JPH0797965B2 - Method for producing green tea beverage - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a process for producing a clear green tea beverage having a long-term shelf life without causing turbidity or sediment (precipitation), using green tea (referred to as unfermented tea) as a raw material.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art After extracting from tea leaves, removing the tea shell using a metal net, cloth, etc., and removing fine tea particles by centrifugation, bottles, plastic containers, cans, synthetic paper containers, etc. In recent years, much attention has been paid to tea beverages that have been stuffed in and sterilized. The conventional method for producing green tea beverages is to extract tea leaves with warm water, separate the tea husk, and if necessary, remove fine tea particles by centrifugation to remove L-ascorbic acid to prevent oxidation. And sodium ascorbate are added, and the pH is returned to the neutral range with sodium hydrogencarbonate or the like for production.

When the tea leaf extract is cooled, it becomes cloudy (turbid or dull). This cloudiness is called creaming or cream down and is a phenomenon that is noticeable in black tea. However, it is widely known that white turbidity is still observed in the long term. Suppression of the clouding phenomenon is an important issue in the production of tea beverages, and conventional suppression methods include high-speed centrifugation, tannase treatment, addition of inorganic salts such as calcium, and the like.

[0004]

However, in the above-described method for producing a green tea beverage, various polymer compounds and the like are dissolved from the green tea raw material in addition to catechin, caffeine, amino acids and sugars which are components of tea. However, since these are combined and precipitated, there is a drawback that turbidity or sediment occurs over time after production. Turbidity and sediment, especially when packed in a transparent container such as a bottle or plastic, cause discomfort and are erroneously recognized as spoilage, which significantly impairs the commercial value. In order to suppress the occurrence of turbidity and sediment, it is possible to find products that have been excessively diluted, but if they are excessively diluted, the original flavor and color of green tea are poor, and a good green tea beverage packed in a transparent container is not possible. It was hard to say.

Further, the tannase treatment method for suppressing clouding and the addition method of an inorganic salt, etc., cannot be said to be an effective treatment method in which the flavor is sufficiently retained because the flavor is remarkably reduced by the treatment. Thus, in the conventional manufacturing method,
It was difficult to preserve the quality of a green tea beverage that was clear and had a flavor peculiar to green tea for a long period of time.

According to the present invention, the original concentration of a green tea beverage is not changed, it is clear over a long period of time and has an excellent flavor (flavor, taste, etc.), it can be stored for a long time, and it is packed in a transparent container such as a bottle or a plastic container. The present invention provides a method for producing a green tea beverage particularly suitable for

[0007]

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present inventors say that turbidity and sediment are bound to catechin, caffeine, protein, etc. contained in the tea extract, but the green tea extract contains oolong tea. Compared with the tea extract of black tea and black tea, the types and contents of high-molecular compounds (pectin, hemicellulose, polysaccharides, etc.) are larger, and these precipitate temporally and secondarily, causing turbidity or segregation over time. The present invention is intended to cause turbidity or sediment by intentionally causing the tea extract of green tea to be rapidly cooled, and to remove it.

That is, according to the present invention, green tea is extracted in hot water, preferably in hot water at about 40 to 100 ° C. for about 1 to 10 minutes, and then the tea husk is removed by a metal net or cloth to remove L-ascorbic acid. The pH of the extract is adjusted to an acidic range of about 4.0 to 5.0 using this, and this is then kept at room temperature or below, preferably 20.
By rapidly cooling to ℃ or less, to promote the formation of turbidity or sediment, after incorporating various polymer compounds into the turbidity or sediment to form particles, turbidity containing the particles by centrifugation or any other means. Remove the oriental component, then
A filter aid is added to the supernatant and the residue is filtered to remove the residual polymer compound, and then the pH of the extract is adjusted to about 5.5.
After adjusting to a neutral range of 7.0, it is packed in a transparent container such as a bottle or a plastic container, and sterilized by a conventional method to produce a green tea beverage which does not cause cloudiness or sediment over time. It is characterized by a method. In addition,

The rapid cooling is preferably carried out by using a heat exchanger or the like in the production line process. The filter aid has a small effect on the flavor after treatment and has a large effect of preventing precipitation, and diatomaceous earth is preferable. By the filtration, catechin, caffeine, amino acids, sugars, polymer compounds and the like dissolved in the green tea extract can be effectively removed and clarified. In addition, the pH of the extract filtered by the slag filtration is adjusted using sodium hydrogen carbonate, sodium ascorbate, etc. to obtain a green tea extract which is clear and has a good flavor (flavor, taste, etc.). it can.

