TWI649036B - Taste-improving agent for foods and drinks,composition of flavor-imparting agent,and flavor-improving method for foods and drinks - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a taste improving agent which greatly enhances the taste of the food material by adding it to a food or drink containing food materials such as tea, coffee, baked cereal, cocoa, and fruits in an extremely small amount. It is thick, has a body feeling, and the like, and has no odor, can be intended to improve the balance, and improves the state of the product, and can be easily and inexpensively prepared.

The solution of the present invention is a taste improving agent, which is a taste improving agent for food and beverage, which comprises adjusting the extract of the raw material of the food material to pH 6 to pH 12 and then heat treating at 100 ° C to 180 ° C for 10 minutes to 5 minutes. a heat-treated product obtained in an hour, and the raw material of the food material is selected from the group consisting of raw or processed materials, and the raw material is selected from the group consisting of tea leaves, coffee beans, baked grains, cocoa beans, and fruits. In the group, the ratio (A/B) of the value (A) of the heat-treated product to the OD ₆₈₀ of the diluted solution and the equivalent value (B) of the heat-treated product having no adjusted pH was 0.88 or less.

Description

Flavor improving agent for food and drink, flavor imparting agent composition, and flavor improving method for food and beverage

The present invention relates to a taste improving agent for foods and drinks. More specifically, it relates to a taste improving agent which can greatly enhance the food material by adding it to a food or drink containing food materials such as tea, coffee, baked cereal, cocoa, and fruits in a very small amount. The taste is strong, body feeling, etc., and the balance of intention is improved.

With the gradual enrichment of modern life, the westernization, diversification, and advancedization of food have also developed, and various processed foods that have been affected by it have been produced. For example, baked cereals such as tea, coffee, wheat tea, and black rice (brown rice) are provided as products in a container-packed beverage filled in a can or a bottle. In addition, cocoa is used as a cocoa drink, a cocoa flavor, or a chocolate flavored snack. Further, the fruit is used in various forms such as fruit flavor foods such as beverages, ice products, and snacks. It is helpful to diversify and upgrade.

However, in order to adapt foods and drinks containing such food materials to mass production, it is necessary to carry out an extraction process by an industrial method, and to enhance the stability of microorganisms so as to be resistant to long-term storage, and it is necessary to perform strong sterilization. After the sterilization step of such processing, the original food material The flavor is reduced, and the flavor is dissipated, the flavor due to heating is deteriorated, the taste is lowered, and the like, and it is extremely difficult to obtain a food or drink in which the flavor is sufficiently satisfied. The problem of the corresponding deterioration of these flavors has been a big problem from the past.

As a means for solving such a problem, for example, a method of blending a flavoring flavor (flavoring flavor) such as a synthetic flavor or a natural flavor into a food or beverage containing a food material has been proposed (Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2) Patent Document 3, Patent Document 4, and Patent Document 5). In addition, there is a proposal to combine a method of recovering aroma recovered from a food material by steam distillation and a steam extract having an extract obtained from a distillation residue into a food or drink containing a food material (Patent Document 6) Patent Document 7, Patent Document 8, Patent Document 9, Patent Document 10, and Patent Document 11). In addition, there is a proposal to blend an enzyme-treated extract which decomposes a food material using a proteolytic enzyme or a saccharide-degrading enzyme (Patent Document 12, Patent Document 13, and Patent Document 14).

These proposals have a certain degree of efficacy in terms of enhancing the aroma and the like, but the reduction in the flavor due to the heat sterilization process, the dissipation of the aroma, the deterioration of the flavor, and the like cannot be sufficiently matched.

The present inventors have previously proposed a heat-treated product obtained by heating tea, coffee, baked grains, and cocoa to a higher concentration of an extract, and adding it to a food or beverage containing food materials in a minute amount. The taste of the food and drink is enhanced, and the taste is improved, and the balance is intended to be improved (Patent Document 15, Patent Document 16, Patent Document 17, and Patent Document 18).

[Previous Technical Literature] [Patent Literature]

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2005-143467

[Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2006-20526

[Patent Document 3] Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2006-121958

[Patent Document 4] Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2005-15686

[Patent Document 5] Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2004-168936

[Patent Document 6] Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2011-182673

[Patent Document 7] Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2003-33137

[Patent Document 8] Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2010-13510

[Patent Document 9] Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2009-278957

[Patent Document 10] Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2011-97832

[Patent Document 11] Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2010-252643

[Patent Document 12] Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2003-144049

[Patent Document 13] Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2010-63382

[Patent Document 14] Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2007-43931

[Patent Document 15] Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2013-252111

[Patent Document 16] Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2013-252112

[Patent Document 17] Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2013-252113

[Patent Document 18] Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2013-252114

The inventors of the present invention are equal to the taste improving agents described in Patent Literatures 15 to 18 of the prior art, and may be food materials, in particular, food materials which are common or similar to the raw materials of the taste improving agent. For example, tea, coffee, baked cereals, cocoa, fruit or fruit juices are added in a very small amount, and the taste is enhanced, such as thick and full, but it is considered to have some odor. Further, since these taste improving agents heat the natural materials at a high temperature, there is a problem that a large amount of precipitation occurs and the state of the product is not good. Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a taste improving agent which is greatly enhanced by adding a trace amount to a food or drink containing food materials such as tea, coffee, baked cereal, cocoa, fruit or fruit juice. The food material has a strong taste, a feeling of fullness, and the like, and has no odor, can be intentionally improved in balance, and improves the state of the product, and can be easily and inexpensively prepared.

In view of the above-mentioned problems, the inventors of the present invention have made an effort to improve the taste improving agent described in Patent Document 15 to Patent Document 18, which has been proposed, and have found that when heating the extract of the raw material of the food material, By adjusting the pH to 6 to pH 12 and then heat-treating the treated material, the flavor of the food material is particularly enhanced, and the taste is rich, and the taste is improved, and the balance can be improved. Can improve the state of the product. Furthermore, it has been found that the heat-treated material which is heated after being adjusted to pH 6 to pH 12 is combined with an aroma imparting agent such as a water vapor extract, an enzyme-treated extract, a solvent extract, and a flavor component, whereby the above effects can be made even more remarkable. The invention is enhanced by the present invention.

Accordingly, the present invention provides the following.

(1) A taste improving agent which is a taste improving agent for foods and drinks, which comprises adjusting an extract of a raw material of a food material to pH 6 to pH 12, and then heat-treating at 100 ° C to 180 ° C for 10 minutes to 5 hours. The heat treatment material, wherein the raw material of the food material is selected from the group consisting of raw materials or raw materials, and the raw material is selected from the group consisting of tea leaves, coffee beans, baked grains, cocoa beans, and fruits, The ratio (A/B) of the value (A) of the heat-treated product when the OD ₆₈₀ of the diluted solution was measured and the equivalent value (B) of the heat-treated product to which the pH was not adjusted was 0.88 or less.

(2) The taste improving agent according to (1), wherein the extract of the raw material of the food material has a refractive index (20 ° C) of Bx1 ° to Bx 80 ° as a solid content concentration.

(3) The taste improving agent according to any one of (1), wherein the extract of the raw material of the food material is an enzyme-treated product treated with one or more enzymes.

(4) The taste improving agent according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein one or two or more selected from the group consisting of a monosaccharide, a disaccharide, and an oligosaccharide are added and heat-treated.

(5) A flavor imparting agent composition comprising the taste improving agent and the aroma imparting agent according to (1) to (4).

(6) The flavor imparting agent composition according to (5), wherein the aroma imparting agent is at least one selected from the group consisting of a steam extract extract, an enzyme treatment extract, a solvent extract, and a flavor component.

(7) A method for improving the flavor of a food or drink, characterized in that the flavor imparting agent composition according to (5) or (6) is added to a food or beverage.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a taste improving agent which greatly enhances the food material by adding it to a food or drink containing food materials such as tea, coffee, baked cereal, cocoa, and fruits in an extremely small amount. The taste is strong, the feeling of fullness, and the like, and there is no odor, and it is possible to improve the balance, and to improve the state of the product, and it can be easily and inexpensively prepared.

[Formation of the Invention]

The invention is described in more detail below.

The taste improving agent refers to the taste of the food or drink to which the improving agent is added, that is, the four flavors of sweetness, sourness, saltiness, and bitterness which are perceived by the taste, and the spicy and umami flavors added according to the situation. The balance of tastes such as astringency and harsh taste is good, and it removes and even covers the taste, and strengthens or enhances the original characteristics of the food materials contained in the food and beverage. And the additives used. The food material means a material which is a source of foods and drinks in a form or state in which it is directly eatable, and is not limited, but examples thereof include tea, coffee, baked cereal, cocoa, juice, and the like.

Therefore, examples of the raw material of the food material include tea leaves, coffee beans, cereals, cocoa beans, or the fruits themselves, or processed products thereof.

The extract of such a raw material is not only a product obtained by an extraction method known per se in the technical field, but also a juice obtained by juicing, for example, a fruit, and adding water or the like as needed. Take The following is an example of the raw material of each food material, the extraction processing method, and the like.

As the raw material of the tea, tea obtained from the evergreen tree tea tree of the Camellia family (scientific name: Camellia sinensis (L) O. Kuntze) or tea made from tea leaves such as sencha, Bancha, and roasted tea can be cited. Steamed non-fermented teas such as (Hojicha), Gyokuro, Kabusecha, Tencha, etc.; non-fermented tea baked by Ureshinocha, Aoyagicha, Chinese green tea, etc. Banted tea, frozen top oolong tea, oriental beauty and other Taiwanese oolong tea or Tieguanyin, Jingui, Wuyi rock tea, phoenix narcissus, color and other semi-fermented tea of Chinese oolong tea; Darjeeling, Uba, Java tea Fermented tea such as Qimen black tea; processed tea of fermented tea such as Awa-bancha, Goishi-cha, Pu'er tea, and Liubao tea. Among these, processed tea leaves such as green tea, oolong tea, and black tea are particularly suitable. The tea leaves according to the food material of the present invention comprise the above-mentioned various tea leaves themselves and tea powders derived from tea leaves, tea extracts (extracts or concentrates thereof or dry powders thereof, etc.).

