JP7198652B2 - Fruit juice-containing beverage and method for suppressing bitterness of fruit juice-containing beverage - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a fruit juice-containing beverage and a method for suppressing the bitterness of a fruit juice-containing beverage.

One of the palatable beverages that are widely accepted by consumers is a fruit juice-containing beverage.

In order to further enhance palatability of fruit juice-containing beverages, there is known a method of blending flavorings into the beverage. For example, Non-Patent Document 1 describes various flavors that can be blended in beverages.

Genichi Indo, "Synthetic Perfume Chemistry and Product Knowledge", Enlarged and Revised Edition, The Chemical Daily, March 22, 2005

On the other hand, as a result of investigations by the present inventors, among the flavorings blended in fruit juice-containing beverages, hexyl acetate imparts a flavor peculiar to fruits to beverages, but when blended at 30 ppm or more, it strengthens the bitterness of the beverage. It was found that it rather impairs the palatability of

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a fruit juice-containing beverage in which bitterness is suppressed in spite of containing hexyl acetate at a high concentration.

The present inventors have found that the above problems can be solved by adding a predetermined amount of insoluble solids to a fruit juice-containing beverage together with a high concentration of hexyl acetate, and have completed the present invention. More specifically, the present invention provides the following.

(1) 30 ppm or more and 500 ppm or less of hexyl acetate;
an insoluble solid content of 5.0 mg/100 ml or more;
Fruit juice-containing beverages, including

(2) The fruit juice-containing beverage according to (1), which has an absorbance of 0.05 or more at a wavelength of 720 nm.

(3) The fruit juice-containing beverage according to (1) or (2), which contains cloudy fruit juice.

(4) The fruit juice-containing beverage according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the fruit juice-containing beverage is an apple juice-containing beverage.

(5) A method for suppressing bitterness in a fruit juice-containing beverage containing hexyl acetate, which comprises blending an insoluble solid content.

(6) The suppression method according to (5), wherein the fruit juice-containing beverage containing insoluble solids has an absorbance of 0.05 or more at a wavelength of 720 nm.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, although the hexyl acetate is contained in high concentration, the fruit juice containing drink with which bitterness was suppressed is provided.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below, but the present invention is not particularly limited thereto.

<Fruit juice-containing drink>
The fruit juice-containing beverage of the present invention (hereinafter also referred to as "the beverage of the present invention") contains 30 ppm or more and 500 ppm or less of hexyl acetate and 5.0 mg/100 ml or more of insoluble solids. According to the present invention, even though hexyl acetate is contained at a high concentration, by blending 5.0 mg/100 ml or more of insoluble solids, the bitterness derived from hexyl acetate is maintained without impairing the flavor derived from hexyl acetate. A highly palatable fruit juice-containing beverage with suppressed

In the present invention, "fruit juice-containing beverage" means a beverage containing squeezed juice (fruit juice) from any fruit.

Although the fruit from which the fruit juice contained in the beverage of the present invention (cloudy fruit juice and other fruit juice described later) is derived is not particularly limited, fruit containing hexyl acetate is preferable from the viewpoint that the effects of the present invention are likely to be exhibited. Such fruits include apples, bananas, cherries, pears, pineapples, and the like. In the present invention, the fruit juice may contain juice derived from one type of fruit alone, or may contain juice derived from two or more types of fruit in combination. From the viewpoint that the effects of the present invention are particularly likely to be exhibited, the beverage of the present invention is preferably a beverage containing at least apple juice (apple juice-containing beverage), and more preferably a beverage containing only apple juice. It is particularly preferred that the beverage of the present invention contains apple cloudy juice.

The fruit juice that constitutes the beverage of the present invention is preferably derived from the same kind of fruit. For example, when the beverage of the present invention contains cloudy fruit juice and clear fruit juice, the cloudy fruit juice and clear fruit juice are preferably derived from the same type of fruit (eg, apple). In the present invention, "turbid fruit juice" means fruit juice that has not been clarified. “Transparent fruit juice” means fruit juice that has undergone a clarification process (enzymes are added to the fruit juice to break down the pectin contained in the cloudy fruit juice to make it transparent) among the processed squeezed juices.

