JP6338228B2 - Flavoring, enhancing or modulating agent for coffee - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention provides a unique coffee flavor imparting, enhancing or modulating agent for coffee foods and beverages obtained by bringing a coffee extract into contact with superheated steam and heat-treating, and a coffee flavor imparting, enhancing or modulating agent for the coffee foods and beverages The present invention relates to a method for imparting or enhancing a coffee flavor to be added in a small amount to food.

  Coffee is the most popular favorite drink that is loved all over the world. In China and other countries where tea culture has been centered, the culture of fast food shops and coffee shops in Europe and the United States is rapidly growing along with economic growth. The demand is increasing rapidly.

  In Japan, canned coffee beverages such as canned coffee, chilled-type coffee beverages, coffee beverages in plastic bottles, etc. that have developed uniquely in Japan as a response to consumers' desire to simply and anywhere coffee Many processed coffee products such as instant coffee, which are widely used in general households, are consumed. On the other hand, in recent years, with the rise of coffee shops, cafes, coffee shops, etc., as well as coffee offered at convenience store counters, high-quality, freshly brewed coffee is always low. It is available at a price and can be enjoyed on a daily basis. For this reason, canned coffee and chilled coffee accompanied by heat sterilization are forced to struggle for distribution and quality maintenance, and it has the effect of imparting a feeling of "freshly roasted, ground, freshly brewed" The demand for materials is increasing.

  Coffee from coffee shops that are baked, freshly ground, and freshly brewed, as well as canned coffee and instant coffee, roast coffee beans and extract this with water to hot water The coffee extract obtained is basically the same. Industrially, the coffee extract may be concentrated or in the form of a dry powder, but these are hereinafter collectively referred to as a coffee extract. In some cases, coffee extracts are processed into various coffee products such as sugar, milk and other ingredients added. Since the components in the coffee extract are very unstable, it is known that the good taste and fragrance at the time of extraction, the so-called flavor balance, can be easily lost through production, distribution and storage. On the other hand, proposals such as enhancing and supplementing the aroma of coffee by various methods have been made (Patent Documents 1 to 3). However, all of these proposals use unstable coffee extract, and the quality deterioration of aroma and taste has not been fundamentally solved, and further improvement has been demanded. There is also a proposal for mixing coffee low-temperature extract and steam-distilled extract as a method for producing coffee extract that suppresses quality changes in aroma and taste, but there is still room for improvement, and a new proposal has been sought. .

  The characteristic sweet and fragrant flavor of coffee is expressed mainly by the Maillard reaction that occurs when sugar and amino acids are heated when roasting coffee beans, and in addition, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, quinic acid, etc. It is known that various components in coffee beans are involved in a complicated manner. While the Maillard reaction that produces the flavor of roasted coffee is an oxidative reaction, oxidation is a major enemy for coffee whose ingredients are easily changed, especially for beans with a high degree of roasting due to the extremely low water content due to roasting. Since the ratio of coffee oil in the beans becomes high, there is a problem that oxidation deterioration after roasting easily proceeds, and that it is easy to catch fire and is industrially dangerous.

  However, since Seattle-based coffee such as Starbucks entered Japan, the tendency to prefer coffee beverages using deep roasted beans with a high degree of roasting became stronger in Japan. The use of deep roasted beans is increasing in order to give an unbeatable coffee feeling. Also, it is common practice to blend deep roasted beans with shallow roasted beans because the use of deep roasting is stronger than the use of lightly roasted beans, because it provides a strong body feeling, response to drinking, and satisfaction. However, as described above, there are problems of oxidative deterioration and ignition after roasting, and improvement techniques have been demanded.

  On the other hand, the use of superheated steam has attracted attention as a new heating method. Originally, the use of superheated steam began in the 1980s, but there were only a few examples such as bread and fish paste products. However, since the 1990s, an electromagnetic induction heating method, a resistance heating method, an electric heating method, and the like have been developed, and their use has been rapidly advanced. The feature of heating with superheated steam is that it is rapid, very efficient in heat and low in oxygen. As proposals related to roasting of coffee beans using heating with superheated steam, there are methods shown in Patent Documents 4 to 7, but since heating using superheated steam is too little oxygen in each method, roasting of coffee beans is possible. The Maillard reaction, which is important for roasting, is difficult to proceed, and because of high thermal efficiency, carbonization is very fast, and it is difficult to extract the roasted flavor of deep roasted beans from the beans in a balanced manner. In addition, in a closed container under an inert gas atmosphere, after contacting superheated steam produced using deoxygenated water with the palatable raw material, a method for producing a volatile component that recovers the steam after the contact Although there is (Patent Document 8), this is a method for recovering volatile components in roasted coffee beans with high efficiency by using normal superheated steam on roasted coffee beans, and the resulting volatility The component has the disadvantage that it is still unstable.

  Therefore, there has been a demand for a new technique that imparts the aroma and taste of deep roasted beans without the problems of these conventional techniques.

Japanese Patent No. 4996145 Japanese Patent No. 5455331 Japanese Patent No. 5575517 Japanese Patent No. 2535123 Japanese Patent No. 4732777 Japanese Patent No. 4628946 JP-A-6-30754 Japanese Patent No. 4568490 Japanese Patent Application No. 2014-27723

  The aroma and taste of freshly roasted coffee beans, especially the complex aroma and taste of roast roasted beans, which are stable and stable, and added to coffee processed products in small amounts It is to provide a coffee flavoring / enhancing or modulating agent for food and beverages that can be easily imparted, enhanced or modulated, and a food containing the same, and a method for imparting, enhancing or modulating coffee flavor.

  The present inventors have paid attention to a household superheated steam generator, which has been remarkably developed as a new food utensil in recent years, supported by consumers' healthy preferences.

