JP7477979B2 - Beer-flavored beverages - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a beer-flavored beverage.

In recent years, the market for beer-flavored beverages (beer-flavored non-alcoholic beverages) with an alcohol content of less than 1 v/v% has expanded. In addition, various beer-flavored non-alcoholic beverages with flavor characteristics reminiscent of beer-flavored beverages and methods for producing them have been disclosed. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a method for producing a low-alcohol beer-like beverage, which is characterized by diluting beer and/or happoshu to an alcohol concentration of less than 1 v/v% and blending additives that impart visual and flavor characteristics resembling beer. In addition, Patent Document 2 discloses an unfermented beer-flavored malt beverage prepared from wort, in which at least one of the concentrations of phenylacetaldehyde, the sum of the concentrations of 2-methylbutanal and 3-methylbutanal, the concentration of furfural, and the concentration of methional in the beer-flavored malt beverage is adjusted to a specific concentration range.

International Publication No. 2004/018612 JP 2011-67215 A

However, the effect of combining trace amounts of ethanol and furfural on the flavor of beer-flavored beverages was previously unknown.

The present invention aims to provide a beer-flavored beverage (non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage) that has the bitterness and sharpness characteristic of a beer-flavored beverage.

The inventors have discovered that a beer-flavored non-alcoholic beverage containing a specific amount of furfural and a specific amount of ethanol has an improved bitterness and sharpness characteristic of a beer-flavored beverage. The present invention is based on this novel finding.

The present invention relates to a beer-flavored beverage that contains furfural and ethanol, in which the furfural content is from 15 μg/L to 100 μg/L and the ethanol content is from 0.02 v/v% to 0.75 v/v%.

The beer-flavored beverage of the present invention contains a combination of a specific amount of furfural and a specific amount of ethanol, and therefore has the bitterness and sharpness characteristic of a beer-flavored beverage.

The beer-taste beverage may further contain propylene glycol, and the propylene glycol content may be 15 mg/L or more and 100 mg/L or less.

The ethanol content of the beer-taste beverage may be less than 0.50 v/v %. This will further enhance the effects of the present invention.

The present invention also relates to a method for improving the bitterness and sharpness of a beer-taste beverage, which comprises adding furfural in an amount of 15 μg/L or more and 100 μg/L or less, and adding ethanol in an amount of 0.02 v/v% or more and 0.75 v/v% or less.

The present invention can provide a beer-taste beverage (non-alcoholic beer-taste beverage) that has excellent bitterness and sharpness characteristic of a beer-taste beverage. The present invention can also provide a method for improving the bitterness and sharpness of a beer-taste beverage.

The following describes in detail the embodiments of the present invention. Note that the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.

[Beer-flavored beverages]
The beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment contains furfural and ethanol, with the furfural content being 15 μg/L or more and 100 μg/L or less, and the ethanol content being 0.02 v/v% or more and 0.75 v/v% or less. Because the beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment contains a combination of a specific amount of furfural and a specific amount of ethanol, it has an excellent bitterness and sharpness characteristic of a beer-taste beverage.

In this specification, the term "beer-taste beverage" refers to a beverage that has a beer-like flavor. The beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment is a non-alcoholic beverage (beer-taste non-alcoholic beverage) with an alcohol content of less than 1 v/v%. In this specification, alcohol refers to ethanol unless otherwise specified.

The furfural content of the beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment may be 15 μg/L or more and 100 μg/L or less. From the viewpoint of further improving the bitterness and sharpness characteristic of a beer-taste beverage, the furfural content of the beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment may be 20 μg/L or more, 25 μg/L or more, 30 μg/L or more, 35 μg/L or more, 40 μg/L or more, 45 μg/L or more, 50 μg/L or more, or 55 μg/L or more. From the same viewpoint, the furfural content of the beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment may be 95 μg/L or less, 90 μg/L or less, 85 μg/L or less, 80 μg/L or less, 75 μg/L or less, 70 μg/L or less, or 65 μg/L or less.

The furfural content of the beer-flavored beverage according to this embodiment may be, for example, 25 μg/L or more and 100 μg/L or less. When the furfural content is within this range, the effects of the present invention are more pronounced. From a similar perspective, the furfural content of the beer-flavored beverage according to this embodiment may be, for example, 30 μg/L or more and 95 μg/L or less, 35 μg/L or more and 90 μg/L or less, 40 μg/L or more and 80 μg/L or less, or 50 μg/L or more and 70 μg/L or less.

The furfural content of a beer-flavored beverage can be measured, for example, by GC-MS.

