a pH of about 5.5 and zero calories.

  The prepared beverage composition was subjected to sensory evaluation by four professional panelists, and the body feeling and taste of the beverage composition were evaluated in five stages. The body feeling was evaluated with a maximum of 5 points based on the control (2 points), and the taste was evaluated with 5 points as the reference point (2 points) for the sucralose taste. .

  As is apparent from the following table, the enhancement of body feeling and the improvement of the unfavorable taste of the high intensity sweetener according to the present invention were confirmed.

Example 4: Acesulfame K
A beverage composition is prepared by adding chlorophyll (manufactured by Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd.) to a concentration of 0.01 to 1000 ppb to an aqueous solution in which acesulfame potassium is added as a sweet substance to 0.15 g / L. did. The beverage composition has a pH of about 5.5 and zero calories.

  The prepared beverage composition was subjected to sensory evaluation by four professional panelists, and the body feeling and taste of the beverage composition were evaluated in five stages. The body feeling is evaluated with a maximum of 5 points based on the control (2 points), and the taste is evaluated with a maximum of 5 points based on the control as a reference (2 points) for the taste of acesulfame potassium. did.

  As is apparent from the following table, the enhancement of body feeling and the improvement of the unfavorable taste of the high intensity sweetener according to the present invention were confirmed.

Example 5: Chlorophyll a (manufactured by Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd.) as a chlorophyll in an alcohol aqueous solution having a alcohol content of 7% containing fructose glucose liquid sugar at a concentration of 60 g / L as a sweet substance for alcohol beverages is 0.01 to 1000 ppb. The beverage composition was prepared by adding so as to have a concentration of. The beverage composition has a pH of about 5.5 and calories of about 59 kcal / 100 mL.

  The prepared beverage composition was subjected to sensory evaluation by four expert panelists, and the body feeling of the beverage composition and the irritation feeling due to alcohol were evaluated in five stages. The body feeling was evaluated with a maximum score of 5 on the basis of control (2 points), and the evaluation standard regarding the stimulation of alcohol was 5 points on the basis of control (2 points).

  As is clear from the following table, the enhancement of the body feeling and the reduction of the alcohol stimulation feeling according to the present invention were confirmed.

Example 6: Chlorophyll a (manufactured by Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd.) is 1 ppb as chlorophylls in an alcohol aqueous solution having an alcohol content of 1 to 20% containing fructose glucose liquid sugar at a concentration of 60 g / L as a sweet substance. It added so that it might become a density | concentration, and the drink composition was prepared. The pH of the beverage composition is about 5.5, and the calories are all about 18 kcal / 100 mL without alcohol, but when alcohol is included, about 24 kcal / 100 mL, about 35 kcal / 100 mL, and about 51 kcal / 100 respectively. 100 mL, about 74 kcal / 100 mL, about 101 kcal / 100 mL, about 129 kcal / 100 mL.

  The prepared beverage composition was subjected to sensory evaluation by four professional panelists, and the irritation feeling by alcohol was evaluated in five stages. The irritation feeling of alcohol was evaluated with a maximum score of 5 points based on a reference (2 points) containing no alcohol.

  As is clear from the following table, the enhancement of the body feeling and the reduction of the alcohol stimulation feeling according to the present invention were confirmed. When the alcohol content is 1 to 20%, the effect of enhancing the body feeling and the effect of reducing the alcohol stimulation according to the present invention are remarkably recognized. When the alcohol content is 1 to 15%, the effect of reducing the alcohol stimulation is particularly strongly recognized. If it is -10%, the body feeling enhancing effect is further strongly recognized, which is preferable.

Example 7: Non-alcoholic beverage Chlorophyll was added to a non-alcoholic beverage (alcohol content: 0.00%), and a body feeling enhancing effect and a taste improving effect were confirmed.