  Superheated steam is a steam gas obtained by further heating saturated steam and having a temperature higher than 100 ° C. at atmospheric pressure. At present, superheated steam is industrially used for various purposes such as heat treatment including heat sterilization of food, waste treatment, heat treatment of wood, and drying and washing of other materials. The features of using superheated steam for cooking are (1) excellent heat transfer characteristics due to the large heat capacity of the gas, and rapid heating is possible. (2) water over the entire surface of the object to be heated in the initial stage of heating. Condensation occurs, and then drying of the condensed water starts at a stretch due to the high amount of heat, so that the surface can be preferentially dried. (3) The generated superheated steam expels air and is as low as 0.1% or less. They can be heated in an oxygen atmosphere, and (4) they can be used safely at normal pressure because they can be used at normal pressure.

  The present inventors paid attention to the characteristics of the above-mentioned superheated steam, which is not found in the conventional heating method, and does not use superheated steam for roasting coffee beans, but has not been attempted so far. We considered using it for the heat treatment of the coffee extract obtained by extracting beans.

  Therefore, the self-extracted coffee extract was concentrated to a solid content of 40%, and 2 g of this was placed on a stainless steel tray and heated at 200 ° C. using a household superheated steam oven. The water almost evaporated to the extent that a brown and bowl-like baked product was obtained, which was cooled and pulverized. Surprisingly, the pulverized product far exceeded the coffee extract used as a raw material. It has been found that when it has a coffee aroma, taste and color and is added to a coffee food or drink, it can easily, effectively impart, enhance or modulate the coffee flavor. Therefore, various studies were made on the heating conditions and the present invention was completed.

  The present invention uses a coffee extract extracted from roasted coffee beans as a raw material, and heats the coffee extract with superheated steam (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “extract roasting”). This is a method for generating a preferable aroma and taste. So far, it has been considered that extracting a coffee extract at a high temperature and heating it after extraction basically cause aroma deterioration. However, this time, by heating the coffee extract with superheated steam with low moisture content, the ingredients in the coffee extract change, and the freshly scented fragrance and taste, especially deep roast roasting, that has been considered difficult until now It is presumed that the complex aroma and taste of beans (hereinafter, these flavors are sometimes referred to as “roasted flavor”, or the aroma is sometimes referred to as “roasted incense”). This method is a new technique for imparting the complex aroma and taste (roasted flavor) of roasted coffee beans, and is a stable method with little fear of oxidative degradation.

Thus, the present invention provides the following.
[1] A flavor imparting, enhancing or modulating agent for coffee flavored foods and drinks obtained by bringing a water extract of roasted coffee beans into contact with superheated steam.
[2] The contact condition between the water extract of roasted coffee beans and superheated steam is such that the pressure is approximately atmospheric pressure, the temperature is in the range of 170 ° C. to 300 ° C., and the time is 0.2 minutes to 2 hours. Flavor imparting, enhancing or modulating agent for coffee flavored foods and beverages within the range.
[3] Pullulan when an aqueous solution of flavor imparting, enhancing or modulating agent for the coffee flavored food or drink is measured by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and the integrated value of the response amount of the differential refractometer (RI) is measured. The flavor imparting, enhancing, or modulating agent for coffee-flavored foods or beverages, wherein the ratio of the integrated value of the portion having a converted weight average molecular weight of 200,000 or more to the integrated value of the entire water-soluble component in the aqueous solution is 15% or more.
[4] A method for producing a flavor-imparting, enhancing or modulating agent for coffee-flavored food or drink, comprising the following steps (1) to (3):
(1) A step of contacting a water extract of roasted coffee with superheated steam to obtain a superheated steam treated product,
(2) A step of cooling and solidifying the superheated steam distillation product obtained in step (1),
(3) A flavor imparting, enhancing or modulating agent for coffee-flavored foods and drinks obtained by the method of steps [5] and [4] for pulverizing the solidified product obtained in step (2).
[6] A coffee flavored food / beverage product to which a flavor imparting, enhancing or modulating agent for the coffee flavored food / beverage product of any one of [1] to [3] and [5] is added.
[7] A method for imparting, enhancing or modulating a coffee flavor of a coffee flavored food or drink comprising adding a flavoring, enhancing or modulating agent for the coffee flavored food or drink according to any one of [1] to [3] and [5] to the food or drink. .

  By adding the coffee flavor imparting, enhancing or modulating agent for coffee foods and beverages of the present invention to coffee processed products having coffee flavor or foods having coffee flavor, the flavor of roasted coffee beans not found in conventional products It is possible to provide foods and drinks that are given and enhanced in taste.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the molecular weight distribution of concentrated coffee extract A, comparative product 1, instant coffee A, and product 8 of the present invention.

  In the present invention, the water extract of roasted coffee beans refers to an extract (hereinafter referred to as “coffee extract”) obtained by extracting roasted coffee beans with water such as warm water or hot water. When producing a coffee extract by itself, first, green coffee beans that are raw materials of roasted coffee beans used for the coffee extract are selected. There are no particular limitations on the green coffee beans, and any of Arabica, Riberica, Robusta, etc. may be used, and green coffee beans of any origin such as Brazil, Colombia, Indonesia, etc. can be used regardless of the type or production area. In addition, as the green coffee beans, one type of green beans may be used alone, or two or more types of green beans blended may be used. A raw material obtained by roasting these green beans with a coffee roaster or the like can be used as a raw material, but is not limited thereto.