The raw material of coffee may be a processed product of coffee beans themselves (green beans) or processed by baking or the like. The origin of the coffee beans may be, for example, any of the Arabica species, the Robusta species, and the Liberia species, and any coffee beans of any kind and origin may be used. The baking of the green coffee beans can be carried out by a conventional method using a coffee bean dryer or the like. For example, the coffee green beans may be put into the inside of a rotating drum, and while rotating the rotating drum, they are baked by heating in a gas oven or the like from below. The roasting degree of roasted coffee beans is usually expressed in L value, and the baking is: 16 ~19, French baking: 19~21, Full City Roast: 21~23, City Roast: 23~25, High Roast: 25~27, moderate baking ( Medium Roast): 27~29 or so. The shallower baking is generally less common in general drinking. The L value is an index indicating the degree of baking of coffee, and is a value measured by a color difference meter for the brightness of the ground roasted coffee bean. Black is represented by an L value of 0 and white by an L value of 100. Therefore, the deeper the baking of the coffee beans, the lower the numerical value, and the higher the value, the higher the value. The coffee according to the food material of the present invention comprises the pulverized powder of the above raw material, the extract (extract or its concentrate or its dry powder, etc.).

The cereal system can be exemplified by barley, brown rice, germinated rice, wheat, alfalfa, alfalfa wheat, corn, sesame, buckwheat, medlar, alfalfa, alfalfa, millet, soybean, etc., or processed processed barley, baked rice, baked Brown rice, roasted germinated rice, baked wheat, baked mash, baked glutinous wheat, baked corn, baked sesame, baked buckwheat, baked cilantro, baked mash, baked mash, baked millet, baked soybeans, etc. Among these, roasted barley, baked rice, roasted germinated brown rice and baked wheat are particularly preferred. The roasted cereals according to the food material of the present invention include wheat tea, brown rice used in the so-called black rice tea, roasted brown rice, glutinous tea, buckwheat tea, pulverized powder and extract containing such cereals. (extract or its concentrate or its dry powder, etc.).

Cocoa beans which are raw materials for cocoa can be used in the market. Cocoa beans, after harvesting the cocoa fruit, peeling off the fruit, taking the seed together with the pulp, fermenting it for about 1 week, then baking it at 110-150 ° C, coarsely pulverizing, and removing the rough surface (skin) And the germ, and the roasted and coarsely pulverized cocoa beans are called cocoa nibs. If the cocoa is ground into microparticles, it will be liquid because it contains a large amount of cocoa butter, which is called cacao liquor. A block in which cocoa butter is pressed to moderately remove cocoa butter (fat) is called a cocoa cake, and a system in which a cocoa cake is pulverized is called a cocoa powder. Examples of the cocoa according to the food material of the present invention include cocoa, cocoa butter, cocoa cake, and cocoa powder in the processing step of cocoa beans, and on the other hand, as a processed product of cocoa bean raw materials, from the hand and the extraction. In terms of easiness, cocoa or cocoa powder can be cited as a particularly good one.

Examples of the fruit include citrus fruits (orange, mandarin, grapefruit, lemon, lime, etc.), apples, grapes, peaches, tropical fruits (pineapple, guava, banana, mango, acerola, papaya, papaya) , passion fruit, etc., other fruits (plum, pear, pomegranate, fig, blueberry, kiwi, etc.), tomato, carrot, strawberry, cantaloupe, etc., especially for orange, grapefruit, lemon, lime, apple, grape , peach, pineapple, guava, banana, mango, papaya, strawberry, pear, apricot, kiwi, pomegranate, fig, blueberry, tomato, etc., these fruits can be used alone or in combination Used above. As the fruit of the food material according to the present invention, a thick substance or a diluted product of the fruit juice itself, or the fruit juice obtained by the fruit, is contained.

In the present invention, an extract of a raw material of the aforementioned food material is used. Hereinafter, a method for preparing an extract of a raw material derived from a food material, which is selected from the group consisting of tea leaves, coffee beans, and the like, is exemplified. A raw material of raw or processed material of raw materials of a group of baked cereals, cocoa beans and fruits.

Extraction of tea or processed products:

As a method of preparing an extract of tea leaves or processed products thereof from a tea raw material, the extraction solvent is mainly water, and may be added to the water at the time of extraction or the extracted extract after extraction to 0.01% of the tea raw material. About 5% by mass of vitamin C or sodium ascorbate acts as an antioxidant. In addition, the water-miscible polar organic solvent which can be used for foods such as ethanol, glycerin, propylene glycol or sorbitol may be mixed and used in a range of 0.1 to 60% by mass based on the entire solvent. The amount of the solvent (water) used for the extraction can be arbitrarily selected, but it is usually 5 to 50 times (mass), preferably 10 to 20 times the amount of the tea raw material. The temperature and time of the extraction may be arbitrarily determined, and are not particularly limited, but it is preferably 30 minutes to 12 hours at 10 to 100 ° C, especially 1 to 2 hours. As a method of obtaining the operation of the extract of the present invention, any one of column column extraction, batch type, extraction by a kneader, and the like can be performed.

Further, the extract may be subjected to an enzyme treatment during extraction and/or after extraction. When the enzyme is treated, the polysaccharide such as pectin is decomposed, the viscosity of the extract is lowered, and it is suitable to be uniformly heated during concentration as described later. The enzyme which can be used for the treatment of the enzyme is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include tannic acid ester, chloroorthoesterase, proteolytic enzyme, saccharolytic enzyme, and lipolytic enzyme. Tea contains many tannins such as catechins, and also contains chlorogenic acid, so it is more effective to decompose with tannase or chloroorthoesterase. Tannic acid ester, a phenolic carboxylate bond water in which gallic acid ester is bonded to the hydroxyl group of tannin The enzyme to be solved is, for example, an enzyme that hydrolyzes epigallocatechin gallate to epigallocatechin and gallic acid. As the tannic acid enzyme which can be used in the present invention, for example, tannic acidase (500 U/g; manufactured by kikkoman), tannic acid enzyme (5,000 U/g; manufactured by kikkoman), tannin can also be used. Acid enzyme (500 U/g; manufactured by Mitsubishi Chemical Food Co., Ltd.). The amount of tannic acid enzyme used cannot be generalized due to the strength of the price, etc., but it is usually exemplified as the basis of the quality of the tea raw material, and is usually in the range of 0.1 to 50 U/g, preferably 0.5 to 20 U/g. Inside.

The tea contains about 25% protein (refer to the 5 food ingredient list), and the effect of the subsequent heating reaction is particularly increased by performing the protease treatment. However, since the protein in the tea leaves is bound to the tannin, even if the proteolytic enzyme acts alone on the tea, the amino acid is hardly produced. At this time, by causing the proteolytic enzyme and the tannic acid enzyme to act on the tea leaves, a part of the protein in the tea leaves is decomposed, and an amino acid-rich tea extract can be obtained. A protein-decomposing enzyme, an enzyme that hydrolyzes peptide bonds of proteins or peptides. As the proteolytic enzyme which can be used in the present invention, various commercially available proteolytic enzymes can be mentioned. The amount of the protein-decomposing enzyme to be used cannot be generalized because of the strength, etc., but it can be exemplified as the basis of the quality of the tea raw material, and is usually in the range of 0.01 to 100 U/g, preferably 1 to 80 U/g.

The tea contains polysaccharides, but the polysaccharide is previously hydrolyzed by using the saccharolytic enzyme, and the effect of the subsequent heating reaction is particularly increased. As the saccharin-degrading enzyme, specifically, for example, amylase, glucoamylase, polytriglucosidase, cellulase, and half are exemplified. Cellulase, polyxylase, pectinase, arabinase, 1,6-polyglucose, polyglucose, polymannase, alpha-galactosidase, and the like. The amount of the saccharolytic enzyme used cannot be generalized depending on the type of the enzyme to be used or the amount of the polysaccharide in the tea, but it can be exemplified as about 0.1 to 1,000 U based on the mass of the tea raw material. /g, preferably in the range of 1 to 100 U/g; or in the case where the preparation usually contains a plurality of types of enzymes and is difficult to express by the active unit, and is usually 0.01 to 5% by mass relative to the tea raw material. Preferably, it is in the range of 0.1 to 2% by mass.

Further, the lipolytic enzyme treatment is carried out, and the effect of the subsequent heating reaction is particularly increased. The lipolytic enzyme which can be used in the present invention is not particularly limited, and a microbial-derived lipolytic enzyme such as a genus of the genus Trichophyton, a genus of the genus, a genus of the genus, a genus of the genus Obtained lipolytic enzyme; oral lipolytic enzyme taken from the pharyngeal glands of small goats, lambs, and calves. The amount of use of the lipolytic enzyme varies depending on the price of the oil, and the like, but it is usually exemplified as being in the range of 0.01 to 10% by weight, preferably 0.1 to 5% by weight based on the raw material of the tea.

In the case of the enzyme treatment conditions, in the case of a batch type, extraction by a kneader, or the like, when an enzyme is added to the tea raw material, for example, it is usually 5 to 50 parts by mass per 1 part by mass of the tea raw material. Preferably, 10 to 20 parts by mass of water is sterilized at 60 to 121 ° C for 2 seconds to 20 minutes. After cooling, the enzyme is added, and the enzyme is treated at 20 to 60 ° C for 30 minutes to 24 hours. After the enzyme is treated, it is heated at 60-121 ° C for 2 seconds to 20 minutes to deactivate the enzyme, then cooled, and subjected to solid-liquid separation. And filtering to obtain an enzyme-treated tea extract. Further, in the case of column extraction, batch type, extraction by a kneader, etc., in the case where an enzyme is added to the extract after extracting the tea raw material, an enzyme is added to the extract, and the reaction is carried out at 20 to 60 ° C for 30 minutes. ~24 hours of enzyme treatment. After the enzyme is treated, the enzyme is deactivated by heating at 60 to 121 ° C for 2 seconds to 20 minutes, and then the solid solution is filtered and filtered to obtain an enzyme-treated tea extract.

Further, the tea extract may be subjected to a contact treatment with PVPP (polyvinylpolypyrrolidone) and/or activated carbon for the extraction liquid during extraction and/or after extraction, together with the enzyme treatment or the enzyme treatment. PVPP has the property of adsorbing polyphenols such as catechins, and by bringing the tea extract into contact with PVPP, the polyphenol content in the tea extract can be reduced. The amount of PVPP used can be generally from 15 to 300% by mass, particularly from 30 to 150% by mass, based on the mass of the tea raw material. The contact treatment by PVPP can be carried out by adding PVPP in the extraction of the tea raw material or the extract, and performing the stirring treatment for 10 minutes to 2 hours at a temperature in the range of, for example, about 10 to 60 °C. Thereafter, an appropriate separation means such as centrifugation or filtration may be used to obtain a clear extract. Thereby, a polyphenol-reduced tea extract can be obtained. Activated carbon has the property of adsorbing low-polar components and caffeine. By bringing the tea extract into contact with activated carbon, the content of caffeine and polyphenol in the tea extract can be reduced. The amount of the activated carbon used can be generally from 15 to 300% by mass, particularly from 30 to 150% by mass based on the mass of the tea raw material. Contact treatment using activated carbon can be carried out by adding activated carbon in the extraction of the tea raw material or the extract, for example, 10~ The temperature in the range of about 60 ° C is carried out by stirring for 10 minutes to 2 hours. Further, in the case of treating the extract, it may be treated by passing through a column filled with activated carbon in a granular state in a range of SV (space velocity) = 1 to 100, preferably 5 to 20. Thereafter, an appropriate separation means such as centrifugation or filtration may be used to obtain a clear extract. Thereby, a tea extract having reduced caffeine and polyphenols can be obtained.

The tea extract obtained in this manner is about Bx1° to Bx10°, and may be directly supplied to the heat treatment, but the concentration to be supplied to the heat treatment is preferably a certain high concentration. The concentration of the tea extract supplied to the heat treatment may be set to Bx1° to Bx80°, preferably Bx5° to Bx80°, more preferably Bx10° to Bx70°, still more preferably Bx20° to Bx60°, The best is Bx30°~Bx55°. If the concentration is too low, it is difficult to exhibit the effect of heating. In addition, it is known that a so-called heat sterilization odor and a heating odor occur in a normal drinking concentration (about Bx 0.3°), and a flavor similar to the distillation odor occurs in a low-concentration heat treatment, and it is not possible to obtain a flavor. The taste improving agent is a sufficiently effective material. Moreover, since the concentration is low, there is a possibility that it is necessary to add a large amount of tea beverage. On the other hand, if the concentration is too high, the viscosity is high, and it is not possible to uniformly heat, and there is a possibility that scorching or the like may occur. As a method for increasing the concentration of the tea extract, a concentration means such as concentration under reduced pressure, concentration of RO membrane, concentration by freezing, or the like can be employed.

Further, as another method for increasing the concentration, a method of adding a sugar to the tea extract to increase the concentration may be employed. The sugar to be used is preferably a monosaccharide, a disaccharide or an oligosaccharide, and examples thereof include ribose, xylose, arabinose, glucose, fructose, rhamnose, lactose, maltose, Sucrose, trehalose, cellobiose, maltotriose, starch syrup, and the like. The amount of the saccharide to be added is 0.01 to 2 parts by mass per 1 part by mass of the tea extract with a Bx1° to Bx10°.

Extraction of coffee beans or their processed products:

As a method of preparing a coffee extract, the extraction solvent is mainly water, and vitamin C or sodium ascorbate may be added in an amount of about 0.01 to 5% by mass based on the water of the extraction or the extraction liquid after extraction. As an antioxidant. In addition, the water-miscible polar organic solvent which can be used for foods such as ethanol, glycerin, propylene glycol or sorbitol may be mixed and used in a range of 0.1 to 60% by mass based on the entire solvent. The amount of the solvent (water) used for the extraction can be arbitrarily selected, but it is usually 5 to 50 times (mass), preferably 10 to 20 times the amount of the raw material of the coffee beans. The temperature and time of the extraction may be arbitrarily determined, and are not particularly limited, but it is preferably 30 minutes to 12 hours at 10 to 100 ° C, especially 1 to 2 hours. As a method of obtaining the operation of the extract of the present invention, any one of column column extraction, batch type, extraction by a kneader, or the like can be performed.

Further, the extract may be subjected to an enzyme treatment during extraction and/or after extraction. When the enzyme is treated, the polysaccharide such as mannose is decomposed, the viscosity of the extract is lowered, and it is suitable to be uniformly heated during concentration as described later. The enzyme which can be used for the treatment of the enzyme is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include saccharolytic enzymes, proteolytic enzymes, lipolytic enzymes, tanninase, and chloroorthoesterase.

Coffee beans contain polysaccharides, but the polysaccharides are hydrolyzed in advance by using saccharolytic enzymes, and the subsequent heating reaction will Especially elevated. As the saccharin-decomposing enzyme, the same substance as that used in the above-mentioned tea extract can be used and can be treated in the same manner. Further, in the roasted coffee beans, it is considered that even if a certain amount of protein remains after baking, the effect of the subsequent heating reaction is particularly enhanced by performing the protease treatment. As the proteolytic enzyme, the same enzyme as in the case of the aforementioned tea extract can be used and treated in the same manner. Further, the coffee beans contain fats and oils, but the fats are previously hydrolyzed by using lipolytic enzymes, and the effect of the subsequent heating reaction is particularly increased. The lipolytic enzyme which can be used in the present invention can be treated in the same manner as the enzyme used in the above-mentioned tea extract. Further, since coffee beans also contain tannin or chlorogenic acid, decomposition by tannase or chloroorthoesterase is also effective. As the tannic acid enzyme, the same ones as those used in the above-mentioned tea extract can be used and can be treated in the same manner.

As the enzyme treatment conditions, the enzyme-treated coffee bean extract can be obtained by the same method as the above-described tea extract preparation method. Further, the coffee bean extract may be subjected to a contact treatment with PVPP (polyvinylpolypyrrolidone) and/or activated carbon for the extraction liquid at the time of extraction and/or extraction, together with the enzyme treatment or the enzyme treatment. The PVPP treatment method and the activated carbon treatment method can obtain a caffeine-reducing and polyphenol-containing coffee bean extract by the same treatment as the above-described tea extract treatment method.

The coffee bean extract obtained in this way is about Bx1°~Bx20°, although it can be directly supplied to the heat treatment, but provided to the heat treatment. The concentration at the time is preferably a certain high concentration. The concentration of the coffee bean extract supplied to the heat treatment can be set to Bx1° to Bx80°, preferably Bx5° to Bx80°, more preferably Bx10° to Bx70°, still more preferably Bx20° to Bx60°. The best is Bx30°~Bx55°. As a method for increasing the concentration of the coffee bean extract, a concentration means such as concentration under reduced pressure, concentration of RO membrane, concentration by freezing, or the like can be employed.

Further, as another method for increasing the concentration, a method of adding a saccharide to a coffee bean extract to increase the concentration may be employed. The saccharide to be used in the preparation of the above-mentioned tea extract is exemplified by 0.01 to 2 parts by mass per 1 part by mass of the coffee bean extract of Bx1° to Bx10°.

Extraction of baked cereals:

As a method of preparing an extract of the baked grain, the extraction solvent is mainly water, and may add about 0.01 to 5% by mass of vitamin C to the baked grain raw material for the water at the time of extraction or the extracted extract. Sodium ascorbate acts as an antioxidant. In addition, the water-miscible polar organic solvent which can be used for foods such as ethanol, glycerin, propylene glycol or sorbitol may be mixed and used in a range of 0.1 to 60% by mass based on the entire solvent. The amount of the solvent (water) used for the extraction can be arbitrarily selected, but it is usually 5 to 50 times (mass), preferably 10 to 20 times the amount of the baked cereal material. The temperature and time of the extraction may be arbitrarily determined, and are not particularly limited, but it is preferably 30 minutes to 12 hours at 10 to 100 ° C, especially 1 to 2 hours. As a method of obtaining the operation of the extract of the present invention, any one of column column extraction, batch type, extraction by a kneader, or the like can be performed.

Further, the extract may be subjected to an enzyme treatment during extraction and/or after extraction. When the enzyme is treated, the polysaccharide such as starch is decomposed, the viscosity of the extract is lowered, and it is suitable to be uniformly heated during concentration as described later. The enzyme which can be used for the treatment of the enzyme is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include a protease, a saccharolytic enzyme, a lipolytic enzyme, a tannic acid enzyme, and a chloroorthoesterase.

In a baked cereal, even if a certain amount of protein remains after baking, the effect of the subsequent heating reaction is particularly enhanced by performing a protease treatment. As the proteolytic enzyme, the same enzyme as in the case of the aforementioned tea extract can be used and treated in the same manner. Further, in the baked cereal, a considerable amount of the polysaccharide is contained even after baking, and the polysaccharide is previously hydrolyzed by the saccharolytic enzyme, and the effect of the subsequent heating reaction is particularly increased. As the saccharin-decomposing enzyme, the same substance as that used in the above-mentioned tea extract can be used and can be treated in the same manner. Further, the lipolytic enzyme treatment is carried out, and the effect of the subsequent heating reaction is particularly increased. The lipolytic enzyme which can be used in the present invention can be treated in the same manner as the enzyme used in the above-mentioned tea extract. Further, since the baked grain also contains tannin or chlorogenic acid, it is also effective to decompose by tannic acid enzyme or chloroorthoesterase. As the tannic acid enzyme, the same ones as those used in the above-mentioned tea extract can be used and can be treated in the same manner.

As the enzyme treatment conditions, the enzyme-treated baked grain extract can be obtained by the same method as the above-described tea extract preparation method. Also, the baked grain extract can be combined with the aforementioned enzymes The extraction liquid at the time of extraction and/or after extraction is subjected to a contact treatment using PVPP (polyvinylpolypyrrolidone) and/or activated carbon, respectively, or separately from the enzyme treatment. The PVPP treatment method and the activated carbon treatment method can obtain a roasted cereal extract having reduced polyphenols by the same treatment as the above-described treatment method of the tea extract.

