JP7206059B2 - alcoholic beverages containing stevia - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a stevia-containing alcoholic beverage having an L-ascorbic acid concentration of 50 ppm to 1000 ppm relative to the beverage.

It is known that the coexistence of stevia and alcohol in a beverage gives the beverage a “lingering sweetness” or a “unique bitterness due to the mixture of stevia and alcohol” (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

To address such problems, for example, a method of adding specific amounts of lactic acid and malic acid to improve flavor is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1), but the effect is not sufficient.

In addition, in lemon juice-containing alcoholic beverages, beverages containing a specific amount of stevia are disclosed in order to improve the "unsmooth acidity" and "unpleasant flavor derived from alcohol" of lemon juice (for example, Patent Document 2). However, Patent Literature 2 does not disclose anything about improving the unique taste of a mixture of stevia and alcohol due to the coexistence of stevia and alcohol in the beverage.

JP 2016-158585 A JP 2016-158586 A

An object of the present invention is to reduce the peculiar unpleasant taste (bitterness and harshness) caused by combining stevia and alcohol in a beverage.

The inventors of the present invention have found that the characteristic unpleasant off-taste can be reduced by adjusting the concentration of L-ascorbic acid to 50 ppm to 1000 ppm for stevia-containing alcoholic beverages.

According to the present invention, the following inventions are provided.
(1) A stevia-containing alcoholic beverage having an L-ascorbic acid concentration of 50 ppm to 1000 ppm relative to the beverage.
(2) The stevia-containing alcoholic beverage according to (1), wherein the alcohol concentration of the stevia-containing alcoholic beverage is less than 6 v/v%.
(3) The stevia-containing alcoholic beverage according to (1), which has an alcohol concentration of 6 v/v% or more and further contains fruit juice.
(4) The stevia-containing alcoholic beverage according to (3), which contains 4 w/v% or more of fruit juice relative to the beverage.
(5) The stevia-containing alcoholic beverage according to any one of (1) to (4), which is a packaged beverage.
(6) A method for producing a stevia-containing alcoholic beverage, comprising the step of adding L-ascorbic acid to the beverage in a range of 50 ppm to 1000 ppm.
(7) A method for reducing an unfavorable taste in a stevia-containing alcoholic beverage, which comprises adding L-ascorbic acid to the beverage in a range of 50 ppm to 1000 ppm.

The use of the stevia-containing alcoholic beverage of the present invention is advantageous in that it can reduce the peculiar unpleasant off-taste.

FIG. 1 is a graph showing the effects of stevia and alcohol on unpleasant tastes (bitterness and harshness) depending on the amount of L-ascorbic acid added. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the effect of reducing unpleasant off-taste by stevia and alcohol in various organic acids. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the effect of fruit juice addition when the alcohol concentration of the stevia-containing alcoholic beverage is 6 v/v % or higher. In FIG. 3, "Alc.6%" means that the alcohol concentration in the beverage is 6v/v%, and "Alc.9%" means that the alcohol concentration in the beverage is 9v/v%. do.

Specific description of the invention

The beverage of the present invention is a stevia-containing alcoholic beverage having an L-ascorbic acid concentration of 50 ppm to 1000 ppm relative to the beverage.

In the present invention, "alcoholic beverage" means a beverage with an alcohol content of 1 or more, which is regarded as an alcoholic beverage under the Liquor Tax Act.

The amount of L-ascorbic acid contained in the beverage of the present invention is 50 ppm to 1000 ppm, preferably 100 to 1000 ppm, more preferably 300 to 1000 ppm, more preferably 500 to 1000 ppm, relative to the beverage of the present invention. more preferably. By containing 300 to 1000 ppm of L-ascorbic acid in the beverage of the present invention, the unpleasant off-taste caused by stevia and alcohol can be reduced more remarkably. L-ascorbic acid contained in the beverage of the present invention can be measured by a known method. It can be measured by a high-performance liquid chromatograph (HPLC) based on the conditions described in Date Eishin No. 13, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Food Health Division, New Development Food Health Policy Office.

The beverage of the present invention contains stevia. Stevia is classified as a high-intensity sweetener, and stevia is usually a plant-derived sweetener. The stevia contained in the beverage of the present invention is not particularly limited, but contains 80.0% or more of steviol glycosides (glucose bound to steviol as a basic skeleton) obtained by extracting from stevia leaves. and "α-glucosyltransferase-treated stevia" containing 80.0% or more of steviol glycosides, which is mainly composed of α-glucosyl stevioside obtained by enzymatically treating stevia extract. etc. are also included. Moreover, the stevia contained in the beverage of the present invention may be a commercially available product such as Rebaudio J-100 (manufactured by Morita Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.).

The content of stevia in the beverage of the present invention is not particularly limited as long as the effect of the present invention is exhibited, but for example, the lower limit is preferably 10 ppm, more preferably 30 ppm, and even more preferably 50 ppm. The upper limit is preferably 1000 ppm or less, more preferably 500 ppm or less, and even more preferably 300 ppm or less. The content of stevia in the beverage of the present invention can be measured, for example, by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).

Although the alcohol concentration contained in the beverage of the present invention is not particularly limited, according to one preferred aspect, it is less than 6 v/v% (more preferably 5.5 v/v% or less). Further, according to another preferred aspect, the alcohol concentration contained in the beverage of the present invention is 6 v/v% or more (preferably 6 to 12 v/v%, more preferably 6 to 10 v/v%), and It also contains fruit juice. The alcohol concentration can be adjusted by adding an ethanol-containing material that has been confirmed to be safe as food. Distilled liquor (spirits) produced by distilling brewed liquor can be used as the ethanol-containing material, and preferred examples of distilled liquor include vodka, shochu, tequila, and rum.

The alcohol concentration contained in the beverage of the present invention is 6 v / v% or more (preferably 6 to 9 v / v%), and when it further contains fruit juice, the content of fruit juice to be contained (in terms of fruit juice rate) is Although it is not particularly limited, it is preferably 4 w/v % or more, more preferably more than 4 w/v %, still more preferably 4.2 to 15 w/v %. The type of fruit juice contained in the beverage of the present invention is not particularly limited, but citrus fruit juice such as mandarin orange, grapefruit, or lemon is preferred, and lemon juice is more preferred. The fruit juice to be contained in the beverage of the present invention is a squeezed juice of a fruit, and includes straight fruit juice, concentrated fruit juice, concentrated reconstituted fruit juice and the like, as well as diluted solutions, concentrated solutions and mixed solutions thereof. Here, the content of fruit juice contained in the beverage of the present invention (in terms of fruit juice percentage) is "content (in terms of fruit juice percentage) % (specifically, w/v%)" = "fruit juice blending amount (g)". x "concentration ratio"/100 mL x 100. In this formula, the calculation of the "concentration ratio" (relative concentration ratio of fruit juice when straight juice is 100%) shall be in accordance with JAS standards, and sugars added to fruit juice, honey, etc. The degree of indication shall be excluded. Specifically, the refractometer reading for sugar or the acidity value of straight fruit juice has a standard value unique to each fruit according to the JAS standard (Japanese Agricultural Standards for Fruit Drinks) (Fruit Drink Quality Labeling Standards ( September 30, 2011 Consumer Affairs Agency Notification No. 10), "Refractometer reading standard for sugar (Bx)" in Appended Table 3, "Acidity standard (%)" in Appended Table 4). Therefore, by measuring the sugar refractometer reading or acidity of the fruit juice to be used and dividing by the standard sugar refractometer reading or acidity specific to the fruit, the concentration factor of the juice can be determined.

The beverage of the present invention may further contain a high-intensity sweetener or sweetener other than stevia. High-intensity sweeteners other than stevia include, for example, aspartame, acesulfame potassium, xylitol, D-xylose, glycyrrhizin and its acid and its salts, saccharin, sodium saccharin, sucralose, D-sorbitol, thaumatin, abrusoside A, cyclokaryoside I, N-acetylglucosamine, L-arabinose, oligo-N-acetylglucosamine, licorice extract, enzyme-treated licorice, L-sorbose, neotame, swingle extract, L-rhamnose, D-ribose and the like. These sweeteners may be used in combination of two or more thereof.

Beverages of the present invention may contain other ingredients used in the preparation of alcoholic beverages. Such other ingredients include, for example, pigments, food additives (e.g., foaming/foam retention improvers, bittering agents, preservatives, thickening stabilizers, emulsifiers, dietary fibers, pH adjusters, etc.). Flavoring (for example, fragrance) can be added as long as it does not interfere with the effects of the present invention.

The beverage of the present invention can be infused with carbon dioxide, ie, a carbonated beverage. The carbon dioxide pressure can be adjusted as desired, and can be adjusted, for example, within the range of 0.1 to 0.4 MPa (gas pressure at 20°C).

The beverage of the present invention is preferably provided as a packaged beverage. The container used for the beverage of the present invention may be any container that is commonly used for filling beverages, such as metal cans, barrel containers, plastic bottles (e.g., PET bottles, cups), paper containers, bottles, Pouch containers and the like can be mentioned, but metal can/barrel containers, plastic bottles (for example, PET bottles), or bottles are preferred.

According to another aspect of the present invention, L-ascorbic acid is added to the beverage of the present invention in the range of 50 ppm to 1000 ppm (preferably 100 to 1000 ppm, more preferably 300 to 1000 ppm, even more preferably 500 to 1000 ppm) A method for producing a stevia-containing alcoholic beverage is provided, comprising the step of containing so that

According to another aspect of the present invention, L-ascorbic acid is added to the beverage in the range of 50 ppm to 1000 ppm (preferably 100 to 1000 ppm, more preferably 300 to 1000 ppm, more preferably 500 to 1000 ppm). There is provided a method for reducing the unfavorable taste of a stevia-containing alcoholic beverage, characterized by containing in. Here, the miscellaneous taste refers to a peculiar unpleasant taste due to the combination of stevia and alcohol in the beverage.

The L-ascorbic acid, stevia, alcoholic beverage, etc. in the production method and method for reducing unfavorable taste of the present invention may be the same as the L-ascorbic acid, stevia, alcoholic beverage, etc. in the beverage of the present invention.

EXAMPLES The present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to examples, but the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to these examples.

Test Example 1: Effect of different amounts of L-ascorbic acid added on unpleasant taste (1) Preparation of stevia-containing alcoholic beverage Pure water, 0.05 w/v% citric acid, 0.05 w/v% sodium citrate , lemon flavor 0.1 v/v %, stevia 0.01 w/v %, and alcohol 5.5 v/v % to prepare a stevia-containing alcoholic beverage. As stevia, Rebaudio J-100 manufactured by Morita Chemical Industry Co., Ltd. was used. This beverage was prepared with L-ascorbic acid (food additive) adjusted to 10 ppm, 100 ppm, 500 ppm and 1000 ppm, respectively, and with no added L-ascorbic acid. Carbon dioxide gas of 0.20 MPa (20° C.) was added to the prepared beverage. After filling the can container, it was sterilized with a pasteurizer to prepare a packaged alcoholic beverage, which was used as a sample of the stevia-containing alcoholic beverage. Note that these samples of stevia-containing alcoholic beverages do not contain fruit juice.

(2) Evaluation Criteria The samples of the obtained stevia-containing alcoholic beverages were evaluated by 6 well-trained panelists (tasters) who were skilled in evaluating beer, chuhai, and cocktail-type beverages. (Bitterness and acridity) were sensory evaluated on a 9-level scale. The evaluation criteria are as follows, and the results based on these evaluation criteria are shown in FIG.

Evaluation criteria for unpleasant taste No unpleasant unpleasant taste of stevia-containing alcohol is felt at all: 9 points Slightly unpleasant unpleasant taste of stevia-containing alcohol is felt: 7 points Slightly unpleasant unpleasant taste of stevia-containing alcohol is felt: 5 points Unpleasant taste of stevia-containing alcohol is felt: 3 points Unpleasant taste of stevia-containing alcohol is felt strongly: 1 point Unpleasant taste of stevia-containing alcohol is felt very strongly: 0 points

According to the results of FIG. 1, when the concentration of L-ascorbic acid in the stevia-containing alcoholic beverage is 50 ppm to 1000 ppm, particularly 100 ppm to 1000 ppm, with respect to the stevia-containing alcoholic beverage, stevia and alcohol It is found that the unpleasant taste is reduced, and when the concentration of L-ascorbic acid in the stevia-containing alcoholic beverage is 300 to 1000 ppm, particularly 500 to 1000 ppm, stevia is more significantly reduced. It was found that the unpleasant taste caused by alcohol and alcohol was reduced.
When the concentration of L-ascorbic acid in the stevia-containing alcoholic beverage was 5000 ppm, the unpleasant taste of the stevia-containing alcohol could be reduced to some extent, but the acidity was too strong for drinking. was found to be unsuitable (data not shown).

Test Example 2: Comparison of Effects of Various Organic Acids on Reducing Unpleasant Taste (1) Preparation of Stevia-Containing Alcoholic Beverages To pure water, 0.0% of the same stevia (manufactured by Morita Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.) as used in Test Example 1 was added to pure water. 01 w/v% and alcohol 5.5 v/v%, and L-ascorbic acid (food additive) mixed to 690 ppm, stevia-containing alcoholic beverage, and DL-malic acid (food additive A stevia-containing alcoholic beverage containing 500 ppm of lactic acid (food additive) and a stevia-containing alcoholic beverage containing 700 ppm of lactic acid (food additive) were prepared. The amounts of L-ascorbic acid, DL-malic acid, and lactic acid were adjusted so that the acidity was constant. 0.20 MPa (20° C.) of carbon dioxide gas was added to the aqueous solution with adjusted acidity. After filling the can container, it was sterilized with a pasteurizer to prepare a packaged alcoholic beverage, which was used as a sample of the stevia-containing alcoholic beverage.

(2) Evaluation Criteria Each stevia-containing alcoholic beverage sample prepared in (1) above was similarly evaluated based on (2) Evaluation Criteria of Test Example 1 above. The evaluation results are shown in FIG.

According to the results of FIG. 2, the stevia-containing alcoholic beverage containing L-ascorbic acid reduces the unpleasant taste caused by stevia and alcohol more than the stevia-containing alcoholic beverage containing malic acid or lactic acid. I found out.

Test Example 3: Effect of adding fruit juice when alcohol concentration of stevia-containing alcoholic beverage is 6 v/v% or more (1) Preparation of stevia-containing alcoholic beverage To pure water, add 0.05 w/v% citric acid and 0.0% sodium citrate. 05 w/v%, stevia (manufactured by Morita Chemical Co., Ltd.) 0.01 w/v%, and alcohol to 6.0 v/v% and 9.0 v/v%, respectively, and L-ascorbic acid (food additive (product) to 500 ppm, and 0 w/v% (no juice), 4.2 w/v%, 10.0 w/v%, and 15.0 w/v% of lemon juice, respectively. bottom. A carbon dioxide gas of 0.20 MPa (20° C.) was added to the prepared aqueous solution. After filling the can container, it was sterilized with a pasteurizer to prepare a packaged alcoholic beverage, which was used as a sample of the stevia-containing alcoholic beverage.

(2) Evaluation Criteria Each stevia-containing alcoholic beverage sample prepared in (1) above was similarly evaluated based on (2) Evaluation Criteria of Test Example 1 above. The evaluation results are shown in FIG.

According to the results of FIG. 3, when the alcohol concentration of the stevia-containing alcoholic beverage is 6 v/v% or more, the effect of L-ascorbic acid in reducing the unpleasant taste of stevia and alcohol is slightly reduced, It was found that the addition of fruit juice further enhanced the effect of reducing off-flavours. Moreover, it was found that this enhancement effect becomes stronger depending on the concentration of the added fruit juice. On the other hand, it was found that when the amount of fruit juice is very large, the acidity becomes too strong and is not suitable for drinking. The amount of fruit juice in the present invention is preferably 20 w/v% or less, more preferably 15 w/v% or less.
In addition, when the alcohol concentration of the stevia-containing alcoholic beverage is less than 6 v/v%, the effect of L-ascorbic acid to reduce the unpleasant taste of stevia and alcohol is not weakened, and even if fruit juice is added, Although the effect of reducing the off-flavour was slightly improved in a concentration-dependent manner, there was little change (data not shown).

Claims (7)

Stevia-containing alcoholic beverages (excluding beverages containing sparkling wine and beverages containing beer) having a concentration of L-ascorbic acid of 50 ppm to 1000 ppm relative to the beverage,
(i) and (ii) below:
(i) the stevia-containing alcoholic beverage has an alcohol concentration of less than 6% v/v; and
(ii) the stevia-containing alcoholic beverage has an alcohol concentration of 6 v/v% or more and further contains fruit juice;
meet one of the conditions of
A stevia-containing alcoholic beverage having a stevia content of 10 ppm or more . The stevia-containing alcoholic beverage according to claim 1, wherein the stevia-containing alcoholic beverage has an alcohol concentration of less than 6 v/v%. The stevia-containing alcoholic beverage according to claim 1, wherein the stevia-containing alcoholic beverage has an alcohol concentration of 6 v/v% or more and further contains fruit juice. 4. The stevia-containing alcoholic beverage according to claim 3, wherein 4 w/v% or more of fruit juice is contained in the beverage. The stevia-containing alcoholic beverage according to any one of claims 1 to 4, which is a packaged beverage. A method for producing a stevia-containing alcoholic beverage (excluding sparkling wine-containing beverages and beer-containing beverages) comprising a step of adding L-ascorbic acid to the beverage in a range of 50 ppm to 1000 ppm. There is
(i) and (ii) below:
(i) the stevia-containing alcoholic beverage has an alcohol concentration of less than 6% v/v; and
(ii) the stevia-containing alcoholic beverage has an alcohol concentration of 6 v/v% or more and further contains fruit juice;
meet one of the conditions of
The stevia content of the stevia-containing alcoholic beverage is 10 ppm or more
The manufacturing method is adjusted to . Stevia-containing alcoholic beverages (excluding beverages containing sparkling wine and beverages containing beer) characterized by containing L-ascorbic acid in the range of 50 ppm to 1000 ppm with respect to the beverage A taste reduction method comprising :
(i) and (ii) below:
(i) the stevia-containing alcoholic beverage has an alcohol concentration of less than 6% v/v; and
(ii) the stevia-containing alcoholic beverage has an alcohol concentration of 6 v/v% or more and further contains fruit juice;
meet one of the conditions of
The stevia content of the stevia-containing alcoholic beverage is 10 ppm or more
A method for reducing off-flavours, which is adjusted to

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