The fruit juice content in the beverage of the present invention is not particularly limited. Generally, the higher the fruit juice content, the more likely the effect of the present invention is to be obtained. For example, the lower limit of the fruit juice content in the beverage of the present invention is preferably 5.0% by weight or more, more preferably 7.5% by weight or more, more preferably 10% by weight or more, and still more preferably 15% by weight or more. be. The upper limit of the fruit juice content in the beverage of the present invention is preferably 80% by weight or less, more preferably 50% by weight or less, more preferably 40% by weight or less, and even more preferably 30% by weight or less.

The "fruit juice content" is the relative concentration when the straight juice obtained by squeezing the fruit is taken as 100%, and is the sugar refractometer indicated in JAS standards (Japanese agricultural and forestry standards for fruit drinks). It is converted based on the degree standard (°Bx). However, when the fruit juice content of fruit juice is converted based on the JAS standard refractometer reading for sugar, the refractometer reading for sugar such as sugars and honey added to the fruit juice shall be excluded. In addition, the amount of fruit juice is usually represented by weight % (that is, the amount of fruit juice (g) (w/w) per 100 g of beverage).

(hexyl acetate)
Hexyl acetate (n-hexyl acetate) is a flavoring agent that can be added to fruit-based foods and drinks such as apples, bananas, cherries, pears and pineapples. As a result of studies by the present inventors, it was found that hexyl acetate is also a component contained in various fruits, and that, for example, typical apple juice-containing beverages contain about 5 to 15 ppm of hexyl acetate.

On the other hand, the present inventors found that when a high amount of hexyl acetate is blended in order to enhance the flavor of the fruit juice-containing beverage, the bitterness becomes stronger. Therefore, as a result of further studies by the present inventors, even if a high concentration of hexyl acetate such as 30 ppm or more and 500 ppm or less is blended, by blending the insoluble solid content described later, the flavor derived from hexyl acetate can be maintained. It was found that bitterness derived from hexyl acetate was suppressed.

The lower limit of the content of hexyl acetate in the beverage of the present invention is preferably 40 ppm or more, more preferably 70 ppm or more, from the viewpoint of obtaining a beverage with good flavor without increasing bitterness. The upper limit of the hexyl acetate content in the beverage of the present invention is preferably 150 ppm or less, more preferably 130 ppm or less, from the viewpoint of obtaining a beverage with a good flavor even if it is not excessive.

As hexyl acetate, a synthetic product may be used, or foods and drinks known to contain hexyl acetate (fruits, fruit juices, extracts, fragrances, etc.) may be used.

The content of hexyl acetate in beverages is determined by a headspace-gas chromatography with mass spectrometry (HS-GC/MS) method.

Specific analysis conditions by the HS-GC/MS method are as follows. That is, 10 ml of a 10-fold diluted sample is placed in a dedicated vial containing 3.5 g of NaCl in advance, and the vial is sealed. Each vial is kept at 80° C. for a certain period of time to equilibrate the gas phase with the sample, and the gas phase portion is introduced into the gas chromatograph. Standard addition method is used for calibration curve.
[GC/MS analysis conditions]
GC conditions: 7890B manufactured by Agilent Technologies. MS: 5977A MSD manufactured by Agilent Technologies. Column: DB-WAX UI 30m x 250um x 0.25um manufactured by Agilent Technologies. Flow rate 1.0 ml/min. Injection method: split injection (200:1). Split flow rate: 200 ml/min. Carrier gas: He. Inlet temperature: 240°C. Transfer line: 240°C. Oven temperature: 40°C (5 min) → 5°C/min → 125°C (0 min) → 10°C/min → 240°C (0 min), post-run 240°C (5 min).
MS conditions: SIM 13.7 min. Hexyl acetate m/z 84.

(Insoluble solid content)
The beverage of the present invention contains 5.0 mg/100 ml or more of insoluble solids. In the present invention, "insoluble solid content" is an insoluble component that can be blended in food and drink. Examples of insoluble solids include cloudy fruit juice, crushed vegetables and fruits, bacterial cells such as lactic acid bacteria, and dietary fiber. Among these, turbid fruit juice is preferable from the viewpoint that the effects of the present invention are likely to be exhibited. As the insoluble solid content, one type may be used alone, or two or more types (for example, cloudy fruit juice and dietary fiber) may be used in combination.

The content of insoluble solids in the beverage of the present invention can be appropriately adjusted according to the desired flavor and the like, as long as it is 5.0 mg/100 ml or more. For example, the lower limit of the content of insoluble solids in the beverage of the present invention is preferably 7.0 mg/100 ml or more, more preferably 13 mg, from the viewpoint that the bitterness due to hexyl acetate can be sufficiently suppressed and the body feeling can be imparted. /100 ml or more. The upper limit of the content of insoluble solids in the beverage of the present invention is preferably 200 mg/100 ml or less, more preferably 100 mg/100 ml or less, more preferably 50 mg/100 ml or less, and further preferably 50 mg/100 ml or less, and further preferably 200 mg/100 ml or less, more preferably 100 mg/100 ml or less. More preferably, it is 30 mg/100 ml or less.

The content of insoluble solids in the beverage is determined by the method shown in the Examples.

[Aspect containing turbid fruit juice]
Preferably, the beverage of the present invention contains at least cloudy fruit juice. In the present invention, "turbid fruit juice" means fruit juice that has not been clarified. “Clarification treatment” means adding an enzyme to the cloudy fruit juice to decompose the pectin contained in the cloudy fruit juice to make it transparent. Examples of the cloudy fruit juice include squeezed juice itself (straight fruit juice), concentrated fruit juice obtained by concentrating the squeezed liquid, and reconstituted fruit juice obtained by diluting the concentrated juice of the squeezed liquid.

The content of cloudy fruit juice in the beverage of the present invention can be appropriately adjusted according to the desired flavor and the like. For example, the lower limit of the cloudy fruit juice content in the beverage of the present invention is preferably 7.5% by weight or more, more preferably 7.5% by weight or more, from the viewpoint of being able to impart a sufficient fruit juice flavor to the beverage and further imparting a body feeling to the beverage. 10% by weight or more. The upper limit of the cloudy fruit juice content in the beverage of the present invention is preferably 60% by weight or less, more preferably 30% by weight or less, because hexyl acetate can impart a good flavor to the beverage even if it is not excessive.

The beverage of the present invention may contain only cloudy fruit juice as fruit juice, or may contain other fruit juice together with cloudy fruit juice. Other fruit juices include processed squeezed juices. Examples of processing methods for squeezing juice include an enzyme treatment method, a microfiltration method, an ultrafiltration method, and the like.

[Aspect not containing turbid fruit juice]
When the beverage of the present invention contains only insoluble solids other than cloudy fruit juice, the beverage includes fruit juice other than cloudy fruit juice (clear fruit juice, etc.). In such a case, the lower limit of the fruit juice content in the beverage of the present invention is preferably 5.0% by weight or more, more preferably 7.5% by weight or more, more preferably 10% by weight or more, and even more preferably 15% by weight or more. is. The upper limit of the fruit juice content in the beverage of the present invention is preferably 80% by weight or less, more preferably 50% by weight or less, more preferably 40% by weight or less, and even more preferably 30% by weight or less. As for the type of fruit from which the fruit juice is derived, the same configuration as the configuration described in the section [Embodiment containing turbid fruit juice] can be adopted.

(other ingredients)
The beverage of the present invention can be appropriately blended with other raw materials and additives that are commonly used in general beverages as long as they do not impair the effects of the present invention. The blending amount can be appropriately set according to the effect to be obtained.

Ingredients that can be incorporated into the beverage of the present invention include the following; oligosaccharides, erythritol, maltitol, etc.), isomerized sugar (fructose-glucose liquid sugar, etc.), sweeteners (stevia, aspartame, acesulfame K, sucralose, etc.), emulsifiers (sucrose fatty acid esters, lecithin, etc.), thickening stabilizers (soybean polysaccharides, pectin, carrageenan, gellan gum, xanthan gum, guar gum, etc.), antioxidants (tocopherol, cysteine hydrochloride, etc.), pigments (carotenoid pigments, anthocyanin pigments, caramel pigments, various synthetic coloring agents, etc.), fragrances, preservatives , preservatives, antifungal agents, vitamins (vitamin A, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, vitamin E, etc.), minerals (potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium, etc.), dietary fiber, etc.

(Beverage form)
The form of the beverage of the present invention is not particularly limited, and may be soft drinks based on fruit juice, non-carbonated beverages, carbonated beverages including carbonated beverages, alcoholic beverages including alcohol, jelly beverages including gelling agents, and the like. may In particular, it is preferable that the form of the beverage of the present invention is a soft drink or a non-carbonated beverage, which is a beverage that is likely to have a bitter taste derived from hexyl acetate, because the effects of the present invention are likely to be exhibited.

<Characteristics of the beverage of the present invention>
Although the beverage of the present invention has a high hexyl acetate concentration, bitterness is suppressed without impairing the flavor peculiar to fruit juice (such as an apple flavor). Beverages of the present invention may also have a good body. Flavor, bitterness and body are evaluated by the methods shown in Examples.

The more insoluble solids contained in the beverage of the present invention, the higher the relative turbidity of the beverage. In the present invention, "turbidity" means absorbance at a wavelength of 720 nm. For example, the turbidity of the beverage of the present invention may be adjusted to preferably 0.05 or higher, more preferably 0.10 or higher. The turbidity of the beverage of the present invention need not be excessive and may preferably be adjusted to 2.0 or less. Beverage turbidity is determined by the method shown in the Examples.

<Method for producing beverage of the present invention>
The beverages of the present invention are prepared using any conditions and methods employed in the manufacture of beverages. For example, the beverage of the present invention may be obtained by preparing a solution containing the above ingredients and filling any container.

<Method for Suppressing Bitterness of Fruit Juice-Containing Beverage>
As described above, according to the present invention, the bitterness of fruit juice-containing beverages containing hexyl acetate can be suppressed by adding insoluble solids.

EXAMPLES The present invention will be described below based on examples, but the present invention is not limited to these examples.

Beverages having the compositions shown in Tables 1-4 were prepared. The obtained beverages were evaluated as follows. Each result is shown in the table.

(Insoluble solid content)
The sample was aspirated with an aspirator equipped with a membrane filter and the supplement on the membrane filter was weighed after aspiration. This was repeated twice and the average value was specified as the insoluble solids content. A membrane filter of 5 μm was used, dried in a drying cabinet for 1 hour, allowed to cool for 1 hour, and weighed for measurement. The amount of the sample used for the measurement was set to an arbitrary value between 10 ml and 200 ml depending on the state of the membrane filter passing liquid. The membrane filter after passing the sample liquid was also dried and allowed to cool as described above, and then weighed.

(turbidity)
Using a spectrophotometer (trade name “U-5100”, manufactured by Hitachi High-Tech Science Co., Ltd.), the turbidity of the beverage was measured as absorbance at a wavelength of 720 nm when the optical path length was 1 cm.

(Brix value)
Using a sugar refractometer (trade name “Digital Refractometer Rx-5000” manufactured by ATAGO), the reading at a temperature of 20° C. was measured as the Brix value of the beverage.