  Specifically, according to the composition table of Table 7, chlorophyll a (manufactured by Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd.) is added as a chlorophyll so as to have a concentration of 0.01 to 1000 ppb in the beverage to prepare a non-alcoholic beverage. did. In addition, a beverage containing no chlorophyll was also prepared as a control. All of these non-alcoholic beverages have a pH of about 3.3, calories of about 4 kcal / 100 mL, carbohydrates of 1 g / 100 mL, and sugars of 0 g / 100 mL.

  The prepared non-alcoholic beverage was subjected to sensory evaluation by four expert panelists, and the body feeling and taste of the non-alcoholic beverage were evaluated in five stages. The body feeling was evaluated based on a control that does not contain chlorophylls (2 points), with a maximum score of 5 points. The highest score was evaluated as 5 points.

  As apparent from Table 8 below, the enhancement of body feeling and the improvement in the unfavorable taste of the high-intensity sweetener according to the present invention were confirmed.

Example 9: Alcoholic beverages Chlorophyll was added to an alcoholic beverage (alcohol content of about 3%), and the body feeling enhancing effect and the taste improving effect were confirmed.

  Specifically, according to the composition table of Table 9, chlorophyll a (manufactured by Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd.) is added as a chlorophyll to a concentration of 0.01 to 1000 ppb in the beverage to prepare an alcoholic beverage. did. In addition, a beverage containing no chlorophyll was also prepared as a control. Each of these alcoholic beverages has a pH of about 3.0, calories are about 4 kcal / 100 mL when alcohol is not included, and about 21 kcal / 100 mL when alcohol is included, carbohydrates are 1 g / 100 mL, and sugars are 1 g / 100 mL. It is.

  The prepared alcoholic beverage was subjected to sensory evaluation by four expert panelists, and the body feeling and taste of the alcoholic beverage were evaluated in five stages. The body feeling was evaluated based on a control that does not contain chlorophylls (2 points), with a maximum score of 5 points, and the taste was determined based on the control (2 points) for the sucrose taste with sucralose and acesulfame potassium. The highest score was evaluated as 5 points.

  As apparent from Table 10 below, the enhancement of body feeling and the improvement of the unfavorable taste of the high-intensity sweetener according to the present invention were confirmed.

Claims (11)

Alcohol content is of 20% or less of alcohol beverages,
The said drink containing 0.01-1000 ppb chlorophylls and sweet substances with respect to a drink, and the calories resulting from raw materials other than alcohol are less than 5 kcal / 100 mL .   The beverage according to claim 1, wherein the chlorophylls are selected from the group consisting of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, chlorophyll c1, chlorophyll c2, chlorophyll d, chlorophyll f and mixtures thereof.   The beverage according to claim 1, wherein the chlorophyll is chlorophyll a.   The beverage according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the sweet substance is a saccharide and / or a sweetener. The beverage according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the beverage has a pH of 3.0 to 6.0.   The beverage according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the sweet substance is selected from the group consisting of sucralose, acesulfame K, aspartame, neotame, glycyrrhizin, stevia and mixtures thereof.   The drink in any one of Claims 1-6 whose content of saccharides is 2.5 g / 100 mL or less.   The drink in any one of Claims 1-7 whose content of saccharide | sugar is 2.5 g / 100 mL or less.   The beverage according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the beverage has a pH of 3.7 or less and contains fruit juice. A method for producing a beverage, comprising a step of blending chlorophyll so that a concentration in a beverage becomes 0.01 to 1000 ppb with respect to a beverage containing a sweet substance,
Beverage is a alcohol content of 20% or less of alcohol beverages, calories due to materials other than alcohol is less than 5 kcal / 100 mL, the above methods. A method for enhancing the body feeling of a beverage by blending chlorophyll so that the concentration in the beverage is 0.01 to 1000 ppb with respect to the beverage containing a sweet substance,
Beverage is a alcohol content of 20% or less of alcohol beverages, calories due to materials other than alcohol is less than 5 kcal / 100 mL, the above methods.