JP7249399B2 - Beer-taste beverage and method for producing the same - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a beer-taste beverage and a method for producing a beer-taste beverage that does not use hops.

Consumer demands for beer-taste beverages such as beer are diversifying. Along with this, the materials and manufacturing methods used for beer-taste beverages are diversifying.
Among them, in the method of manufacturing a beverage, there are cases where a heating step is performed in the manufacturing process in order to heat sterilize microorganisms or provide a predetermined flavor. However, if there is a heating process in the beverage manufacturing process,
Unpleasant scents may be created by heating materials (Patent Documents 1, 2, 3)
.
As one of the methods for solving such problems, a method for producing a beverage is known in which an aseptic unheated flavoring agent is added in an aseptic environment to the undiluted beverage that has been heat-sterilized in the heating process (Patent Reference 4).
However, it is difficult to say that the microbial risk could be completely eliminated by simply adding sterile, unheated flavoring agents. In addition, new equipment is required to add aseptic, unheated perfume.
In addition, in malt extract-containing beverages containing heat-sterilized materials, the aroma component (proline)
Beverages containing are also known (Patent Documents 5 and 6).
However, the beverage has a problem of unpleasant odor caused by heating.

JP-A-10-304823 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-166940 JP 2012-135215 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-111579 Patent No. 5834164 JP 2016-101156

Beer-taste beverages that do not use hops as raw materials cannot use the antibacterial action of hops, so sterilization of microorganisms may be required, for example, a heating process is performed.
Therefore, there is a demand for a beer-taste beverage that does not use hops as a raw material, in which the unpleasant aroma due to the heating process is masked. There is also a demand for a beer-taste beverage that does not use hops as a raw material but has an excellent flavor.

The inventors of the present invention have found that one or more selected from the group consisting of linalool, 2,5-dimethyl-4-hydroxy-3(2H)-furanone and 2-acetylpyrazine in beer-taste beverages that do not use hops as raw materials By containing, it came to solve the problem of the present invention.

The present invention includes inventions of the following aspects.
[1]
Linalool 0.005 mass ppm or more, 2,5-dimethyl-4-hydroxy-3 (2H
)-furanone 0.07 mass ppm or more, or 2-acetylpyrazine 0.04 mass ppm
A beer-taste fermented beverage containing the above and not using hops.
[2]
Linalool 0.005 mass ppm or more, 2,5-dimethyl-4-hydroxy-3 (2H
)-furanone 0.07 mass ppm or more, or 2-acetylpyrazine 0.07 mass ppm
A beer-taste non-fermented beverage containing the above and not using hops.
[3]
The beer-taste beverage according to [1] or [2], containing malt, malt extract or soybean peptide.
[4]
A method for producing a beer-taste beverage in which hops are not used as raw materials,
a step of heating the original beverage; and
A step of adjusting the concentration of an aromatic component consisting of one or more selected from the group consisting of linalool, 2,5-dimethyl-4-hydroxy-3(2H)-furanone and 2-acetylpyrazine;
The manufacturing method, comprising:
[5]
The beer-taste beverage contains 0.005 mass ppm or more of linalool, 0.07 mass ppm or more of 2,5-dimethyl-4-hydroxy-3(2H)-furanone, or 0.04 mass ppm or more of 2-acetylpyrazine. A beer-taste fermented beverage containing
Before the heating step, a fermentation step of adding yeast and fermenting to obtain an original beverage [4]
The manufacturing method described in .
[6]
The beer-taste beverage contains 0.005 ppm by mass or more of linalool, 0.07 ppm by mass or more of 2,5-dimethyl-4-hydroxy-3(2H)-furanone, or 0.07 ppm by mass or more of 2-acetylpyrazine. A beer-taste non-fermented beverage containing
The production method according to [4], comprising a mixing step of mixing water and alcohol with the malt extract or soybean peptide and adjusting the carbon dioxide pressure to obtain the original beverage before the heating step.

