TWI677289B - Flavor imparting, enhancing or adjusting agent for coffee food and beverage - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a unique coffee flavor for coffee beverages, which can be used to add, enhance, and adjust the aromatic aroma and taste of the freshly-ground coffee roasted beans by adding a small amount to coffee processed products. Or adjuster and food and drink added to it.

By contacting the water extract of roasted coffee with superheated steam, a flavor imparting, enhancing, or adjusting agent for coffee flavor food and beverage is obtained. In addition, by adding a flavor imparting, enhancing, or adjusting agent for the coffee flavor food and drink to the coffee flavor food and drink, the flavor can be easily and effectively improved.

Description

Flavor imparting, enhancing or adjusting agent for coffee food and beverage

The invention relates to a coffee flavor imparting, enhancing or adjusting agent for a unique coffee dietary product obtained by contacting a coffee extract with superheated steam for heating treatment, and a coffee flavor imparting and enhancing for the coffee dietary product added in trace amounts to food. Or the method of imparting or enhancing the flavor of coffee.

Coffee is the most popular favorite drink in the world. Even so far, China and other countries centered on tea culture have been rapidly infiltrated by the culture of fast food restaurants or coffee shops in Europe and the United States. Its demand has increased sharply.

In Japan, according to consumers who want to taste coffee at any time and place, containerized coffee beverages such as canned coffee, refrigerated coffee beverages, bottled canned coffee beverages, etc., which have achieved unique development in Japan, are widely popular A variety of processed coffee products, such as instant coffee, are consumed in ordinary households. On the other hand, in recent years, in addition to coffee shops, cafes, coffee shops, etc., because of the rise of coffee provided at the counters of convenience stores, good quality "fresh, freshly brewed" coffee can also be easily purchased at low prices. , Becomes For everyday drinking situations. Therefore, in the current situation of canned or refrigerated coffee accompanied by heating and sterilization in order to circulate and maintain quality, the demand for materials that impart the effect of "roasting, fresh grinding, fresh brewing" is increasing.

Coffee roasted, freshly ground, freshly brewed coffee shops, or canned or instant coffee are basically roasted coffee beans, and coffee extracts obtained by water extraction with water to hot water . Industrially, there is a state where the coffee extract is concentrated or in the form of a dry powder, but it is hereinafter referred to as a coffee extract. Coffee extracts are added with sugar, milk, and other ingredients to make various coffee processed products. The ingredients in coffee extract are very unstable, so the good taste and aroma during extraction. The so-called flavor balance is known to be easily lost through manufacturing, circulation and storage. On the other hand, proposals have been made to enhance and compensate for the aroma of coffee by various methods (Patent Documents 1 to 3). However, these proposals do not fundamentally solve the deterioration of aroma and taste quality in terms of using unstable coffee extracts, and require further improvement. In addition, as a method for producing a coffee extract that suppresses a change in the quality of aroma and taste, although a low-temperature extract of coffee and a steam distillation extract of mixed coffee have been proposed, there is still room for improvement, and a new proposal is required.

The sweet aroma and taste of known coffee characteristics are mainly manifested by the Maillard reaction caused by heating sugar and amino acids when roasting coffee beans. In addition, chlorogenic acid or caffeic acid, Various ingredients in coffee beans, such as quinic acid, also have complex involvement. Mena reaction to produce coffee aroma and taste after roasting Oxidation reaction, on the other hand, oxidation is the enemy of coffee that is easy to change its composition, especially coffee beans with high roasting degree, because the roasting makes the moisture content very little, and the ratio of coffee oil in the beans becomes higher, so there is oxidation degradation after roast It is easy to progress, and it is accompanied by an industrially dangerous problem that is easy to catch fire.

However, after the Seattle-based coffees such as Starbucks entered Japan, the tendency to use coffee beverages with deep roasted coffee beans with a high degree of roasting in Japan has become stronger. As a result, even if milk-type coffee is added, it is not lost in order to lead The coffee feel of milk increases the use of deep roasted coffee beans. In addition, compared with the case of using shallow roasted coffee beans, a person who uses deep roasting can obtain a stronger sense of body, drinking, and satisfaction. Therefore, it is also possible to blend deep roasted beans with shallow roasted beans. It is fully carried out, but as described, there is a problem of oxidation deterioration or ignition after baking, and it is required to improve the technology.

On the other hand, as a new heating method, the use of superheated steam has attracted much attention. The use of superheated steam originally started in the 1980s but was only used in 2 to 3 cases of bread and fish paste products. However, since the 1990s, the results of the electromagnetic induction heating method, the resistance heating method, and the electric heating method have been developed, and their utilization has been rapidly progressed. Superheated steam heating is characterized by rapid and very high thermal efficiency, and can be heated with less oxygen. As a proposal related to roasting coffee using superheated steam, although there are methods shown in Patent Documents 4 to 7, since all methods use superheated steam to reduce oxygen, it is not easy to make coffee beans. Important Mayer reaction in baking, and carbonization is very fast due to high thermal efficiency, and it is difficult to balance the aroma and taste of deep roasted beans. point. In addition, although it is contained in a closed container under an inert gas atmosphere, the above-mentioned favorite raw materials are contacted with superheated steam made of water in a deoxidized state, and a method for recovering the volatile components of the contacted steam (Patent Document 8) However, it is a method of using conventional superheated steam on roasted coffee beans to recover the volatile components in roasted coffee beans with high efficiency, which has the disadvantage that the obtained volatile components are still unstable.

Therefore, there is a need for a novel technology that imparts aroma or taste to deep roasted bean juice without the problems of these prior technologies.

