JP7217645B2 - Beverage with reduced off-flavor derived from furaneol - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to reducing off-flavours derived from furaneol present in beverages.

Furaneol (4-hydroxy-2,5-dimethyl-3(2H)-furanone) is known as an aroma component having a good fruit-like flavor. Furaneol is known to be added to tea beverages as a reinforcing agent for the floral aroma peculiar to jasmine tea (Patent Document 1). In addition, furaneol is known to have the effect of enhancing sweetness (Patent Document 2). It has been disclosed that adding furaneol to tea beverages can give them the natural sweetness inherent in high-grade tea leaves (Patent Document 3). Thus, furaneol is used in a wide variety of beverages, but when furaneol is added at high concentrations, off-flavours are produced. However, no method for reducing this off-flavour is known.

JP 2006-206915 A JP-A-40-140659 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-167003

In a furaneol-containing beverage, when the furaneol concentration is 4 ppm or more, an off-flavor, ie, a strong pungent aroma is produced. In particular, the present inventors have found that off-flavours are felt more strongly in beverages with a pH of 5.0 or higher. An object of the present invention is to reduce the off-flavor derived from furaneol felt when drinking a furaneol-containing beverage having a pH of 5.0 or higher.

In view of the above circumstances, the present inventor searched for a component that is effective in reducing furaneol-derived off-flavors in beverages. As a result of intensive studies, the inventors have found that caffeine can contribute to reducing the off-flavour. Based on such knowledge, the present invention was completed.

The present invention provides the following. However, the scope of the present invention is not limited to this.
(1) A beverage containing (a) 1 to 150 ppm of caffeine, (b) 4 ppm or more of furaneol, and (c) a pH of 5.0 to 8.0.
(2) The beverage of (1) having a Brix of 1 or less.
(3) The beverage of (1) or (2) containing tea extract.

The beverages of the present invention and related methods are described below.
Unless otherwise specified, the terms "ppb" and "ppm" as used herein refer to weight per volume (w/v) ppb and ppm respectively. Further, in this specification, the numerical range represented by the lower limit and the upper limit, ie, "lower limit to upper limit", shall include the lower limit and the upper limit. For example, a range represented by "1-2" includes 1 and 2.

(furaneol)
The beverage of the present invention contains furaneol in a specific amount. The beverage of the present invention contains 4 ppm or more of furaneol, preferably 4 to 60 ppm, more preferably 5 to 50 ppm, even more preferably 6 to 40 ppm, and even more preferably 7 to 30 ppm. In a beverage having a pH of 5.0 or higher, when furaneol is contained at 4 ppm or higher, off-flavor is felt strongly, which is preferable for obtaining the effect of reducing off-flavor according to the present invention. When the concentration of furaneol in the beverage exceeds 60 ppm, the effect of reducing off-flavours according to the present invention is obtained, but the off-flavours may not be sufficiently reduced.

The furaneol used in the present invention is not particularly limited, and may be a refined product or a crude product. For example, natural products containing furaneol or processed products thereof (plant extracts, essential oils, fermented products of plants, concentrates thereof, etc.) may be used. More specific examples include fragrances containing furaneol, as well as fruit juices and extracts. Flavoring agents are a preferred example because they can be added to beverages in small amounts.

The content of furaneol in the beverage of the present invention can be measured by a known LC-MS method. However, in the present invention, it is preferable to use a high-resolution mass spectrometer (Q Exactive Focus, manufactured by Thermo Fisher Scientific) as a detector.

(caffeine)
The beverage of the present invention contains caffeine. This reduces the off-flavor of furaneol. Caffeine used in the present invention is not particularly limited, but may be commercially available reagents, pure products (purified products with a caffeine content of 98% or more), crude products (caffeine content of 50 to less than 98%), Furthermore, it may be in the form of extracts of caffeine-containing plants (coffee beans, tea leaves, cola seeds, etc.) or concentrates thereof. When caffeine is used in the form of a plant extract or its concentrate, raw materials to be extracted include tea leaves belonging to Camellia sinensis, such as green tea, black tea, oolong tea, and pu-erh tea; Coffee beans belonging to the same class can be used.

The concentration of caffeine in the beverage of the present invention is 1-150 ppm, preferably 1-100 ppm, more preferably 1-80 ppm, even more preferably 1-50 ppm. If the caffeine content in the beverage is less than 1 ppm, the effect of reducing off-flavours may be insufficient. On the other hand, if the content of caffeine in the beverage exceeds 150 ppm, the caffeine flavor becomes too strong, which may impair the taste of the beverage itself.

Regarding the concentration of caffeine in a beverage, if caffeine is in the form of a hydrate or the like, the content shall be calculated after converting it to the free form. The caffeine concentration can be measured by a known method using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).

(pH)
The pH of the beverage of the present invention is 5.0-8.0, preferably 5.5-7.5. If the pH of the beverage is less than 5.0, off-flavours may be masked by sour components in the beverage. However, when the pH of the beverage is 5.0 or higher, the off-flavor can be perceived remarkably due to the small amount of the sour component that acts as a masking component. The pH adjustment of the beverage can be appropriately carried out using a pH adjuster such as sodium citrate, sodium hydroxide, sodium bicarbonate and the like. Beverage pH can be easily measured using a commercially available pH meter.