(acidity)
The acidity of the beverage was specified as the number of grams (anhydrous citric acid g/100 g) when the organic acid content contained in 100 g of each beverage was converted to citric acid. Specifically, it was measured by a neutralization titration method (quantitative formula) using a 0.1 mol/L sodium hydroxide standard solution as an alkaline solution. The end point of the titration was calculated by the following formula, with the pH reaching 8.1 as the end point using a hydrogen ion concentration system.
Citric acid acidity (W/V%) = A x f x 100/S x 0.064
(In the formula, A: 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution titer (ml), f: 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution titer, S: sample volume (ml), 0.064 is 0 .Weight (g) of anhydrous citric acid corresponding to 1 ml of 1 mol/L sodium hydroxide solution)

(sensory evaluation)
Six panelists evaluated each beverage based on the following criteria using a quantification method with the control (hexyl acetate, beverage containing no insoluble solids) scored as 4, and the score assigned by each panel. The average value of was calculated.

[Apple feeling and body feeling]
The larger the number, the stronger the apple feeling or body feeling.
Rating 7: Feels much stronger than the control product Rating 6: Feels a little stronger than the control product Rating 5: Feels slightly stronger than the control product Rating 4: Same level as the control product Rating 3: Feels slightly weaker than the control product Rating 2 : Feels a little weaker than the control product Grade 1: Feels considerably weaker than the control product

[bitterness]
A higher number indicates a stronger bitterness.
Grade 4: Strong bitterness Grade 3: Easily perceptible bitterness Grade 2: Barely perceptible weak bitterness Grade 1: No bitterness

As shown in Table 1, when 1 ppm or more of hexyl acetate was blended, the apple feeling was improved. On the other hand, blending 50 ppm or more of hexyl acetate tended to increase bitterness. However, this bitterness was suppressed by adding cloudy apple juice.

As shown in Table 2, when 100 ppm of hexyl acetate was blended and the total apple juice ratio was 10% by weight, blending of cloudy apple juice suppressed bitterness. Moreover, bitterness was suppressed when the insoluble solid content in the beverage was more than 10.4 mg/100 ml, or when the turbidity was 0.07 or more.

When 7.5% by weight or more of the fruit juice derived from the apple cloudy concentrated juice was added, the bitterness was particularly suppressed, and the apple feeling and body feeling were improved.

As shown in Table 3, when 100 ppm of hexyl acetate was blended and 7.5% by weight of cloudy apple juice was blended, in all examples, the bitterness was suppressed to the same extent as the control example containing no hexyl acetate. Furthermore, the apple feeling and the body feeling were improved. Moreover, when the insoluble solid content in the beverage was 16.8 mg/100 ml or more, or when the turbidity was 0.22 or more, bitterness was suppressed.

As shown in Table 4, when 100 ppm of hexyl acetate was blended and various concentrations of cloudy apple juice were blended, in all cases, the bitterness was suppressed to the same extent as the control example containing no hexyl acetate. Furthermore, the apple feeling was improved. Moreover, when the insoluble solid content in the beverage was 25.0 mg/100 ml or more, or when the turbidity was 0.45 or more, bitterness was suppressed.

Claims (6)

A fruit juice-containing beverage,
The fruit juice-containing beverage contains hexyl acetate of 30 ppm or more and 200 ppm or less and an insoluble solid content of 5.0 mg/100 ml or more ,
wherein said fruit juice comprises juice of one or more fruits selected from the group consisting of apple, banana, cherry, pear, and pineapple;
Beverages containing fruit juice. The fruit juice-containing beverage according to claim 1, which has an absorbance of 0.05 or more at a wavelength of 720 nm. 3. The fruit juice-containing beverage according to claim 1 or 2, comprising cloudy fruit juice. The fruit juice-containing beverage according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the fruit juice-containing beverage is an apple juice-containing beverage. A method for suppressing bitterness in a fruit juice-containing beverage containing hexyl acetate, comprising:
The suppression method includes a blending step of blending insoluble solids,
The fruit juice-containing beverage after the blending step contains hexyl acetate of 30 ppm or more and 200 ppm or less and an insoluble solid content of 5.0 mg/100 ml or more,
wherein said fruit juice comprises juice of one or more fruits selected from the group consisting of apple, banana, cherry, pear, and pineapple;
suppression method. The suppression method according to claim 5, wherein the absorbance at a wavelength of 720 nm of the fruit juice-containing beverage containing insoluble solids is 0.05 or more.