JP7260338B2 - Roasted tea beverage, method for producing roasted tea beverage, and method for suppressing bitterness of roasted tea beverage and improving aftertaste - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a roasted tea beverage, a method for producing a roasted tea beverage, and a method for suppressing the bitterness of a roasted tea beverage and improving the aftertaste.

Among teas, roasted tea beverages have a unique roasted aroma and are widely consumed. In green tea, oolong tea, and black tea beverages, it is disclosed to adjust the composition for the purpose of suppressing bitterness and suppressing changes in the composition of catechins (for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2007-325585 A

However, no roasted tea beverage with sufficiently suppressed bitterness and good aftertaste has been obtained so far.

An object of the present invention is to obtain a roasted tea beverage with suppressed bitterness and good aftertaste.

The hojicha beverage according to the present invention has a mass ratio of non-gallated catechins to tannin of 0.30 or more, a gallic acid content of 110 ppm or less, and a Brix of 0.20 or more.

The hojicha beverage preferably has a caffeine content of 90 to 150 ppm.

The hojicha beverage may have a Brix of 0.60 or less.

The present invention also includes adjusting the mass ratio of non-gallated catechins to tannin to 0.30 or more, adjusting the gallic acid content to 110 ppm or less, and adjusting the brix to 0.20 or more. , to provide a method for producing a roasted tea beverage. By this production method, it is possible to obtain a hojicha beverage with suppressed bitterness and a favorable aftertaste.

The present invention also includes adjusting the mass ratio of non-gallated catechins to tannin to 0.30 or more, adjusting the gallic acid content to 110 ppm or less, and adjusting the brix to 0.20 or more. To provide a method for suppressing the bitterness of a roasted tea beverage and improving the aftertaste.

According to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a roasted tea beverage with reduced bitterness and a favorable aftertaste.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail below. However, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.

The hojicha beverage according to the present invention has a mass ratio of non-gallated catechins to tannin of 0.30 or more, a gallic acid content of 110 ppm or less, and a Brix of 0.20 or more. By having the composition, the roasted tea beverage according to the present invention is suppressed in bitterness and sourness, has good aftertaste, and can have a sufficient taste as a roasted tea beverage.

In the present specification, the roasted tea beverage is generally classified as a roasted tea beverage, and is a liquid containing a roasted tea extract obtained by extracting roasted tea leaves. The hojicha beverage may contain, for example, various additives, water, etc. in addition to the hojicha extract. Hojicha tea leaves may be, for example, tea leaves produced by roasting instead of steaming in the process of producing green tea such as sencha. Hojicha tea leaves may be those produced by roasting tea leaves such as sencha and bancha at high heat as defined by the Japan Tea Industry Central Association in the "Labeling Standards for Green Tea" (September 2009). . The hojicha extract may be liquid or solid such as powder. The Hojicha extract may be a concentrate of an extract obtained by extracting Hojicha tea leaves.

In the roasted tea beverage according to the present embodiment, the mass ratio of non-gallated catechins to the total amount of tannins is 0.30 or more. Non-gallated catechins refer to catechins that do not have a gallate group. Non-gallated catechins include catechin, gallocatechin, epicatechin, and epigallocatechin. In this specification, the value indicated as the tannin content of the roasted tea beverage is a value including the gallated catechin content, the non-gallated catechin content, the gallic acid content, etc., and the official analytical method for green tea ("official analytical method for tea" It is a value measured according to the report of the Tea Research Institute, No. 6, pp. 169-170, 1970). Gallate-type catechins are responsible for the bitterness and astringency of hojicha beverages. The present inventors found that the bitterness of roasted green tea beverages can be suppressed by increasing the proportion of non-gallated catechins in the tannin content.

The roasted tea beverage according to the present embodiment preferably has a mass ratio of non-gallated catechins to tannins of 0.32 or more, more preferably 0.35 or more. The mass ratio of non-gallated catechins to tannins may be, for example, 0.50 or less, 0.45 or less, or 0.40 or less.

The mass ratio of non-gallated catechins to tannins in the hojicha beverage can be increased, for example, by treating the hojicha extract with tannase. For the tannase treatment, a method known as tannase treatment of tea can be used. When performing tannase treatment, the enzyme is deactivated after the treatment. The tannase treatment removes the gallate group from the gallate-type catechins to produce non-gallate-type catechins, so that the content of the gallate-type catechins can be reduced and the non-gallate-type catechins can be increased. The roasted tea beverage according to the present embodiment may be produced, for example, by mixing a tannase-treated roasted tea extract and a non-tannase-treated roasted tea extract. The mass ratio of non-gallated catechins in tannins may also be increased, for example, by adding non-gallated catechins and/or removing gallated catechins.