The baked grain extract obtained in this manner is about Bx1° to Bx10°, and may be directly supplied to the heat treatment, but the concentration to be supplied to the heat treatment is preferably a certain high concentration. The concentration of the baked grain extract supplied to the heat treatment may be set to Bx1° to Bx80°, preferably Bx5° to Bx80°, more preferably Bx10° to Bx70°, still more preferably Bx20° to Bx60°. The best is Bx30°~Bx55°. As a method for increasing the concentration of the baked grain extract, a concentration means such as concentration under reduced pressure, concentration of RO membrane, concentration by freezing, or the like can be employed.

Further, as another method for increasing the concentration, a method of adding a saccharide to a baked grain extract to increase the concentration may be employed. The saccharide to be used in the preparation of the above-mentioned tea extract is, for example, 0.01 to 2 parts by mass based on 1 part by mass of the baked grain extract of Bx1° to Bx10°.

Extraction of cocoa beans or processed products:

As a preparation method of the cocoa extract, the extraction solvent is mainly water, and vitamin C or ascorbic acid is added in an amount of 0.01 to 5% by mass based on the roasted cocoa bean raw material for the water at the time of extraction or the extracted extract. Sodium acts as an antioxidant. Further, if necessary, the water-miscible polar organic solvent which can be used for foods such as ethanol, glycerin, propylene glycol or sorbitol may be 0.1 to 60% by mass based on the entire solvent. Use within the scope of mixing. The amount of the solvent (water) used for the extraction can be arbitrarily selected, but it is usually 2 to 50 times (mass), preferably 5 to 30 times, more preferably 10 to 20 times the amount of the cocoa bean raw material. The temperature and time of the extraction may be arbitrarily determined, and are not particularly limited, but it is preferably 30 minutes to 12 hours at 10 to 100 ° C, especially 1 to 2 hours. As a method of obtaining the operation of the extract of the present invention, any one of column column extraction, batch type, extraction by a kneader, or the like can be performed.

Further, the extract may be subjected to an enzyme treatment during extraction and/or after extraction. When the enzyme is treated, the polysaccharide such as starch is decomposed, the viscosity of the extract is lowered, and it is suitable to be uniformly heated during concentration as described later. The enzyme which can be used for the treatment of this enzyme is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include proteolytic enzymes, lipolytic enzymes, saccharolytic enzymes, tanninase, and chloroorthoesterase.

In roasting cocoa beans, it is considered that even if a certain amount of protein remains after baking, the effect of the subsequent heating reaction is particularly enhanced by performing proteolytic enzyme treatment. As the proteolytic enzyme, the same enzyme as in the case of the aforementioned tea extract can be used and treated in the same manner. Further, the cocoa beans contain fats and oils, but the fats are previously hydrolyzed by using lipolytic enzymes, and the effect of the subsequent heating reaction is particularly increased. The lipolytic enzyme which can be used in the present invention can be treated in the same manner as the enzyme used in the above-mentioned tea extract. Further, the cocoa beans contain a polysaccharide, but the polysaccharide is previously hydrolyzed by using a saccharolytic enzyme, and the effect of the subsequent heating reaction is particularly increased. As the saccharolytic enzyme, the enzyme phase used in the above tea extract can be used. The same thing, and can be processed in the same way. Further, since roasted cocoa beans also contain tannin or chlorogenic acid, decomposition by tannic acidase or chloroorthoesterase is also effective. As the tannic acid enzyme, the same ones as those used in the above-mentioned tea extract can be used and can be treated in the same manner.

As the enzyme treatment conditions, the enzyme-treated cocoa bean extract can be obtained by the same method as the above-described tea extract preparation method. Further, the roasted cocoa bean extract may be subjected to contact treatment with PVPP (polyvinylpolypyrrolidone) and/or activated carbon for extraction and/or extraction of the extract together with the enzyme treatment or separately with the enzyme treatment. . The PVPP treatment method and the activated carbon treatment method can obtain a roasted caffeine bean extract having reduced caffeine and polyphenols by the same treatment as the above-described treatment method of the tea extract.

The roasted cocoa bean extract obtained in this manner is about Bx1° to Bx10°, and may be directly supplied to the heat treatment, but the concentration to be supplied to the heat treatment is preferably a certain high concentration. The concentration of the roasted cocoa bean extract to be supplied to the heat treatment may be set to Bx1° to Bx80°, preferably Bx5° to Bx80°, more preferably Bx10° to Bx70°, still more preferably Bx20° to Bx60. °, the best is Bx30 ° ~ Bx55 °. As a method for increasing the concentration of the roasted cocoa bean extract, a concentration means such as concentration under reduced pressure, concentration by RO membrane, concentration by freezing, or the like can be employed.

Further, as another method for increasing the concentration, a method of adding a saccharide to the roasted cocoa bean extract to increase the concentration may be employed. Examples of the saccharide to be used include the saccharides listed in the preparation of the above-mentioned tea extract, and the cocoa extract of Bx1° to Bx10°. The amount is 0.01 to 2 parts by mass.

Fruit extraction:

In the method for preparing the fruit extract, a method of preparing a normal juice can be used. In the present invention, the saccharide decomposing enzyme treatment can be carried out on the juice of the juices and/or the juice after the juice extraction. When the saccharide decomposing enzyme is treated, the pectin or the like in the fruit is decomposed, and the viscosity of the extract is lowered, and it is preferable to uniformly heat it when concentrated as described later. Specific examples of the saccharolytic enzyme include, for example, amylase, glucoamylase, polytriglucosidase, cellulase, hemicellulase, polyxylase, pectinase, polyarabinase, 1, 6-polyglucose, polyglucose, polymannase, α-galactosidase, and the like. Among these, as a particularly preferred saccharide-degrading enzyme, pectinase and cellulase can be exemplified, and the amount of saccharolytic enzyme used is, depending on the type of enzyme used or the saccharide in the fruit juice. The amount of the present invention cannot be generalized, but it can be exemplified as being about 0.1 to 1,000 U/g, preferably 1 to 100 U/g, based on the mass of the tea raw material; or usually containing a plurality of types in the preparation. The enzyme is difficult to express in the active unit, and is usually in the range of 0.01 to 5% by mass, preferably 0.1 to 2% by mass based on the raw material of the fruit. Further, in addition to these saccharolytic enzymes, proteolytic enzymes, lipolytic enzymes, and the like may be used in combination.

The juice obtained in this manner is about Bx1° to Bx10°, and may be directly supplied to the heat treatment, but the concentration to be supplied to the heat treatment is preferably a certain high concentration. The concentration of the juice supplied to the heat treatment can be set to Bx1° to Bx80°, preferably Bx5° to Bx80°, more preferably Bx10° to Bx70°, still more preferably Bx20° to Bx60°, and most preferably It is Bx30°~Bx55°. As a method for increasing the concentration of the juice, a concentration means such as concentration under reduced pressure, concentration of RO membrane, concentration by freezing, or the like can be employed. Further, a commercially available concentrated juice can also be used.

Further, as another method for increasing the concentration, a method of adding a saccharide to a fruit juice to increase the concentration may be employed. The saccharide to be used in the preparation of the above-mentioned tea extract is exemplified by 0.01 to 2 parts by mass per 1 part by mass of the juice of Bx1° to Bx10°.

Processing of raw material extracts of food materials:

The extract of the raw material of the food material derived from tea, coffee, baked cereal, cocoa, fruit, and the like thus obtained is adjusted to pH 6 to pH 12 and then heat-treated, and is characterized by the taste improving agent according to the present invention. It is considered that the extract of the raw material from the food material is adjusted to pH 6 to pH 12 and then heat-treated, and in addition to the sugar and amino acid of the material of the so-called Mena reaction, the extract of the raw material derived from the food material is unique. The ingredients (vitamins, water-soluble plant fibers, polyphenols, inorganic substances, etc.) react intricately and produce a taste-enhancing ingredient. Without further acknowledging, the present invention is not limited by the theory, but it is understood that the characteristic characteristics of the taste improving agent of the present invention are based on the above, or preferably described later. The heat treatment of the aforementioned extract under the conditions causes the result of the complicated reaction as described above. As is known to the industry, the Mena reaction is a type of amine carbonyl reaction which is a non-enzymatic reaction which usually produces a brown substance. It is known that a typical Mena reaction is related to the initial stage of the reaction of an amino acid with a reducing sugar and the formation of a Schiff base through a nitrogen glycoside to the reaction product of Anmadori rearrangement. Reaction; accompanied by an intermediate stage of Anmadolide rearrangement products Reaction; and reaction with the final stage of polymerization of such products and/or Strelika degradation reaction, etc., except that the aforementioned heat treatment according to the present invention is understood to be by neutral, or even alkali, especially at pH. The treatment is carried out under sexual conditions, and a certain aroma or flavor component is produced at a certain stage.

Thus, the heat-treated product obtained by heat treatment under a specific pH condition is heated compared to the pH-adjusted extract (generally, the pH of the aqueous extract from the raw material of the food material is on the acidic side). The treatment has different degrees of coloration. For example, if such a treatment is diluted to a certain concentration as needed (for example, 1000 times diluted with ion-exchanged water), and OD ₆₈₀ is measured using a spectrophotometer, the OD ₆₈₀ value of the heat-treated product without pH adjustment is adjusted. (B) The ratio (A/B) of the OD ₆₈₀ value (A) to the pH-adjusted heat-treated product is not particularly limited, but when the raw material of the food material is green tea leaves, it is 0.33 or less, preferably 0.28 or less. More preferably, it is 0.24 or less; when it is roasted coffee beans, it will be 0.88 or less, preferably 0.78 or less, more preferably 0.74 or less; it will be 0.8 or less from the available cocoa niob extract; Will become a value below 0.07.

Therefore, the heat treatment can select a preferred reaction condition while tracking the fluctuation of the OD ₆₈₀ value.