[Prior technical literature] [Patent Literature]

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent No. 4995145

Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent No. 5453331

Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent No. 5575517

Patent Document 4: Japanese Patent No. 2535123

Patent Document 5: Japanese Patent No. 4732777

Patent Document 6: Japanese Patent No. 4628946

Patent Document 7: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 6-30754

Patent Document 8: Japanese Patent No. 4568490

Patent Document 9: Japanese Patent Application No. 2014-27723

The present invention provides a freshly ground fragrance with roasted coffee beans. The aroma and taste, especially the complex aroma and taste of deep-roasted beans, can be uniquely added to coffee processed products in a small amount to easily impart, enhance and adjust the original aroma and taste of coffee Used coffee flavor imparting, enhancing or adjusting agent and food added thereto, and coffee flavor imparting, enhancing or adjusting method.

The present inventors have completed the development of a new conditioning appliance as a food that maintains the health hobby of consumers, and have focused attention on a superheated steam generating device for home use.

The so-called superheated water vapor is a water vapor gas obtained by further heating saturated water vapor at a temperature higher than 100 ° C under atmospheric pressure. Superheated steam is currently industrially used in various applications including heat treatment and sterilization of food, waste treatment, heat treatment of wood, and drying or washing of other materials. The advantages of using superheated steam for conditioning are (1) excellent heat transfer characteristics due to a large heat capacity gas and rapid heating, and (2) condensation of water on the entire surface of the object to be heated in the initial stage of heating. The heat causes the drying of the condensed water to begin in one breath, so that the surface can be preferentially dried. (3) The superheated steam generated by the air will force the air out, and it can be heated in a low-oxygen atmosphere below 0.1%. It can be used safely under normal pressure.

The present inventors did not use the conventional heating method, but focused on the characteristics of the superheated steam described above, and did not use superheated steam for roasting coffee beans, but considered using it for extraction roasting that has not been tried so far. Heat treatment of coffee extract from coffee beans.

Therefore, the coffee extract extracted from home is concentrated to 40% solids, and 2g of it is placed on a stainless steel dish. After using a superheated steam oven for household use, it is heated at 200 ° C, and most of it is evaporated about 10 minutes from the start of heating Moisture to obtain a brown scum-like fired product, which is cooled and crushed. It was unexpectedly found that the crushed product far exceeds the coffee extract used in the raw material. It has the aroma, taste, and color of coffee when roasted, and is added to the coffee diet. It is easy and effective to impart, enhance or adjust the flavor of coffee. Therefore, various heating conditions and the like have been further reviewed, and the present invention has been completed.

The invention provides a coffee extract extracted from roasted coffee beans as a raw material, and the coffee extract is heated by superheated steam (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "extract roasting"), thereby generating a comparison of roasted coffee beans. Method of good aroma and taste. Hitherto, coffee extracts have been extracted at high temperatures and heating after extraction has been considered to cause aroma deterioration. However, it is currently speculated that by heating the coffee extract with superheated steam in a state of little water, the components in the coffee extract are changed, and the freshly-ground aromatic aroma and taste that have been hitherto difficult to produce are produced, especially deep roasted beans. Have complex aromas and tastes (hereinafter, these flavors are sometimes referred to as "baked flavors" or their aromas are called "baked flavors"). This method is a stable method that imparts a complex aroma and taste (roasting flavor) to roasted coffee beans, and has less concern about oxidative degradation.

Therefore, the present invention provides the following.

[1] A flavor imparting, enhancing or adjusting for a coffee flavor food and drink Agent obtained by contacting a water extract of roasted coffee beans with superheated steam.

[2] The flavor imparting, enhancing or adjusting agent for coffee flavor food and drink as described above, wherein the contact conditions of the water extract of roasted coffee beans and superheated steam are under a pressure of about atmospheric pressure and a temperature of 170 ° C to 300 ° C. Within the range, and the time is within the range of 0.2 minutes to 2 hours.

[3] The flavor imparting, enhancing, or adjusting agent for the coffee flavor food and drink as described above, wherein the aqueous solution of the flavor imparting, enhancing, or adjusting agent for the coffee flavor food and drink is measured by a gel permeation chromatography (GPC), and When measuring the cumulative value of the response amount of a differential refractometer (RI), the ratio of the cumulative value of the weight-average molecular weight of 200,000 or more converted by pullulan to the cumulative value of the entire water-soluble component in the aforementioned aqueous solution 15% or more.

[4] A method for producing a flavor imparting, enhancing or adjusting agent for coffee flavor food and drink, comprising the following steps (1) to (3): (1) contacting a water extract of roasted coffee with superheated steam, The step of obtaining a superheated steam treatment product, (2) a step of cooling and solidifying the superheated steam distillation treatment product obtained in step (1), and (3) a step of crushing the solidified product obtained in step (2).

[5] A flavor imparting, enhancing or adjusting agent for coffee flavor food and drink, which is obtained by the method as described in [4].

[6] A coffee flavor food and drink, which is added with a flavor imparting, enhancing or adjusting agent for a coffee flavor food and drink according to any one of [1] to [3] and [5].

[7] A method for imparting, enhancing, or adjusting coffee flavor of a coffee flavor food or drink, which is to impart, enhance, or adjust the flavor for the coffee flavor food or drink of any of [1] to [3] and [5] Agent is added to food and beverage.

By adding the coffee flavor imparting, enhancing, or adjusting agent for the coffee food and beverage of the present invention to a coffee processed product having a coffee flavor or a food having a coffee flavor, it is possible to provide a coffee roasting bean which is not imparted and strengthened in conventional products. Aroma and taste food and drink.

FIG. 1 is a graph showing molecular weight distributions of espresso coffee extract A, comparative product 1, instant coffee A, and product 8 of the present invention.

In the present invention, the water extract of roasted coffee beans refers to an extract obtained by extracting roasted coffee beans with water such as warm water or hot water (hereinafter referred to as "coffee extract"). When making coffee extracts by yourself, first of all, choose green coffee beans that are the raw material for roasted coffee beans used in coffee extracts. There are no special restrictions on green coffee beans. They can be Arabica, Liberian, Robusta, etc., regardless of their type and origin, they can use coffee from any of Brazil, Colombia, and Indonesia. Raw beans. Moreover, one kind of green beans can be used alone for coffee raw beans, and two or more kinds can be used for blending Raw beans. Although raw beans roasted using a coffee roaster or the like can be used as a raw material, they are not limited thereto.

