JPH0628542B2 - Coffee-hi extract having excellent flavor and storability and method for producing the same - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a novel coffee extract excellent in flavor and shelf life, and a method for producing the same.

Therefore, the present invention is not only used in the technical field of coffee production, particularly in the technical field of coffee extraction, but the coffee extract obtained according to the present invention can be used at room temperature without losing the flavor, particularly the aroma that is said to be the life of coffee. It can be stored for a long period of time and, in addition, it has the outstanding property of withstanding various treatments such as concentration, saccharification, etc., so it is very useful in the technical field of the food manufacturing industry such as coffee-based drinks, confectionery and frozen desserts. It is used heavily.

[Conventional technology]

It is well known that the coffee extract extracted from roast and ground coffee with hot water deteriorates in flavor and color tone during the extraction or during several hours after the extraction. As a method for storing such coffee extract for a long period of time without deteriorating the flavor, some proposals have been made.

For example, a method of adding CO ₂ or dry ice to a container filled with coffee extract to create a CO ₂ atmosphere and refrigerating at 10 ° C. or lower (JP-A-58-31939), or rapid cooling and freezing of the coffee extract And save (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 50-100266)
JP, JP-A-52-108057), and further, a refined sugar solution is added to a coffee extract having a solid content of 20 to 30% and mixed so that the solid content of the mixed solution becomes 40 to 60%. However, a method of quenching and storing at 5 ° C. or lower (Japanese Patent Publication No. 52-2991) has been proposed. As described above, as the method for storing the coffee extract, only the method of storing in a low temperature atmosphere such as frozen storage and low temperature storage is known, and the method of storing at room temperature has not been developed at present.

Also, from the viewpoint of additive treatment, no method of utilizing the antiseptic property of sugar is known, and even in this case, low temperature storage is inevitable.

That is, a method of using an ascorbic acid alkali metal salt for long-term storage at room temperature without degrading the preferable flavor of a coffee extract has not been known at this time.

However, as a method for producing oolong tea, which has a technical field completely different from that of coffee, a method is known in which a carbonate or the like is added, alkali extraction is performed, and then this is neutralized with ascorbic acid as a second step ( JP-A-57-16649).

However, this technique relates to an oolong tea extract extraction method, which has a different property and production method from coffee, and its main purpose is to prevent precipitation and turbidity due to proteins and tannins that occur during the extraction of oolong tea. Therefore, for that purpose, it is necessary to add carbonate or the like to the water used for extraction to make it alkaline, and then ascorbic acid is used to neutralize it. That is, this method is effective only when it is performed in two steps.

On the other hand, coffee does not cause precipitation or turbidity in the usual extraction method, and strong alkaline extraction breaks the flavor, so the above oolong tea extract extraction technology can be applied to prevent the aroma and flavor loss of coffee extract. Not a thing.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

As described above, in order to retain the flavor of the coffee extract and prevent the deterioration of the quality, it is a normal technical level to freeze the extract or store it at a low temperature of at least 10 ° C or lower. However, even if stored at such a low temperature, deterioration of flavor was unavoidable for a long time. In addition, since extraction of coffee generally requires heating, deterioration of flavor is already caused in the extraction process, which is an important issue to be solved.

In view of the current state of the art, the present invention has improved the method for preserving coffee that could only be stored at low temperature, and made it novel without spoiling its preferable flavor for an extremely long time even when stored at room temperature. It was made to develop a useful method.

Therefore, the present inventor, in a method for producing a coffee extract in which a desirable flavor can be said to be life, prevents deterioration of the flavor from the step of extracting roast and ground coffee, and produces a coffee extract having a freshly-flavored desirable flavor on an industrial scale. The present inventors have earnestly studied to develop a method for stably maintaining the excellent flavor of the coffee extract obtained in (1).