Although the beer-taste beverage according to one aspect of the present invention does not use hops as a raw material, the unpleasant aroma is masked. In addition, although the beer-taste beverage according to one aspect of the present invention does not use hops as a raw material, it is possible to provide a beverage having a flavor close to that of the original beer.

1 Beer-taste beverage The beer-taste beverage of the present invention is selected from the group consisting of linalool, 2,5-dimethyl-4-hydroxy-3(2H)-furanone and 2-acetylpyrazine. It is a beverage that contains a predetermined amount of 1 or more and does not use hops as raw materials.

As used herein, the term "beer-taste beverage" refers to a carbonated beverage having a beer-like flavor. That is, unless otherwise specified, the beer-taste beverages of the present specification include any carbonated beverages having a beer flavor, regardless of the presence or absence of a yeast fermentation process. The types of beer-taste beverages of the present invention include, for example, low-malt beer, beer, liqueurs, and other miscellaneous alcohol under the name of the Japanese Liquor Tax Act, and low-alcohol fermented beverages (for example, alcohol content of less than 1%). fermented beverages), spirits, non-alcoholic beer-taste beverages, beer-taste soft drinks, etc.

Although the alcohol content of the beer-taste beverage of the present invention is not particularly limited, it is preferably 0 to 4.
0% by weight, more preferably 1 to 15% by weight. In particular, beer and beer-tasting beverages such as low-malt beer have the same concentration as alcohol that consumers prefer to drink, that is, 1
Although it is desirable to be in the range of ~7% by weight, it is not particularly limited.

1.1 Raw Materials The raw materials of the beer-taste beverage of the present invention are water, grains, sugars, water-soluble dietary fiber and various additives, but do not contain hops.

Grains include barley (barley, wheat, pigeon, rye, oats, malt thereof, etc.), rice (polished rice, brown rice, etc.), corn, koryan, potato, and beans (soybeans, peas, etc.). , buckwheat, sorghum, millet, barley, starches obtained therefrom, and extracts thereof.

Malt refers to the germinated, dried, and rooted barley seeds of barley, wheat, rye, oats, oats, pigeons, and oats. may In the present invention, barley malt is preferably used. Barley malt is one of the most commonly used malts as a raw material for Japanese beer-taste beverages. For barley, two-rowed barley,
There are types such as six-rowed barley, but any of them may be used. In addition to normal malt, colored malt can also be used. When using colored malt, different types of colored malt may be appropriately combined and used, or one type of colored malt may be used.

Examples of sugars include commercially available saccharified solutions obtained by decomposing grain-derived starch with acids or enzymes, and commercially available starch syrups. At this time, the saccharide may be in any form, such as a liquid form such as a solution, or a solid form such as a powder. In addition, there are no particular restrictions on the type of starch raw material grains, the method of purifying starch, and the treatment conditions such as hydrolysis with enzymes or acids. For example, saccharides with a higher maltose ratio may be used by devising conditions for hydrolysis with enzymes or acids. In addition, sucrose, fructose, glucose, maltulose, trehalulose, maltotriose, solutions of these (sugar solutions), and the like can be used.

Water-soluble dietary fibers such as indigestible dextrin, polydextrose, guar gum hydrolyzate, pectin, glucomannan, alginic acid, laminarin, fucoidin and carrageenan can also be used. Among these, indigestible dextrin and polydextrose are preferred from the viewpoint of versatility such as stability and safety.

Hops refer to ordinary pellet hops, bale hops, hop extracts, processed hop products (isolated hops, hexahops, tetrahops) and the like used in the production of beer and the like.
The beer-taste beverage of the present invention does not use hops as raw materials.
A “hop-free” beverage is a beverage that does not use hops as an ingredient, and means, for example, a beverage that does not include “hops” in the ingredients list of the beverage.

1.2 Flavor Components The beer-taste beverage of the present invention contains linalool, 2,5-dimethyl-4-hydroxy-3 (
2H)-furanone and 2-acetylpyrazine. The use of these fragrant components can effectively mask unpleasant odors generated during the heating process or the like.

Linalool is 3,7-dimethyl-1,6-octadien-3-ol, and at room temperature (2
It is a liquid compound at 0 to 25 ° C.) (density at 20 ° C.: 0.87 g / cm ³ or less, when indicating the mass of linalool, indicates the mass at 20 ° C.), and has a refreshing sweet scent like lily of the valley. It is a component contained in black tea, green tea, etc., and is also known as one of the aroma components of hops.
2,5-Dimethyl-4-hydroxy-3(2H)-furanone is a component having a sweet aroma and is contained in strawberries, pineapples and the like.
2-Acetylpyrazine is a component having a grain-like fragrant aroma, and is contained in peanuts, popcorn, sesame seeds, and the like.

Linalool, 2,5-dimethyl-4-hydroxy-3(2H)-furanone and 2-acetylpyrazine may be used alone or in combination.

The content of linalool in the beer-taste fermented beverage using the fermented liquid as the original beverage is 0.0
05 ppm by mass or more is preferable, 0.005 to 0.5 ppm by mass is more preferable, and 0.5 ppm by mass is more preferable.
01 to 0.5 ppm by weight is particularly preferred. The content of linalool in a beer-taste non-fermented beverage using a non-fermented liquid as an original beverage is preferably 0.005 ppm by mass or more, and 0.005
~0.5 mass ppm is more preferred, and 0.01 to 0.5 mass ppm is particularly preferred.

The content of 2,5-dimethyl-4-hydroxy-3(2H)-furanone in the beer-taste fermented beverage using the fermented liquid as the original beverage is preferably 0.07 ppm by mass or more, and 0.07
~5 ppm by mass is more preferred, and 0.1 to 5 ppm by mass is particularly preferred. 2,5-dimethyl-4-hydroxy-3 in beer-taste non-fermented beverages using non-fermented liquid as the original beverage
The content of (2H)-furanone is preferably 0.07 mass ppm or more, and 0.07 to 5 mass p
pm is more preferred, and 0.1 to 5 mass ppm is particularly preferred.

The content of 2-acetylpyrazine in the beer-taste fermented beverage using the fermented liquid as the original beverage is preferably 0.04 ppm by mass or more, more preferably 0.04 to 5 ppm by mass, and 0
. 05 to 5 ppm by weight is particularly preferred. The content of linalool in a beer-taste non-fermented beverage using a non-fermented liquid as an original beverage is preferably 0.07 ppm by mass or more, more preferably 0.07 to 5 ppm by mass, and particularly preferably 0.1 to 5 ppm by mass. .

1.3 Carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide contained in the beer-taste beverage of the present invention may be carbon dioxide contained in raw materials, or may be dissolved by mixing with carbonated water or adding carbon dioxide. .
Carbon dioxide gas contained in the beer-taste beverage of the present invention can be used as it is because carbon dioxide gas is generated in the fermentation process when a fermentation liquid is used as a raw material. again,
When non-fermented liquor is used as a raw material, the carbon dioxide generated in the fermentation process cannot be used. can be dissolved.

The amount of carbon dioxide gas contained in the beer-taste beverage of the present invention is represented by the carbon dioxide pressure of the beverage, and is not particularly limited as long as it does not interfere with the effects of the present invention. Typically, the upper carbon dioxide pressure of the beverage is 4.0 kg/ ^cm2 , 3.4 kg/ ^cm2 , or 2.8 kg/cm2 ^.
and the lower limit is 0.2 kg/cm ² , 0.9 kg/cm ² or 1.5 kg/cm ² , and any of these upper and lower limits may be combined. For example, the carbon dioxide gas pressure of beverages is 0.2 kg/cm ² or more and 4.0 kg/cm ² or less, and 0.2 kg/cm ² or more and 3.4.
kg/cm ² or less, 0.9 kg/cm ² or more and 2.8 kg/cm ² or less, or 1.5 kg
/cm ² or more and 2.8 kg/cm ² or less. The gas pressure in this specification refers to the gas pressure within the container, except in special cases. The pressure is measured by a method well known to those skilled in the art. For example, after fixing a sample heated to 20° C. to a gas pressure gauge, open the stopcock of the gas pressure gauge once to release the gas, close the stopcock again, and can be measured using a method of reading the value when the pointer reaches a certain position by shaking the pointer, or using a commercially available gas pressure measuring device.