Next, roasting of coffee green beans can be performed by a conventional method using a coffee roaster or the like. For example, coffee green beans are put into a rotating drum, and the rotating drum is rotated and stirred, and then roasted in a gas stove or the like from below. Although the roasting degree of the coffee beans may be within a range for roasting that is usually used for drinking, it may be roasted to an L value of 14.5 to 30, for example. The L value is an index indicating the roasting degree of coffee, and is a value for measuring the brightness of the ground coffee roasted beans by a color difference meter. An L value of 0 indicates black, and an L value of 100 indicates white. Accordingly, the deeper the roasted coffee beans, the lower the value, and the lighter the higher the value. For reference only, the L value of roasted beans used for drinking is generally as shown below. Italian baking: 16 ~ 19, French baking: 19 ~ 21, full city roast: 21 ~ 23, city roast: 23 ~ 25, moderate deep roast: 25 ~ 27, medium Degree baking: 27 ~ 29. The roasting degree of the coffee beans used in the present invention may be in the range of 14.5 to 30, preferably in the range of 16 to 20. In addition, as long as the flavor imparting, enhancing, or adjusting agent flavor of the coffee-flavored food and drink of the present invention is not impaired, beans with an L value of more than 30 or beans with an L value of less than 14.5 may also be used.

Crush the roasted coffee beans and use a batch continuous extraction device, a drop-type extraction device, a multi-function device with a mixer, and other extraction devices to extract it with water such as warm water or hot water by conventional methods. Coffee extract, but is not limited to these. In addition, the coffee extract system uses various methods, for example, concentration under reduced pressure, freeze concentration, and reverse osmosis membrane. Concentrated coffee extracts obtained by various methods such as concentration and concentration using synthetic adsorbents, and powdered by various methods such as spray-drying and freeze-drying these coffee extracts are referred to herein as coffee extracts.

In addition, coffee extracts have been marketed as various commercially available products, and can also be used as commercially available coffee extracts with the desired bean type, roasting degree, and other desired coffee extracts. In addition, commercially available instant coffees can also be used as coffee extracts in the present invention if they are prepared in the same manner as the coffee extracts.

The soluble solid content of the coffee extract used in the product of the present invention is 10% by mass to 100% by mass, and is divided into two types according to the properties of the coffee extract. One is a liquid coffee having a soluble solid content derived from coffee in a range of 10% to 90% by mass, and the other is a powder coffee having a soluble solid content derived from coffee in a range of 90% to 100% by mass. Either can be used, but use liquid coffee or powder coffee with low water content and high solid content, preferably powder coffee, because the heat treatment time to generate a better flavor is shorter, it is easier to pulverize the obtained fired product In addition, the present invention has good aroma and aroma of the roasted coffee beans produced. It is better to use coffee extracts with a coffee-soluble solid content of 25% to 100% by mass, more preferably 50% to 100% by mass, and still more preferably 70% to 100% by mass. This makes it possible to obtain a preferred product of the present invention which has a strong aroma and aroma of roasted coffee beans.

In addition, the coffee extract used in the present invention can also be added and mixed with other food materials or foods such as pH adjusters such as sodium bicarbonate, sodium ascorbate, antioxidants, flavors, sugars, or amino acids, as required. The point of addition may be any time before or after heating with superheated steam.

Next, the superheated water vapor used in the present invention may be any water vapor having a temperature higher than 100 ° C. Specifically, the water vapor obtained by heating the water and then reheating it to a temperature higher than 100 ° C. under normal pressure is superheated water vapor. Superheated water vapor generating devices are generally classified according to differences in the heating method of water vapor. That is, those who use electric heaters for direct and indirect heating using heaters or lamps, and those who use direct or indirect heating by high-frequency heating such as induction heating and dielectric heating.

If a commercially available household conditioner is mentioned, the IH cooking conditioner is in the form of indirect heating by induction heating, and the microwave oven is the form of direct heating by dielectric heating. On the other hand, in recent years, a household conditioner using superheated steam called a steam furnace or a water wave furnace (registered trademark, manufactured by Sharp Corporation), which has attracted attention and is rapidly spreading, is a form of conditioning using a heater directly using electric heating. Machine, using superheated steam for simple food conditioning. Specific examples include Healsio (registered trademark, manufactured by Sharp Corporation). These household conditioning machines are efficient because they are heated in a semi-closed space using superheated steam.

On the other hand, commercial superheated steam generating devices are also commercially available. Specific examples include Genesis (manufactured by Nomura Techno Co., Ltd.), DHF Super-Hi (registered trademark, First High Frequency Industry Co., Ltd.), and SV Roaster HOT MAX (registered trademark, manufactured by Sino-West Corporation) , QFB-5980C-3R (registered trademark, Zhiben Industrial Co., Ltd.), Super Oven (Qingben Iron Works Co., Ltd.), etc., But it is not limited to these.

When coffee extract comes into contact with superheated steam, it comes into contact at slightly atmospheric pressure. That is, heating is performed without contacting with superheated steam under particular pressure or pressure.

Secondly, the temperature of the superheated steam when in contact with the coffee extract must determine the conditions for obtaining the aroma and taste of the intended coffee according to the combination of the amount of the coffee extract actually processed and the heating time and heating temperature. The temperature (ie, heating temperature) of the superheated steam when in contact with the coffee extract is a temperature higher than 100 ° C and within a range of 1000 ° C or lower, preferably 120 to 500 ° C, more preferably 170 to 300 Temperature of ℃. In addition, the heating time is generally 0.1 minutes to 5 hours, preferably 0.1 minutes to 3 hours, and more preferably 0.2 minutes to 2 hours.

When superheated steam is used to heat the coffee extract, when the coffee extract contains about 60 ~ 80% of water in liquid coffee, it will cause a small volume increase after heating, but it will shrink and become brown ~ dark as the heating ends. Brown thin plate-like or semi-dry solid baked material with plasticity. It can be pulverized with a grinder and used as a powder, or it can be dissolved in water again and used as a liquid.

On the other hand, when superheated steam is used to heat powdered coffee, the volume rapidly increases after heating, that is, equivalent to puffing during roasting of coffee beans, which causes puffing. After puffing for a certain period of time, it shrinks to obtain Dark brown to black fired product. It can be pulverized by a grinder to be powdered or dissolved in a liquid and recovered.

The degree of firing can depend on the time of contact with the superheated steam and The temperature is adjusted, but a value expressed by the following formula can be used, that is, the roast degree of the extract is used as an index for determining heating conditions for obtaining a fired product exhibiting a better aroma and taste of coffee roasted beans.

Extract baking degree = (weight of sample before heating-weight of sample after heating-water content of sample before heating) / (weight of sample before heating) × 100

However, the moisture content of the sample before heating is a value obtained by the following formula.

Water content of the sample before heating = weight of the sample before heating-weight of the sample before heating × solid content (%) ÷ 100

When the coffee extract is roasted with superheated steam, the water contained in the coffee extract is first evaporated to cause concentration. When the water is completely evaporated, the above-mentioned value indicating the degree of roasting of the extract becomes 0. If the firing is continued thereafter, the soluble solid content other than water also vaporizes and decreases with various reactions, so the value becomes larger. Furthermore, the value becomes larger as the firing progresses. Carbonization will be caused when the burning progresses excessively, which will damage the better aroma and taste. Therefore, the baking degree of the extract is preferably 30 or less.

As a result of various reviews, the superheated steam treated coffee extract of the present invention can be obtained by setting the roasting degree of the extract to a value in the range of -30 to 30, and more preferably in the range of -10 to 25. In other words, it is a coffee flavor imparting, enhancing or adjusting agent for coffee food and beverage. The fired product in this range has different aroma and taste characteristics, but all have a roasted flavor. By adding the obtained fired product to a coffee processed product or the like, flavor characteristics of the fired product can be imparted. In addition, the so-called roasted flavor here refers to the freshly ground aromatic aroma and taste of coffee roasted beans, especially the deep roasted roasted beans. Complex aroma and taste, but its flavor also includes the better roasting feeling of coffee produced by roasting, and the smokey feeling produced when roasting.

In addition, the degree of firing can be expressed by other indicators. After measuring the molecular weight distribution of the water-soluble components in the coffee extract of the raw materials by a gel permeation chromatography (hereinafter referred to as "GPC"), several peaks were confirmed in a range where the molecular weight reached about 1 million. On the other hand, in the roasted coffee extract, the raw coffee extract has a small peak or a molecular peak near 200,000 to 1 million in which molecular weight is hardly detected, and a significantly larger peak appears in the polymer region, and the molecular weight is confirmed. Significant increase in ingredients above 200,000.

In addition, as a result of various reviews, it was confirmed that the superheated steam-treated coffee extract of the present invention having better aroma and taste of coffee roasted beans was measured by GPC for its aqueous solution, and the cumulative value of the response of the differential refractometer (RI) was measured. The proportion of the pullulan-based polysaccharide-equivalent weight-average molecular weight of more than 200,000 is 15% or more of the entire water-soluble component in the aforementioned aqueous solution.

Generally, when roasted coffee beans are roasted too strongly, they will carbonize and increase the bitterness components, making them unsuitable for drinking. On the other hand, the coffee extract obtained by roasting the extract of the present invention is a fired product obtained by using the above-mentioned superheated water steam treatment to generate the original high-quality bitterness of coffee and in addition, a very fragrant aroma. The inventors have speculated that the mellow alcohol is related to a newly appeared component having a weight average molecular weight of 200,000 or more in superheated steam treatment coffee extract. The so-called mellow alcohol here is a property which imparts richness, thickness, drinking feeling, and satisfaction to coffee.

What is the superheated steam treated coffee extract so obtained The roasted flavor of coffee roasted beans lost from coffee extracts with raw materials has not been scientifically verified, but it is estimated that in coffee extracts, the unreacted precursor components such as aroma components and flavor components generated when roasting coffee beans are changed, such as Sugar, amino acid, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, quinic acid, trigonelline, caffeine, oil and other ingredients are contained in large amounts. These are treated with superheated steam to the same degree as baking, that is, When the extract is roasted, these components complete the same complex chemical changes as the chemical changes produced in roasting, and produce the better aroma and taste (roasting aroma and roasting flavor) of coffee roasted beans.

In addition, it is considered that by using superheated steam as heating means, oxidation of components in coffee extracts represented by oils and fats is difficult to occur, so there is almost no poor acidity or off-flavor. On the other hand, because the heating object is not coffee beans It is a coffee extract, so it is not easy to cause carbonization, and it preferentially generates ingredients that contribute to aroma and taste. In addition, coffee extracts treated with superheated steam are solidified products such as powders, and compared with liquid extracts, they have excellent characteristics of aroma and taste preservation stability.

The present invention is characterized in that the coffee extract obtained from the roasted coffee roasted beans is heated by superheated steam to generate a lost roasting aroma and roasting flavor, and the obtained coffee extract has good coffee bitterness, It is relatively stable after storage, and does not generate unpleasant aroma and taste. Therefore, adding it to the coffee food and beverage does not damage the balance of coffee flavor. By adding a small amount to a large amount, it can change and give roasted aroma and roasted flavor, and then change and give the aroma, concentration, and roasting feeling of coffee. , Smoky sensation, etc. Furthermore, the obtained dark brown to black Those that are smashed and dissolved in a liquid can also be used for the coloring of coffee foods and beverages because of less sediment and better color of coffee.