[Means for solving problems]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, as a result of examining from various directions, from the viewpoint that the additive treatment is effective, L-ascorbic acid, its salt, and When an alkali metal carbonate is screened and roasted ground coffee beans are extracted with water, L-ascorbic acid and an alkali metal carbonate or sodium L-ascorbate are dissolved in advance in a solvent used for extraction, It was discovered that coffee flavor deterioration during the extraction operation was prevented and an extract with an extremely excellent flavor was obtained, and that flavor deterioration during storage of the extract was also suppressed, and furthermore, it was obtained by ordinary water extraction. By adding these to the coffee extract in the same manner, the flavor of the extract during storage is not inferior. It has also been discovered that can prevent.

Then, based on this new finding, as a result of further comprehensive study of the addition timing, the addition amount, the addition ratio, and other treatment methods of these additives, the present invention has been completed.

Therefore, the object of the present invention is a coffee extract which can be extracted without changing the preferable aroma, taste and color tone peculiar to roasted and ground coffee and can stably retain these preferable flavors and appearances even when stored at room temperature for a long time. It is to provide a method of manufacturing the above with easy operation.

The above objects and many other objects and effects of the present invention are
It will become more apparent from the following description.

As coffee, various roasted beans can be used as appropriate,
For example, roasted and crushed beans such as Arabica and Robusta are suitable, but a mixture of these and other types of coffee can also be used freely.

Further, as the alkali metal carbonates that can be used in the present invention, for example, sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate,
And sodium hydrogen carbonate can be exemplified, and these can be used alone or in combination of two or more.

In the present invention, these additives are added to the extraction solvent in advance and coffee is extracted with this solvent,
Alternatively, it is added to an extract obtained by extracting with a solvent in which these additives are not added, that is, coffee extract. However, in that case, when L-ascorbic acid alkali metal salt is used, it may be used alone, but when L-ascorbic acid and alkali metal carbonate are used,
It is necessary to use both of them together. Also, if necessary, all three may be used together at once.

Although water is generally used as the extraction solvent, it is also possible to add sugar ester, propylene glycol ester or other food additive surfactant or extraction aid to the extraction solvent, if necessary. . The extraction solvent can be used freely at normal temperature, low temperature or high temperature, but it has an advantage that the extraction time at high temperature can be short.

In carrying out the present invention, first, when L-ascorbic acid and an alkali metal carbonate are used in combination, L-ascorbic acid: alkali metal carbonate is added to the extraction solvent at a ratio of 1: about 0.3 to about 8, And the total amount is about 0 for coffee beans.
A solution in which an amount of 5 to about 12% by weight is added and dissolved is used as extraction water.

As the extraction method, either a batch extraction method or a column extraction method in which a plurality of columns are connected can be adopted, and the ratio and the addition amount of the above L-ascorbic acid and alkali metal carbonates can be adjusted depending on the extraction method. It is preferable to change appropriately. For example, in the case of performing batch extraction, L-ascorbic acid: alkali metal carbonate is 1: about 0.
It is preferable to use, as the extraction water, an aqueous solution having a ratio of 3 to about 3 and having a total amount of about 0.5 to about 3% by weight based on the roasted and ground coffee beans added and dissolved.

On the other hand, in the case of column extraction performed by connecting a plurality of columns, L-ascorbic acid: alkali metal carbonate is 1:
About 0.5 to about 8 and about 3 to about 1 to coffee beans
It is preferable to send a solution prepared by adding and dissolving an amount corresponding to 2% by weight to water as extraction water to the column.

When L-sodium ascorbate is used alone, about 0.1 to about 10% by weight of sodium L-ascorbate with respect to coffee beans is used in either batch extraction or column extraction performed by connecting a plurality of columns. A solution previously added and dissolved in water is used as extraction water.

The addition amount and mixing ratio of these additives were set for the first time based on the experience supported by the experiment as a result of repeating the sensory test by a large number of skilled panels specializing in coffee as described later. In these numerical ranges, if the amount is less than the lower limit, the desired effect cannot be obtained, and the addition itself becomes meaningless. The flavor and offensive odor of the product itself are imparted and expressed, which is not preferable, and even if it is used in a larger amount, the spread of the product is lost. In the present invention, such a numerical range has been scientifically determined by repeating experiments by a skilled panel test as described above.