Since the extract obtained by the above-mentioned production method is clear, it does not need to be excessively diluted even when diluted, and can be used at the original concentration of green tea beverage.

According to the present invention, in the manufacturing process of the above-mentioned manufacturing method, a liquid obtained by extracting green tea in a low temperature range of about 50 to 70 ° C. and a high temperature range of about 80 ° C. or higher is used in a ratio of about 9: 1 to 5:
The manufacturing method characterized by mixing in a ratio of 5 is also a feature. The extract in a high temperature range of about 80 ° C or higher has a strong aroma and bitterness, and the extract in a low temperature range of about 50 to 70 ° C has a sweet and rich taste. The preserved beverage retains the flavor as a beverage equivalent to the original fresh green tea beverage.

A preferred example of the production method by the above mixing is as follows: Ascorbic acid is added to an extract obtained by extracting green tea in a low temperature range of about 50 ° C. to 70 ° C. to adjust to an acidic range, and this is rapidly cooled, After ascorbic acid was added to the extract extracted in the high temperature range of 80 ° C. or higher to adjust to the acidic range, and the solution was rapidly cooled, and then mixed with each other in the ratio of about 9: 1 to 5: 5. The method is to filter the cake with a filter aid, and thereafter to make a green tea beverage in the same manner as the above method. In this case, filtration by centrifugation or the like may be performed before mixing the extract liquids in the low temperature region and the high temperature region, or after mixing.

In any of the above-mentioned inventions, it is preferable that the concentration of the extract obtained by extracting the tea leaves is within the range of about 0.1 to 0.7 as the Brix value.

[0014]

As described above, according to the present invention, the green tea beverage can be clarified for a long period without changing the original concentration of the green tea beverage,
Further, it is possible to provide a green tea beverage which is excellent in flavor, can withstand long-term storage, and is particularly suitable for filling in a transparent container such as a bottle or a plastic container. In the above-mentioned manufacturing method, diatomaceous earth is used as a filter aid for the filtration of slag, and as the extract, an extract obtained by mixing the extract extracted in the low temperature range and the extract extracted in the high temperature range is used. Due to
Further, an optimum green tea beverage is provided by being manufactured so that the Brix value is within the range of about 0.1 to 0.7.

[0015]

EXAMPLE An example of the present invention will be described below. (Experimental Example 1) 20 g of green tea was extracted in 400 g of warm water at 60 ° C. for 4 minutes,
The tea husk was removed to obtain 305 g of green tea extract. Next, cold water was added to dilute the solution to the liquid weight shown in Table 1, the concentration was adjusted, and the amount of turbidity and sediment generated after standing at 20 ° C. for 30 minutes and the flavor were examined. The results are shown in Table 1.

[0016]

[Table 1]

As is clear from Table 1, when the amount of dilution is large and the concentration is low, turbidity or sediment is not noticeable but does not occur, whereas the flavor of green tea is obviously inferior. It is understood that the flavor preferably has a Brix value (concentration) of about 0.1 to 0.7.

(Experimental Example 2) 5 g of green tea was added to 60 ° C. warm water 60
Extraction was carried out for 4 minutes in 0 g and the tea husk was removed to obtain 495 g of green tea extract. The concentration of this extract is Brix 0.26
Met. Next, this extract was divided, and diatomaceous earth, cellulose, activated carbon, and bentonite were added to each liquid in an amount of 2% by weight. After the mixture was left standing with stirring, filtration was performed on the cake, and the bottle was filled with 120 ° C. It was sterilized for 5 minutes and stored in an environment of 35 ° C. for 1 to 4 weeks, and the state of occurrence of sediment and the taste were examined. The results are shown in Table 2. As a control, the extract was filled in a bottle without filtration through a sludge and sterilized under the above conditions.

[0019]

[Table 2]

As is clear from Table 2, it was suggested that the slag filtration could suppress the generation of turbidity and sediment over time. Effective filter aids were diatomaceous earth and activated carbon, but it was found that activated carbon is not suitable for practical use because it absorbs the color and flavor of green tea. It has been found that diatomaceous earth has little effect on the flavor of green tea and retains the characteristics of green tea. The properties L, a, and b represent color tones, the L value represents lightness, the larger the negative value is, the stronger the green is, and the larger the positive value is, the stronger the red is, and the b value is the positive value. Indicates that the larger is, the stronger the yellow is.