The coffee extract of the present invention has the aroma and complex taste of roasted coffee beans (roasting aroma, roasting flavor) and good-quality coffee bitterness and color, and is stable after preservation, and can be used as a unique coffee flavor for coffee diet , Enhance or adjust agent. In addition, because it has the characteristics of not generating unpleasant aroma and taste, and because it does not damage the balance of coffee flavor of coffee food and beverage even if it is added, it can be widely used in coffee beverages, milk beverages with coffee, Coffee jelly, coffee biscuits, coffee chocolate, coffee pudding, coffee Bavarois, coffee cakes, and other coffee-flavored foods and drinks can also be added to various foods and drinks, and can be easily given to various products Roasting flavor and coffee aroma, density, roasting, smoky, etc. that cannot be obtained with conventional coffee extracts.

Next, the present invention will be described in more detail with examples, but the present invention is not limited to these examples.

Examples Example 1

10 g of espresso extract A (coffee solid content 40%, raw beans: from Indonesia and Brazil, L value = 21.5) was placed on a stainless steel tray, and a superheated steam conditioner (manufactured by Sharp Corporation, Healsio AX-GX2) was used. ) Of the water wave furnace function for 200 minutes, 30 minutes of heat treatment, obtained A brown thin plate-like fired product (3.78 g) was obtained (baking degree of the extract = 2.2). It was pulverized with a grinder to obtain a powder (product 1 of the present invention).

Example 2

In Example 1, except that a sample having a coffee solid content of 60% was used, heat treatment was performed in the same manner to obtain 6.25 g of a brown-like thin rugged plate-like fired product (extract roasting degree = -2.5). It was pulverized with a grinder to obtain a powder (product 2 of the present invention).

Example 3

In Example 1, except that a sample with a solid content of 80% of coffee was used, heat treatment was performed by the same operation to obtain a dark brown plastic semi-dry solid fired product 8.80 g (extract roasting degree = -8.0) . It was pulverized with a grinder to obtain a powder (product 3 of the present invention).

Example 4

20 g of commercially available instant coffee A (raw beans: from Ecuador, Vietnam, 3.8% water content), which is a sample of dry powder of coffee extract without excipients, was placed on a stainless steel tray, and hot water was used. The water wave furnace function of a steam conditioner (manufactured by Sharp Corporation, Healsio AX-GX2) was performed at 160 ° C for 15 minutes. After heating, puffing was caused in about 3 minutes. After several minutes, shrinkage was obtained to obtain 19.2 g of a dark brown fired product (extract roast degree = 0.2). It was pulverized with a grinder to obtain a powder (product 4 of the present invention).

Example 5

In Example 4, heat treatment was performed in the same manner except that heating was performed at 180 ° C. for 15 minutes. After heating, puffing was caused in about 3 minutes, and after several minutes, shrinkage was obtained to obtain 18.1 g of a dark brown fired product (extract baking degree = 5.7). It was pulverized with a grinder to obtain a powder (product 5 of the present invention).

Example 6

In Example 4, heat treatment was performed in the same manner except that heating was performed at 200 ° C for 15 minutes. After heating, puffing was caused in about 3 minutes, and after a few minutes, shrinkage was obtained to obtain 17.3 g of a dark brown fired product (baking degree of the extract = 9.7). It was pulverized with a grinder to obtain a powder (product 6 of the present invention).

Example 7

In Example 4, heat treatment was performed in the same manner except that heating was performed at 220 ° C for 15 minutes. After heating, puffing was caused after about 3 minutes, and after a few minutes, shrinkage was obtained to obtain 16.8 g of a dark brown fired product (extract roast degree = 12.2). The powder was pulverized with a grinder (product 7 of the present invention).

Example 8

In Example 4, heat treatment was performed in the same manner except that heating was performed at 240 ° C for 15 minutes. After heating, cause swelling after about 3 minutes After being converted for several minutes, it was shrunk to obtain 16.7 g of a dark brown fired product (extract roast degree = 12.7). It was pulverized with a grinder to obtain a powder (product 8 of the present invention).

Example 9

In Example 4, heat treatment was performed in the same manner except that heating was performed at 250 ° C for 30 minutes. After heating, puffing was caused in about 3 minutes, and after a few minutes, shrinkage was obtained to obtain 16.5 g of a dark brown fired product (extract roast degree = 13.7). It was pulverized with a grinder to obtain a powder (product 9 of the present invention).

Comparative Example 1

Measure 400g of the same concentrated coffee extract A as in Example 1, and heat it at 150 ± 2 ° C for 15 minutes using an autoclave, and then quickly cool it to below 30 ° C to obtain 393g of dark brown, liquid heating product (comparative)品 1).

Comparative Example 2

In Comparative Example 1, except that a sample having a coffee solid content of 60% was used, the heat treatment was performed in the same order to obtain 386 g of a dark brown liquid hot product (Comparative Product 2).

Comparative Example 3

In Comparative Example 1, except that the sample with a solid content of 80% of coffee was used, the rest of the samples were subjected to heat treatment in the same order to obtain a dark brown color with a large amount of burnt black. 344 g of the heated product (Comparative product 3).

Comparative Example 4

Water was added to the instant coffee A, which is the same as in Example 4, to make the coffee solid content 40%, and 400g was measured. After heating at 150 ± 2 ° C for 5 minutes using an autoclave, it was quickly cooled to 30 ° C or less. 390 g of dark brown, liquid heating product (Comparative Product 4) was obtained.

Comparative Example 5

Water was added to the same instant coffee A as in Example 4 to make the coffee solid content 60%, and 400g was measured. After heating at 150 ± 2 ° C for 10 minutes using an autoclave, it was quickly cooled to 30 ° C or less. 378 g of a dark brown, liquid heating product (Comparative Product 5) was obtained.