  Next, the coffee beans are roasted and can be performed by a conventional method using a coffee roaster or the like. For example, it can be roasted by putting green coffee beans inside a rotating drum and heating the rotating drum from below with a gas burner or the like while rotating and stirring. The degree of roasting of the coffee beans may be in any range as long as it is roasted for normal drinking. For example, roasting is performed so that the L value is 14.5 to 30. The L value is an index representing the degree of roasted coffee, and is a value obtained by measuring the lightness of the crushed coffee beans with a color difference meter. Black is represented by an L value of 0 and white is represented by an L value of 100. Accordingly, the deeper the roasted coffee beans, the lower the value and the shallower the value, the higher the value. For reference, the L value of roasted beans that are normally used for drinking is approximately the following level. Italian roast: 16-19, French roast: 19-21, Full city roast: 21-23, City roast: 23-25, High roast: 25-27, Medium roast: 27-29. As the roasting degree of the coffee beans used in the present invention, those having a range of about 14.5 to 30, preferably about 16 to 20 can be used. In addition, part of the beans whose L value exceeds 30 or whose L value is less than 14.5 is used as long as it does not impair the flavor imparting, enhancing, or modulating agent flavor of the coffee flavored food and drink of the present invention. Is also possible.

  The roasted coffee beans are crushed, and extracted according to conventional methods, using a batch continuous extraction device, drip-type extraction device, multi-function device with a stirrer, and other extraction devices with hot water or hot water and filtered. The coffee extract can be obtained by doing this, but is not limited thereto. In addition, the coffee extract can be obtained by various methods, for example, by using various methods such as vacuum concentration, freeze concentration, reverse osmosis membrane concentration, and concentration using a synthetic adsorbent. What was pulverized by various methods, such as spray drying and freeze drying, is also called a coffee extract here.

  In addition, various types of coffee extracts are available on the market, and the desired coffee extract can be purchased as a commercial product by specifying the type of beans and the degree of roasting. It can also be used. Also, commercially available instant coffee is basically prepared by the same production method as these coffee extracts, and can be used as a coffee extract in the present invention.

  The soluble solid content of the coffee extract used in the product of the present invention is 10% by mass to 100% by mass, and is divided into two according to the properties of the coffee extract. One is a liquid coffee whose soluble solid content derived from coffee is in the range of 10% by mass to 90% by mass, and the other is that the soluble solid content derived from coffee is in the range of 90% by mass to 100% by mass. Powdered coffee. Any of them can be used, but a liquid coffee or powdered coffee with less water and a high solid content, preferably using a powdered coffee, the processing time of heating to produce a preferred flavor is short, and the baked product obtained Can be obtained, and a product of the present invention having a good aroma and flavor of the roasted coffee beans produced can be obtained. Preferably, the coffee-derived soluble solids are roasted by using a coffee extract in the range of 25% to 100% by weight, more preferably 50% to 100% by weight, and even more preferably 70% to 100% by weight. The fragrance and flavor of the green coffee beans are strong, and a preferred product of the present invention can be obtained.

  Also, the coffee extract used in the present invention may be added and mixed with a pH adjuster such as baking soda, sodium ascorbate, an antioxidant, a fragrance, other food materials and food additives such as sugar and amino acid, if desired. The timing may be before or after heating with superheated steam.

  Next, although it is superheated steam used by this invention, what is necessary is just the steam of temperature higher than 100 degreeC. Specifically, superheated steam is water vapor obtained by heating water to a temperature higher than 100 ° C. by further heating at normal pressure. Superheated steam generators are usually classified by the difference in the heating method of steam. That is, heating is performed directly or indirectly by heating using a heater or a lamp, or directly or indirectly by high-frequency heating such as induction heating or dielectric heating.

  Speaking of commercially available household cookers, the IH cooking cooker is a type that is indirectly heated by induction heating, and the microwave oven is a type that is heated directly by dielectric heating. On the other hand, in recent years, household cookers using superheated steam called steam ovens and water ovens (registered trademark, manufactured by Sharp Corporation), which have been in the limelight and rapidly spread, are cooked directly by electric heating using heaters. It is a cooking device and can easily cook food using superheated steam. Specific examples include Helcio (registered trademark, manufactured by Sharp Corporation). These home cookers are efficient because they can be heated with superheated steam in a semi-enclosed space.

  On the other hand, commercial superheated steam generators are also commercially available. Specifically, Genesis (manufactured by Nomura Engineering Co., Ltd.), DHF Super-Hi (registered trademark, Daiichi High Frequency Industrial Co., Ltd.), SV Roaster HOT MAX (registered trademark, manufactured by Nakanishi Seisakusho Co., Ltd.), QFB-5980C-3R (Registered trademark, Naomoto Kogyo Co., Ltd.), Super Oven (Kiyomoto Seiko Co., Ltd.) and the like can be mentioned, but are not limited thereto.

  When superheated steam is brought into contact with the coffee extract, it is brought into contact at approximately atmospheric pressure. That is, heating is performed by contacting with superheated steam without special pressurization or decompression.

  Next, it is the temperature of superheated steam when it comes into contact with the coffee extract. Actually, the conditions for obtaining the flavor and taste of the desired coffee can be obtained by combining the amount of coffee extract to be processed, the heating time and the heating temperature. It is necessary to decide. The temperature of the superheated steam when contacting with the coffee extract (that is, the heating temperature) is a temperature higher than 100 ° C and not higher than 1000 ° C, preferably 120-500 ° C, more preferably 170-300 ° C. Can be mentioned. The heating time is generally from 0.1 minute to 5 hours, preferably from 0.1 minute to 3 hours, more preferably from about 0.2 minutes to 2 hours.

  When the coffee extract is heated with superheated steam, if the coffee extract is liquid coffee containing about 60 to 80% water, a slight increase in volume occurs after heating, but shrinks with the end of heating, and brown to It becomes a dark brown thin plate-like or plastic semi-dry solid fired product. This can be pulverized by a mill and used as a powder, or it can be dissolved again by adding water and used in a liquid state.