The hojicha beverage according to the present embodiment has a gallic acid content of 110 ppm or less. When the gallic acid content is within this range, the sourness can be suppressed and the aftertaste of the beverage can be improved. The gallic acid content of the hojicha beverage may be 100 ppm or less, or 90 ppm or less, preferably 85 ppm or less, and may be 80 ppm or less, 70 ppm or less, 60 ppm or less, or 50 ppm or less. The gallic acid content of the hojicha beverage may be, for example, 1 ppm or more, 5 ppm or more, 10 ppm or more, 20 ppm or more, or 30 ppm or more. The gallic acid content of the hojicha beverage can be adjusted, for example, by adding water, selecting predetermined tea leaves, adjusting the roasting conditions of tea leaves, adjusting the extraction conditions of tea leaves, adding or removing gallic acid, and treating with tannase. .

The hojicha beverage according to the present embodiment has a Brix of 0.20 or more. Brix is an indicator of the overall strength of the roasted tea beverage, that is, the amount of soluble solids. For example, if the hojicha beverage is diluted with water, it is possible to reduce the soluble solid content in the hojicha beverage. It is .20 or more, and the taste as Hojicha is fully maintained.

The Brix of the hojicha beverage may be 0.22 or higher, or 0.24 or higher. The Brix of the hojicha beverage may be, for example, 0.60 or less, 0.50 or less, 0.45 or less, 0.40 or less, or 0.35 or less. Adjustment of the Brix of the hojicha beverage can be performed, for example, by adding water, selecting predetermined tea leaves, adjusting the roasting conditions of tea leaves, adjusting the extraction conditions of tea leaves, adding soluble solids, and the like.

In the hojicha beverage according to the present embodiment, from the viewpoint of sufficiently exhibiting the original taste of tea, the brix derived from the hojicha extract (houjicha Amount of soluble solids derived from the extract) is preferably 0.70 or more. That is, the ratio of Brix derived from external additives other than the roasted tea extract to the Brix of the whole roasted tea beverage according to the present embodiment is preferably 0.30 or less.

The caffeine content of the roasted tea beverage according to this embodiment may be, for example, 70-180 ppm or 80-170 ppm. The caffeine content of the roasted tea beverage is preferably 90-150 ppm. When the caffeine content is 90 ppm or more, the flavor of the hojicha beverage can be enhanced. When the caffeine content is 150 ppm or less, the bitterness of the hojicha beverage can be suppressed and the aftertaste can be improved.

The caffeine content of the hojicha beverage may be 100 ppm or more, or 110 ppm or more, and may be 140 ppm or less, 130 ppm or less, or 125 ppm or less. The caffeine content of the hojicha beverage can be adjusted, for example, by adding water, selecting predetermined tea leaves, adjusting tea leaf roasting conditions, adjusting tea leaf extraction conditions, adding caffeine, and the like.

The roasted tea beverage according to the present embodiment preferably has a total catechin content of less than 200 ppm, more preferably 180 ppm or less. The total catechin content is the content of gallated catechins (catechin gallate, epicatechin gallate, gallocatechin gallate and epigallocatechin gallate) and the content of non-gallated catechins (catechin, gallocatechin, epicatechin and epigallocatechin). total amount. When the total catechin content is within the above range, it is preferable because the roasted aroma is easily perceived in the roasted tea beverage. The total catechin content of the hojicha beverage can be adjusted, for example, by adding water, selecting predetermined tea leaves, adjusting roasting conditions for tea leaves, adjusting conditions for extracting tea leaves, and the like.

The pH of the hojicha beverage according to this embodiment may be, for example, 5.5 to 6.5.

The roasted tea beverage according to the present embodiment can contain known additives and the like for beverages to the extent that the effects of the present invention are not affected. Additives and the like are not particularly limited, but for example, known additives for beverages, such as baking soda, ascorbic acid, antioxidants, fragrances, various ester agents, inorganic acids, inorganic acid salts, inorganic salts, pigments , preservatives, seasonings, sweeteners, acidulants, fruit juice extracts, milks, pH adjusters, indigestible dextrin, quality stabilizers and the like can be used. Additives can be blended singly or in combination.