Comparative Example 6

Water was added to the same instant coffee A as in Example 4 to make the coffee solid content 80%, and 400g was measured. After using an autoclave to heat at 150 ± 2 ° C for 15 minutes, it was quickly cooled to 30 ° C or less. 312 g of a dark brown, liquid heating product (Comparative Product 6) was obtained.

Evaluation Method 1-Effect on Sugar Free Coffee Drinks [Sensory evaluation]

The coffee beverage used for the sensory evaluation was prepared as follows.

First, 500 g of roasted beans (raw beans: Made in Brazil, L value = 22) was pulverized and extracted with 5000 g of hot water using a filter paper to obtain 3500 g of coffee extract (Brix 5.0∘). In addition, 5.0 g of sugar ester P-1570 (manufactured by Mitsubishi Chemical Foods Co., Ltd.) and 3500 g of water were mixed and dissolved by heating. To this was added the previously obtained coffee extract and then water to make the total amount 20 kg, and the pH was adjusted to 6.8 with a 10% sodium bicarbonate aqueous solution to prepare a sugar-free coffee beverage for functional evaluation (Reference 1). Prepare this sugar-free coffee beverage for functional evaluation. After about 15 to 30 minutes, add the products 1 to 9 and the comparative products 1 to 6 so that the solid content becomes 0.02%, and use five well-trained functional testers. Perform a functional evaluation.

The evaluation is based on the following 4 items, with 5 points from 1 to 5 points. For each item, the average score of 5 people is used as the evaluation score (rounded up to the decimal point), and the total of the evaluation scores of 4 items is obtained. The results are shown in Table 1.

[4 items of evaluation]

Roasting flavor (evaluation of freshly ground aromatic aroma and taste of coffee roasted beans)

Evaluation score → 5 points: Very strongly felt, 4 points: Strongly felt, 3 points: Normal, 2 points: Slightly weak, 1 point: Very weak

Baking feeling (evaluation of baking feeling of deep roasted beans)

Evaluation score → 5 points: Very strong feeling, 4 points: Strong feeling, 3 points: Normal, 2 points: Slightly weak, 1 point: Very weak, 0 point: Not feeling

Fragrance (Evaluation of richness, richness, and rich flavor)

Evaluation score → 5 points: Very strongly felt, 4 points: Strongly felt, 3 points: Fully felt, 2 points: Slightly felt, 1 point: Not at all

Taste quality (no offensive or disgusting bitterness, transparency, comprehensive, etc., evaluation of taste quality)

Evaluation score → 5 points: very good, 4 points: good, 3 points: normal, 2 points: slightly bad, 1 point: bad

As shown in Table 1, the total of the evaluation scores of the products 1 to 9 of the present invention is very high and is 12 to 20, while the comparison products 1 to 6 and the reference product 1 are low and 6 to 10.

Moreover, the comprehensive evaluation obtained based on the comments of all the functional testers is as follows:

Compared with the reference 1, the present products 1, 4 ... Strong mellow sensation, good scent clarity, comprehensive coffee flavor.

Compared with the products 1 and 4 of the present invention, the products 2, 3, 5 of the present invention have stronger roasting aroma, roasting sensation, and mellow sensation, which are coffee flavors with good comprehensive advantages.

Compared with the products 1 to 5 of the present invention, the products 6 to 9 of the present invention have a strong roasting aroma, baking feeling, and mellow taste. The product 9 of the present invention also has a slight smoky feeling, which is a very good coffee flavor.

Comparative products 1 to 5 ... Different from the products 1 to 9 of the present invention, the baking aroma or baking feeling is very weak to weak. Although the mellow taste is felt, it is confirmed that the bitterness is increased or the bad taste is generated, etc., and the fragrance is very clear. Poor, low satisfaction.

As described above, the products 1 to 9 of the present invention which are subjected to heat treatment with superheated steam can impart roasting aroma, roasting sensation, and mellow sensation to coffee beverages. In particular, the higher the roasting degree of the extract, the stronger the aroma, and it is confirmed that the roasting aroma is obtained. These roasted flavors were hardly felt in Comparative Products 1 to 6 heated using an autoclave, or the effect was very weak even when they were felt. Comparative Products 1 to 6 felt the off-flavor or poor taste caused by the oxidation of coffee. bitterness. On the other hand, the products 1 to 9 of the present invention have less bitterness and unpleasant bitterness and clear flavor. Therefore, if necessary, the amount of added food and beverages can be increased to confirm that they are novel materials not available in the past.

Evaluation Method 2-Effect on Coffee Drinks with Milk [Sensory evaluation]

The coffee beverage containing milk for sensory evaluation was prepared as follows.

First, 500 g of roasted beans (raw beans: Made in Brazil, L value = 22) was pulverized and extracted with 5000 g of hot water using a filter paper to obtain 3500 g of coffee extract (Brix 5.0∘). In addition, 500 g of granulated sugar, 5.0 g of sugar ester P-1570 (manufactured by Mitsubishi Chemical Foods Co., Ltd.), and 3000 g of water were mixed and dissolved by heating. Next, 1000 g of the previously obtained coffee extract and milk were added, and water was added to make the total amount 20 kg. The pH was adjusted to 6.8 with a 10% sodium bicarbonate aqueous solution to prepare a coffee beverage containing milk for functional evaluation (Reference 2). Prepare the coffee beverage with milk for about 15 to 30 minutes, then add the products 1 to 9 and the comparative products 1 to 6 so that the solid content becomes 0.02%, and test 5 people with good training. Staff perform sensory evaluation. The results are shown in Table 2.

As shown in Table 2, when the products 1 to 9 of the present invention were added, compared with the reference 2, the baking aroma, baking sensation, and mellow taste were strongly felt, and furthermore, the milk feeling was strongly felt. In short, it was obtained as Of Milk Coffee The result of increased satisfaction. In addition, in the products 6 to 9 of the present invention, in addition to the baking sensation, a unique smoky sensation is added, and the scent has an impact sensation.