  On the other hand, when powdered coffee is heated with superheated steam, the phenomenon that the volume rapidly increases after heating, that is, puffing equivalent to puffing during roasting of coffee beans occurs, followed by expansion for a certain period of time, followed by shrinkage And a dark brown to black fired product is obtained. This can be recovered by pulverizing with a mill and pulverizing or dissolving in a liquid.

  The degree of baking can be adjusted by the time of contact with the superheated steam and the temperature thereof, but as an index for determining the heating conditions for obtaining a baked product expressing the flavor and taste of the preferred roasted coffee beans, the following formula Can be used, that is, the roasting degree of the extract.

Extract roast degree = (sample weight before heating−sample weight after heating−water content of sample before heating) / (sample weight before heating) × 100
However, the moisture content of the sample before heating is the value determined by the following equation.

Water content of sample before heating = sample weight before heating−sample weight before heating × solid content (%) ÷ 100
When the coffee extract is baked with superheated steam, the water contained in the coffee extract is first evaporated and concentrated, and the value representing the degree of roasting of the extract becomes 0 when the water is completely evaporated. When firing proceeds, the soluble solid content other than water is vaporized and reduced by various reactions, and the numerical value increases. Further, as the firing proceeds, the numerical value increases. If the baking proceeds too much, carbonization occurs and the preferred aroma and taste are impaired. Therefore, the roasting degree of the extract is preferably 30 or less.

  As a result of various studies, the degree of roasting of the extract is set to a value in the range of −30 to 30, more preferably in the range of −10 to 25, so that the superheated steam-treated coffee extract of the present invention, that is, the coffee food or drink Coffee flavoring, enhancing or modulating agents can be obtained. Although the baked product within this range has different aroma and taste characteristics, each has a roasted flavor, and by adding the obtained baked product to a processed coffee product, the flavor characteristics of the baked product are obtained. It is possible to grant. In addition, roasted flavor here means the rich aroma and taste of freshly roasted coffee beans, especially the complex aroma and taste of deep roasted beans. A preferable roasted feeling of coffee produced, a smoked feeling generated when roasting proceeds, and the like are also included.

  In addition, the degree of firing can be expressed by another index. When the molecular weight distribution of the water-soluble component in the coffee extract as a raw material was measured by gel permeation chromatography (hereinafter referred to as “GPC”), several peaks were confirmed over a wide range up to a molecular weight of about 1 million. . On the other hand, in the coffee extract after baking, a small peak is observed in the raw coffee extract or a large peak clearly appears in a polymer region having a molecular weight of 200,000 to 1,000,000, which is hardly detected, and a component having a molecular weight of 200,000 or more is significantly increased. It was recognized that

  In addition, as a result of various investigations, the superheated steam-treated coffee extract having the preferred aroma and taste of the roasted coffee beans of the present invention is measured by GPC of the aqueous solution, and the integrated value of the differential refractometer (RI) response is measured. It was confirmed that the proportion of the portion having a weight average molecular weight of 200,000 or more in terms of pullulan occupies 15% or more of the entire water-soluble component in the aqueous solution.

  Usually, if roasting is too strong when roasting coffee beans, the bitterness component increases with carbonization, making it unsuitable for drinking. On the other hand, the coffee extract obtained by roasting of the extract of the present invention is a baked product obtained by the above-mentioned superheated steam treatment, and produces a high-quality bitterness inherent to coffee and a very rich flavor. The inventors of the present invention estimate that a component having a weight average molecular weight of 200,000 or more newly appearing in the superheated steam-treated coffee extract is involved. Here, richness is a property that gives a rich flavor of coffee, such as body feeling, thickness, response to drink, and satisfaction.

  The superheated steam-treated coffee extract thus obtained has not yet been scientifically supported as to why it has the roasted flavor of roasted coffee beans lost in the raw coffee extract. Unreacted precursor components that change into flavor components and taste components produced when roasting coffee beans, such as sugar, amino acids, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, quinic acid, trigonelline, caffeine, fats and oils, etc. Many ingredients are contained, and when these are heated with superheated steam to the same degree as roasting, that is, when extract roasting is performed, these components undergo complex chemical changes similar to the chemical changes that occur during roasting. It is presumed that the preferred aroma and taste (roasted aroma and roasted flavor) of roasted coffee beans are produced.

  In addition, by using superheated steam as a heating means, oxidation of the components in the coffee extract, including fats and oils, is unlikely to occur, so there is almost no unfavorable acidity and miscellaneous taste, while the object of heating is not coffee beans but coffee extract Therefore, carbonization is unlikely to occur, and it is considered that components contributing to aroma and taste are preferentially generated. Further, the superheated steam-treated coffee extract is a solidified product such as powder, and has an excellent characteristic that the storage stability of the scent and taste is very good compared to the liquid extract.

  The present invention can produce lost roasted aroma and roasted flavor by heating a coffee extract obtained from ground coffee roasted beans with superheated steam, and the obtained coffee extract is of good quality. It has the bitter taste of coffee, is relatively stable after storage, and has no unpleasant scent or taste. Therefore, even if it is added to coffee foods and beverages, the balance of the coffee flavor is not impaired, and by adding a small amount to a large amount, roasting incense and roasting flavor, as well as the richness and body feeling of coffee, roasted feeling, smoked It can be applied by changing the strength such as feeling. Furthermore, the obtained dark brown to black fired product is pulverized and dissolved in a liquid, so that it has a small amount of precipitate and has a preferable color of coffee, and can be used for coloring coffee foods and drinks.