(Example 1) 1. A liquid obtained by extracting 10 g of green tea with 1 liter of warm water at 80 ° C. for 5 minutes, removing the tea shell, and then immediately performing centrifugal separation treatment. (Control section = no treatment) 2. A liquid obtained by subjecting the extracted liquid to the extraction of tea leaves in the same manner as the above control, immediately centrifuging, and filtering the supernatant with diatomaceous earth. (Comparative Example 1) 3. After removing the tea leaves from the extracted liquid in the same manner as the control,
A solution obtained by rapidly cooling (immersing in ice water or an ice water bath in a small amount experiment), centrifuging, and filtering the supernatant with diatomaceous earth. (Comparative example 2) 4. To the solution extracted in the same manner as the control and removing the tea shell, 0.2 g of L-ascorbic acid was added to adjust the pH to 4.5, and then 2
A solution in which the solution was rapidly cooled to 0 ° C. or lower, centrifuged, the supernatant was filtered with diatomaceous earth, and the pH was adjusted to 6.0 with sodium hydrogen carbonate. (Invention)

The green tea extract liquids of the above 4 wards were filled in bottles and sterilized at 120 ° C. for 5 minutes, and then at 35 ° C. for 1-4
It was stored for a week and examined for the occurrence of turbidity and sediment. The results are shown in Table 3.

[0023]

[Table 3]

As is clear from Table 3, Comparative Example 1 in which the residue was filtered and Comparative Example 2 in which the cooling step was further added to the control group which was not treated were turbid and the occurrence of sediment was time-consuming. Although it is suppressed as a shift, it is clear that the occurrence occurs over time in the long-term storage state. On the other hand, it was found that the liquid according to the present invention was a clear green tea beverage without causing turbidity or sediment even after long-term storage. Further, it is clear from the results of Tables 1 and 2 that the liquid according to the present invention is a green tea beverage having an excellent flavor.

(Example 2) 10 g of green tea was added at 30 ° C to 90 ° C.
Is extracted for 4 minutes with 1 liter of hot water in 7 stages with a temperature difference of 10 ° C. for every 4 minutes, the tea husk is removed, and L-ascorbic acid is added to adjust the pH to 4.5. 19
It was rapidly cooled to 0 ° C. and centrifuged. Next, the supernatant is filtered with diatomaceous earth through a filter cake, and then, a treated group in which sodium hydrogen carbonate is added to adjust the pH to 6.0 and an untreated group in which the pH is adjusted in the same manner without filtering the cake. Divided into and
A sensory test was performed on each of these prepared solutions, which were filled in a bottle and sterilized at 120 ° C. for 5 minutes. The results are shown in Table 4. In addition, the Brix (concentration) and L, a, b (color tone) of each of the above sterilizing solutions were inspected. The results are shown in Table 5.

[0026]

[Table 4]

[0027]

[Table 5]

In Table 5, the color difference is L (1) for the untreated section and L (2) for the treated section in the same temperature extraction.
Similarly, a value is a (1), a (2), b value is b (1), b (2), and L (1) -L (2) = ΔL, a (1) -a (2 ) = Δa, b
(1) −b (2) = Δb is shown by the value calculated by the mathematical formula shown in Equation 1 based on the calculated value.

[0029]

[Equation 1]

As is clear from Tables 4 and 5, the extraction was insufficient at an extraction temperature of about 40 ° C. or lower, and the original flavor of green tea could not be obtained. By extracting the tea leaves at about 60 to 80 ° C., a tea extract having a rich aroma and a well-balanced taste and bitterness could be obtained. At an extraction temperature of about 90 ° C. or higher, excessive extraction resulted in a tea extract having a strong aroma and a strong bitterness. However, in the treated area where the residue was filtered, the extraction at about 60 to 80 ° C was good, but the light blue color was slightly lighter and the flavor was a little less than in the untreated area. Therefore, in order to obtain the best flavor of the extract while performing the filter cake treatment to obtain an extract that does not cause sediment, a low temperature range extraction (about 50 to 70 ° C extraction) and a high temperature range extraction (about 90 ° C extraction) It has been found that it is desirable to appropriately combine the tea extract solutions of 1).

