Aronia berry substitute tea rich in anthocyanins and preparation method thereof

Abstract

The present invention relates to the technical field of tea substitutes, and in particular to an anthocyanin-rich aronia berry substitute tea and a preparation method thereof. The invention aims to address the problems of low processing efficiency, low anthocyanin dissolution rate during soaking, slow dissolution rate, and inconvenience in repeated brewing in the prior art. The invention comprises the following components by weight: 4-6 parts of aronia berry pomace, 2-4 parts of freeze-dried aronia berry pulp, and 0-3 parts of single crystal rock sugar. The anthocyanin-rich aronia berry substitute tea is obtained by picking the aronia berry, washing it, preparing the aronia berry pomace, preparing the freeze-dried aronia berry pulp, and compounding the aronia berry pulp.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of substitute teas, in particular to anthocyanin-rich aronia berry substitute tea and a preparation method thereof. Background Art

[0002] Aronia, scientifically known as Aronia nigra, is native to North America. It was first introduced to my country in 1989 by the Liaoning Provincial Arid Forestry Research Institute and is now widely cultivated in Jilin, Liaoning, Shanxi, and other regions. In 2018, aronia passed review by the National Health Commission as a new food ingredient, ushering in new development opportunities. Research has shown that aronia berries are rich in polyphenols, ranging from 1.0 to 3.6 g / 100 g DW. In particular, the anthocyanin content is the highest among all known plants. These berries possess strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities and exhibit numerous beneficial effects, including preventing and treating cardiovascular disease, regulating blood sugar and lipids, and improving liver function. This makes them a promising functional food. While the high polyphenol content contributes to aronia's strong health benefits, it also contributes to its sour and astringent taste, making it difficult for consumers to accept. Therefore, further processing of aronia berries into various products, while preserving their functional properties while improving flavor and removing the sour and astringent taste, is crucial.

[0003] Currently, aronia food research and development is still in its infancy, with the majority of products on the Chinese market consisting of blended juices and functional oral liquids. Blended juices often contain large amounts of sweeteners like fructose syrup and sucrose to mask the tartness. To control production costs, the amount of aronia juice added is relatively low, completely sacrificing the berry's nutritional benefits. This makes it unsuitable for obese individuals, diabetics, and the elderly. In contrast, functional oral liquids are typically 100% aronia juice or concentrate. While these nutritional benefits are guaranteed, their flavor is subpar, with a stronger tartness than the fruit itself. Furthermore, their high price makes them difficult for consumers to accept.

[0004] Alternative teas are widely popular for their nutritional and health benefits. Consumption has been growing annually in recent years, with a trend toward younger consumers. A CBNdata survey shows that over 80% of consumers believe that health and wellness will be the primary driving force behind future tea category development. Alternative teas focused on functional benefits have significant market potential, and integrating health and wellness into tea beverages is a key strategy for capturing this emerging alternative tea market. Therefore, alternative teas, as a processing method for aronia berries, can fully leverage their nutritional and health benefits, such as high anthocyanin content and antioxidant activity. Furthermore, tea, rich in tea polyphenols, has an astringent taste. "Astringency" is defined as one of the flavor characteristics of tea in GB / T 23776-2018, Sensory Evaluation Methods for Tea. A certain degree of astringency is also considered a high-quality tea quality indicator and plays a crucial role in adjusting the flavor of tea. Therefore, astringency is a typical flavor characteristic of tea substitutes and other tea products. After being processed into tea substitutes, the sour and astringent taste of aronia, due to its rich polyphenol content, may become its unique flavor quality. In summary, aronia berry tea substitutes exhibit natural advantages in nutritional health and sensory quality compared to similar juices, functional essences, and oral liquids commonly available on the market. This enriches the aronia berry product range and holds great development prospects.

[0005] CN109645164 A discloses a black fruit adenophora ginger candy health tea and a preparation method thereof. The raw materials include black fruit adenophora, ginger, brown sugar, black tea, astragalus, fangfeng, eucommia, stir-fried atractylodes, rice wine, resveratrol, ascorbic acid and dextrin. Astragalus, fangfeng, eucommia and stir-fried atractylodes are all traditional Chinese medicines. Therefore, the product is not an ordinary food, but should be classified as a health product or even a medicine, and should not be easily taken in daily life.

[0006] CN108740229 A discloses a flower and fruit tea that effectively improves the bitterness of Aronia nigra and its preparation method. The ingredients include: 28-40% Aronia nigra fruit, 18-25% red date slices, 18-25% hawthorn slices, 8-15% Roselle, 6-10% rose, 4-8% jasmine, and 1-3% stevia leaves. Aronia nigra is only one of the ingredients, not the main ingredient, completely masking the Aronia nigra flavor in the tea. Furthermore, the double drying process causes a significant loss of nutrients such as anthocyanins in the Aronia nigra, preventing it from effectively exerting its nutritional and health benefits.

[0007] CN114946979 A discloses a berry tea and its preparation method. The dried berry fruit in the product comes in two states: one in a crushed state and the other in a whole state. However, the former easily breaks apart during the crushing process, making it difficult to repeatedly brew, while the latter's thick peel makes it difficult to extract the fruit contents. Furthermore, using fresh berry fruit directly through natural air drying or 40°C hot air circulation drying results in a thicker and harder peel, which slows water loss from the fruit, resulting in long drying times, low processing efficiency, and high nutrient loss.

[0008] Therefore, on the one hand, there is still a lack of substitute tea products with wild berry as the main ingredient. On the other hand, the existing technology of wild berry substitute tea has problems such as low processing efficiency, low anthocyanin dissolution rate during soaking, slow dissolution speed, and not conducive to repeated brewing, which makes it impossible to give full play to the nutritional and flavor advantages of wild berry in substitute tea products. Summary of the Invention

[0009] In view of this, the present invention provides an anthocyanin-rich aronia substitute tea and a preparation method thereof to solve the problems of low processing efficiency, low anthocyanin dissolution rate during soaking, slow dissolution speed, and difficulty in repeated brewing in the prior art.

[0010] In order to achieve the above object, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is: a wild berry substitute tea rich in anthocyanins, characterized by comprising the following components by weight: 4-6 parts of wild berry pomace, 2-4 parts of wild berry freeze-dried pulp, and 0-3 parts of single crystal rock sugar.

[0011] The steps of preparing anthocyanin-rich aronia berry tea substitute are as follows:

[0012] S1. Fruit picking: Select ripe, plump, free of rot, disease and insect pests, and remove large stems and unripe red fruits.

[0013] S2. Washing: Pour the selected aronia berries into tap water and wash them 2-3 times to remove mud and sand on the surface of the fruit. When the water becomes clear after washing, rinse them once with purified water and drain the water.

[0014] S3. Preparation of Aronia Pomace

[0015] 1) Baking: The washed aronia berries are squeezed to extract juice, and the juiced pomace is evenly spread on a baking tray and dried until the moisture content is less than 10%;

[0016] 2) Sieving: After the dried pomace is naturally cooled at room temperature, it is crushed and sieved in a crusher to obtain dried aronia pomace with a particle size of 20-30 mesh;

[0017] S4. Preparation of freeze-dried aronia berry pulp

[0018] 1) Pulping: The washed aronia berries are crushed using a crusher and then homogenized using a colloid mill until the pulp is uniform.

[0019] 2) Mixing: Mix the fruit pulp with the drying agent and stir until the drying agent is completely dissolved;

[0020] 3) Freeze-drying: The prepared fruit pulp is quickly frozen in a -40°C refrigerator. After being completely frozen, it is transferred to a freeze dryer for vacuum freeze-drying. After freeze-drying, aronia freeze-dried fruit pulp is obtained.

[0021] S5. Compounding: Mix aronia pomace, aronia freeze-dried pulp and single crystal rock sugar in proportions by weight, and pack in nylon tea bags.

[0022] Furthermore, in step S3, the tiling thickness is 5 mm, the drying temperature is 80° C., and the drying time is 45 min.

[0023] Furthermore, the crushing time in step S3 is 5s.

[0024] Furthermore, the drying aid in step S4 is maltodextrin.

[0025] Furthermore, the crushing time in step S4 is about 10 s, and the homogenization time is 10 min.

[0026] Furthermore, the fruit pulp in step S4 is mixed with the drying aid in a mass ratio of 9:1.

[0027] Furthermore, the freeze-drying time in step S4 is 48 h.

[0028] Compared with the prior art, the advantages of the present invention are as follows:

[0029] 1) This invention uses aronia as the main ingredient and, through a rational formulation and processing steps, maximizes the retention of anthocyanins and other nutrients in the raw material, while optimizing the product's sensory quality and enhancing its brewing characteristics, thereby filling a gap in the relevant technology.

[0030] 2) The present invention uses pomace from fully squeezed fruit juice to prepare substitute tea. The pomace is fully utilized as a by-product in the production process of products such as juice and functional oral liquid, saving production costs, reducing production waste, and realizing the tiered processing and comprehensive utilization of aronia fruit.

[0031] 3) The present invention uses a moisture content of less than 10% as a standard. Drying the aronia pomace at 80°C requires a short time and low energy consumption, and is most conducive to the retention of anthocyanins in the pomace. The anthocyanin content of the dried pomace is as high as 12.19 mg / g.

[0032] 4) The present invention uses aronia pomace with a particle size of 20-30 mesh to brew tea with an anthocyanin content of up to 70.46 mg / L after the first brewing, and can still maintain 6.60 mg C3GE / L after the fourth brewing, showing excellent brewing characteristics and can maintain color and nutrition after repeated brewing.

[0033] 5) The solubility of the aronia berry pulp of the present invention is as high as 88.12%, dissolving rapidly during brewing, and dissolving anthocyanins at a rapid rate. In addition, freeze-drying effectively preserves the nutritional components and flavor of the aronia berry, and the unique flavor and quality of the fresh aronia berry can be relatively faithfully restored during brewing.

[0034] 6) The dried pomace of the present invention has good brewing properties but cannot retain the organoleptic qualities of fresh fruit, while the freeze-dried fruit pulp has poor brewing properties but can retain the quality of fresh fruit. The present invention combines the pomace and freeze-dried fruit pulp, allowing the advantages and disadvantages of the dried pomace and freeze-dried fruit pulp to complement each other, resulting in a product with good brewing properties and retaining the organoleptic qualities of fresh fruit. The aronia berry substitute tea of ​​the present invention combines the two, allowing the advantages and disadvantages of the dried pomace and freeze-dried fruit pulp to complement each other, developing a new product with good nutrition, good flavor, excellent brewing properties, and moderate cost, which has good practical value and development prospects. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0035] Figure 1 Detection results of total anthocyanins in Examples and Comparative Examples.

[0036] Figure 2 Redness test results of the embodiments and comparative examples.

[0037] Figure 3 Color saturation test results of the embodiment and the comparative example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0039] Example 1

[0040] A aronia berry substitute tea rich in anthocyanins and a preparation method thereof:

[0041] S1. Fruit picking: Select wild aronia fruits that are well-matured, plump, free of rot, disease and insect pests. Remove leaves, branches, large fruit stems and unripe red fruits from the raw materials that meet the requirements on the operating table.

[0042] S2. Washing: Pour the selected aronia berries into tap water and wash them 2-3 times to remove mud and sand on the surface of the fruit. When the water becomes clear after washing, rinse them once with purified water and drain.

[0043] S3. Preparation of Aronia Pomace

[0044] (1) Baking: The washed aronia berries were squeezed to extract juice, and the juiced pomace was evenly spread on a baking tray with a thickness of about 5 mm, and then dried at 80°C for 45 min until the moisture content was less than 10%;

[0045] (2) Screening: After the dried pomace is naturally cooled at room temperature, it is crushed in a crusher for about 5 seconds and screened using 20-mesh and 30-mesh screens to obtain dried aronia pomace with a particle size of 20-30 mesh.

[0046] S4. Preparation of freeze-dried aronia berry pulp

[0047] (1) Pulping: The washed aronia berries were crushed using a crusher for about 10 seconds, and then homogenized using a colloid mill for about 10 minutes until the pulp was uniform.

[0048] (2) Preparation: Mix the fruit pulp and the drying agent (maltodextrin) in a mass ratio of 9:1, and stir the fruit pulp until the drying agent is completely dissolved;

[0049] (3) Freeze-drying: The prepared fruit pulp is quickly frozen in a -40℃ refrigerator. After being completely frozen, it is transferred to a freeze dryer for vacuum freeze-drying. The freeze-drying time is 48 hours. After the freeze-drying is completed, the wild cherry freeze-dried fruit pulp is obtained.

[0050] S5. Compounding: Mix 4 parts of aronia pomace, 2 parts of freeze-dried aronia pulp, and 1 part of single crystal rock sugar, and pack them in nylon tea bags.

[0051] Example 2

[0052] S1. Fruit picking: Select wild aronia fruits that are well-matured, plump, free of rot, disease and insect pests. Remove leaves, branches, large fruit stems and unripe red fruits from the raw materials that meet the requirements on the operating table.

[0053] S2. Washing: Pour the selected aronia berries into tap water and wash them 2-3 times to remove mud and sand on the surface of the fruit. When the water becomes clear after washing, rinse them once with purified water and drain.

[0054] S3. Preparation of Aronia Pomace

[0055] (1) Baking: The washed aronia berries were squeezed to extract juice, and the juiced pomace was evenly spread on a baking tray with a thickness of about 5 mm, and then dried at 80°C for 45 min until the moisture content was less than 10%;

[0056] (2) Screening: After the dried pomace is naturally cooled at room temperature, it is crushed in a crusher for about 5 seconds and screened using 20-mesh and 30-mesh screens to obtain dried aronia pomace with a particle size of 20-30 mesh.

[0057] S4. Preparation of freeze-dried aronia berry pulp

[0058] (1) Pulping: The washed aronia berries were crushed using a crusher for about 10 seconds, and then homogenized using a colloid mill for about 10 minutes until the pulp was uniform.

[0059] (2) Preparation: Mix the fruit pulp and the drying agent (maltodextrin) in a mass ratio of 9:1, and stir the fruit pulp until the drying agent is completely dissolved;

[0060] (3) Freeze-drying: The prepared fruit pulp is quickly frozen in a -40℃ refrigerator. After being completely frozen, it is transferred to a freeze dryer for vacuum freeze-drying. The freeze-drying time is 48 hours. After the freeze-drying is completed, the wild cherry freeze-dried fruit pulp is obtained.

[0061] S5. Compounding: Mix 6 parts of aronia pomace, 4 parts of aronia freeze-dried pulp, and 2 parts of single crystal rock sugar, and pack them in nylon tea bags.

[0062] Example 3

[0063] S1. Fruit picking: Select wild aronia fruits that are well-matured, plump, free of rot, disease and insect pests. Remove leaves, branches, large fruit stems and unripe red fruits from the raw materials that meet the requirements on the operating table.

[0064] S2. Washing: Pour the selected aronia berries into tap water and wash them 2-3 times to remove mud and sand on the surface of the fruit. When the water becomes clear after washing, rinse them once with purified water and drain.

[0065] S3. Preparation of Aronia Pomace

[0066] (1) Baking: The washed aronia berries were squeezed to extract juice, and the juiced pomace was evenly spread on a baking tray with a thickness of about 5 mm, and then dried at 80°C for 45 min until the moisture content was less than 10%;

[0067] (2) Screening: After the dried pomace is naturally cooled at room temperature, it is crushed in a crusher for about 5 seconds and screened using 20-mesh and 30-mesh screens to obtain dried aronia pomace with a particle size of 20-30 mesh.

[0068] S4. Preparation of freeze-dried aronia berry pulp

[0069] (1) Pulping: The washed aronia berries were crushed using a crusher for about 10 seconds, and then homogenized using a colloid mill for about 10 minutes until the pulp was uniform.

[0070] (2) Preparation: Mix the fruit pulp and the drying agent (maltodextrin) in a mass ratio of 9:1, and stir the fruit pulp until the drying agent is completely dissolved;

[0071] (3) Freeze-drying: The prepared fruit pulp is quickly frozen in a -40℃ refrigerator. After being completely frozen, it is transferred to a freeze dryer for vacuum freeze-drying. The freeze-drying time is 48 hours. After the freeze-drying is completed, the wild cherry freeze-dried fruit pulp is obtained.

[0072] S5. Compounding: Mix 6 parts of aronia pomace, 4 parts of aronia freeze-dried pulp, and 3 parts of single crystal rock sugar, and pack them in nylon tea bags.

[0073] Comparative Example 1

[0074] Commercially available aronia berry tea products.

[0075] Comparative Example 2

[0076] Commercially available immortal berry tea products.

[0077] Comparative experiment

[0078] A comparative experiment was designed based on Example 1 and Example 2 to demonstrate that the present invention has obvious advantages in anthocyanin content, brewing characteristics and sensory quality compared with similar products.

[0079] 1. Brewing characteristics determination experiment

[0080] The surrogate tea sample was soaked in 80°C purified water (tea:water = 1:100 m / m) for 5 minutes. After soaking, the sample was centrifuged at 10,000 r / min at 4°C for 10 minutes. The supernatant was collected as the first infusion. The precipitate was then soaked a second time under the same conditions, yielding two infusions. The anthocyanin content and color characteristics of these two infusions were determined.

[0081] 2. Anthocyanin Content Determination

[0082] pH differential method: 1 mL of the extract was placed in two test tubes. Add pH 1.0 HCl-NaCl buffer and pH 4.5 CH₃COOH-CH₃COONa buffer, respectively, to a final volume of 10 mL. Stable in the dark for 15 minutes. Measure absorbance at 510 nm and 700 nm using a spectrophotometer. Calculate total anthocyanin content using the following formula and express the result in mg C₃GE / L.

[0083] A=(A510-A700) pH1.0-(A510-A700) pH4.5

[0084] W(mg C3GE / L)= (A*MW*10*1000) / (ε*1)

[0085] Where: MW = 449 (relative molecular weight of cyanidin-3-glucoside)

[0086] ε=29600 (molar absorptivity)

[0087] 3. Color characteristic determination

[0088] The color characteristics were tested using a Ci7600 colorimeter in full transmission mode. The measured parameters included redness a* and saturation C*.

[0089] Comparative experimental results analysis

[0090] Comparative experimental results such as Figure 1-Figure 3 As shown in the figure, the anthocyanin content, redness, and saturation of the Example were consistently higher than those of the Comparative Example during both brewing processes. Furthermore, the second brew of the Example still maintained a high anthocyanin content and good redness and saturation, even exceeding the first brew of the Comparative Example, meeting the requirements of multiple brewing. Therefore, the Example exhibits significant advantages in anthocyanin content, sensory quality, and brewing characteristics.

Claims

1. A method for preparing anthocyanin-rich aronia berry tea substitute, characterized in that: The steps are: S1. Fruit picking: Select ripe, plump, free of rot, disease and insect pests, and remove large stems and unripe red fruits. S2. Washing: Pour the selected aronia berries into tap water and wash them 2-3 times to remove debris including mud and sand on the surface of the fruit. When the water becomes clear after washing, rinse once with purified water and drain. S3. Preparation of Aronia Pomace 1) Baking: The washed aronia berries are squeezed to extract juice, and the juiced pomace is evenly spread on a baking tray and dried until the moisture content is less than 10%; 2) Sieving: After the dried pomace is naturally cooled at room temperature, it is crushed and sieved in a crusher to obtain dried aronia pomace with a particle size of 20-30 mesh; S4. Preparation of freeze-dried aronia berry pulp 1) Pulping: The washed aronia berries are crushed using a crusher and then homogenized using a colloid mill until the pulp is uniform. 2) Mixing: Mix the fruit pulp with the drying agent and stir until the drying agent is completely dissolved; 3) Freeze-drying: The prepared fruit pulp is quickly frozen in a -40°C refrigerator. After being completely frozen, it is transferred to a freeze dryer for vacuum freeze-drying. After freeze-drying, aronia freeze-dried fruit pulp is obtained. S5. Compounding: mixing aronia pomace, aronia freeze-dried pulp and single crystal rock sugar in proportions by weight, and packaging in nylon tea bags; The tiling thickness in step S3 is 5 mm, the drying temperature is 80°C, and the drying time is 45 min; The crushing time in step S3 is 5s; The drying aid in step S4 is maltodextrin; The crushing time in step S4 was 10 s and the homogenization time was 10 min; The fruit pulp in step S4 is mixed with the drying aid in a mass ratio of 9:1; The freeze-drying time in step S4 is 48 h; The aronia berry substitute tea comprises the following components in parts by weight: 4-6 parts of aronia berry pomace, 2-4 parts of aronia berry freeze-dried pulp, and 0-3 parts of single crystal rock sugar.

Images