Sweeteners include, for example, sugar, glucose, fructose, isomerized liquid sugar, erythritol, glycyrrhizin, stevia, aspartame, sucralose, fructo-oligosaccharides, galacto-oligosaccharides and the like.

The roasted tea beverage according to this embodiment can be provided in a container. The container may be, for example, a PET bottle, a paper pack, a metal can, a glass bottle, or the like.

Note that when the parameters (mass ratio of non-gallated catechins to tannin, gallic acid content and Brix) in the roasted tea beverage according to the present embodiment are applied to green tea, the sourness becomes strong and a preferable flavor cannot be obtained. The present invention is particularly effective in roasted green tea beverages.

In the production of hojicha beverages, the mass ratio of non-gallated catechins to tannins is adjusted to 0.30 or more, the gallic acid content is adjusted to 110 ppm or less, and the brix is adjusted to 0.20 or more to reduce the bitterness of hojicha beverages. can be suppressed and the after-cutting can be improved. Therefore, the present invention includes adjusting the mass ratio of non-gallated catechins to tannin to 0.30 or more, adjusting the gallic acid content to 110 ppm or less, and adjusting the brix to 0.20 or more. , It can also be regarded as a method of suppressing the bitterness of the roasted tea beverage and improving the aftertaste. Specific methods for adjusting the mass ratio of non-gallated catechins to tannin, adjusting the gallic acid content, and adjusting Brix in this method are as described above.

The present invention also includes adjusting the mass ratio of non-gallated catechins to tannin to 0.30 or more, adjusting the gallic acid content to 110 ppm or less, and adjusting the brix to 0.20 or less. , can also be regarded as a method for producing hojicha beverages. Specific methods for adjusting the mass ratio of non-gallated catechins to tannin, adjusting the gallic acid content, and adjusting Brix in the production method are as described above.

EXAMPLES The present invention will now be described more specifically based on examples. However, the present invention is not limited by the following examples.

Each sample of roasted tea beverage was prepared so as to have the composition shown in Tables 1 to 3. Specifically, first, a tannase-treated hojicha extract and a tannase-untreated hojicha extract were prepared. Then, by mixing tannase-treated hojicha extract, untannase-treated hojicha extract, pure water, vitamin C, baking soda, gallic acid, and/or caffeine, the non-gallated catechin/tannin ratio, Brix, Each sample was prepared so that the gallic acid content and the caffeine content were the values shown in the table below. In all samples, the added amount of vitamin C was set to 400 ppm, and the added amount of sodium bicarbonate was set to 200 ppm.

The tannin content was measured according to the official analytical method for green tea (“Official analytical method for tea”, Report of the Tea Research Institute, No. 6, pp. 169-170, 1970). Brix was measured using a digital refractometer (RX-5000α, manufactured by Atago Co., Ltd.). The Brix derived from the roasted tea extract relative to the Brix of the whole roasted tea beverage was calculated to be 0.70 or more in all samples.

[Non-gallated catechins, total catechins, caffeine]
The contents of non-gallated catechins, total catechins and caffeine were measured by the following methods. A hojicha beverage sample was diluted 10-fold with ultrapure water, filtered through a 0.45 μm hydrophilic mixed cellulose ester filter, and used as a measurement sample. HPLC (Shimadzu prominence, Shimadzu Corporation) was used for the measurement. The measurement conditions were as follows.
Column: WakoPak Navi C18-5, 4.6 x 150 mm (Fujifilm Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd.)
Injection volume: 20 μl
Flow rate: 1 ml/min Mobile phase A: ultrapure water: phosphoric acid: acetonitrile = 1000: 2.5: 2.5 (v/v/v)
Mobile phase B: methanol 0-2 minutes: mobile phase A93.3%, mobile phase B6.7% → 37 minutes: mobile phase A73.3%, mobile phase B26.7% → 37.1 ~ 47 minutes: mobile phase A0%, mobile phase B100% → 47.1 to 55 minutes: mobile phase A93.3%, mobile phase B6.7%
Stop time: 55 minutes Post time: 0 minutes Oven temperature: 40°C
UV detector wavelength: measurement 242 nm and 272 nm
Fluorescence detector: excitation wavelength 280 nm, fluorescence wavelength 310 nm
Quantification method: absolute calibration curve method

The measured non-gallated catechin content was divided by the tannin content to obtain the mass ratio of non-gallated catechin to tannin. The total catechin amount was 180 ppm or less in any sample.