  The coffee extract of the present invention is a unique coffee that has the aroma and complex taste of roasted coffee beans (roasted incense, roasted flavor) and the good bitterness and color of coffee, and is stable after storage. It is useful as a coffee flavor imparting, enhancing or modulating agent for food and drink. In addition, since it has the characteristic that there is no generation of unpleasant scent or taste, even if the addition amount is increased, the balance of the coffee flavor of the coffee foods and beverages is not impaired, so coffee beverages, coffee-containing milk beverages, coffee jelly, It can be used in a wide range of foods and beverages with a variety of coffee flavors, such as coffee cookies, coffee chocolate, coffee pudding, coffee bavaroa, and coffee cake, and it can be added to various foods and beverages with a roasted flavor that was not possible with conventional coffee extracts It is possible to easily impart richness, body feeling, roasted feeling, smoked feeling, etc. to various products.

  EXAMPLES Next, although an Example is given and this invention is demonstrated further more concretely, this invention is not limited only to these Examples.

Example 1
10g of concentrated coffee extract A (coffee solid content 40%, raw beans: Indonesia, Brazil, L value = 21.5) is placed on a stainless steel tray, and the water in a superheated steam cooker (Sharp, Helcio AX-GX2) Using an oven function, heat treatment was performed at 200 ° C. for 30 minutes to obtain 3.78 g of a plate-like fired product like brown thin straw (extract roasting degree = 2.2). This was pulverized by a mill to obtain a powder (Product 1 of the present invention).

Example 2
A heat treatment was carried out in the same manner as in Example 1 except that a sample having a coffee solid content of 60% was used to obtain 6.25 g of a plate-like baked product like brown thin strawberries (extract roasting degree = -2 .5). This was pulverized by a mill to obtain a powder (Product 2 of the present invention).

Example 3
A heat treatment was carried out in the same manner as in Example 1 except that a sample having a coffee solid content of 80% was used to obtain 8.80 g of a semi-dried baked product having a dark brown plasticity (extract roasting degree = -8.0). This was pulverized by a mill to obtain a powder (Product 3 of the present invention).

Example 4
As a sample of dry coffee extract powder without excipients, 20 g of instant coffee A (raw beans: Ecuador, Vietnam, moisture content 3.8%) on the market is placed on a stainless steel tray, and a superheated steam cooker ( Heat treatment was performed at 160 ° C. for 15 minutes using the water oven function of Sharp Corporation, Hercio AX-GX2). After heating, swelling occurred after about 3 minutes, followed by several minutes, and then contracted to obtain 19.2 g of a dark brown baked product (extract roasting degree = 0.2). This was pulverized by a mill to obtain a powder (Product 4 of the present invention).

Example 5
A heat treatment was performed in the same manner as in Example 4 except that heating was performed at 180 ° C. for 15 minutes. After heating, swelling occurred after about 3 minutes, followed by several minutes, and then contracted to obtain 18.1 g of dark brown baked product (extract roasting degree = 5.7). This was pulverized by a mill to obtain a powder (Product 5 of the present invention).

Example 6
The heat treatment was performed in the same manner as in Example 4 except that heating was performed at 200 ° C. for 15 minutes. After heating, swelling occurred after about 3 minutes, followed by several minutes, and then contracted to obtain 17.3 g of a dark brown baked product (extract roasting degree = 9.7). This was pulverized with a mill to obtain a powder (Product 6 of the present invention).

Example 7
A heat treatment was performed in the same manner as in Example 4 except that heating was performed at 220 ° C. for 15 minutes. After heating, swelling occurred after about 3 minutes, followed by several minutes, and then contracted to obtain 16.8 g of a black-brown fired product (extract roasting degree = 12.2). This was pulverized by a mill to obtain a powder (Product 7 of the present invention).

Example 8
A heat treatment was performed in the same manner as in Example 4 except that heating was performed at 240 ° C. for 15 minutes. After heating, swelling occurred after about 3 minutes, followed by several minutes, and then contracted to obtain 16.7 g of a black-brown fired product (extract roasting degree 12.7). This was pulverized with a mill to obtain a powder (Product 8 of the present invention).

Example 9
A heat treatment was performed in the same manner as in Example 4 except that heating was performed at 250 ° C. for 30 minutes. After heating, swelling occurred after about 3 minutes, followed by several minutes, and then contracted to obtain 16.5 g of a black-brown fired product (extract roasting degree = 13.7). This was pulverized with a mill to obtain a powder (Product 9 of the present invention).

Comparative Example 1
400 g of the same concentrated coffee extract A as in Example 1 was weighed and heated at 150 ± 2 ° C. for 15 minutes using an autoclave kettle, then quickly cooled to 30 ° C. or less and 393 g of a dark brown, liquid heated product. (Comparative product 1) was obtained.

Comparative Example 2
A heat treatment was performed according to the same procedure except that a sample having a coffee solid content of 60% was used in Comparative Example 1 to obtain 386 g of a dark brown liquid heated product (Comparative Product 2).

Comparative Example 3
A heat treatment was carried out according to the same procedure except that a sample having a coffee solid content of 80% was used in Comparative Example 1 to obtain 344 g of a heated product containing a lot of dark brown and black burnt starch (Comparative Product 3).

Comparative Example 4
400 g of the same instant coffee A as in Example 4 with water added to give a coffee solid content of 40% was weighed out, heated at 150 ± 2 ° C. for 5 minutes using an autoclave kettle, and then quickly 30 ° C. The product was cooled to 390 g of a dark brown and liquid heated product (Comparative product 4).

Comparative Example 5
400 g of the same instant coffee A as in Example 4 with water added to give a coffee solid content of 60% was weighed out, heated at 150 ± 2 ° C. for 10 minutes using an autoclave kettle, and then quickly heated to 30 ° C. The product was cooled to 378 g of a dark brown and liquid heated product (Comparative product 5).