In the present invention, extraction may be carried out by an ordinary method using an extraction solvent containing these additives. For example, in the case of batch extraction, about 2 to about 20 parts by weight of the extracted water is added to 1 part by weight of roast and ground coffee, and the temperature is from room temperature to about 100 ° C.
At about 5 minutes to about 10 hours, extraction is carried out under static or stirring conditions. Then, the mixture is cooled to room temperature or lower, and solid-liquid separation is performed by a known conventional method such as filtration or centrifugation to obtain an extract. If desired, the extract obtained may be clarified by further filtering with a filter aid such as diatomaceous earth or microcrystalline cellulose.

In the case of a column extraction method in which a plurality of columns are connected, for example, usually 3 to 6 extraction columns are continuously connected in series, and roasted and ground coffee is stored in each column, and the upper part of the first column is used. Alternatively, the extracted water having the above-described composition at room temperature to about 100 ° C. is continuously or intermittently supplied from the lower part.

On the other hand, as another excellent aspect of the present invention, the roasted and ground coffee is conventionally used only with water, for example, a coffee extract obtained by performing batch extraction or column extraction under the same conditions as shown above, By adding L-ascorbic acid and alkali metal carbonates or L-ascorbic acid alkali metal salts at the same ratio or addition amount as described above, deterioration of the flavor of the extract over time can be prevented.

Further, it is also included in the present invention to combine or combine these processes.

The coffee extract thus obtained is aseptically filled in a laminate pack or the like as it is and hermetically sealed,
Even if it is stored at room temperature without cooling like a conventional product, it is possible to maintain high quality without loss of aroma and deterioration of flavor and quality for a very long time. Therefore, this package can be stored in a warehouse at room temperature as it is, and the effects of the present invention are truly epoch-making from the viewpoint of physical distribution.

Of course, as usual, the obtained coffee extract may be filled in bottles, cans, or other containers and stored at room temperature.

If necessary, the coffee extract can be processed by adding various subcomponents such as sugar, flavors, milk, dairy products and thickeners. Since the coffee extract according to the present invention does not easily deteriorate in quality when heated or cooled, it can be freely concentrated or dried, and therefore powdered into instant coffee or coffee. It can also be processed into syrup.

As described above, since the coffee extract according to the present invention has excellent processability, various foods and drinks, for example, beverages such as lacto coffee, coffee syrup, yogurt drink, soy milk drink, etc .; ice cream, ice candy, shaved ice. By combining it with frozen desserts such as, cakes such as cakes and castella; cakes such as candy, caramel, jelly, biscuits, chocolate and chewing gum; It can impart a freshly ground coffee flavor.

Moreover, according to this method, since it is possible to prevent the flavor from deteriorating in the extraction process itself as in the conventional case, it is possible to extract the excellent flavor originally possessed by coffee as it is, even when directly used for beverages. You can enjoy a much better flavor than coffee extracted by the conventional method.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to Examples.

Example 1 50 g of roasted and ground coffee beans was placed in an extraction tower with a jacket (4.6 cm × 26 cm), and 0.4 g of L-ascorbic acid and 0.6 g of sodium hydrogen carbonate were added to 200 g of water as an extraction solvent to dissolve pH 6. The aqueous solution of 59 was heated to about 90 ° C., poured into the extraction tower, soaked at the same temperature for 30 minutes, then the extraction liquid was taken out from the lower part and immediately cooled to room temperature or below, and Brix 7.8 °
107 g of a good-tasting extract (soluble solid content 6.3%) and pH 5.60 was obtained (invention product No. 1).

Example 2 Brix 7.6 ° (soluble solid content 6.2%) was used under the same conditions as in Example 1, except that a 0.5 wt% aqueous solution of sodium L-ascorbate having a pH of 7.5 was used as the extraction solvent in Example 1. ), PH 5.4 flavorful extract
105 g was obtained (invention product No. 2).