In the heat treatment, generally, a pH adjusting agent is added to adjust the pH of the extract of the food material to pH 6 to pH 12, preferably pH 7 to pH 11.5, and more preferably pH 8 to pH 11 for heat treatment. In addition to promoting the decomposition of the sugar and achieving the purpose of the taste improving agent, it is preferable to suppress the generation of precipitation due to heating. As this As the pH adjuster, for example, sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide or the like can be exemplified.

The reaction temperature of the heat treatment of the extract of the food material adjusted to the predetermined pH range may be set to 100 ° C to 180 ° C, preferably 110 ° C to 170 ° C, more preferably 120 ° C to 150 ° C, further More preferably, it is 120 ° C ~ 140 ° C. If the temperature is too low, the heating reaction is difficult to proceed, and it is difficult to exhibit the effect as a taste improving agent. If the temperature is too high, the change due to heating is too large to achieve the purpose of the taste improving agent. Further, as the reaction time for the heat treatment, it is necessary to ensure the time required for the reaction, and it can be set to 10 minutes to 5 hours, preferably 20 minutes to 4 hours, more preferably 1 hour to 2 hours. When the reaction time is too short, the reaction does not proceed sufficiently, and it is difficult to exhibit the effect as a taste improving agent. If the reaction time is too long, the change due to heating is too large, and the purpose as a taste improving agent cannot be achieved.

In the present invention, it is preferred to use an autoclave which can heat and stir the contents in a closed system in a heat treatment. As an operation of the autoclave, after the extract of the food material adjusted to the predetermined pH range is placed as a content, the container is sealed, and the head space of the container is replaced by an inert gas, or A method of blowing an inert gas into the extract is performed, whereby heat treatment is performed under deoxidation conditions, and after cooling, the heat treatment material is recovered from the kettle. When a precipitate is generated in the recovered material, the precipitate can be removed by treatment such as filtration or centrifugation.

The heat-treated material recovered from the kettle can be directly used as a taste improving agent, but can be further concentrated as needed, or added with excipients such as dextrin, modified starch, cyclodextrin, gum arabic, etc. Paste, further by spray drying, vacuum drying, freeze drying The composition is dried to form a powdery taste improving agent composition.

The composition of the taste improving agent or the taste improving agent obtained as described above is further incorporated into an aroma imparting agent selected from the group consisting of a flavor component, a water vapor extract, an enzyme treatment essence, a solvent extract, and the like. The scent imparts a composition of the composition, and further the above-mentioned effects can be particularly enhanced.

The flavor component in the present invention includes, for example, a hydrocarbon group, an alcohol, an aldehyde, a ketone, an acid, an ester, a lactone, a nitrogen-containing compound, and a sulfur-containing compound. a tea flavor component having at least one or more flavors of a compound, a phenol, a furan, and a pentan; and the content described in Patent Document 2 is selected from the group consisting of (A) natural flavors, and (B) Alcohols, (C) aldehydes and acetals, (D) ketones and ketals, (E) furans, (F) phenols, (G) carboxylic acids, (H) esters, (I) a coffee flavor component composition of at least one or more perfumes of a group of lactones, (J) nitrogen-containing compounds, and (K) sulfur-containing compounds; and the blending described in Patent Document 3 is selected from hydrocarbons, a cocoa flavor composition comprising at least one of an alcohol, a phenol, an aldehyde, a ketone, an acid, an ester, a lactone, a nitrogen-containing compound, a sulfur-containing compound, an acetal or a furan; The content described in Patent Document 4 is selected from the group consisting of natural flavors, esters, alcohols, aldehydes, acetals, ketones, ketals, phenols, ethers, lactones, hydrocarbons, and the like. a fruit flavor composition containing at least one of a fragrance containing nitrogen and/or a sulfur-containing compound or an acid group; and the content described in Patent Document 5 is selected from the group consisting of (A) natural flavors, and (B) Esters, (C) alcohols, (D) aldehydes, (E) ketones, (F) phenols, (G) ethers, (H) lactones, (I) hydrocarbons, (J) Groups of (A)~(K) of nitrogen and/or sulfur compounds and (K) acids A citrus-flavored fragrance composition of one or more flavors of the group.

The blending ratio of the taste improving agent and the flavor component in the flavor imparting agent composition according to the present invention combined with the flavor improving agent and the flavor component (or flavoring agent) is due to the type of taste improving agent and the flavor component. The type and the like cannot be generalized, but may be, for example, 0.01 to 1000 parts by weight, preferably 0.1 to 100 parts by weight, and still more preferably 1 to 50 parts by weight, based on 100 parts by weight of the taste improving agent. proportion.

In the water vapor extracting essence of the present invention, for example, (1) the aroma is recovered from the tea raw material by steam distillation, and (2) the distillation residue is subjected to an enzyme treatment to obtain an enzyme-treated extract. (3) mixing the enzyme-treated essence obtained in the step (2) with the tea-based essence obtained by the step (1), and the water-steam distillation of the raw material for the beverage is described in Patent Document 7. The flavor component (A) and the flavor component of the flavor component (B) obtained by supplying the raw material for the beverage to the gas-liquid flow contact device; (A) the water vapor of the natural raw material described in Patent Document 8 a step of distilling to obtain a distillate containing aroma, (B) a step of extracting the natural raw material by adding water to obtain an extract, and (C) mixing a part or the whole amount of the extract of (B) in the distillate of (A) An aroma concentrate obtained by concentrating a reverse osmosis membrane; as described in Patent Document 9, when the roasted coffee beans are extracted by water and/or the enzyme is treated after water extraction to produce a coffee extract, before the enzyme treatment Stage By steam distillation of the distillate recovered from the aroma of roasted coffee beans or coffee slurry, and the aroma distillate was added to the extraction liquid obtained by enzymatic treatment of the coffee extract; Patent Document 10 described for the (A) water extracting the aqueous extract obtained by baking the plant material, or (B) obtaining a distillate by steam distillation of the roasted plant material, and then extracting the steam distillation residue to obtain an extract, and extracting the extract Any one of the aqueous extracts obtained by mixing with the previously obtained steam distillation distillate, and performing the penetration treatment by the reverse osmosis membrane and collecting the non-penetrating liquid to obtain the water-based essence of the roasted plant material with reduced acetic acid; In the first step, the roasted cereal is recovered by steam distillation in the first step, and the residue is subjected to a saccharolytic enzyme treatment in the second step to obtain an enzyme-treated essence, and the third step is A flavor improving agent for a beer flavored beverage obtained by mixing the enzyme-treated essence obtained in the two steps and the recovered aroma obtained in the first step.

The blending ratio of the taste improving agent and the steam distillation extract in the composition of the flavor improving agent combined with the taste improving agent of the present invention and the steam extracting extract is based on the type of the taste improving agent and the water vapor extracting essence. The type and the like cannot be generalized, but may be, for example, 0.01 to 1000 parts by weight, preferably 0.1 to 100 parts by weight, and still more preferably 1 part by weight, based on 100 parts by weight of the taste improving agent. A ratio of 50 parts by weight.

The enzyme-treated essence of the present invention is, for example, a tea extract obtained by extracting a tea raw material in the presence of a protease and a tannic acid enzyme as described in Patent Document 12; In the case of extracting the plant material, the plant material is mixed with water, followed by heat treatment, followed by cooling and adding the enzyme, and the plant extract obtained by extracting the enzyme is applied; the proteolytic enzyme treatment described in Patent Document 14 is baked. Available for processing cocoa raw materials A method for producing an enzyme-treated product, which is subjected to proteolytic enzyme treatment at a sufficient time and temperature, so that the content of total free amino acid after proteolytic enzyme treatment is at least 1.5 times higher than that before treatment, and protein decomposition The content of glutamic acid, aspartic acid, and arginine after the enzyme treatment is higher than that of the cocoa enzyme treated product which is at least 1.8 times before the treatment.

The blending ratio of the taste improving agent and the enzyme treating essence in the flavor imparting agent composition of the taste improving agent and the enzyme treating essence of the present invention is the type of the taste improving agent, the type of the enzyme treating essence, and the like. However, it cannot be generalized, but it can be set, for example, to 0.01 to 1000 parts by weight, preferably 0.1 to 100 parts by weight, and still more preferably 1 to 50 parts by weight, based on 100 parts by weight of the taste improving agent. proportion.

As the solvent extract in the present invention, the above-mentioned food material is extracted by water and/or an organic solvent, and supercritical or subcritical carbonic acid gas. The water-soluble organic solvent may, for example, be an alcohol selected from the group consisting of methanol, ethanol, n-propanol, isopropanol, butanol, 2-butanol, and third butanol, a ketone such as acetone, and ethylene glycol. And one or a mixture of a plurality of polyols such as propylene glycol, glycerin, 1,3-butanediol, and 1,2-butanediol. Among these, an alcohol or a polyhydric alcohol is preferable, and as a more preferable one, one or a mixture of a plurality of kinds selected from the group consisting of ethanol, propylene glycol, and glycerin can be specifically exemplified. In the present invention, water or a water-soluble organic solvent may be used alone as an extraction solvent, but it is preferred to use a water-soluble organic solvent in combination with water. In this case, the water content of the mixed solvent is usually preferably in the range of about 20 to 80% by mass.

The blending ratio of the taste improving agent and the solvent extract in the flavor imparting agent composition in combination with the taste improving agent and the solvent extracting agent of the present invention is based on the type of the taste improving agent and the type of the solvent extracting extract. However, it cannot be generalized, but it can be set, for example, to 0.01 to 1000 parts by weight, preferably 0.1 to 100 parts by weight, and still more preferably 1 to 50 parts by weight, based on 100 parts by weight of the taste improving agent. proportion.

The taste improving agent, the taste improving agent composition, or the flavor imparting agent composition thus obtained can greatly enhance the food material by adding 0.1 ppm to 1% of the food or beverage corresponding to the food material. The flavor is thick, full, and the like, and has no odor, and is intended to improve the balance, and can provide a taste improving agent and a taste improving agent composition which can be easily and inexpensively prepared. Or a fragrance imparting agent composition. Here, the thick taste means that when the food or drink is contained in the mouth or when swallowed, it is temporarily continued from the mouth to the depth of the throat, so that the feeling of deep taste is felt. Further, the feeling of fullness means that the structure of the taste is solid, and it is smooth and has a three-dimensional feeling, so that the overall taste has a feeling of strength (hereinafter, the combination of the richness and the fullness of the taste is sometimes referred to as a concentrated taste). In addition, the balance means the taste balance of the food material, and means that the sour taste and the sweet taste are rich in the above-mentioned taste, and the feeling of fullness is also well-adjusted.