Comparative Example 6
400 g of the same instant coffee A as in Example 4 with water added to give a coffee solid content of 80% was weighed and heated at 150 ± 2 ° C. for 15 minutes using an autoclave kettle, and then quickly 30 ° C. After cooling, 312 g of a dark brown and liquid heated product was obtained (Comparative product 6).

Evaluation Method 1—Effect on Sugar-Free Coffee Beverage [Sensory Evaluation]
The coffee drink used for sensory evaluation was prepared as follows.

  First, 500 g of roasted beans (raw beans: made in Brazil, L value = 22) was pulverized with a coffee mill, extracted with 5000 g of hot water using a paper filter, and 3500 g of coffee extract (Brix 5.0 °) was obtained. Obtained. Separately, 5.0 g sugar ester P-1570 (Mitsubishi Chemical Foods Co., Ltd.) and 3500 g water were mixed and dissolved by heating. To this, water was further added to the previously obtained coffee extract to make a total amount of 20 kg, and the pH was adjusted to 6.8 with a 10% aqueous sodium hydrogen carbonate solution to obtain a sugar-free coffee beverage for sensory evaluation (reference Product 1). Prepare this sugar-free coffee beverage for sensory evaluation, and after about 15 to 30 minutes, add inventive products 1 to 9 and comparative products 1 to 6 so that the solid content is 0.02%. Sensory evaluation was carried out by the five panelists.

  Evaluation gave the five-point evaluation score of 1-5 points about the following 4 items. For each item, the average score of 5 persons was used as the evaluation score (rounded off after the decimal point), and the total of the evaluation scores for the four items was determined. The results are shown in Table 1.

[4 items for evaluation]
Roasted flavor (evaluation of the fresh aroma and taste of roasted coffee beans)
Evaluation point → 5 points: Feels very strong, 4 points: Feels strong, 3 points: Normal, 2 points: Slightly weak, 1 point: Very weak roasted feeling (evaluation of roasted feeling of deep roasted beans)
Evaluation point → 5 points: Feels very strong, 4 points: Feels strong, 3 points: Normal, 2 points: Slightly weak, 1 point: Weak, 0 points: Unsatisfactory Rich (body feeling, richness, taste Evaluation of richness of flavor such as thickness)
Evaluation point → 5 points: Feel very strong 4 points: Feel strong 3 points: Feel enough 2 points: Feel a little 1 point: Not much taste quality (no miscellaneous or unpleasant bitterness, transparency, cohesion, etc.) , Taste quality assessment)
Evaluation point → 5 points: very good, 4 points: good, 3 points: normal, 2 points: slightly bad, 1 point: bad

  As shown in Table 1, the inventive products 1 to 9 had a very high total score of 12 to 20, whereas the comparative products 1 to 6 and the reference product 1 were as low as 6 to 10.

In addition, the overall evaluation of all panelists based on the reviews is as follows:
The present invention products 1, 4... Have a roasted fragrance, a roasted feeling, richness, a clear flavor, and a well-organized coffee flavor compared to the reference product 1.

  The present invention products 2, 3, 5... Are more preferable than the present invention products 1 and 4, and have a roasted fragrance, a roasted feeling, and a rich, strong coffee flavor.

  Invention products 6 to 9: Compared to products 1 to 5 of the present invention, the roasted fragrance, roasted feeling, and richness become stronger, and the product 9 of the present invention has a slight smoke feeling and is a very preferable coffee flavor.

  Comparative products 1 to 5 ... Unlike the products 1 to 9 of the present invention, the roasted fragrance and roasted feeling are very weak to weak, and a rich feeling is felt, but an increase in bitterness and generation of an unpleasant taste are recognized. The clearness of the flavor is very poor and the satisfaction is low.

  As described above, the products 1 to 9 of the present invention subjected to heat treatment with superheated steam can impart roasting incense, roasted feeling and richness to coffee beverages, and in particular, those having a higher degree of extract roasting. It was confirmed that strong body and roasted incense were obtained. These roasted flavors are hardly felt in the comparative products 1 to 6 heated using an autoclave, or the effects are very weak even if they are felt. In addition, the taste of coffee and the unpleasant bitterness were felt. On the other hand, since the present invention products 1 to 9 have less miscellaneous taste and unpleasant bitterness and are clear in flavor, it is possible to increase the amount added to food and drink as needed, which is a new and unprecedented The material was confirmed.

Evaluation method 2-Effect on coffee drink with milk [Sensory evaluation]
A milk-containing coffee drink used for sensory evaluation was prepared as follows.

  First, 500 g of roasted beans (raw beans: made in Brazil, L value = 22) was pulverized with a coffee mill, extracted with 5000 g of hot water using a paper filter, and 3500 g of coffee extract (Brix 5.0 °) was obtained. Obtained. Separately, 500 g of sugar, 5.0 g of sugar ester P-1570 (manufactured by Mitsubishi Chemical Foods) and 3000 g of water were mixed and dissolved by heating. To this was added the coffee extract obtained earlier and 1000 g of milk, and water was added to make the total volume 20 kg. The pH was adjusted to 6.8 with 10% aqueous sodium hydrogen carbonate solution, and coffee with milk for sensory evaluation was added. It was set as the drink (reference product 2). After preparing this milk-containing coffee beverage for sensory evaluation, the inventive products 1-9 and comparative products 1-6 were added so that they would be 0.02% in terms of solid content after about 15-30 minutes, and were well trained. Sensory evaluation was conducted by five panelists. The results are shown in Table 2.

  As shown in Table 2, when the products 1 to 9 of the present invention were added, the roasted incense, roasted feeling and richness were strongly felt compared to the reference product 2, but the effect that the milky feeling was further felt strongly. As a result, the overall satisfaction with milk coffee increased. Moreover, in this invention products 6-9, the smoked feeling with a wrinkle was added to the roasted feeling, and it was a flavor with an impact.