1.4 Other Additives In the present invention, various additives may be added as necessary as long as the effects of the present invention are not impaired. For example, coloring agents, foaming agents, flavoring agents, fermentation accelerators, sweeteners, bittering agents, yeast extracts,
Proteinaceous substances such as peptide-containing substances, seasonings such as amino acids, antioxidants such as ascorbic acid, various acidulants, and the like can be added as necessary within a range that does not impair the effects of the present invention. A coloring agent is used to impart a beer-like color to a beverage, and caramel coloring and the like can be used. The foam-forming agent is used to form a beer-like foam in a beverage or to retain the foam of the beverage. Protein and peptide-containing substances, protein-based substances such as bovine serum albumin, yeast extract, etc. can be used as appropriate. Flavors are used for beer-like flavoring, and an appropriate amount of flavorings having beer flavor can be used. Fermentation promoters are used to promote fermentation by yeast. For example, yeast extract, bran ingredients such as rice and wheat, vitamins, minerals, etc. can be used alone or in combination. As sweeteners, both natural sweeteners and synthetic sweeteners, high-intensity sweeteners can be used, including sucrose derivatives such as sucralose;
Synthetic sweeteners such as acesulfame K, saccharin, etc., may be used alone or in combination with two or more.
More than one species can be used in combination. Bittering agents include quasin, naringin, citrus extract,
Bitter gourd extract, coffee extract, tea extract, bitter gourd extract, lotus germ extract, aloe vera extract, wormwood extract, stonecrop extract, litchi extract, laurel extract, sage extract, caraway extract, etc. can be used.

2. Method for producing a beer-taste beverage The method for producing a beer-taste beverage according to the present invention, in which hops are not used as a raw material, includes a heating step of the original beverage, aroma components (linalool, 2,5-dimethyl-4-hydroxy-3 (2H) -furanone, 2-acetylpyrazine) concentration, and the timing of the adjustment step is arbitrary.
Hops are not used as raw materials for the original beverage. Further, the original beverage may be a fermented liquid obtained through a fermentation process or a non-fermented liquid that has not undergone a fermentation process.

Hops are generally used as a raw material for producing beer, and their main purpose is to impart bitterness to beer. Since hops also have an antibacterial effect, when used as a raw material for beer, the growth of microorganisms contained in beer can be prevented.
In the method for producing a beer-taste beverage of the present invention, since hops are not used as raw materials, a heating step is required to prevent the growth of microorganisms, but the heating step may generate an unpleasant odor. According to the beer-taste beverage and the method for producing the same of the present invention, such an unpleasant odor can be effectively masked.

When the original beverage contains an aromatic component derived from raw materials, the aromatic component is added so that the content thereof and the content of the added aromatic component are equal to a predetermined content.

Hereinafter, the method for producing a beer-taste beverage of the present invention will be described by dividing it into (1) a raw beverage production step, (2) a heating step, and (3) an aroma component adjustment step.

2.1 Manufacturing Process of Original Beverage As the manufacturing process of the original beverage, the manufacturing process of the fermented liquid and the non-fermented liquid will be explained.