(Brix)
Although the Brix of the beverage of the present invention is not particularly limited, it is preferably 1 or less. Although not bound by theory, when the Brix is 1 or less, the amount of soluble solids that act as a masking component for the off-flavor is small, so it is thought that the off-flavor derived from furaneol is perceived remarkably. It is preferable to obtain the effect of reducing off-flavour. Brix can be evaluated by a Brix value obtained using a saccharimeter, a refractometer, or the like. The Brix value is a value obtained by converting the refractive index measured at 20° C. into mass/mass percent of the sucrose solution based on the conversion table of ICUMSA (International Commission for the Analysis of Sugar). The unit is "°Bx", "%" or "degree".

(Other raw materials)
In addition to the various components shown above, the beverage of the present invention can contain ingredients commonly used in beverages. For example, but not limited to, flavorings, sugars, acidulants, nutritional enhancers, antioxidants, emulsifiers, preservatives, extracts, dietary fibers, quality stabilizers, etc. can be added within a range that does not impair the effects of the present invention. can be done.

(drink)
The beverage of the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it is a soft drink. For example, nutritional beverages, functional beverages, flavored water (near water) beverages, tea beverages (black tea, oolong tea, green tea, etc.), coffee beverages, carbonated beverages, and the like may be used. The beverage of the present invention is preferably a tea beverage in one embodiment. Here, "tea beverage" is a beverage containing tea leaf extract or cereal extract as a main component, and specifically includes green tea, roasted tea, blended tea, barley tea, mate tea, jasmine tea, black tea, Examples include oolong tea and Tochu tea. A particularly preferred tea beverage in the present invention is a black tea beverage.

The beverage of the present invention is preferably a packaged beverage that has been sterilized by heating and packed in a container. This is because the off-flavor of furaneol may become stronger when the beverage is heated. The means of heat sterilization is not particularly limited, but any known means such as UHT sterilization and retort sterilization can be used. A container for filling the beverage is not particularly limited, and for example, a PET bottle, an aluminum can, a steel can, a paper pack, a chilled cup, a bottle, or the like can be used. From the standpoint of convenience or ease of use, containers that are lightweight, easy to carry, and capable of being resealed, such as PET bottles, are preferred.

(Effect of the invention)
According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a beverage having a pH of 5.0 or higher in which the off-flavor of furaneol is reduced when drunk. As used herein, the term "off-flavour" means a stimulating scent that is felt when drunk.

EXAMPLES The present invention will be specifically described below with reference to experimental examples, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Also, in this specification, unless otherwise specified, numerical ranges are described as including their endpoints.

[Example 1]
Beverages were prepared by adding furaneol and caffeine preparations (manufactured by Maruzen Yakuhin Sangyo Co., Ltd.) (purity: >99%) to water so that the concentrations of furaneol and caffeine in the beverage were as shown in Table 1. . Citric acid or sodium hydroxide was used to change the pH of the beverages as shown in Table 1. All beverages had a Brix of 1 or less.

For each beverage, the strength of the furaneol off-flavor was evaluated sensorily. Based on the following criteria, three expert panels prepared samples of 5 points, 3 points, and 1 point as follows, and evaluated the strength of the off-flavor while comparing them. The average score of the three expert panels was calculated, and 3 points or less was regarded as a pass.
5 points: water to which 60 ppm of furaneol was added 3 points: water to which 3 ppm of furaneol was added 1 point: water The results are shown in Table 1. Sample 11 had almost no furaneol off-flavor, but had a bitter taste derived from caffeine, and was not an easy-to-drink beverage.

From these, it was found that furaneol off-flavor is perceived when the pH of the beverage is 5.0 or higher. Addition of caffeine to these beverages was shown to reduce off-flavours.

On the other hand, in pH 3.5 beverages, furaneol off-flavours were found to be less of a problem. It was also found that adding caffeine to this beverage did not change the strength of the off-flavour.

In addition, all of the beverages containing 4 to 60 ppm of furaneol and 1 to 150 ppm of caffeine added had reduced off-flavours and were easy to drink.

Claims (6)

(a) contains 1 to 150 ppm of caffeine,
(b) containing 4 ppm or more of furaneol,
(c) a beverage having a pH of 5.0 to 8.0; 2. The beverage of claim 1, having a Brix of 1 or less. 3. Beverage according to claim 1 or 2, which is a tea beverage containing tea extract but not a jasmine tea beverage. The beverage according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the caffeine content is 50 ppm or less. A method for producing a beverage containing 4 ppm or more of furaneol and having a pH of 5.0 to 8.0, comprising adjusting the content of caffeine to 1 to 150 ppm. A method for reducing an off-flavor derived from furaneol felt when drinking a beverage containing 4 ppm or more of furaneol and having a pH of 5.0 to 8.0, wherein the content of caffeine is adjusted to 1 to 150 ppm. The above method, comprising: