Plum wine or beverage containing plum wine with low hydrogen cyanide content

Abstract

The present invention addresses the problem of improving the ripeness or high-quality mellowness of a plum wine or a plum wine-containing beverage having a low hydrogen cyanide content. In the present invention, the furfural content and / or the ethyl caprylate content in a plum wine having a low hydrogen cyanide content or a beverage containing the plum wine is set to a specific range.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a plum wine or a plum wine-containing beverage having a low hydrogen cyanide content and containing furfural and / or ethyl octanoate in a specific amount, and related methods. Background Art

[0002] Plum wine is a beverage produced by adding plum fruits to alcoholic beverages such as shochu, and belongs to liqueur under the Liquor Tax Law. Conventionally, plum wine has been made at home, but in recent years, various types of plum wine have been manufactured and sold by brewing manufacturers.

[0003] In recent years, various studies have been conducted on methods for manufacturing plum wine. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a method for manufacturing plum wine with a low ethyl carbamate content by subjecting plum fruits to water bath heating and then impregnating them in an alcoholic solution.

[0004] Patent Document Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-306973 Summary of the Invention

[0005] Plums contain cyanogenic glycosides, from which hydrogen cyanide can be generated. As a result, hydrogen cyanide is contained in plum wine or a plum wine-containing beverage. If the hydrogen cyanide is at the level usually contained in plum wine, it will not affect the human body, but it is preferably reduced as much as possible.

[0006] As a method for reducing the hydrogen cyanide content, a method of diluting the plum wine used as a raw material is considered. However, when hydrogen cyanide is generated from cyanogenic glycosides contained in plum fruits, components such as glucose are generated as by-products during the generation process, which contribute greatly to the unique aging feeling or high-quality mellow feeling of plum wine. Therefore, when diluting plum wine, the concentration of these components is also reduced. As a result, in plum wine or a plum wine-containing beverage with a low hydrogen cyanide content, the tendency for the unique aging feeling or high-quality mellow feeling of plum wine to be insufficient becomes stronger.

[0007] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to improve the aging feeling or high-quality mellow feeling of plum wine or a plum wine-containing beverage with a low hydrogen cyanide content.

[0008] The present inventors found that if the furfural content and / or the ethyl octanoate content in plum wine with a low hydrogen cyanide content or a beverage containing such plum wine is set within a specific range, the aging feeling or high-quality mellow feeling can be improved, and thus the present invention has been completed.

[0009] The present invention relates to the following, but is not limited thereto. (1) A plum wine or a plum wine-containing beverage, characterized in that the furfural content is 1000 ppb or more, and the hydrogen cyanide content is less than 8 ppm in terms of 100% alcohol. (2) A plum wine or plum wine-containing beverage, characterized in that the content of ethyl octanoate is 50 ppb or more, and the content of hydrogen cyanide is less than 8 ppm in terms of 100% alcohol conversion. (3) A plum wine or plum wine-containing beverage, characterized in that the content of furfural is 1200 ppb or more, and the content of ethyl octanoate is 50 ppb or more. (4) A method for manufacturing a plum wine or plum wine-containing beverage, characterized in that the content of furfural is 1000 ppb or more, and the content of hydrogen cyanide is less than 8 ppm in terms of 100% alcohol conversion. (5) A method for manufacturing a plum wine or plum wine-containing beverage, characterized in that the content of ethyl octanoate is 50 ppb or more, and the content of hydrogen cyanide is less than 8 ppm in terms of 100% alcohol conversion. (6) A method for manufacturing a plum wine or plum wine-containing beverage, characterized in that the content of furfural is 1200 ppb or more, and the content of ethyl octanoate is 50 ppb or more. (7) A method for enhancing the aging feeling or high-quality mellow feeling of a plum wine or plum wine-containing beverage with a hydrogen cyanide content of less than 8 ppm in terms of 100% alcohol conversion, characterized by including a step of mixing raw materials in such a way that the content of furfural in the plum wine or plum wine-containing beverage reaches 1000 ppb or more. (8) A method for enhancing the aging feeling or high-quality mellow feeling of a plum wine or plum wine-containing beverage with a hydrogen cyanide content of less than 8 ppm in terms of 100% alcohol conversion, characterized by including a step of mixing raw materials in such a way that the content of ethyl octanoate in the plum wine or plum wine-containing beverage reaches 50 ppb or more. (9) A method for enhancing the aging feeling or high-quality mellow feeling of a plum wine or plum wine-containing beverage, characterized by including a step of mixing raw materials in such a way that the content of furfural in the plum wine or plum wine-containing beverage reaches 1200 ppb or more and the content of ethyl octanoate reaches 50 ppb or more.

[0010] The present invention can enhance the aging feeling or high-quality mellow feeling of a plum wine or plum wine-containing beverage with a low hydrogen cyanide content. Regarding the "aging feeling" of the plum wine or the beverage containing the plum wine in this specification, it refers to the feeling related to aroma or taste felt when drinking the plum wine or plum wine-containing beverage, which has a complex taste composed of sourness, sweetness, fragrance, etc., while the overall taste is harmonious, and has a soft and pleasant aftertaste. In addition, the so-called "high-quality mellow feeling" refers to the feeling related to aroma or taste felt when drinking the plum wine or plum wine-containing beverage, which has a mellow feeling and a complex taste in terms of aroma or taste, while a good balance of them can be felt, and a rich diffusibility and persistence can be felt in the mouth. Detailed embodiments

[0011] The following description is about the umeshu, umeshu-containing beverages and related methods of the present invention. In addition, unless otherwise stated, the "ppm" and "ppb" used in this specification refer to ppm and ppb of weight / volume (w / v), which have the same meanings as "mg / L" and "μg / L" respectively.

[0012] Furthermore, the term "alcohol" described in this specification refers to ethanol unless otherwise stated. (Umeshu and Umeshu-Containing Beverages) The term "umeshu" used in this specification refers to a beverage obtained by immersing the fruits or a part thereof (including seeds) of ume fruits such as ume plums or ripened umes used as raw materials in an alcohol-containing liquid such as shochu and extracting the components.

[0013] The variety of ume that supplies the ume fruits is not particularly limited as long as it is a ume commonly used for umeshu production. For example, it can be listed as: Nanko ume, Shirokaga ume, Ryugyo ume, Koshu ume, Lucy ume, Ougon, Suika, Kaga Jizo, Hachiro, Mineharu, Murasaki Hime, Kishibotam, Minabe 21, NK14, Orange High, Purple Nanko, U. Jack (Japanese: Yū Jack), Maesawa ume, Improved Uchida, Yoshimura ume, Shinshu Bungo, Takada ume, Shinpotaifu, Tamayori Hime, Natsumidori, Fukutaifu, Red Dance, Kakanomi, Kojo, Tsukisekai, Ume no Sato, etc. The ripeness of the fruits is not particularly restricted and can be unripe ume plums or fully ripe fruits. Also, the ume fruits or a part thereof can be directly immersed in the alcohol-containing solution, or after being processed, for example, crushed, cut, heated, frozen or dried, and then used in the immersion process.

[0014] The alcohol-containing liquid used in the immersion process contains alcohol and usually also contains water. In addition, in one example, this liquid contains distilled liquor and thus contains alcohol. The distilled liquor is not limited by its raw materials or manufacturing methods. As such distilled liquor, for example, it can be listed as: whisky, brandy, spirits (such as vodka, rum, tequila, gin, aquavit), neutral spirits, liqueurs, shochu. Preferably, the distilled liquor is whisky, brandy or neutral spirits. The typical immersion temperature is normal temperature (about 25°C), and the typical immersion time is 1 to 12 months, for example, about 1 to 3 months.

[0015] The term "umeshu-containing beverage" used in this specification refers to a beverage containing umeshu. As a typical example of the umeshu-containing beverage, a beverage obtained by diluting umeshu with water or carbonated water can be listed.

[0016] The content of ume liquor in the ume liquor-containing beverage is preferably 1 to 99 v / v%, more preferably 5 to 99 v / v%, still more preferably 10 to 99 v / v%, and even more preferably 20 to 99%.

[0017] The content of hydrogen cyanide in the ume liquor or ume liquor-containing beverage of the present invention is extremely low, and the content is less than 8 ppm in terms of 100% alcohol conversion, preferably 7 ppm or less, more preferably 6 ppm or less, still more preferably 5 ppm or less, even more preferably 4 ppm or less, still more preferably 3 ppm or less, and even more preferably 2 ppm or less.

[0018] Here, the so-called "in terms of 100% alcohol conversion" means the amount of hydrogen cyanide per certain amount of alcohol contained in a beverage sample such as ume liquor or ume liquor-containing beverage, and can be calculated by the following formula. (Hydrogen cyanide content in terms of 100% alcohol conversion) =(Hydrogen cyanide content in the beverage sample) / (Alcohol content in the beverage sample (v / v%))×100

[0019] The content of hydrogen cyanide in the beverage can be measured by any known method, for example, by the method shown in the following examples.

[0020] In addition, the ume liquor or ume liquor-containing beverage of the present invention preferably also contains the components usually contained in ume liquor. In a preferred embodiment, the ume liquor or ume liquor-containing beverage contains 0.5 to 100 ppm of benzaldehyde.

[0021] (Furfural, ethyl octanoate) The ume liquor or ume liquor-containing beverage of the present invention contains a specific amount of furfural and / or ethyl octanoate. These components can enhance the aging feeling or high-quality mellow feeling of the ume liquor or ume liquor-containing beverage.

[0022] The content of furfural in the ume liquor or ume liquor-containing beverage of the present invention is 1000 ppb or more, preferably 1200 ppb or more, preferably 1000 to 3000 ppb, more preferably 1000 to 2500 ppb, and even more preferably 1300 to 1700 ppb.

[0023] The content of ethyl octanoate in the ume liquor or ume liquor-containing beverage of the present invention is 50 ppb or more, preferably 50 to 300 ppb, more preferably 50 to 200 ppb, and even more preferably 80 to 200 ppb.

[0024] In one embodiment of the ume liquor or ume liquor-containing beverage of the present invention, preferably, the content of furfural is 1200 ppb or more and the content of ethyl octanoate is 50 ppb or more.

[0025] The ume liquor or ume liquor-containing beverage of the present invention may contain the above two components in the above contents. In order to adjust the contents of these components, for example, a part or all of these components may also be added from the outside. In order to add the desired components from the outside, they may be directly added to the umeshu or umeshu-containing beverage, or raw materials such as ume juice, ume extract, and base liquor containing a part or all of these components may be added to the umeshu or umeshu-containing beverage.

[0026] The contents of these components can be analyzed by any known method such as GC-MS or LC-MS. For example, their contents can be measured by gas chromatography (GC), and examples of the measurement conditions are described in the following examples.

[0027] (Alcohol) The umeshu or umeshu-containing beverage of the present invention contains alcohol. The alcohol content of the umeshu or umeshu-containing beverage is preferably 1.0 to 30 v / v%, more preferably 3.0 to 25.0 v / v%, and still more preferably 5.0 to 22.0 v / v%.

[0028] In this specification, the alcohol content can be measured by any known method. For example, it can be measured by a vibrating densitometer. Specifically, a sample from which carbon dioxide has been removed from the beverage by filtration or ultrasonic waves is prepared, and the prepared sample is directly fired and distilled. The density of the obtained distillate at 15°C is measured, and conversion is performed using the "Table 2 Conversion Table of Alcohol Content, Density (15°C), and Specific Gravity (15 / 15°C)" in the attached table of the analytical method specified by the National Tax Agency of Japan (National Tax Agency Ordinance No. 6 of 2007, revised on June 22, 2007).

[0029] (Other components) In the umeshu or umeshu-containing beverage of the present invention, as long as the unique flavor inherent in the umeshu is not impaired and the effects of the present invention are not impaired, in addition, additives commonly blended in beverages, such as sugars, flavors, vitamins, pigments, antioxidants, preservatives, seasonings, acidulants, extracts, pH adjusters, quality stabilizers, etc., may be blended.

[0030] (Container-packed beverage) The umeshu or umeshu-containing beverage of the present invention can be provided in a container-packed form. The form of the container includes metal containers such as cans, PET bottles, cartons, glass bottles, bags, etc., but is not limited thereto.

[0031] (Method) In another aspect, the present invention is a method for enhancing the aging feeling or high-quality mellow feeling of an umeshu or umeshu-containing beverage having a hydrogen cyanide content of less than 8 ppm in terms of 100% alcohol. The method includes the following steps: A step of mixing raw materials so that the furfural content in the umeshu or umeshu-containing beverage reaches 1000 ppb or more; and / or A step of mixing raw materials in such a way that the content of ethyl octanoate in plum wine or a plum wine-containing beverage reaches 50 ppb or more.

[0032] These steps can also be used in the manufacturing method of plum wine or a plum wine-containing beverage. The method for adjusting this content is as described above for plum wine or a plum wine-containing beverage, or can be understood from the above. In addition, the content of furfural and ethyl octanoate and specific examples or contents of other components are also as described above for plum wine or a plum wine-containing beverage.

[0033] (Numerical range) For more specific description, the numerical range represented by the lower limit value and the upper limit value in this specification, that is, "lower limit value ~ upper limit value", includes these lower limit values and upper limit values. For example, the range represented by "1 ~ 2" includes 1 and 2. Examples

[0034] The present invention will be described below based on examples, but the present invention is not limited by these examples. (Test Example 1) Effect of furfural on beverages with low hydrogen cyanide content A commercially available plum wine product A (paper-packaged plum wine using spices) was used as a control group (Control Group 1). The hydrogen cyanide content of this control group was 5 ppm in terms of 100% alcohol, and this control group contained 94.6 ppb of furfural and 17.5 ppb of ethyl octanoate. Then, various amounts of furfural were added to this control group to obtain various beverages. The alcohol content of each beverage was 10 - 15 v / v%.

[0035] In addition, the measurement of the hydrogen cyanide content was carried out as follows. That is, an alkali was added to the beverage as a sample to inactivate the hydrolase from the plums contained in the sample, and then the pH was adjusted to about 5.5, followed by steam distillation, and the free hydrogen cyanide was trapped in an alkali solution. Then, a pyridine-pyrazolone reagent was added to the obtained solution to make it colored, and the concentration of hydrogen cyanide was quantified by colorimetry. The subsequent test examples were also carried out in the same manner.

[0036] In addition, in order to measure the content of furfural and ethyl octanoate in each beverage, GC-MS analysis was carried out under the following conditions. The subsequent test examples were also carried out in the same manner. · Analytical device GCMS manufactured by Agilent Technologies · GC oven temperature conditions 40°C (5 minutes) - 6°C / min - 240°C · Chromatographic column DBwax 60m inner diameter 320μm film thickness 0.25μm (Agilent J&W) ·No sample pretreatment

[0037] Sensory evaluation was conducted on these beverages. Specifically, three professional reviewers conducted sensory evaluation on each beverage according to the following criteria, and the average value of their scores was calculated (the average value was rounded to an integer). In order to reduce individual differences in evaluation, each reviewer used reference standards corresponding to each score to establish a consensus on the relationship between each score and the taste in advance. Unless otherwise specified, this evaluation method can also be used in other test examples.

[0038] <Aged feeling or high-quality mellow feeling of plum wine-containing beverages> 1 point: No aged feeling, high-quality mellow feeling 2 points: Slightly feel the aged feeling, high-quality mellow feeling 3 points: Slightly feel the aged feeling, high-quality mellow feeling 4 points: Feel the aged feeling, high-quality mellow feeling 5 points: Strongly feel the aged feeling, high-quality mellow feeling

[0039] The furfural content and evaluation results are shown in Table 1. Excellent effects can be obtained when the furfural content is within a certain range.

[0040] [Table 1]

[0041] (Test Example 2) Effect of furfural on beverages with low hydrogen cyanide content - Part 2 Except for using plum wine product B (zero-sugar paper-packed plum wine with spices) as the control group, the same experiment as in Test Example 1 was conducted (but the number of beverages added with furfural was less). The control group in this experiment was called Control Group 2. The hydrogen cyanide content in Control Group 2 was less than 8 ppm in terms of 100% alcohol conversion, the furfural content was 193.3 ppb, and the ethyl octanoate content was 12.3 ppb. In addition, the alcohol content of each beverage was 8 - 12 v / v%. The experimental results are as follows.

[0042] [Table 2]

[0043] Even when using different plum wines, the same tendency as in Test Example 1 was confirmed. This implies that the invention of this case can be applied to a wider range of plum wines or plum wine-containing beverages.

[0044] (Test Example 3) Effect of ethyl octanoate on beverages with low hydrogen cyanide content The plum wine product A used in Test Example 1 was used as a control group. In this test example, it was referred to as Control Group 3. The hydrogen cyanide content in Control Group 3 was 5 ppm in terms of 100% alcohol conversion, the furfural content was 94.6 ppb, and the ethyl octanoate content was 17.5 ppb. Then, various amounts of ethyl octanoate were added to this control group to obtain various beverages. The alcohol content of each beverage was 10 - 15 v / v%. These beverages were subjected to the same sensory evaluation as in Test Example 1.

[0045] The ethyl octanoate content and the evaluation results are shown in Table 3. When the ethyl octanoate content is within a certain range, excellent effects can be obtained.

[0046] [Table 3]

[0047] (Test Example 4) Effect of Ethyl Octanoate on Beverages with Low Hydrogen Cyanide Content, Part 2 Except for using the same plum wine product B as in Test Example 2 as the control group, the same experiment as in Test Example 3 was conducted (but the number of beverages added with ethyl octanoate was smaller). The control group in this experiment was referred to as Control Group 4. The hydrogen cyanide content in Control Group 4 was less than 8 ppm in terms of 100% alcohol conversion, the furfural content was 193.3 ppb, and the ethyl octanoate content was 12.3 ppb. The alcohol content of each beverage was 8 - 12 v / v%. The experimental results are as follows.

[0048] [Table 4]

[0049] Even when using different plum wines, the same tendency as in Test Example 3 was confirmed. This implies that the invention of this case can be applied to a wider range of plum wines or plum wine-containing beverages.

Claims

1. A plum wine or plum wine-containing beverage, characterized in that, the content of furfural is 1000 ppb or more, and the content of hydrogen cyanide is less than 8 ppm in terms of 100% alcohol conversion.

2. A plum wine or plum wine-containing beverage, characterized in that, the content of ethyl octanoate is 50 ppb or more, and the content of hydrogen cyanide is less than 8 ppm in terms of 100% alcohol conversion.

3. A plum wine or plum wine-containing beverage, characterized in that, the content of furfural is 1200 ppb or more, and the content of ethyl octanoate is 50 ppb or more.

4. A method for manufacturing a plum wine or plum wine-containing beverage, characterized in that, the content of furfural is 1000 ppb or more, and the content of hydrogen cyanide is less than 8 ppm in terms of 100% alcohol conversion.

5. A method for manufacturing a plum wine or plum wine-containing beverage, characterized in that, the content of ethyl octanoate is 50 ppb or more, and the content of hydrogen cyanide is less than 8 ppm in terms of 100% alcohol conversion.

6. A method for manufacturing a plum wine or plum wine-containing beverage, characterized in that, the content of furfural is 1200 ppb or more, and the content of ethyl octanoate is 50 ppb or more.

7. A method for enhancing the aging feeling or high-quality mellow feeling of a plum wine or plum wine-containing beverage with the content of hydrogen cyanide less than 8 ppm in terms of 100% alcohol conversion, characterized in that, it includes a step of mixing raw materials in such a way that the content of furfural in the plum wine or plum wine-containing beverage reaches 1000 ppb or more.

8. A method for enhancing the aging feeling or high-quality mellow feeling of a plum wine or plum wine-containing beverage with the content of hydrogen cyanide less than 8 ppm in terms of 100% alcohol conversion, characterized in that, it includes a step of mixing raw materials in such a way that the content of ethyl octanoate in the plum wine or plum wine-containing beverage reaches 50 ppb or more.

9. A method for enhancing the aging feeling or high-quality mellow feeling of a plum wine or plum wine-containing beverage, characterized in that, it includes a step of mixing raw materials in such a way that the content of furfural in the plum wine or plum wine-containing beverage reaches 1200 ppb or more and the content of ethyl octanoate reaches 50 ppb or more.

Images