On the other hand, Comparative Products 1 to 6 confirmed the increase in bitterness or the generation of poor off-flavors. There was no roasting aroma and no increase in milky taste. The evaluation was performed in order to reduce the satisfaction or damage the coffee flavor of Reference Product 2.

Therefore, by adding the products 1 to 9 of the present invention subjected to heat treatment with superheated steam to milk coffee beverages, it was confirmed that the comparative products 1 to 6 heated by the autoclave did not have excellent characteristics, that is, imparted to coffee beans. It has the effect of roasting flavor or roasting sensation, and unique smoky sensation, and confirms that in addition to the aroma of coffee, it also has a strong milky effect.

Example 10

Except for using espresso coffee extract B (Brix 40∘, raw beans: made from Guatemala, L value = 22.5) instead of espresso coffee extract A of Example 1, heat treatment was performed in the same manner as in Example 1. .

Although the volume was slightly increased after heating, it was contracted together at the end of heating to obtain 4.21 g of brown to dark brown, semi-dry solid with a plasticity (extract baking degree = 0.1). The powder was pulverized by a grinder (product 10 of the present invention).

Example 11

Except using espresso coffee extract C (Brix 40∘, raw beans: from Colombia, L value = 23.7) instead of espresso coffee extract A of Example 1, The remainder was subjected to heat treatment in the same manner as in Example 1.

Although the volume was slightly increased after heating, it contracted together at the end of heating to obtain 3.96 g of brown-to-dark brown, thin plate-like fired product (baking degree of extract = 2.4). The powder was pulverized by a grinder (product 11 of the present invention).

Example 12

Except that the espresso coffee extract D (Brix 40∘, raw beans: made in Kona, Hawaii, L value = 23.3) was used instead of the espresso coffee extract A of Example 1, the same procedure as in Example 1 was used for heat treatment.

Although the volume was slightly increased after heating, it contracted together at the end of heating to obtain 3.88 g of brown-to-dark brown, thin plate-like fired product (baking degree of extract = 3.2). The powder was pulverized by a mill (product 12 of the present invention).

Example 13

Except that the espresso coffee extract E (Brix 40∘, raw beans: made in Kenya, L value = 21.9) was used instead of the espresso coffee extract A of Example 1, the heat treatment was performed in the same manner as in Example 1.

Although the volume was slightly increased after heating, it contracted together at the end of heating to obtain 3.91 g of brown to dark brown, thin plate-like fired product (baking degree of extract = 2.9). The powder was pulverized by a grinder (product 13 of the present invention).

Example 14

Except for using espresso coffee extract F (Brix 40∘, raw beans: Robest Bettner, L value = 24.7) instead of espresso coffee extract A of Example 1, the same operation as in Example 1 was performed Perform heat treatment.

Although the volume was slightly increased after heating, it was contracted together at the end of heating to obtain 4.02 g of brown-to-dark brown plate-like fired product (baking degree of extract = 1.8). The powder was pulverized by a grinder (product 14 of the present invention).

Comparative Examples 7 to 11

The espresso coffee extracts B to F without heat treatment were used as comparative products 7 to 11.

[Sensory evaluation]

The functional evaluation was performed by the evaluation method of evaluation method 1. The present invention products 10 to 14 and comparative products 7 to 11 were added to the sugarless coffee beverage for sensory evaluation such that the solid content was 0.02%, and the sensory evaluation was performed by five well-trained sensory testers. The results are shown in Table 3.

As shown in Table 3, the evaluation scores of the products 10 to 14 of the present invention are very high and are 12 to 16, while the comparison products 7 to 11 and the reference product 1 are low to 5 to 7.

In addition, the comprehensive evaluation obtained based on the comments of all the functional testers is as follows:

Compared with Reference 1, the products of the present invention 10 to 14 have stronger roasting, roasting and mellow sensation, good flavor clarity, and impart the characteristics of aroma and taste to each coffee extract. High coffee.

Comparative products 7-11 ... Compared with reference product 1, the flavor and aroma of coffee are only slightly stronger, but they do not have the roasted aroma, roasted aroma, and mellow aroma that the inventive products 10-14 have. Therefore, the evaluation was performed with a low satisfaction.

Therefore, the products 10 to 14 of the present invention subjected to heat treatment with superheated steam can impart excellent characteristics (baking flavor) such as baking flavor, baking feel, and mellow taste which are not found in the comparative products 7 to 11 not subjected to heat treatment. In addition, since the flavor is clear, by adding an additional amount to food and beverage as needed, the aroma and taste that produce the aroma and taste characteristics of each coffee extract can be easily given, and it is confirmed that it is a novel material that has not been available before.

In addition, the coffee extracts of the present inventions 10 to 14 use beans produced by Guatemala, Colombia, Kona, Hawaii, Kenya, and Robust Bettner, but all have been confirmed to give coffee roasted beans Roasting and coffee aroma. In addition, when added to milk coffee, it has been confirmed that it has the effect of enhancing the milk feeling. By changing the type of coffee beans used in the extract raw materials, it is confirmed that the aroma and taste characteristics of each coffee extract can be generated, and the roasted flavor can be easily given. .

[Determination of molecular weight distribution]

The molecular weight distributions of the present invention products 6 to 8 (Examples 6 to 8), comparative product 1 (Comparative Example 1), espresso coffee extract A, and instant coffee A were measured.

The molecular weight distribution is measured in the following procedure. That is, using TSKgel G3000PW _XL (registered trademark, manufactured by TOSOH Co., Ltd.) as a column, after separation, the eluted components were detected by RI (differential refractometer) and GPC analysis was performed. GPC conditions are as follows.