  On the other hand, the comparative products 1 to 6 show an increase in bitterness and the formation of an unfavorable miscellaneous taste. It was evaluation.

  Therefore, by adding the inventive products 1-9 subjected to the heat treatment with superheated steam to the coffee beverage containing milk, excellent characteristics not found in the comparative products 1-6 heated by the autoclave, that is, coffee beans The effect of imparting roasted flavors such as roasting aroma, roasted sensation, and smoked sensation of smoke was confirmed, and in addition to the richness of coffee, the effect of enhancing the milk sensation was also confirmed.

Example 10
The heat treatment was performed in the same manner as in Example 1 except that concentrated coffee extract B (Brix 40 °, raw beans: Guatemala, L value = 22.5) was used instead of concentrated coffee extract A of Example 1. It was.

  After heating, there was a slight increase in volume, but it shrank with the end of heating, yielding 4.21 g of brown to dark brown, plastic semi-dry solid fired product (extract roasting degree = 0.1 ). This was pulverized with a mill to obtain a powder (Product 10 of the present invention).

Example 11
The heat treatment was performed in the same manner as in Example 1 except that concentrated coffee extract C (Brix 40 °, raw beans: Colombia, L value = 23.7) was used instead of concentrated coffee extract A of Example 1. It was.

  After heating, there was a slight increase in volume, but it shrank with the end of heating to obtain 3.96 g of a plate-like baked product such as brown to dark brown, thin straw (extract roasting degree = 2.4). . This was pulverized by a mill to obtain a powder (Product 11 of the present invention).

Example 12
Heat treatment is carried out in the same manner as in Example 1 except that concentrated coffee extract D (Brix 40 °, raw beans: produced in Kona, Hawaii, L value = 23.3) is used instead of concentrated coffee extract A in Example 1. Went.

  After heating, there was a slight increase in volume, but it shrank with the end of heating to obtain 3.88 g of a plate-like baked product such as brown to dark brown and light straw (extract roasting degree = 3.2). . This was pulverized by a mill to obtain a powder (Product 12 of the present invention).

Example 13
The heat treatment was performed in the same manner as in Example 1 except that concentrated coffee extract E (Brix 40 °, raw beans: produced in Kenya, L value = 21.9) was used instead of concentrated coffee extract A in Example 1. It was.

  After heating, there was a slight increase in volume, but it contracted with the end of heating to obtain 3.91 g of a plate-like baked product such as brown to dark brown and light straw (extract roasting degree = 2.9). . This was pulverized with a mill to obtain a powder (Invention Product 13).

Example 14
Heat treatment was carried out in the same manner as in Example 1, except that concentrated coffee extract F (Brix 40 °, raw beans: Robusta Vietnam, L value = 24.7) was used instead of concentrated coffee extract A of Example 1. Went.

  After heating, there was a slight increase in volume, but it contracted with the end of heating to obtain 4.02 g of a plate-like baked product such as brown to dark brown, thin straw (extract roasting degree = 1.8) . This was pulverized with a mill to obtain a powder (Product 14 of the present invention).

Comparative Examples 7-11
Concentrated coffee extracts B to F not subjected to heat treatment were designated as comparative products 7 to 11.

[sensory evaluation]
Sensory evaluation was performed by the evaluation method of Evaluation Method 1. The present invention products 10 to 14 and comparative products 7 to 11 are added to a sugar-free coffee beverage for sensory evaluation so as to be 0.02% in terms of solid content, and sensory evaluation is performed by five well-trained panelists. It was. The results are shown in Table 3.

  As shown in Table 3, the inventive products 10 to 14 had a very high total score of 12 to 16, whereas the comparative products 7 to 11 and the reference product 1 were as low as 5 to 7.

In addition, the overall evaluation of all panelists based on the reviews is as follows:
Inventive products 10 to 14: Compared to the reference product 1, the roasted scent, roasted feeling, richness is strong, the clearness of the flavor is also good, and the characteristics of the aroma and taste of each coffee extract are added, which is very satisfactory It became coffee with a high feeling.

  Comparative products 7 to 11 ... The flavor and richness of coffee were slightly stronger than those of the reference product 1, but the roasted incense, roasted feeling, and richness of the inventive products 10 to 14 were not felt. Therefore, it was evaluated that satisfaction was low.

  Therefore, the present invention products 10 to 14 that have been heat-treated with superheated steam impart excellent characteristics (roasted flavor) such as roasted aroma, roasted feeling, and richness that are not found in comparative products 7 to 11 that are not heat-treated. can do. Moreover, since the flavor is clear, by increasing the amount of addition to food and drink as necessary, it is possible to easily impart the aroma and taste taking advantage of the characteristics of the aroma and taste of each coffee extract. It was confirmed to be a new material.

  In addition, the coffee extracts of the present invention products 10-14 used beans from Guatemala, Colombia, Hawaii Kona, Kenya, Robusta Vietnam, all of which gave roasted coffee aroma and coffee richness The effect to do was confirmed. Furthermore, the effect of enhancing the milk feeling when added to milk coffee has also been confirmed, and by changing the type of coffee beans used as the raw material of the extract, a roasted flavor that takes advantage of the characteristics of the aroma and taste of each coffee extract can be obtained. It was confirmed that it can be easily applied.

[Measurement of molecular weight distribution]
The molecular weight distributions of the inventive products 6-8 (Examples 6-8), the comparative product 1 (Comparative Example 1), the concentrated coffee extract A and the instant coffee A were measured.

The molecular weight distribution was measured according to the following procedure. That is, GPC analysis was performed by using TSKgel G3000PW _XL (registered trademark, manufactured by Tosoh Corporation) as a column and detecting the eluted components by RI (differential refractometer) after separation. The GPC conditions are as follows.