The furfural content of the beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment can be adjusted, for example, by adding furfural when producing the beer-taste beverage by a conventional method so that the content falls within the above range, or by adjusting the blending amount of a raw material containing furfural. When adding furfural, for example, furfural itself may be added, or a flavoring composition containing furfural may be added.

The ethanol content (alcohol content) of the beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment may be 0.02 v/v% or more and 0.75 v/v% or less. From the viewpoint of further enhancing the bitterness and sharpness characteristic of a beer-taste beverage, the ethanol content of the beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment may be 0.03 v/v% or more, 0.04 v/v% or more, 0.05 v/v% or more, 0.06 v/v% or more, 0.07 v/v% or more, 0.08 v/v% or more, 0.09 v/v% or more, or 0.10 v/v% or more. From a similar perspective, the ethanol content of the beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment may be 0.70 v/v% or less, 0.65 v/v% or less, 0.60 v/v% or less, 0.55 v/v% or less, 0.50 v/v% or less, less than 0.50 v/v%, 0.45 v/v% or less, 0.40 v/v% or less, 0.35 v/v% or less, or 0.30 v/v% or less.

The ethanol content of the beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment may be, for example, 0.02 v/v% or more and less than 0.50 v/v%. When the ethanol content is within this range, the effects of the present invention are more pronounced. From a similar perspective, the ethanol content of the beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment may be 0.06 v/v% or more and 0.40 v/v% or less, 0.08 v/v% or more and 0.35 v/v% or less, or 0.10 v/v% or more and 0.30 v/v% or less.

The ethanol content (alcohol content) of beer-taste beverages can be measured, for example, using the vibration density meter method described in the National Tax Agency's prescribed analytical method (instruction) "3 Sake 3-4 Alcohol content."

The ethanol content of the beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment may be adjusted to within the above range, for example, by adding alcohol, or by removing alcohol from the fermented liquid obtained by brewing, or by using a combination of these. There is no particular restriction on the alcohol added, and it may be, for example, distilled alcohol (e.g., raw material alcohol, spirits, vodka), or a fermented liquid obtained by brewing. There is no particular restriction on the method for removing alcohol from the fermented liquid obtained by brewing, and it may be carried out according to conventional methods such as distillation or dialysis.

The beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment may or may not contain propylene glycol. If the beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment contains propylene glycol, the propylene glycol content may be, for example, more than 0 mg/L and not more than 9000 mg/L. The propylene glycol content of the beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment may be, for example, 10 mg/L or more, 15 mg/L or more, 20 mg/L or more, 25 mg/L or more, 30 mg/L or more, 35 mg/L or more, 40 mg/L or more, 45 mg/L or more, 50 mg/L or more, or 55 mg/L or more, and may be 6000 mg/L or less, 5000 mg/L or less, 4000 mg/L or less, 3000 mg/L or less, 2000 mg/L or less, 1000 mg/L or less, 500 mg/L or less, 100 mg/L or less, 95 mg/L or less, 90 mg/L or less, 85 mg/L or less, 80 mg/L or less, 75 mg/L or less, 70 mg/L or less, or 65 mg/L or less.

The propylene glycol content of a beer-taste beverage can be measured, for example, by GC-MS.

The propylene glycol content of the beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment can be adjusted, for example, by adding propylene glycol. The propylene glycol added may be propylene glycol itself, or a flavoring composition, food additive, etc., that contains propylene glycol.

The beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment may or may not contain a barley raw material as a raw material. In this specification, the barley raw material refers to barley or a processed barley product. Examples of barley include barley, wheat, rye, oats, oats, pearl barley, and oats. Examples of processed barley include barley extract, malt, and malt extract. Barley extract is obtained by extracting barley extract components containing sugar and nitrogen from barley. Malt is obtained by germinating barley. Malt extract is obtained by extracting extract components containing sugar and nitrogen from malt.

The beer-flavored beverage according to this embodiment may or may not contain hops as an ingredient. Hops include dried hops, hop pellets, and hop extract, as well as processed hop products such as low hops, hexahops, tetrahops, and iso-hop extract.

The beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment may have a malt ratio (the proportion of malt in ingredients other than water and hops) of 0% by weight or more and 100% by weight or less. The malt ratio may be 10% by weight or more, 20% by weight or more, 30% by weight or more, 40% by weight or more, 50% by weight or more, 60% by weight or more, 65% by weight or more, 66% by weight or more, 67% by weight or more, 70% by weight or more, 80% by weight or more, 90% by weight or more, 95% by weight or more, 99% by weight or more, or 100% by weight. The malt ratio may also be less than 100% by weight, 90% by weight or less, 95% by weight or less, 90% by weight or less, 80% by weight or less, 70% by weight or less, 60% by weight or less, or 50% by weight or less.