The food and drink to which the taste improving agent, the taste improving agent composition, or the flavor imparting agent composition of the present invention is added may, for example, be a green tea filled with a bottle, a can or a paper container as a food or drink containing tea. , tea, drink, tea, oolong tea, black tea, etc.; Mixed tea beverages filled with PET bottles, cans or paper containers; ice creams such as green tea, matcha, milled tea, oolong tea, black tea, etc., ice cream, cream or sherbet; various tea flavored crisps Biscuits, biscuits, pancakes (Senbei), buns, chocolate, creamy snacks, bread, etc. As a coffee-containing food and drink, for example, sugar-free coffee, sugared coffee, milk coffee, coffee ory (coffee café, au lait), caramel coffee, etc., which are filled in a PET bottle, a can or a paper container, can be exemplified. Coffee-based beverages; coffee-flavored ice cream, creamy cream or sorbet; various coffee-flavored shortbread, biscuits, pancakes, buns, chocolate, creamy snacks, bread, etc. As a food and beverage containing cereals, for example, a tea beverage such as a wheat tea beverage filled with a PET bottle, a can or a paper container, a black rice tea beverage, a so-called mixed tea beverage mixed with tea and roasted cereals, and the like can be exemplified. Beverages; beer, sparkling wine, so-called third beer (the third beer), non-alcoholic beer flavored beverages, etc.; flavored ice cream, creamy cream with the characteristics of wheat tea, black rice tea, mixed tea or beer Or iced products such as snow yoghurt; shortbread, biscuits, pancakes, buns, chocolate, creamy snacks, bread, etc., which have flavors such as wheat tea, black rice tea, mixed tea or beer. Examples of the cocoa-flavored food and drink include a beverage such as a cocoa beverage or a chocolate drink filled in a PET bottle, a can or a paper container; a chocolate; an ice cream, a cream cream or a snow cheese having a cocoa flavor or a chocolate flavor; Iced items such as shortbread, biscuits, pancakes, buns, creamy snacks, bread, etc. with cocoa flavor or chocolate flavor. As the fruit-flavored food and drink, for example, natural juice, juice drink, refreshing drink containing juice, carbonated drink containing juice, and alcohol containing fruit juice, which are filled in a PET bottle, a can or a paper container, can be exemplified. Beverages such as beverages; fruit processed products such as jams, fruit preparations; yoghourt containing fruits; iced fruits such as fruit-flavored ice cream, cream or sorbet; Shortbread, biscuits, pancakes, buns, snacks filled with cream, bread and other snacks.

The present invention will be further specifically described below by way of examples and comparative examples.

[Examples]

(Example 1)

(1) Modulation method

The roasted and pulverized coffee beans (Colombia; L value 22) 1000 g were placed in 9000 g of water, sterilized at 80 ° C for 5 minutes, and cooled to 45 ° C. Cellulosin GM5 (registered trademark: mannose decomposing enzyme manufactured by HIB) 20 g (2% relative to coffee beans) and Sumizyme (registered trademark: glucoamylase manufactured by Nippon Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.) 20 g (2% with respect to coffee beans), after stirring for 15 minutes, the enzyme treatment was carried out at 45 ° C for 16 hours. After the enzyme treatment, the mixture was sterilized at 90 ° C for 10 minutes, and then cooled to 30 ° C. The bleached cloth was removed by a basket type centrifugal separator to remove the solid residue of the coffee bean residue, and then used in No. 2 filter paper (ADVANTEC company made a particle size of 5 μ, 20 cm). The suction filter which was precoated with 150 g of cellulose powder was subjected to suction filtration (pressure reduction of 13.33 KPa) under a certain pressure to obtain 7725 g of a clear extract. The extract was concentrated under reduced pressure to give 434 g (yield: pH 4.9).

The half amount of the comparative product 1 was placed in a 1 L autoclave, sealed, and heated while stirring, and the temperature was raised in about 30 minutes, and added at 135 ± 2 ° C. Heat for 1 hour. Subsequently, after cooling to 30 ° C, the content was taken out and filtered with 200 mesh saran to obtain a heat-treated product (Comparative Product 2).

In the 1 L autoclave, the remaining half amount of Comparative Product 1 was adjusted to pH 11 with a 30% aqueous sodium hydroxide solution, and after cooling, the mixture was heated while stirring, and the temperature was raised in about 30 minutes, and heated at 135 ± 2 ° C for 1 hour. Then, after cooling to 30 ° C, the content was taken out and filtered with 200 mesh Saran to obtain a heat-treated product (Invention 1).

(2) Functional evaluation

Prepare a commercially available sugar-free black coffee beverage (1L paper container) (reference product 1), and a dilution of reference product 1 (mixing 8 parts by mass of reference product 1 and 2 parts by mass of water: reference product 2), for In Reference 2, 10 ppm of the present invention 1, Comparative Product 1 and Comparative Product 2 were added, respectively, and functional evaluation was performed by 10 fully trained judges. The evaluation criteria are based on the sense of coffee beans and the strong taste of the ‧ the sense of fullness, with reference 1 as the control, obviously weak: -2 points, a little weak: -1 point, the same degree: 0 points, a little strong: +1 point, obviously strong: +2 points, again, for the goodness of the balance of coffee drinks, bad: -2 points, a little bad: -1 points, no difference: 0 points, a little good: + 1 point, good: +2 points, and for the taste, strong: -2 points, a little strong: -1 points, the same degree: 0 points, weak: +1 points, obviously weak: +2 points, The sensory evaluation was performed. The average scores are shown in Table 1. In addition, the sense of coffee beans is as described above, which means that the coffee beans have a unique taste feeling. By adding, people feel that the amount of coffee beans used actually uses more coffee beans and has a real taste of drinking. feel. Moreover, the thick taste means that when the food or drink is contained in the mouth, or when swallowed, it continues from the mouth to the depth of the throat, so that people feel the deep feeling. . Moreover, the feeling of fullness means that the structure of the taste is solid, and it is smooth and has a three-dimensional feeling, so that the overall taste has a feeling of strength. Moreover, the balance means the balance of the taste of the coffee, which means that the bitter taste, the bitter taste, the sweet taste, the strong taste of the above, the feeling of fullness, the sense of coffee beans, etc. are also well-balanced, and the taste means that When the food is contained in the mouth or swallowed, it feels like the bitterness of coffee of different nature.

As shown in Table 1, in the coffee drink of the reference product 2, the comparative product of the unheated product was added, and the addition effect was not observed in the sense of the coffee beans, the richness of the taste, the feeling of fullness, and the balance, but the comparison of the heating products was carried out. In the product 2 and the product 1 of the present invention, the effect of addition was confirmed in terms of the feeling of the coffee beans, the richness of the taste, the feeling of fullness, and the balance. However, Comparative Product 2 strongly felt the odor (bitter taste different from coffee), but the one added with the present invention had no odor, and strongly felt the unique refreshing bitterness of the coffee.

(3) Storage stability test

In the storage state of the present invention product 1, the comparative product 1 and the comparative product 2, immediately after preparation (0week), storage at 50 ° C for 2 weeks (2 weeks), storage after 4 weeks (4 weeks), -: no Precipitation, +: a little precipitation, ++: observation criteria for precipitation were observed, and the results are shown in Table 2.

As shown in Table 2, the comparative product 2 which was subjected to heat treatment without adjusting the pH was precipitated after storage for 2 weeks, but the product 1 of the present invention which was subjected to heat treatment after adjusting the pH showed almost no precipitation and was preserved. Excellent stability.

(Example 2)

(1) Modulation method

In a solution in which 3.6 g of ascorbic acid was dissolved in 5400 g of soft water, 600 g of green tea (second flush tea of Shibukita variety, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan) was sterilized by a mixer, and sterilized at 80 ° C for 5 minutes, and cooled. To 40 ° C. Here, 6 g of tannic acid enzyme (manufactured by Mitsubishi Chemical Food Co., Ltd.: 500 U/g) was added, and the mixture was stirred for 15 minutes. Next, 6 g of proteolytic enzyme M (5500 U/g, manufactured by Amano Enzyme Co., Ltd.) was added, and the enzyme treatment was carried out at 40 ° C for 8 hours. After the enzyme treatment, the mixture was sterilized at 90 ° C for 10 minutes, and then cooled to 30 ° C. The bleached cloth was removed by a basket type centrifugal separator to remove the solid residue of the tea leaves, and then used in No. 2 filter paper (retained particle diameter 5 μ, 16 cm by ADVANTEC). A suction filter having 100 g of cellulose powder precoated thereon was subjected to suction filtration (pressure reduction of 13.33 KPa) at a constant pressure to obtain 4686 g of a clear extract. The extract was concentrated under reduced pressure to give a concentrate (yield: 5: 4.7).

The half amount of Comparative Product 1 was placed in a 1 L autoclave, sealed, and heated while stirring. The temperature was raised in about 30 minutes, and added at 120 ± 2 ° C. Hot for 2 hours. Subsequently, after cooling to 30 ° C, the content was taken out and filtered through 200 mesh saran to obtain a heat-treated product (Comparative Product 4).

In the 1 L autoclave, the remaining half amount of Comparative Product 1 was adjusted to pH 10 with a 30% aqueous sodium hydroxide solution, and after sealing, the mixture was heated while stirring, and the temperature was raised in about 30 minutes, and heated at 120 ± 2 ° C for 2 hours. Then, after cooling to 30 ° C, the content was taken out and filtered with 200 mesh Saran to obtain a heat-treated product (Inventive Product 2).