(Embodiment 3) 10 g of green tea was added to warm water 1 at 60 ° C.
After extracting with liter for 4 minutes and removing the tea husk, L-ascorbic acid was added to adjust the pH to 4.5.
10 g of green tea and hot water at 90 ° C 1
After extracting with liter for 4 minutes and removing the tea husk, L-ascorbic acid was added to adjust the pH to 4.5.
The extract liquid rapidly cooled to 9 ° C. was mixed in the ratio of 1: 9 to 9: 1 at 9 different ratios as shown in Table 6, and the mixture was centrifuged, and the supernatant was filtered with diatomaceous earth. Slag was filtered, sodium hydrogen carbonate was added to the filtrate, the pH was adjusted to 6.0, the bottle was filled, and sterilized at 120 ° C. for 5 minutes. A sensory test was performed on each sterilizing solution. The results are shown in Table 6. In addition,
As a control, 10 g of green tea was extracted with 1 liter of hot water at 70 ° C. for 4 minutes, rapidly cooled to 19 ° C. and centrifuged,
A sensory test was also conducted on the product that had been bottled and sterilized under the same conditions as above.

[0032]

[Table 6]

As a result, mixing of extraction liquids having different extraction temperatures, that is, about 50 to 70 ° C. (including 70 ° C. range)
By mixing the extract at a temperature of about 80 ° C or higher with a ratio of 9: 1 to 5: 5, the flavor that is slightly reduced by the residue filtration is compensated for, and the flavor of the green tea is refreshing. I was able to get a drink.

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Yoshito Abe, Yoshito Abe, Goddess, Sagara-gun, Shizuoka Prefecture, 21 Sagami-cho Goddess, Ito Sono Co., Ltd. (72) Yoshimi Watanabe 3748, Kiyomizu-cho, Numata, Gunma Prefecture, Kikko Food Industry Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Nobuo Watanabe 485 Sakurado, Sarahaku-shi, Nagano Kikko Food Industry Co., Ltd. (56) Reference JP-A-62-44136 (JP, A) JP-A-61-234738 (JP, A) JP-A-61-52243 ( JP, A)

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. Ascorbic acid is added to an extract obtained by hot-water extraction of green tea to adjust it to an acidic region, the mixture is rapidly cooled, and then the extract is filtered by centrifugation or the like, and the extract is filtered with a filter aid. Clarify by slag filtration, then adjust the pH of this extract to a neutral range and pack it in bottles, plastic containers, etc. according to the usual method Method. 2. The method for producing a green tea beverage according to claim 1, wherein the filter aid for filtering the dregs is diatomaceous earth. 3. Ascorbic acid is added to an extract obtained by hot-water extraction of green tea to adjust it to an acidic region, and this is rapidly cooled, and then the extract is filtered by centrifugation or the like, and the extract is filtered with a filter aid. Clarifying by slag filtration, after that, the pH of this extract is adjusted to a neutral range, by a conventional method, a bottle, a method for producing a green tea beverage to be packed in a container such as a plastic container, In the above manufacturing process, about 5
Green tea having a long-term storability, which is obtained by mixing liquids extracted in a low temperature range of 0 ° C to 70 ° C and a high temperature range of about 80 ° C or higher in a ratio of about 9: 1 to 5: 5. Beverage manufacturing method. 4. Ascorbic acid is added to an extract obtained by extracting green tea in a low temperature range of about 50 ° C. to 70 ° C. to adjust to an acidic range,
A liquid obtained by quenching this and a liquid obtained by extracting green tea in a high temperature range of about 80 ° C. or higher were adjusted to an acidic region by adding ascorbic acid, and a liquid obtained by quenching this was about 9: 1 to 5 respectively. :
After mixing at a ratio in the range of 5, the extracts are filtered by centrifugation or the like, or the extracts having different extraction temperatures are filtered by centrifugation or the like, and then the respective liquids are mixed at the ratio described above. , The mixture is clarified by filtration with a filter aid using a filter aid, and then the pH of the extract is adjusted.
Is adjusted to a neutral range and is packed in a container such as a bottle or a plastic container by a conventional method, which is a method for producing a green tea beverage having long-term storability. 5. The concentration of the extract extracted using tea leaves is
The method for producing a green tea beverage according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the Brix value is within a range of about 0.1 to 0.7.