The beer-flavored beverage according to this embodiment may contain colorants, sweeteners, high-intensity sweeteners, antioxidants, acidulants, flavorings, salts, and the like that are typically blended into beverages, provided that the effects of the present invention are not impaired. Examples of colorants include caramel color, gardenia color, fruit juice color, vegetable color, and synthetic color. Examples of sweeteners include high-fructose glucose liquid sugar, glucose, galactose, mannose, fructose, lactose, sucrose, maltose, glycogen, and starch. Examples of high-intensity sweeteners include neotame, acesulfame K, sucralose, saccharin, sodium saccharin, disodium glycyrrhizinate, cyclamate, dulcin, stevia, glycyrrhizin, thaumatin, monellin, aspartame, and alitame. Examples of antioxidants include vitamin C, vitamin E, and polyphenols. Examples of acidulants include phosphoric acid, lactic acid, DL-malic acid, citric acid, adipic acid, trisodium citrate, glucono-delta-lactone, gluconic acid, potassium gluconate, sodium gluconate, succinic acid, monosodium succinate, disodium succinate, sodium acetate, DL-tartaric acid, L-tartaric acid, sodium DL-tartrate, sodium L-tartrate, sodium lactate, glacial acetic acid, fumaric acid, monosodium fumarate, and sodium DL-malate. Examples of salts include table salt, potassium acid phosphate, calcium acid phosphate, ammonium phosphate, magnesium sulfate, calcium sulfate, potassium metabisulfite, calcium chloride, magnesium chloride, potassium nitrate, and ammonium sulfate.

The bitterness value (BU) of the beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment may be, for example, 0.0 or more and 50.0 or less. The BU of the beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment may be, for example, 40.0 or less, 30.0 or less, 20.0 or less, or 15.0 or less, or 1.0 or more, 2.0 or more, 3.0 or more, 4.0 or more, 5.0 or more, or 10.0 or more. The bitterness value of the beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment can be measured by the method described in "8.15 Bitterness Value" of the Revised BCOJ Beer Analysis Method (published by the Brewing Society of Japan, edited by the International Technical Committee of the Brewers Association of Japan (Analysis Committee), revised and expanded in 2013). The bitterness value can be set appropriately within the above range, for example, by adjusting the type and amount of raw materials used.

The beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment may be either non-sparkling or sparkling. Here, non-sparkling means that the gas pressure at 20° C. is less than 0.049 MPa (0.5 kg/cm ² ), and sparkling means that the gas pressure at 20° C. is 0.049 MPa (0.5 kg/cm ² ) or more. If the beer-taste beverage is sparkling, the upper limit of the gas pressure may be about 0.294 MPa (3.0 kg/cm ² ).

The beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment can be provided in a container. Any container that can be sealed can be used, and so-called canned or barrel containers made of metal (such as aluminum or steel). Glass containers, PET bottle containers, paper containers, pouch containers, etc. can also be used as the container. There is no particular limit to the capacity of the container, and any container currently in circulation can be used. It is preferable to use a metal container, as it completely blocks gas, moisture, and light and can maintain stable quality at room temperature for a long period of time.

The beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment may be produced, for example, by mixing ingredients (a blending method) or through fermentation using yeast or the like.

The manufacturing method according to one embodiment includes, for example, a blending step of blending water, furfural, alcohol (e.g., raw material alcohol, distilled alcohol such as spirits and vodka, fermented liquid obtained by brewing), and, as necessary, propylene glycol and/or various additives (e.g., colorants, sweeteners, high-intensity sweeteners, antioxidants, acidulants, flavorings, salts, etc.) in a raw material tank. The blending step can be carried out according to a conventional method, except that the contents of furfural and ethanol, and, as necessary, propylene glycol are adjusted to fall within the above ranges. Furfural may be blended as it is, or may be blended as a flavoring composition containing furfural.

The manufacturing method according to this embodiment may further include a filtration step of filtering the mixed liquid obtained by mixing the components in the blending step, a first sterilization step of sterilizing the filtrate filtered in the filtration step, a filling step of filling a container such as a bottle, a can, or a plastic bottle with the sterilized filtrate sterilized in the first sterilization step, and a second sterilization step of sterilizing the container together with the filtrate filled in the filling step.