As an index (standard substance) of molecular weight, pullulan (Shodex (registered trademark, manufactured by Showa Denko) STANDARD P-82, weight average molecular weight 59 × 10 ² , 118 × 10 ² , 228 × 10 ² , 473 × 10 ² , 1120 × 10 ² , 2120 × 10 ² , 4040 × 10 ² ), maltotetraose (MW 666.58) and maltohexaose (MW 990.87) were used.

Each sample used for analysis was diluted and prepared in ultrapure water so that the solid content was about 1%. After centrifugation (2000 xg, 10 minutes), 0.45 μm PTFE filter (registered trademark, manufactured by WHATMAN) The sample was filtered with a sample and subjected to GPC analysis. About this invention products 6-8, the comparative product 1, the concentrated coffee extract A, and the instant coffee A, the sample was prepared by said method and it used for GPC analysis.
[GPC conditions]
Column: TSKgel G3000PWXL (particle size: 7 mm, 7.8 mmφ x 300 mm, Tosoh Corporation) Mobile phase: Ultrapure water flow rate: 0.6 mL / min
Detector: RI
Oven temperature: 50 ° C
Sample injection volume: 10μL
[Measurement result]
Among the measured samples, molecular weight distributions (chromatograms) of the present product 8, comparative product 1, concentrated coffee extract A and instant coffee A are shown in FIG.

The inventive products 6 to 8, the comparative product 1, the concentrated coffee extract A and the instant coffee A each showed 10 or more peaks up to about 1 million weight average molecular weight. Peaks with a weight average molecular weight of 2 × 10 ⁵ or less were observed at almost the same elution position in any sample, and there were some differences in RI response among several peaks.

On the other hand, the products 6 to 8 of the present invention have a very large peak (around 7 × 10 ⁵ weight average molecular weight) at a portion where the weight average molecular weight is 2 × 10 ⁵ or more, and other samples (comparative product 1, concentrated). It was confirmed that it was significantly different from coffee extract A and instant coffee A). Furthermore, the elution position of this peak was shifted to the high molecular weight side from the peaks of the other three products. That is, it was confirmed that the average molecular weights of the products 6 to 8 of the present invention were larger than those of other samples.

From the GPC analysis data, the ratio (A / B × 100 (%)) of the integrated value (A) of the RI response amount of the portion having a weight average molecular weight of 2 × 10 ⁵ or more to the integrated value (B) of the entire chromatogram ) Was as follows.

As shown in Table 4, the ratio of the integrated value of the RI response amount in the portion having a weight average molecular weight of 2 × 10 ⁵ or more to the integrated value of the entire chromatogram is 18.9 to 32. The value was 7%, and the value increased with the increase in the roasting degree of the extract.

  On the other hand, when the same measurement was performed with the concentrated coffee extract A, the comparative product 1 and the instant coffee A, the ratio is a numerical value within the range of 10.2 to 11.8%, which is compared with the products 6 to 8 of the present invention. The value was small.

Example 15
The well-trained coffee extract A of Example 1-6 and the instant coffee A of Example 1 and the instant coffee A of Example 4 as comparative products 12 and 13 were well trained in the aroma and taste changes when stored at room temperature for 1 month. Sensory evaluation was performed by a panelist. The evaluation method was evaluated by the method of the evaluation method 1 in addition to directly evaluating the stored product. The results of sensory evaluation are shown in Table 5.

  As shown in Table 5, when the products 1 to 6 of the present invention were stored at room temperature for 1 month, there was almost no change in the coffee aroma such as roasted incense and roasted feeling immediately after production, and the aroma and taste evaluated by the evaluation method 1 There was little change.

  On the other hand, Comparative Product 12 lost a well-balanced coffee aroma of concentrated coffee extract due to storage at room temperature, and had a slightly altered coffee aroma. Moreover, the comparative product 13 was such that the preferred coffee aroma at the time of opening the instant coffee was no longer felt slightly.

  Therefore, the superheated steam-treated coffee extracts of the products 1 to 6 of the present invention were hardly altered even after being stored for one month, and the high aroma was confirmed even at room temperature.

Claims (5)

A flavoring, enhancing or modulating agent for coffee flavored foods and beverages obtained by contacting a water extract of roasted coffee beans with superheated steam ,
Coffee in which the water extract of roasted coffee beans and superheated steam are in contact at a pressure of approximately atmospheric pressure, a temperature in the range of 200 ° C to 300 ° C, and a time in the range of 15 minutes to 2 hours Flavoring, enhancing or modulating agent for flavored foods and beverages . When an aqueous solution of flavor imparting, enhancing or modulating agent for the coffee flavored food and drink is measured by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and the integrated value of the response amount of the differential refractometer (RI) is measured, the weight average in pullulan conversion Flavor imparting for coffee-flavored food and drink according to claim 1, wherein the ratio of the integrated value of the part having a molecular weight of 200,000 or more to the integrated value of all the water-soluble components in the aqueous solution is 15% or more. Enhancement or modulation agent. A method for producing a flavor-imparting, enhancing or modulating agent for coffee-flavored food or drink, comprising the following steps (1) to (3):
(1) A step of contacting a water extract of roasted coffee with superheated steam to obtain a superheated steam treated product,
(2) A step of cooling and solidifying the superheated steam distillation product obtained in step (1),
(3) Step of pulverizing the solidified product obtained in step (2) A coffee flavored food / beverage product to which a flavor imparting, enhancing or modulating agent for the coffee flavored food / beverage product according to claim 1 or 2 is added. A method for imparting, enhancing or modulating a coffee flavor of a coffee flavored food or drink, wherein the flavor imparting, enhancing or modulating agent for the coffee flavored food or drink according to claim 1 or 2 is added to the food or drink.

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