Comparative Example 1 Extraction was carried out under the same conditions as in Example 1 except that ordinary water without additives was used as the extraction solvent in Example 1, and Brix 7.2 ° (soluble solid content 5.9%), pH 5.25. Thus, 103 g of an extract having the above was obtained (Comparative Product No. 1).

Example 3 Example 1 (invention product No. 1), Example 2 (invention product No. 2)
The coffee extract obtained in Comparative Example 1 (Comparative Product No. 1) was diluted 10 times with water, and sensory evaluation was performed by 15 skilled sensory inspectors. The results are shown in Table 1. .

As is clear from the results shown in Table 1, the products of the present invention were all superior in flavor to the comparative products.

Further, after each coffee extract was stored in a thermostat and a refrigerator at 4 ° C. for 30 days, the degree of change during high temperature storage was compared based on the stored product in the refrigerator. The evaluation method was performed according to the above.

The results are shown in Table 2.

As is clear from the results in Table 2, the comparative product N by the conventional method
Although o.1 deteriorated significantly, the product of the present invention was very stable.

Example 4 Four extraction towers with a jacket (4.6 cm × 26 cm) were connected in series, and 100 g of roasted and ground coffee beans were charged in each.

Steam was passed through the jacket of each extraction column to keep the temperature at about 90 ± 5 ° C, and a cooling pipe and a receiver were attached to the upper outlet of the fourth column.
Then, L-ascorbic acid was previously added to water from the lower part of the first tower,
Dissolve 0.9% by weight and 1.3% by weight sodium hydrogen carbonate
1,500 g of extraction solvent of pH 6.90 heated to 90 ± 5 ℃ is 600m / h
And the extract was recovered from the upper part of the fourth tower while being rapidly cooled to room temperature. The average Brix of the recovered extract is about 20.
Extraction solution is collected so that
(Soluble solid content: 16.5%) 520 g of an extract having excellent pH of 5.38 was obtained (the present invention No. 3).

Example 5 In place of the extraction solvent used in Example 4, 1500 g of an extraction solvent having a pH of 6.9 in which 0.25% by weight of L-ascorbic acid and 0.4% by weight of sodium carbonate were previously dissolved in water was used. Extracted under the same conditions as Brix20
560 g of a coffee extract having a good flavor of pH (soluble solid content 16.5%) and pH 5.5 was obtained (invention product No.
Four).

Example 6 1500 g of an aqueous solution containing 0.8% by weight of sodium L-ascorbate and having a pH of 7.1 in place of the extraction solvent in Example 4
Extraction was carried out under the same conditions as in Example 4 except that the solvent was used as the extraction solvent.
%), An excellent coffee extract with a pH of 5.2 510
g was obtained (invention product No. 5).

Comparative Example 2 Instead of the extraction solvent in Example 4, 150 normal water having a pH of 6.6 was used.
Brix 20 ° (soluble solid content 16.5%) was carried out under the same conditions as in Example 4, except that 0 g was used as the extraction solvent.
420 g of a coffee extract having a pH of 5.14 was obtained. (Comparative product No. 2) Example 7 Example 4 (product of the present invention No. 3), Example 5 (product of the present invention No. 2)
4), Example 6 (present invention No. 5) and Comparative Example 2 (Comparative Product No.
2), the coffee extract obtained in
A sensory evaluation was performed in the same manner as in Example 1 for the flavor immediately after production and the stability when stored at 37 ° C. for 2 weeks.

However, each coffee extract was diluted 20 times with water for comparison with Example 3 and subjected to a sensory test.

The results are shown in Tables 3 and 4.

As is clear from the results of Table 3, the products No. 3 to No. 5 of the present invention were all superior in flavor to the product No. 2 of the comparative product.

As is clear from the results in Table 4, a comparative product N extracted by water extraction
No.3 to No.5 of the present invention, although o.2 showed remarkable deterioration of flavor.
All of them showed little deterioration and showed excellent stability.