In the blending step, the ingredients may be mixed while being stirred with a stirrer or the like so that they are thoroughly mixed. The filtration step may be performed, for example, with a general filter or strainer. The first sterilization step may be performed by plate sterilization from the viewpoint of processing speed, etc., and is not limited to this, and may be applied as long as a similar process can be performed. The filling step may be performed in a clean room that maintains a degree of cleanliness that is usually performed in the manufacture of beverages. The second sterilization step may be performed by heating the filtrate together with the container at a predetermined temperature and for a predetermined time. The first or second sterilization step may be a non-heating sterilization step. Examples of non-heating sterilization steps include ultraviolet (UV) sterilization. It is also possible to perform non-sterile filling without performing a sterilization step.

In another embodiment, the manufacturing method includes, for example, a brewing process, a fermentation process, and an alcohol content adjustment process.

In the brewing process, a pre-fermentation liquid is obtained using raw materials and brewing water (water used in the brewing process). In other words, the brewing process is a process for preparing a pre-fermentation liquid to be used in fermentation. The brewing process may include, in this order, a boiling process for boiling the sugar-containing liquid, a removal process for removing solids from the raw material liquid, and a cooling process for cooling the raw material liquid.

In the boiling process, the sugar-containing liquid is boiled to obtain a boiled liquid (sugar-containing liquid after boiling). A sugar-containing liquid is one that contains components that can be fermented into alcohol by yeast. Examples of sugar-containing liquids include wort and syrup. Wort is an unfermented liquid obtained through the saccharification of the above-mentioned barley raw material. Wort can be obtained, for example, through a process of mixing raw materials such as the above-mentioned barley raw material with water, a process of saccharifying the liquid containing the raw materials and water by a conventional method to obtain a saccharified liquid, and a process of filtering the saccharified liquid.

In the boiling process, hops may be added to the raw material liquid. Examples of hops that can be added include dried hops, hop pellets, and hop extract. The hops may be processed hop products such as low hops, hexahops, tetrahops, and iso-hop extracts.

In the removal step, the solids in the post-boiling liquid are removed to obtain a refined liquid. The removal step can be carried out, for example, by precipitating the insoluble solids contained in the post-boiling liquid. Examples of solids include thermal coagulations produced in the boiling step, and hop residues if hops are added in the boiling step. The removal step may be carried out in a whirlpool. In the cooling step, the refined liquid is cooled to a temperature at which fermentation by yeast is possible to obtain a pre-fermentation liquid.

In the fermentation process, the pre-fermentation liquid is fermented with yeast to obtain a post-fermentation liquid. In the fermentation process, yeast is added to carry out alcoholic fermentation. More specifically, yeast is inoculated into the pre-fermentation liquid and fermented to obtain a post-fermentation liquid containing alcohol produced by the yeast.

The alcohol content adjustment process is a process for adjusting the ethanol content within the above range. Since the beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment has a low alcohol content, the alcohol content may be adjusted, for example, by shortening the fermentation period in the fermentation process to suppress the production of alcohol, or the alcohol content may be adjusted by removing or reducing the alcohol after fermentation is performed in the same manner as in the case of ordinary beer or other beer-taste beverages in the fermentation process. There are no particular limitations on the method for removing or reducing the alcohol, and it may be carried out according to standard methods such as distillation or dialysis.

The manufacturing method according to this embodiment may include a step of filtering the post-fermentation liquid as a post-fermentation step following the fermentation step. By carrying out the filtration step, insoluble solids, yeast, etc. can be removed from the post-fermentation liquid.

In the manufacturing method according to this embodiment, other post-fermentation processes may include heating (sterilization) the post-fermentation liquid (or the post-fermentation liquid after the filtration process) and adding various additives (e.g., colorants, sweeteners, high-intensity sweeteners, antioxidants, acidulants, flavorings, salts).

The furfural content can be adjusted, for example, by adding furfural to the raw material liquid. In this specification, raw material liquid means the liquid that is the base for the beer-taste beverage. Raw material liquid includes liquids used or produced in each process (e.g., sugar-containing liquid, boiled liquid, refined liquid, pre-fermentation liquid, and post-fermentation liquid). The furfural content may also be adjusted by adjusting the blending amount of raw materials containing furfural.

The furfural added to the raw material liquid may be furfural itself, or may be a fragrance composition containing furfural.

[Method for improving the bitterness and sharpness of a beer-taste beverage]
The beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment has the effect of improving the bitterness and sharpness characteristic of a beer-taste beverage. Thus, one embodiment of the present invention provides a method for improving the bitterness (the bitterness characteristic of a beer-taste beverage) and sharpness (the sharpness characteristic of a beer-taste beverage) of a beer-taste beverage, comprising incorporating 15 μg/L or more and 100 μg/L or less of furfural and 0.02 v/v% or more and 0.75 v/v% or less of ethanol in the beer-taste beverage. Specific aspects of the method according to this embodiment can be the same as the specific aspects of the beer-taste beverage described above, without any restrictions.