Using pullulan (Shodex (registered trademark, manufactured by Showa Denko) STANDARD P-82, weight average molecular weight 59 × 10 ² , 118 × 10 ² , 228 × 10 ² , 473 × 10 ² , 1120 × 10 ² , 2120 × 10 ² , 4040 × 10 ² ), and maltotetraose (MW 666.58) and maltohexaose (MW 990.87) are used as indicators of molecular weight (standard materials).

Each sample for analysis was diluted and prepared with ultrapure water so that the solid content became about 1%. After centrifugation (2000 × g, 10 minutes), it was filtered through a 0.45 μm PTFE filter (registered trademark, manufactured by Whatman Corporation). It was used as a sample for GPC analysis. For the products 6 to 8, Comparative product 1. Espresso coffee extract A and instant coffee A. Samples were prepared in the above-described manner and subjected to GPC analysis.

[GPC conditions]

×300mm，TOSOH股份有限公司)，移動相：超純水 Column: TSKgel G3000PW _XL (particle size: 7mm, 7.8mm

× 300mm, TOSOH Co., Ltd.), mobile phase: ultrapure water

Flow rate: 0.6mL / min

Detector: RI

Oven temperature: 50 ℃

Sample injection volume: 10 μL

[The measurement results]

In the test sample, the molecular weight distributions (chromatograms) of the present invention product 8, comparative product 1, espresso coffee extract A, and instant coffee A are shown in FIG. 1.

In each of samples 6 to 8, comparative product 1, espresso coffee extract A and instant coffee A, dozens of peaks with a weight average molecular weight of about 1 million were seen. For peaks with a weight average molecular weight of 2 × 10 ⁵ or less, peaks were seen at almost the same dissolution position in any sample, and RI responses saw several differences in several peaks.

On the other hand, the weight average molecular weight of the products of the present invention 6 to 8 has a very large peak (in the vicinity of a weight average molecular weight of about 7 × 10 ⁵ ) in a portion having a weight average molecular weight of 2 × 10 ⁵ or more. There is a big difference in extract A, instant coffee A). In addition, the dissolution position of the peak is shifted to a higher molecular weight side than the peaks of the other three products. That is, it was confirmed that the average molecular weights of the present invention products 6 to 8 were larger than those of other samples.

From the data analyzed by GPC, the ratio (A / B) of the cumulative value (A) of the RI response amount of the part with a weight average molecular weight of 2 × 10 ⁵ or more to the total value (B) of the entire chromatogram × 100 (%)), and the results are as follows.

As shown in Table 4, the ratio of the cumulative value of the RI response amount of the part with a weight average molecular weight of 2 × 10 ⁵ or more to the cumulative value of the entire chromatogram is 18.9 to 32.7% in the present invention 6-8. With the increase of the degree of baking of the extract, the value becomes larger.

On the other hand, the same measurement was performed with espresso coffee extract A, comparative product 1, and instant coffee A. As a result, the foregoing ratio was a value in the range of 10.2 to 11.8%, which was compared with the value of the product 6 to 8 of the present invention. small.

Example 15

Five well-trained functional testers were used to evaluate the products 1 to 6 of the present invention, and the espresso coffee extract A of Example 1 and the instant coffee A of Example 4 as comparative products 12, 13 and stored at room temperature. 1 Changes in aroma and taste over months. In addition to the direct evaluation of the stored product, the evaluation method was also evaluated by the above-mentioned evaluation method 1. The results of the sensory evaluation are shown in Table 5.

As shown in Table 5, after the products 1 to 6 of the present invention were stored at room temperature for one month, the coffee aromas such as roasting aroma and roasting feeling immediately after production were hardly changed, and the aromas and flavors evaluated by the evaluation method 1 were hardly changed.

On the other hand, the comparative product 12 had a well-balanced coffee aroma of the espresso extract because it was stored at room temperature. Brown aroma. In addition, the comparative product 13 is a degree to which a preferable coffee aroma when the instant coffee is opened is slightly felt.

Therefore, even if the coffee extracts treated with the superheated steam of the products 1 to 6 of the present invention were stored for one month, the aroma of the coffee after the production was hardly deteriorated, and the stability was confirmed to be high at room temperature.

Claims (6)

A flavor imparting, enhancing or adjusting agent for coffee flavor food and drink, which is used under a pressure of about atmospheric pressure, a temperature in a range of 200 ° C to 300 ° C, and a time in a range of 15 minutes to 2 hours. The water extract of roasted coffee beans is obtained by contact with superheated steam. The flavor imparting, enhancing or adjusting agent for the coffee flavor food and drink of claim 1, wherein an aqueous solution of the flavor imparting, enhancing or adjusting agent for the coffee flavor food and drink is measured by a gel permeation chromatography (GPC), and measured The cumulative value of the response of the differential refractometer (RI), the ratio of the cumulative value of the weight-average molecular weight of 200,000 or more converted by pullulan to the cumulative value of the total water-soluble components in the aforementioned aqueous solution is 15% or more. A method for producing a flavor imparting, enhancing, or adjusting agent for coffee flavor food and beverage, comprising the following steps (1) to (3): (1) under a pressure of about atmospheric pressure and a temperature of 200 ° C to 300 ° C Within a range of 15 minutes to 2 hours, contacting the water extract of roasted coffee with superheated steam to obtain a superheated steam treatment, (2) the superheated steam obtained in step (1) A step of cooling and solidifying the processed material, (3) a step of crushing the solidified material obtained in step (2). A flavor imparting, enhancing or adjusting agent for coffee flavor food and drink, which is obtained by the method as claimed in claim 3. A coffee flavor food and drink, which is a flavor imparting, enhancing, or adjusting agent for a coffee flavor food and drink according to any one of claims 1, 2, and 4. A coffee flavor imparting, enhancing, or adjusting method for a coffee flavor food or drink, comprising adding a flavor imparting, enhancing, or adjusting agent for a coffee flavor food or drink according to any one of claims 1, 2, and 4 to the food or drink in.