(2) Functional evaluation

Prepare a commercially available green tea beverage (Pot bottle 2L container) (mixed reference 3), and a reference product 3 dilution (8 parts by mass of reference product 3 and 2 parts by mass of water: reference product 4), for In Reference 4, 10 ppm of the present invention 2, Comparative Product 3, and Comparative Product 4 were added, respectively, and functional evaluation was performed by 10 fully trained judges. The evaluation criteria are based on the taste of the tea, the richness of the taste, the feeling of fullness, etc., and when the reference product 3 is used as the control, it is obviously weak: -2 points, a little weak: -1 point, the same degree: 0 points , a little strong: +1 points, obviously strong + 2 points, and, in terms of balance, bad: -2 points, a little bad: -1 points, no difference: 0 points, a little good: +1 points, good : +2 points, and for the taste, strong: -2 points, a little strong: -1 points, the same degree: 0 points, weak: +1 points, obviously weak: +2 points, and perform functional evaluation . The average scores are shown in Table 3. In addition, the tea sensation refers to the unique taste of the tea, and by adding, it is felt that more tea leaves are used than the actual amount of tea used, and the feeling of drinking is felt. In addition, the thick taste means that when the food or drink is contained in the mouth, or when swallowed, it continues from the mouth to the depth of the throat, and the feeling of deep taste is felt. Also, the feeling of fullness means that the structure of the taste is solid and slippery. There is a three-dimensional effect, which gives the taste a whole feeling of strength. Moreover, the balance means the balance of the taste of the tea, which means that the bitter taste, the bitter taste, the sweet taste, the strong taste of the above, the feeling of fullness, the feeling of tea, etc. are also well-adjusted, and the taste means that the diet will be When the product is contained in the mouth or swallowed, it feels like a bitter taste different from tea.

As shown in Table 3, the comparison product of the unheated product was added to the green tea beverage of the reference product 4, and the addition effect was not observed in the tea sensation, the richness of the taste, the feeling of fullness, and the balance, but the comparison of the heating products was carried out. In the product 4 and the product 2 of the present invention, the addition effect was confirmed in the sense of tea, the taste, the feeling of fullness, and the balance. However, Comparative Product 4 strongly felt the odor (bitter taste different from that of tea), but the addition of the present invention 2 was not odorous, and strongly felt the unique refreshing bitterness of the tea.

(3) Storage stability test

In the storage state of the present invention product 2, the comparative product 3, and the comparative product 4, immediately after preparation (0week), storage at 50 ° C for 2 weeks (2 weeks), storage for 4 weeks (4 weeks), -: no Precipitation, +: a little precipitation, ++: observation criteria for precipitation were observed, and the results are shown in Table 4.

As shown in Table 4, the comparative product 4 which was subjected to heat treatment without adjusting the pH was precipitated after storage for 2 weeks, but the product 2 of the present invention which was subjected to heat treatment after adjusting the pH showed almost no precipitation and preservation. Excellent stability.

(Example 3)

(1) Modulation method

1000 g of pulverized wheat tea (baked with six-rowed barley to an L value of 34) was placed in 9000 g of water, and sterilized at 80 ° C for 5 minutes, and cooled to 45 ° C. In this case, 20 g (an amylase preparation mainly composed of α-amylase manufactured by Mitsubishi Chemicals Co., Ltd.) was added to 20 g (2% with respect to wheat tea), and after stirring for 15 minutes, it was carried out at 45 ° C. Hour of enzyme treatment. After the enzyme treatment, the mixture was sterilized at 90 ° C for 10 minutes, and then cooled to 30 ° C. The bleached cloth was used to remove the solid residue of the wheat tea residue using a basket type centrifugal separator, and then used in No. 2 filter paper (ADVANTEC company made a particle size of 5 μ, 20 cm). The suction filter which was precoated with 150 g of cellulose powder was subjected to suction filtration (reduced pressure 13.33 KPa) under a certain pressure to obtain 8225 g of a clear extract. This extract was concentrated under reduced pressure to give 1234 g (yield product 5: pH 4.5).

Half of the comparative product 5 was placed in a 1 L autoclave, sealed, and heated while stirring. The temperature was raised in about 30 minutes, and heated at 140 ± 2 ° C for 30 minutes. Then, after cooling to 30 ° C, the content was taken out, and it filtered by the 200 mesh-sixer, and the heat-processed material (comparation 6) was obtained.

The remaining half of the comparative product 5 was placed in a 1 L autoclave to adjust the pH to 10.5 with a 30% aqueous sodium hydroxide solution. After sealing, the mixture was heated while stirring, and the temperature was raised in about 30 minutes, and heated at 140 ± 2 ° C. minute. Then, after cooling to 30 ° C, the content was taken out and filtered with 200 mesh Saran to obtain a heat-treated product (Invention 3).

(2) Functional evaluation

Prepare a commercially available wheat tea beverage (1L paper container) (reference product 5), and a dilution of reference product 5 (mixing 8 parts by mass of reference product 5 and 2 parts by mass of water: reference product 6), for reference products 6. 10 ppm of the present invention 3, Comparative Product 5, and Comparative Product 6 were added, respectively, and functional evaluation was performed by 10 highly trained judges. The evaluation criteria are based on reference product 5, which is obviously weak for the rich taste: -2 points, a little weak: -1 point, the same degree: 0 points, a little strong: +1 points, obviously strong : +2 points, again, for the balance of wheat tea drinks, bad: -2 points, a little bad: -1 points, the same degree: 0 points, slightly good: +1 points, obviously good: +2 points In addition, for the taste, strong: -2 points, a little strong: -1 points, the same degree: 0 points, weak: +1 points, obviously weak: +2 points, and the faculty evaluation. The average score is shown in Table 5.

As shown in Table 5, in the wheat tea beverage of Reference 6, the comparative product 5 of the unheated product was added, and no additive effect was observed in the concentrated taste and balance, but the comparative product of the heating product 6 and the present invention Product 3 confirmed the added effect on the rich taste and balance. However, Comparative Product 6 strongly felt the odor (bitter taste different from that of wheat tea), but the addition of the present invention 3 did not have a odor, and strongly felt the unique refreshing bitterness of the mai tea.

(Example 4)

(1) Modulation method

2500g of coarsely pulverized (3mm) roasting cocoa powder was placed in a 5L column, and 8750g of hot water of 95°C was fed from the upper part of the column. It took 2 hours to extract (2187.5g each time, 4 times, repeated After the extraction for 30 minutes, the extract was taken out from the lower portion of the column, and the extract was cooled to 20 ° C, and then centrifuged at 800 G for 5 minutes to obtain a supernatant of 7655 g (B x 4.2 °). Sumizyme C (cellulase produced by Nippon Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.) was added in an amount of 0.32 g (0.1% solids relative to Bx) and proteolytic enzyme M (manufactured by Amano Enzyme Co., Ltd.: 5500 U/g) 0.32 g ( The solid concentration was 0.1% based on Bx and stirred for 15 minutes. Thereafter, the enzyme treatment was carried out at 40 ° C for 8 hours. After the enzyme treatment, the mixture was sterilized at 90 ° C for 10 minutes, and then cooled to 30 ° C to obtain an enzyme treatment solution, and the enzyme treatment liquid was concentrated under reduced pressure to obtain 625.8 g of a Bx 50 ° concentrate (Comparative product 7: pH 5.2).

Half of the comparative product 7 was placed in a 1 L autoclave, sealed, and heated while stirring. The temperature was raised in about 30 minutes, and heated at 130 ± 2 ° C for 1 hour. Subsequently, after cooling to 30 ° C, the content was taken out and filtered with 200 mesh Saran to obtain a heat-treated product (Comparative Product 8).

Put the remaining half of the comparison product 7 in a 1L autoclave The 30% aqueous sodium hydroxide solution was adjusted to pH 11, and after sealing, it was heated while stirring, and the temperature was raised in about 30 minutes, and heated at 130 ± 2 ° C for 1 hour. Then, after cooling to 30 ° C, the content was taken out and filtered with 200 mesh Saran to obtain a heat-treated product (Invention 4).

(2) Functional evaluation

1 part by mass of cocoa powder (10-10% fat), 6 parts by mass of granulated sugar, 0.05 parts by mass of salt, 0.01 parts by mass of lecithin, and 0.3 parts by mass of carrageenan were mixed with powder, and 25 parts by mass of milk was added thereto. And fully mix and match. Water was added thereto to make the whole mass 100 parts by mass, and then heat-sterilized at 95 ° C for 2 minutes, and then cooled to 25 ° C to prepare a cocoa beverage (reference product 7), and further prepared a dilution of reference product 7 (mixed 8 mass) For reference materials 7 and 2 parts by mass of water: reference product 8), for reference product 8, add 10 ppm of the present invention 4, comparative product 7 and comparative product 8, respectively, and 10 highly qualified judges Functional evaluation was performed. The evaluation criteria were based on reference product 7 and were significantly weaker for roasted cocoa beans and concentrated alcohol: -2 points, a little weak: -1 point, the same degree: 0 points, a little strong: +1 Points, obviously strong: +2 points, again, for the balance of cocoa drinks, bad: -2 points, a little bad: -1 points, the same degree: 0 points, slightly good: +1 points, obviously good : +2 points, and for the taste, strong: -2 points, a little strong: -1 points, the same degree: 0 points, weak: +1 points, obviously weak: +2 points, and perform functional evaluation . The average scores are shown in Table 6.

As shown in Table 6, the comparison product 7 of the unheated product was added to the cocoa beverage of the reference product 8, and the additive effect was not observed in the roasted cocoa bean flavor, the concentrated taste, and the balance, but the comparative product of the heating product was observed. 8 and the present invention 4 confirmed the additive effect in baking cocoa bean sensation, concentrated taste, and balance. However, Comparative Product 8 strongly felt the odor (bitter taste different from cocoa), but the addition of the present invention 4 was not odorous, and strongly felt the refreshing bitterness of cocoa.

(Example 5)

(1) Modulation method

To 500 g of the commercially available grape juice concentrate (Bx68°), 0.5 g of Sucrose N (Pectinase (trade name) manufactured by Sankyo Co., Ltd.) was added, and the mixture was stirred for 15 minutes. Thereafter, the mixture was stirred at 40 ° C for 1 hour, and after sterilization at a temperature of 90 ° C, the mixture was cooled to 20 ° C to obtain an enzyme-treated product of grape juice concentrate (Comparative Product 9; pH 3.5).