The present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to examples. However, the present invention is not limited to the following examples.

[Test Example 1]
[Preparation of beer-taste beverages]
Furfural, propylene glycol, spirits (alcohol content: 65.5%) and water were mixed to the compositions shown in Tables 1 and 2 and filled into containers to prepare the beer-flavored beverages (beer-flavored non-alcoholic beverages) of Test Examples 1-1 to 1-5 and Test Examples 2-1 to 2-6.

〔sensory evaluation〕
The prepared beer-taste beverages were subjected to a sensory evaluation for the evaluation items "bitterness typical of a beer-taste beverage (hereinafter simply referred to as "bitterness")" and "sharpness typical of a beer-taste beverage (hereinafter simply referred to as "sharpness")". The sensory evaluation was carried out by a panel of five selected members with discriminating abilities. Each evaluation item was rated on a five-point scale from 1 to 5, and the average of the scores was used as the evaluation score.

"The bitterness typical of a beer-flavored beverage" is a bitterness that is felt the moment you drink it, but does not linger after you have drunk it, and has a pleasant aftertaste; the higher the score, the stronger this feeling is. "The crispness typical of a beer-flavored beverage" is a sensation that gives a refreshing and cool feeling, and does not leave an unpleasant aftertaste in the mouth; the higher the score, the stronger this feeling is. The results are shown in Tables 1 and 2.

For "bitterness" and "sharpness," the scores for the beer-taste beverage of Test Example 1-1 were fixed at 2 and 3, respectively, and other beer-taste beverages were evaluated based on these scores. For "bitterness," beer-taste beverages with an evaluation score of 2.5 or higher were considered to pass. For "sharpness," beer-taste beverages with an evaluation score of 3.0 or higher were considered to pass.

As shown in Tables 1 and 2, the beer-taste beverages of Test Examples 1-2 to 1-4 and Test Examples 2-3 to 2-5, which have a furfural content of 15 μg/L or more and 100 μg/L or less and an ethanol content of 0.02 v/v% or more and 0.75 v/v% or less, were excellent in the bitterness and sharpness characteristic of beer-taste beverages. A comparison of Test Examples 2-1 and 2-2 shows that propylene glycol does not contribute to the bitterness characteristic of beer-taste beverages, but rather that this is the effect of combining a specific amount of furfural and a specific amount of ethanol.

[Test Example 2]
[Preparation of beer-taste beverages]
Furfural, propylene glycol, spirits (alcohol content: 65.5%), high fructose glucose liquid sugar, acidulant, bitterness level, caramel color and water were mixed to obtain the composition shown in Table 3, the gas pressure was adjusted to 2.3 kg/ ^cm2 with carbonated water, and the mixture was filled into containers to prepare the beer-flavored beverages (beer-flavored non-alcoholic beverages) of Test Examples 3-1 to 3-2.

The prepared beer-taste beverages were subjected to sensory evaluation in the same manner as in Test Example 1. Note that the scores for "bitterness" and "sharpness" of the beer-taste beverage in Test Example 1-1 were fixed at 2 and 3 points, respectively, and the other beer-taste beverages were evaluated based on these scores. The results are shown in Table 3.

As shown in Table 3, the beer-taste beverage of Test Example 3-1, which has a furfural content of 15 μg/L or more and 100 μg/L or less and an ethanol content of 0.02 v/v% or more and 0.75 v/v% or less, had an excellent bitterness and sharpness characteristic of a beer-taste beverage, even when it contained various additives.

Claims (5)

Contains furfural , ethanol and propylene glycol ,
The furfural content is 15 μg/L or more and 100 μg/L or less,
The ethanol content is 0.02 v/v% or more and 0.75 v/v% or less,
A beer-taste beverage having a propylene glycol content of 15 mg/L or more and 100 mg/L or less . 2. The beer-taste beverage according to claim 1, wherein the propylene glycol content is equal to or greater than 40 mg/L and equal to or less than 80 mg/L. 3. The beer-taste beverage according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the furfural content is from 40 μg/L to 80 μg/L. The beer-taste beverage according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the ethanol content is less than 0.50 v/v %. The method for improving the bitterness and sharpness of a beer-taste beverage comprises adding furfural from 15 μg/L to 100 μg/L , ethanol from 0.02 v/v% to 0.75 v/v%, and propylene glycol from 15 mg/L to 100 mg/L to the beer-taste beverage.