Example 8 To 25 g of the coffee extract obtained in Comparative Example 1, 0.18 g of L-ascorbic acid and 0.22 g of sodium carbonate were added and dissolved, and a coffee extract having Brix 7.3 ° (soluble solid content 5.9%) and pH 5.42 was obtained. It was adjusted (invention product No. 6).

Example 9 Comparative product No. 1 obtained in Comparative Example 1 and the product of the present invention obtained in Example 8
Each No. 6 was placed in a 25 g amber bottle, sealed, stored at 37 ° C. for 2 weeks, and then subjected to sensory evaluation by the same method as in Example 3. The results are shown in Table 5.

As is clear from the results shown in Table 5, the storage stability of the product No. 6 of the present invention was remarkably improved.

Example 10 To 100 g of the coffee extract obtained in Comparative Example 2, 0.1 g of sodium L-ascorbate was added and dissolved, and Brix 20 °
(Soluble solid content 16.5%), pH 5.3 coffee extract was prepared (invention product No. 7).

Example 11 Comparative product No. 2 obtained in Comparative Example 2 and the product No. 7 of the present invention obtained in Example 10 were placed in 25 g amber bottles and sealed at 37 ° C.
After 2 weeks of storage, sensory evaluation was performed in the same manner as in Example 3. The results are shown in Table 6.

As is clear from the results shown in Table 6, the storage stability of the product No. 7 of the present invention was remarkably improved.

Example 12 A coffee extract having an excellent aroma was obtained by performing the same treatment as in Example 1 except that 0.6 g of potassium hydrogen carbonate was used instead of sodium hydrogen carbonate in Example 1.

Example 13 A coffee extract having an excellent aroma was obtained by performing the same treatment as in Example 8 except that 0.22 g of potassium carbonate was used in place of sodium carbonate in Example 8.

Example 14 To 100 g of the coffee extract obtained in Comparative Example 2, 0.5 g of sodium L-ascorbate, 0.25 g each of L-ascorbic acid and sodium carbonate were added and dissolved to obtain a coffee extract having an excellent flavor.

Example 15 The same procedure as in Example 1 was carried out except that after extraction in the extraction column 30
The extract was extracted from the bottom without immersion treatment for a minute, and 0.5 g of sodium L-ascorbate was added and dissolved in the extract to obtain a coffee extract excellent in aroma, color tone and mouth feel.

〔The invention's effect〕

As described above, according to the present invention, in the method for extracting coffee beans, L is added to the extraction solvent or the extraction liquid obtained by extraction.
-The addition of ascorbic acid and alkali metal carbonates, or the addition of L-ascorbic acid alkali metal salts, provides a preferable flavor peculiar to coffee, particularly roast and ground coffee, over a long storage period. It was possible for the first time to provide high-quality coffee extract that can be kept at room temperature without change and is industrially extremely advantageous.

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A coffee extract excellent in flavor and storability, which comprises an alkali metal salt of L-ascorbic acid. 2. The coffee extract according to claim 1, wherein the coffee extract is an aqueous liquid substance containing a coffee extract content of 16% by weight. 3. The coffee extract according to claim 1, wherein the concentration of the L-ascorbic acid alkali metal salt is about 1% by weight. 4. When solvent-extracting coffee extract from coffee, L-ascorbic acid and alkali metal carbonate are added to the extraction solvent in advance, or L-ascorbic acid alkali metal salt is added in advance. A method for producing a coffee extract having excellent flavor and storability. 5. A coffee extract is extracted from coffee with a solvent, and L-ascorbic acid and an alkali metal carbonate are added to the obtained extract, or an L-ascorbic acid alkali metal salt is added. A method for producing a coffee extract having excellent flavor and storability. 6. The method for producing a coffee extract according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the alkali metal carbonate added is sodium carbonate. 7. The method for producing a coffee extract according to claim 4, wherein the alkali metal carbonate added is sodium hydrogen carbonate. 8. The method for producing a coffee extract according to claim 4, wherein the weight ratio of L-ascorbic acid and alkali metal carbonate to be added is 1: 0.3 to 1: 4.0. .