(1) Process for producing fermented liquid The fermented liquid, which is the original beverage used in the method for producing a beer-taste beverage of the present invention, is prepared by, for example,
It is obtained by manufacturing processes for beer-taste beverages well known to those skilled in the art, such as a preparation process, a fermentation process, a liquor storage process, a filtration process, and a container filling process.
Specifically, raw materials are put into a preparation pot or a preparation tank, enzymes such as amylase are added as necessary, gelatinized and saccharified, filtered and boiled, and coagulated proteins etc. are removed in a clarification tank. Remove solids. After that, yeast is further added and fermented, the yeast is removed with a filter or the like, and water, brewing alcohol, additives, etc. are added as necessary to obtain a fermented liquid.

The fermentation process may be a process in which yeast is added to a stock solution such as wort containing barley, malt extract, soybean peptide, etc. and water, and fermentation is performed, and various conditions such as fermentation temperature and fermentation period are free. can be set. For example, when producing a beer-taste fermented beverage, the fermentation may be carried out under conditions of 8 to 25° C. for 5 to 10 days, which are the fermentation conditions for producing ordinary beer and low-malt beer. The temperature (increase or decrease) or pressure of the fermented liquid may be changed during the fermentation process.

The yeast used in the fermentation process can be selected in consideration of the type of fermented beverage to be produced, the desired flavor, fermentation conditions, and the like. For example, commercially available yeast such as Weihenstephan-34 strain can be used. The yeast may be added to the wort as a yeast suspension, or may be added to the wort as a slurry in which the yeast is concentrated by centrifugation or sedimentation. Alternatively, after centrifugation, the supernatant may be completely removed and added. The amount of yeast to be added to the wort can be appropriately set, and is, for example, about 5×10 ⁶ cells/ml to 1×10 ⁸ cells/ml.

(2) Manufacturing process of non-fermented liquid The manufacturing process of the non-fermented liquid, which is the original beverage used in the method for producing the beer-taste beverage of the present invention, does not include a fermentation process, and water is added to wheat, malt extract, soybean peptide, etc. It is obtained by a mixing step of mixing a stock solution such as wort containing carbonated water or carbon dioxide gas with alcohol. No hops are used to make the concentrate. In addition to the mixing step, the non-fermented liquid may further include production steps for beer-taste beverages known to those skilled in the art, such as preparation, storage, and packaging.

2.2 Heating process Since the original beverage does not contain hops, a heating process is necessary to prevent the growth of microorganisms.
The heating time and heating temperature in the heating step are not particularly limited, but can be arbitrarily set, for example, at 65° C. or higher for 10 minutes or longer, or at 75° C. for 1 minute, depending on the microorganisms that may be contained. Although the temperature after heating is not particularly limited, it is preferable to slowly cool to room temperature.

2.3 Aroma component adjustment process The aroma components whose content is adjusted are linalool, 2,5-dimethyl-4-hydroxy-3 (
It is one or more selected from 2H)-furanone and 2-acetylpyrazine.
The aroma component is adjusted according to the amount of the aroma component to be contained in the finally obtained beer-taste beverage. For example, if the raw beverage contains a certain amount of aroma components, the amount of the aroma components added is subtracted from the amount already contained in the raw beverage.
The timing of adjusting the aroma component is not particularly limited, and may be before the heating step or after the heating step.

The amount of linalool added in the aromatic component addition step of the method for producing a beer-taste beverage of the present invention is such that when a fermented liquid is used as the original beverage, the linalool content in the final beer-taste fermented beverage is 0.005 mass ppm. Above, preferably 0.005 to 0.5 mass ppm
, more preferably 0.01 to 5 mass ppm. When a non-fermented liquid is used for the original beverage, the content of linalool in the final beer-taste non-fermented beverage is 0.0
05 ppm by mass or more, preferably 0.005 to 0.5 ppm by mass, more preferably 0.5 ppm by mass.
It is adjusted to be 01 to 5 mass ppm.