Half of the comparative product 9 was placed in a 1 L autoclave, sealed, and heated while stirring. The temperature was raised in about 30 minutes, and heated at 130 ± 2 ° C for 2 hours. Subsequently, after cooling to 30 ° C, the content was taken out and filtered with 200 mesh Saran to obtain a heat-treated product (Comparative Product 10).

The remaining half amount of Comparative Product 9 was adjusted to pH 9 with a 30% aqueous sodium hydroxide solution, and the mixture was placed in a 1 L autoclave. After sealing, the mixture was heated while stirring, and the temperature was raised in about 30 minutes, and heated at 130 ± 2 ° C for 2 hours. Then, after cooling to 30 ° C, the content was taken out and filtered with 200 mesh Saran to obtain a heat-treated product (Invention 5).

(2) Functional evaluation

Prepare commercially available grape juice drink (50% juice) (Reference 9) and reference product 9 dilution (mix 8 parts by mass of reference product 9 and 2 parts by mass of water: reference product 10) for reference 10, 10 ppm of the present invention 5, the comparative product 9 and the comparative product 10 were respectively added, and the functional evaluation was performed by 10 fully trained judges. The evaluation criteria are based on the sense of fruit juice + fruit sensation and rich mellow taste. When reference product 9 is used as a control, it is obviously weak: -2 points, a little weak: -1 point, the same degree: 0 points, a little strong: +1 point, obviously strong + 2 points, and, in terms of the goodness of the balance as a grape juice drink, bad: -2 points, a little bad: -1 point, no difference: 0 points, a little good: + 1 point, good: +2 points, and for the taste, strong: -2 points, a little strong: -1 points, the same degree: 0 points, weak: +1 points, obviously weak: +2 points, The sensory evaluation was performed. The average score is shown in Table 7.

As shown in Table 7, in the grape juice drink of the reference product 10, the comparative product 9 of the unheated product was added, and no effect was added to the juice feeling, the fruit feeling, the rich taste, and the balance, but the heating product was In the comparative product 10 and the present invention 5, the addition effect was confirmed in the sense of fruit juice, fruit feeling, rich taste, and balance. However, the comparative product 10 strongly felt the odor (the bitterness of a different nature from the grape juice), but the addition of the inventive product 5 was not odorous, and strongly felt the unique refreshing bitterness of the grape juice.

(Example 6)

As shown in Examples 1 to 5, when the pH of the extract of each food material was adjusted and the temperature of the extract of each food material was adjusted to be heated, the taste improving agent was observed, and the taste improving effect was observed. It was judged that the storage stability was excellent. For this reason, in order to confirm the change in the physical properties of the heat-treated product, the correlation between the pH at the time of the heat treatment and the value of the absorbance at 680 nm (OD ₆₈₀ ) of the heat-treated product was confirmed. The sample preparation method and the OD ₆₈₀ measurement result are shown below for each food material. In addition, the OD ₆₈₀ was measured by diluting the heat-treated material to 1000-fold with ion-exchanged water, and diluting the diluted solution with an Agilent 8453 diode array spectrophotometer manufactured by Agilent Technologies. The absorbance at 680 nm was measured in a 10 mm box.

(1) Sample preparation method

‧blueberry

The pH of the commercially available blueberry juice concentrate (Bx68°) was adjusted to 3, 4, 8, 9, 10, and each pH adjustment product was heat-treated at 135 ° C for 60 minutes.

‧coffee

The pH of the coffee concentrate (Bx50°) of the comparative product 1 prepared in Example 1 was adjusted to 5, 6, 9, and 10, and each pH adjuster was heat-treated at 135 ° C for 2 hours.

‧green tea

The pH of the green tea concentrate (Bx50°) of Comparative Product 3 prepared in Example 2 was adjusted to 5, 7, 9, and 11, and each pH adjustment product was heat-treated at 135 ° C for 2 hours.

‧cocoa

The pH of the cocoa concentrate (Bx50°) of the comparative product 7 prepared in Example 4 was adjusted to 5 and 10, and each pH adjuster was heat-treated at 135 ° C for 2 hours.

(2) OD ₆₈₀ measurement results

The measurement results of OD ₆₈₀ of the heat-treated product of each food material are shown in Tables 8 to 11. In addition, the A/B system in the table has the following meaning.

A / B: pH adjustment OD ₆₈₀ value of the heat treated product (A) / unadjusted OD ₆₈₀ value (B) heating the pH of the treated

As shown in Tables 8 to 11, in any food material, the pH was adjusted to be alkaline and heat treatment, and the tendency of OD _{680 to} become small was observed, which was presumed to be due to the pH at the time of heat treatment. The physical properties of the heat-treated material change, and are related to the improvement of taste and storage stability.

(Example 7)

In the green tea-containing food and drink product of the present invention 2 prepared in Example 2, the flavor improving agent was mixed with the flavoring agent shown in Table 12, and the present invention was prepared by mixing the aroma imparting agent shown below. The fragrance imparting agent composition.

Aroma imparting agent

‧ Green tea flavor component A: The green tea flavor component composition shown in Example 1 of Patent Document 1 was used. The blending recipe is as follows.

(mixing prescription)

Hexanol (0.5), cis 3-hexenol (0.1), octanol (0.05), 2-phenylethyl alcohol (0.05), geraniol (0.02), heptaldehyde (0.05), phenyl b Aldehyde (0.001), cis-trans-theospirane (0.1), trans-hexenoic acid (0.05), ethyl acetate (0.01), octanoic acid (Z)-3-hexenyl ester (0.02) , jasmolactone (0.01), 2-methoxy-3-methylpyr (0.001), benzothiazole (0.001), maltol (0.2), furfural (0.2), green tea recycled flavor component reference example 4 (0.2), 95% ethanol (suitable amount), water or ODO (350)

‧ Green tea steam extract B: The water vapor extract shown in Example 6 of Patent Document 8 was used. The modulation method is as follows.

(modulation method)

5 kg of commercially available sencha was filled in three stainless steel columns each having an inner diameter of 27 cm and a height of 57 cm, and steam distillation was performed at 100 to 105 ° C for 2 to 3 hours to obtain 30 kg of a distillate. Then, 15 kg of soft water at 50 ° C was added to each column, and extraction was carried out at 50 to 55 ° C for 30 minutes and filtered, whereby 36 kg of an extract (B x 7.48 °) was obtained. Into the above-mentioned 7.5 kg of the distillate, 9 kg of the extract was added, and the sodium bicarbonate was adjusted to pH 5.01, and the RO membrane concentrator NTR-759HG S2F (manufactured by Nitto Denko Corporation) was used to carry out the treatment at an operating pressure of 4 MPa for about 3 hours. Thereafter, centrifugation was carried out (20 ° C, 800 × G, 5 minutes), and adjusted to Bx 20 °, and 200 mesh filtration was carried out to obtain a concentrate of 3.35 kg.

‧ Green Tea Enzyme Treatment Essence C: The green tea enzyme treatment essence shown in Example 1 of Patent Document 12 was used. The modulation method is as follows.

(modulation method)

900 g of soft water was added to 100 g of green tea leaves (powder), and sterilization was carried out at 80 ° C for 5 minutes. After sterilizing, the mixture was cooled to 40° C., and 1 g of proteolytic enzyme M (Amano Enzyme) and 1 g of tannic acid enzyme (trisaccharide) were added and dissolved, and then the enzyme treatment was carried out at 40° C. for 16 hours. After the enzyme treatment, the mixture was sterilized at 90 ° C for 10 minutes, and then filtered and centrifuged through a filter paper to obtain 820 g of a clear green tea extract.

‧ Green Tea Solvent Extract D: Prepared by the method shown below.

(modulation method)

300 g of commercially available sencha was placed in a 3 L column, and 2700 g of an 80% ethanol aqueous solution was poured thereinto, and subjected to cyclic extraction at 45 ° C for 1 hour (circulation flow rate 3 times/hour). The extract was filtered with a suction filter precoated with DIAFLOC (polymer coagulant) to obtain 2300 g of a clear green tea extract.

50 ppm of the green tea flavor imparting agent composition of the present invention product 2, green tea flavor component A, green tea steam extract B, green tea enzyme treatment extract C, green tea solvent extract D, and the present invention 6 to 10, respectively. It was evaluated in a commercially available green tea beverage and was evaluated by 10 fully trained judges. As a result, compared with the case where the present invention 2, the green tea flavor component A, the green tea steam extract B, the green tea enzyme treatment extract C, and the green tea solvent extract D were added, the present invention 6 to 10 was added to the tea. The point of feeling, richness, and balance was evaluated as a multiplicative enhancement of taste.

Claims (7)

A taste improving agent, which is a taste improving agent for foods and drinks, comprising heat treatment obtained by adjusting an extract of a raw material of a food material to pH 8 to pH 11 and then heat-treating at 100 ° C to 180 ° C for 10 minutes to 5 hours. And the raw material of the food material is selected from the group consisting of unprocessed or processed materials containing raw materials selected from the group consisting of tea leaves, coffee beans, baked grains, cocoa beans, and fruits. The ratio (A/B) of the value (A) of the heat-treated product to the OD ₆₈₀ of the diluted solution and the equivalent value (B) of the heat-treated product having no adjusted pH was 0.88 or less. The taste improving agent according to claim 1, wherein the extract of the raw material of the food material is Bx1° to Bx80° as a solid component concentration by a refractive sugar content (20 ° C). The taste improving agent according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the extract of the raw material of the food material is an enzyme treated product treated with one or more enzymes. The taste improving agent according to claim 3, which is added to one or more of a monosaccharide, a disaccharide or an oligosaccharide, and is heat-treated. A flavor imparting agent composition containing the taste improving agent and the aroma imparting agent according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The fragrance imparting agent composition of claim 5, wherein the aroma imparting agent is at least one selected from the group consisting of a steam extract extract, an enzyme treatment extract, a solvent extract, and a flavor component. A method for improving the flavor of a food or drink, characterized in that the flavor imparting agent composition according to claim 5 or 6 is added to a food or beverage.