[gallic acid]
Gallic acid content was measured by the following method. To a 1.5 ml tube, 100 μL of a roasted green tea beverage sample filtered through a 0.45 μm hydrophilic PTFE filter and 900 μL of ultrapure water were added and stirred by vortexing to obtain a measurement sample. For some samples, 10-fold dilution was repeated in the same manner, and a 100-fold dilution was used for measurement.

HPLC (Agilent 1260 LC, Agilent Technologies Inc.) was used for the measurement. The measurement conditions were as follows.
Column: Sunshell C18, 4.6 mm × 250 mm, 5 µm (Chromanic Technologies, Inc.)
Injection volume: 20 μl
Flow rate: 1 ml/min Mobile phase A: phosphoric acid: ultrapure water = 2.5: 1000
Mobile phase B: Methanol 0-5 minutes: mobile phase A 95%, mobile phase B 5% → 25 minutes: mobile phase A 80%, mobile phase B 20% → 30 minutes: mobile phase A 0%, mobile phase B 100%
Stop time: 35 minutes Post time: 15 minutes Oven temperature: 40°C
UV detector wavelength: measurement 280 nm, width 4 nm
Quantification method: absolute calibration curve method

The pH of the prepared hojicha beverage was measured with a pH meter (F-72, manufactured by Horiba, Ltd.). All of the hojicha beverages had a pH of 6.0±0.3.

Five trained panelists drank each of the prepared hojicha beverages and evaluated bitterness and aftertaste by discussion of the five panelists. After-drinking is the difficulty of leaving a sour taste in the mouth after drinking. Bitterness and aftertaste were evaluated according to the following criteria. In both cases, ◯ or Δ was considered as acceptable.
[bitter taste]
◯: No bitterness is felt.
△: Bitter taste is sensed slightly.
x: A strong bitterness is sensed.
[Later cut]
◯: No sour taste was felt, and the aftertaste was good.
Δ: Slightly sour taste is felt after drinking, and the aftertaste is somewhat poor.
x: A sour taste is felt after drinking, and the aftertaste is poor.

Samples 1-4 were prepared with varying ratios of non-gallated catechins/tannins while maintaining approximately the same Brix, gallic acid content and caffeine content. Sample 5 was prepared to have similar non-gallated catechin/tannin ratio, gallic acid content, and caffeine content and reduced Brix values to Sample 2.

Sample 1 had a strong bitterness, left a sour taste, and tasted as if it had aged. Sample 2 had weak bitterness and astringency and was preferable, but had a slightly weak aroma and a watery feeling. Sample 4 was fruity, had umami and richness, and was refreshingly drinkable. Sample 3 was somewhere between Samples 2 and 4. Sample 5 had a weak taste and was objectionable.

Samples 6-9 were prepared to vary the caffeine content while maintaining approximately the same non-gallated catechin/tannin ratio, Brix content and gallic acid content. Sample 6 was preferable, but it felt a little thin, had a thin taste, and was too bitter. Samples 7 and 8 were preferred. Sample 9 was preferable, but had a slightly strong bitterness and a slightly poor aftertaste.

Samples 10-12 were prepared to vary in gallic acid content while having approximately the same non-gallated catechin/tannin ratio, Brix content and caffeine content. Sample 10 was preferred. Sample 11 was preferable, but had a slightly sour taste, a slightly bad aftertaste, and a slightly aged taste. Sample 12 was unfavorable because it had a strong sour taste, a bad aftertaste, and a slightly bitter taste.

In addition, when green tea having a mass ratio of non-gallated catechins to tannin of 0.30 or more, a gallic acid content of 110 ppm or less, and a Brix of 0.20 or more was prepared, the obtained green tea had a strong sour taste. , did not have a favorable flavor.

Claims (5)

A roasted tea beverage having a mass ratio of non-gallated catechins to tannin of 0.30 or more, a gallic acid content of 110 ppm or less, and a Brix of 0.20 or more. The roasted tea beverage according to claim 1, wherein the caffeine content is 90-150 ppm. 3. The roasted tea beverage according to claim 1 or 2, having a Brix of 0.60 or less. Adjusting the mass ratio of non-gallated catechins to tannins to 0.30 or more;
adjusting the gallic acid content to 110 ppm or less;
and adjusting the Brix to 0.20 or higher. Adjusting the mass ratio of non-gallated catechins to tannins to 0.30 or more;
adjusting the gallic acid content to 110 ppm or less;
A method for reducing the bitterness of a roasted tea beverage and improving the aftertaste, comprising adjusting the Brix to 0.20 or more.