The amount of 2,5-dimethyl-4-hydroxy-3(2H)-furanone added in the aroma component addition step of the method for producing a beer-taste beverage of the present invention is
2,5-dimethyl-4-hydroxy-3 (2H) in the final beer-taste fermented beverage
)-furanone content is 0.07 mass ppm or more, preferably 0.07 to 5 mass ppm,
More preferably, it is adjusted to 0.1 to 5 ppm by mass. When a non-fermented liquid is used for the original beverage, the content of 2,5-dimethyl-4-hydroxy-3(2H)-furanone in the final beer-taste non-fermented beverage is 0.07 mass ppm or more, preferably 0. .07 to 5
It is adjusted to mass ppm, more preferably 0.1 to 5 mass ppm.

2-Acetylpyrazine in the aroma component addition step of the method for producing a beer-taste beverage of the present invention is 2-
The content of acetylpyrazine is 0.04 ppm by mass or more, preferably 0.04 to 5 ppm by mass
m, more preferably 0.05 to 5 mass ppm. When a non-fermented liquid is used for the original beverage, the content of 2-acetylpyrazine in the final beer-taste non-fermented beverage is 0.07 ppm by mass or more, preferably 0.07 to 5 ppm by mass, more preferably 0.07 ppm by mass or more. It is adjusted to be 1 to 5 mass ppm.

2.4 Adjustment of Fragrant Components The content of aromatic components can be adjusted in the step of adding aromatic components, but it can also be adjusted by selecting raw materials, boiling conditions of wort or the like when preparing a fermented liquor, and the like. For example, furaneol and 2
- When it is desired to increase the content of acetylpyrazine, it is possible to achieve the desired content of aroma components by malting the malt containing a large amount of these aroma components.

3 Container-Packed Beverage The beer-taste beverage of the invention can be packaged by filling and sealing the container.
Containers of any shape and material may be used, and examples of containers include bottles, cans, barrels, and PET bottles.

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

[Example A] Beer-taste fermented beverage 20 kg of malt was pulverized and put into 80 L of hot water at 52°C. The mixture was held for 40 minutes while stirring well, then held at 65° C. for 40 minutes and at 78° C. for 2 minutes, and filtered to remove malt cake to obtain wort. After the wort was boiled and cooled, brewer's yeast was added and fermented for about a week. The yeast was removed and bottled to produce a fermented liquor without hops.

The fermented liquid was heated at 65° C. for 10 minutes. Comparative Example 1 was obtained by adding nothing after cooling. The alcohol concentration of Comparative Example 1 was 4.4% by weight.
In addition, linalool, 2,5-dimethyl-4-hydroxy-3(2H)-furanone or 2-acetylpyrazine was added to the beverage of Comparative Example 1 as an aromatic component so as to have the concentration shown in Table 1, and the beverage A1 to A12 were produced.

Sensory evaluation (flavor improvement effect, comprehensive evaluation of the beverage) was carried out on the obtained beverage by 5 panelists. Table 1 shows the results.
The evaluation of the flavor improvement effect was based on Comparative Example 1, and the effect of reducing the unpleasant odor due to heating was evaluated on a three-point scale of 1: not at all, 2: slightly felt but insufficient, and 3: yes, and 2.5 or more passed. and
In addition, the overall evaluation of beer-taste beverages is
1: not very tasty 2: not tasty 3: neither 4: tasty 5: very tasty Evaluation was made on a scale of five.

From this, in the beer-taste fermented beverage, 2,5-dimethyl-4-hydroxy-3 (2H)-
When the furanone content is 0.2 to 2 ppm by mass (beverages A6 to A8) and the 2-acetylpyrazine content is 0.05 to 2 ppm by mass (beverages A9 to A12), the unpleasant odor due to heating is reduced and the flavor is highly improved. was obtained.
In addition, it was found that these beverages, in which a high flavor-improving effect was obtained, were also excellent in overall evaluation of beer-taste beverages.

In Example A above, each flavor component was added after heating, but even when each flavor component was added after heating, the same flavor improvement effect and overall evaluation of the beer-taste beverage were obtained.

[Example B] Beer-taste non-fermented beverage (malt extract)
Add alcohol to a commercially available malt extract so that the alcohol concentration is 4.4% by weight,
Carbon dioxide was added to produce a non-fermented liquor without using hops.

The non-fermented liquid was heated at 65° C. for 10 minutes. Comparative Example 2 was a beverage to which nothing was added after cooling.
In addition, linalool, 2,5-dimethyl-4-hydroxy-3(2H)-furanone or 2-acetylpyrazine was added to the beverage of Comparative Example 2 as an aromatic component so that the concentrations shown in Table 2 were obtained. B1-B9 were produced.

In the same manner as in Example A, the beverage obtained in Example B was subjected to sensory evaluation (flavor improvement effect, comprehensive evaluation of beverage) by four panelists. Table 2 shows the results.

From this, in the beer-taste non-fermented beverage using malt extract, 2,5-dimethyl-4-hydroxy-3 (2H)- At a furanone content of 0.2 to 2 mass ppm (beverages B5 and B6) and a 2-acetylpyrazine content of 0.2 to 2 mass ppm (beverages B8 and B9), unpleasant odors due to heating are reduced and a high flavor improvement effect is achieved. was obtained.
In addition, it was found that these beverages, in which a high flavor-improving effect was obtained, were also excellent in overall evaluation of beer-taste beverages.

[Example C] Beer-taste non-fermented beverage (soybean peptide)
Alcohol was added to a commercially available soybean peptide so that the alcohol concentration was 4.4% by weight, and carbon dioxide gas was added to produce a non-fermented liquid without using hops.

The non-fermented liquid was heated at 65° C. for 10 minutes. Comparative Example 3 was a beverage to which nothing was added after cooling.
In addition, linalool, 2,5-dimethyl-4-hydroxy-3(2H)-furanone or 2-acetylpyrazine was added to the beverage of Comparative Example 3 as an aromatic component so that the concentrations shown in Table 3 were obtained. C1-C3 were produced.

In the same manner as in Example A, the beverage obtained in Example C was subjected to sensory evaluation (flavor improvement effect, comprehensive evaluation of beverage) by four panelists. Table 3 shows the results.

From this, linalool, 2
,5-dimethyl-4-hydroxy-3(2H)-furanone and 2-acetylpyrazine were found to reduce the unpleasant odor caused by heating and to obtain a high flavor-improving effect.
In addition, it was found that these beverages, in which a high flavor-improving effect was obtained, were also excellent in overall evaluation of beer-taste beverages.

Claims (9)

A heat-sterilized beer-taste non-fermented beverage containing 0.07 ppm by mass or more of 2-acetylpyrazine and containing 1 to 15% by weight of alcohol, without using hops. 2. The beer-taste beverage according to claim 1, wherein grains are used as raw materials. 3. The beer-taste beverage according to claim 2, wherein said grain comprises wheat. 4. The beer-taste beverage according to claim 3, wherein the barley contains one or more selected from the group consisting of barley, wheat, pigeon, rye, oats, malt thereof, and extracts thereof. The beer-taste beverage according to any one of claims 1 to 4, containing 0.2 mass ppm or more of 2-acetylpyrazine. The beer-taste beverage according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising linalool or 2,5-dimethyl-4-hydroxy-3(2H)-furanone. The content of the linalool is 0.005 mass ppm or more, the content of the 2,5-dimethyl-4-hydroxy-3(2H)-furanone is 0.07 mass ppm or more, according to claim 6 beer-taste beverage. The beer-taste beverage according to any one of claims 1 to 7, which has an alcohol content of 1 to 7% by weight. A method for producing a beer-taste non-fermented beverage in which hops are not used as raw materials,
A step of heat sterilizing the original beverage at 65 ° C. or higher for 10 minutes or longer, and
adjusting the concentration of 2-acetylpyrazine;
including
The production method, wherein the beer-taste non-fermented beverage contains 0.07 ppm by mass or more of 2-acetylpyrazine.